Welcome to APUSH

Welcome to AP U.S. History : 

Welcome to AP U.S. History A brief introduction and tips for AP U.S. History By - Zedrix Santos

First time Honor/AP Students : 

First time Honor/AP Students Unlike regular classes, Honors classes are more rigorous and is also a fast working class. Same goes for AP, but AP is a college level class. In Mr. Cruther’s class, you will cover AP U.S. History at the same level and pace as college students.

About AP U.S. History : 

About AP U.S. History The AP program in United States History is designed to provide students with the analytical skills and enduring understandings necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in United States history. The program prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those made by full-year introductory college courses. Students should learn to assess historical materials—their relevance to a given interpretive problem, their reliability, and their importance—and to weigh the evidence and interpretations presented in historical scholarship. An AP United States History course should thus develop the skills necessary to arrive at conclusions on the basis of an informed judgment and to present reasons and evidence clearly and persuasively in an essay format. – The College Board

Intend to learn : 

Intend to learn As soon as you enter Mr. Cruther’s class room, you will be filled with a plethora of information. Mr. Cruthers is very informative, so make sure you listen to him 100% of the time.

Daily Agenda : 

Daily Agenda When the bell rings, make sure you are seated so that Mr. Cruthers can start his powerpoints. Have a notebook out just incase he tells you to write something. We usually just listen to Mr. Cruthers because not everything we see on the powerpoint will be written.

Tips : 

Tips Read, Read, Read…there is a lot of reading involve in AP. U.S. History, and if you do not read, you will be behind. Do not memorize, analyze!!! There is a difference! You have to have a full understanding on what you read or will be reading so you can elaborate on a topic that may be on your FRQ, DBQ, and AP Exam.

Tips continued : 

Tips continued There are many sources that Mr. Cruthers will give you throughout the year: notes, advice for taking the AP Exam, etc. But when studying for the AP Exam, use your textbook. Practice books and summarys will help, but they can not replace the book. Do not write everything down on Mr. Cruther’s powerpoints; he goes in a fast pace, so just listen, and if he says something twice, mosty likely he wants you to write it down.

Quiz/Test Taking : 

Quiz/Test Taking The best way to study for a quiz or test is to study a week before the quiz or test. Do not wait until the last minute to get everything crammed, be smart and study ahead of time. All of the questions from the quizzes are all from the textbook. So if you did not read, chances are you are going to have a hard time. The test is given in an essay format, and some multiple choice questions. Mr. Cruther’s will give you an outline of what will be on the test before the test, so make sure you write them down and study it.

Getting ready for the AP Exam : 

Getting ready for the AP Exam To get ready for the AP Exam, make sure you study chapters that you are not comfortable on first, than try to cover the ones that you already know, but with more analysis. A month before AP Exams, Mr. Cruther’s will send you powerpoints and tips on taking the exam, so make use of your resources.

Getting ready for the AP Exam (continued) : 

Getting ready for the AP Exam (continued) Buy practice books, they help very well. It helped us in many areas where we felt we needed more understanding and analysis. Stay focus, do not get distracted. The best place to study is at the library. Try to study in a place where are out of your comfort zone. Statistics says, if you are out of your comfort zone, you are more focused because if you are comfortable, you have the tendency to get distracted. As hard as it may believe, it is true.

The Goal : 

The Goal The goal for this class is not to only get a good grade, but most vitally, PASS the AP EXAM. That is the main goal, but not the only goal. You make your own goals and standards, so live up to them.

Word’s of wisdom… : 

Word’s of wisdom… Basically, to be successful in Mr. Cruther’s AP U.S. History class, you have to be motivated to learn. If you are not motivated to learn, than you are wasting your time. Ask questions, get into class discussion, and be active in class. “Motivation is the key to success. So from your last year Apers…

Slide 14: 

Have fun in AP U.S. History...and good luck - From last year's Apers =D