AP World History
Course Outline
The course has been developed around the five themes outlined in the AP World History Course Description. Students will be taught how to identify broad patterns and processes that explain change and continuity over time. They will use critical-thinking and communication skills to investigate the historical roots of contemporary issues and present their conclusions. Students must be prepared to take on a heavy reading and writing load throughout the year and will be required to make comparisons across time and cultures. Students will be regularly analyzing primary sources in order to prepare them for the Document Based Question essay on the exam and to make them practice using evidence to formulate their arguments. Students will be become experts in being able to identify the content and bias of primary sources and what the context of the source tells us about the content of the source. Students will learn how to use SOAPStone and PERSIA charts to aid their analysis of primary sources.
Course Materials Main Textbook Adas, Michael, Marc J. Gilbert, Peter Stearns, and Stuart B. Schwartz. World Civilizations: The Global Experience. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. (AP Edition 2007) [CR1a]
Other Sources
· Adams, Paul V., Erick D. Langer, et al. Experiencing World History(New York
· University Press, New York: 2000).
· Andrea, Al & Overfield, James. The Human Record: Sources of Global History. Vol I & II (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001).
· Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs & Steel; the Fates of Human Societies, (W.W. Norton & Company, New York: 1999).
· Farah, Mounit A & Karls, Andrea B. World History: the Human Experience. (Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, Ohio, 2001).
· Reilly, Kevin. Worlds of History; A Comparative Reader Volumes One & Two. (Bedford/St. Martin’s, New York: 2000).
· Pomeranz, Kenneth. The World That Trade Created: Society, Culture, And the World Economy, 1400 to the Present (Sources and
· Christian, Davis. Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History. (California World History Library, 2004)
Background reading and student supplements
A file on the schools computer network will be made available to students which will include all primary sources, handouts, PowerPoint displays, teacher notes and graphic organizers used in class throughout the course.
Themes
The course examines World History using five overarching themes as described in the AP World History Course Description to identify the broad patterns and processes that explain change and continuity over time.
1. Interactions between humans and the environment
e.g –How geography and climate affected the migration of early humans.
2. Development and interaction of cultures
e.g Trading through the Silk Road lead to the spread if ideas - cultural diffusion.
3. State-building, expansion, and conflict
e.g – The World Wars
4. Creation, expansion, and interactions of economic systems
e.g – Inter-regional trading
5. Development and transformation of social structures
e.g – Gender roles.
Teaching Strategies
Working Together
As the course is obviously very challenging I think it’s important that students are not overwhelmed during the first few weeks of the course. Thus I feel it is important to build a feeling of camaraderie within the classroom, so that students feel they are not alone with the challenge that is the AP World History Course. With this in mind, I regularly put students into groups to analyze or group primary documents, analyze points of view or different historical interpretations. This is also very beneficial in order complete graphic organizers or charts for possible essay questions.
Essay Practice
I will use a step-by-step method of introducing the DBQ, Comparative and Continuity and Change Over Time essays by first using graphic organizers and concentrating on planning rather than writing initially. Students will be made aware of the AP scoring guidelines and will assess in pairs or groups previous free response essays that are available on the AP World History website. In addition, to covering the necessary content, I aim to get the students familiar with the structure and necessary skills to use in order to proficiently produce high quality DBQ and comparative essays. This begins relatively quickly as the first comparative essay and DBQ the students will initially plan, and then write is on early river civilizations. At first the students will require a lot of guidance and will also be encouraged to work in pairs to complete the provided graphic organizers. At home students will practice writing more essays. Students will be made aware of the AP scoring guidelines and essays will be self-assessed, peer assessed as well as being marked by the teacher. The purpose of this step-by-step process is so that the students do not feel overawed during the initial weeks of the course and also to make them feel empowered about their chances of success. In addition, at the end of every unit the students will complete five Continuity and Change Over Time Analysis Charts that examine the five themes.Students will then be assigned a different CCOT essay topic each. Once again, students will be made aware of the AP scoring guidelines and essays will be self-assessed, peer assessed as well as being marked by the teacher.
Final Exam Practice
In preparation for the AP World History Exam students will take a 3-hour, 5-minute AP Practice Exam. In addition, revision classes will be run afterschool and on Saturday mornings in the weeks leading up to the AP World History Exam
Lesson Structure
The class is 120 minutes long so it is split into four parts:
Part 1 - the starter activity is usually a discussion question based on the student’s assigned reading from the previous class.
Part 2 – A lecture (with PowerPoint) which is intended to build on the information in the students textbooks (20 minutes maximum)
Part 3 – Student activities; discussing different historical interpretations, student debates, group work on essay skills, self and peer assessment.
Part 4 - Review of topics studied and explanation of homework expectations for the following class.
Assessment
Participation in class discussion – 10%
Students are expected to participate in class discussion in order to analyze different historical interpretations, stimulate debate and assist fellow classmates.
Student files – 20%
Students must keep an AP World History file, (preferably a ring binder) in which they must keep all classwork, homework, assignments and handouts. The AP World History course is equivalent of a college level course and therefore students must be taught the importance of being organized and taking responsibility of their own work. As college students they will be expected to read assigned pages in their textbooks and take notes as instructed by the teacher. Every week students will have to complete assigned reading. Based their reading students will be required to complete tables, charts, map exercises, graphic organizers or complete comprehension based questions either for homework or in class. Student files will be checked once a week to ensure students are keeping up with the demands of the course.
Tests and Quizzes – 25%
Students will have multiple choice quizzes from each chapter of the textbook. There will be a multiple choice test after the completion of each unit which will be conducted in class.
Essays/Assignments – 25%
During unit each students will complete in class Continuity and Change over Time Essays, in addition to periodic practice of DBQ and comparative essays.
Project – 20%
The students will complete a Comparisons and Snapshots project. Students will work in groups to create a summary of the comparisons and snapshots topics from the AP Course Description for each unit.
The course has been developed around the five themes outlined in the AP World History Course Description. Students will be taught how to identify broad patterns and processes that explain change and continuity over time. They will use critical-thinking and communication skills to investigate the historical roots of contemporary issues and present their conclusions. Students must be prepared to take on a heavy reading and writing load throughout the year and will be required to make comparisons across time and cultures. Students will be regularly analyzing primary sources in order to prepare them for the Document Based Question essay on the exam and to make them practice using evidence to formulate their arguments. Students will be become experts in being able to identify the content and bias of primary sources and what the context of the source tells us about the content of the source. Students will learn how to use SOAPStone and PERSIA charts to aid their analysis of primary sources.
Course Materials Main Textbook Adas, Michael, Marc J. Gilbert, Peter Stearns, and Stuart B. Schwartz. World Civilizations: The Global Experience. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. (AP Edition 2007) [CR1a]
Other Sources
· Adams, Paul V., Erick D. Langer, et al. Experiencing World History(New York
· University Press, New York: 2000).
· Andrea, Al & Overfield, James. The Human Record: Sources of Global History. Vol I & II (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001).
· Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs & Steel; the Fates of Human Societies, (W.W. Norton & Company, New York: 1999).
· Farah, Mounit A & Karls, Andrea B. World History: the Human Experience. (Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, Ohio, 2001).
· Reilly, Kevin. Worlds of History; A Comparative Reader Volumes One & Two. (Bedford/St. Martin’s, New York: 2000).
· Pomeranz, Kenneth. The World That Trade Created: Society, Culture, And the World Economy, 1400 to the Present (Sources and
· Christian, Davis. Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History. (California World History Library, 2004)
Background reading and student supplements
A file on the schools computer network will be made available to students which will include all primary sources, handouts, PowerPoint displays, teacher notes and graphic organizers used in class throughout the course.
Themes
The course examines World History using five overarching themes as described in the AP World History Course Description to identify the broad patterns and processes that explain change and continuity over time.
1. Interactions between humans and the environment
e.g –How geography and climate affected the migration of early humans.
2. Development and interaction of cultures
e.g Trading through the Silk Road lead to the spread if ideas - cultural diffusion.
3. State-building, expansion, and conflict
e.g – The World Wars
4. Creation, expansion, and interactions of economic systems
e.g – Inter-regional trading
5. Development and transformation of social structures
e.g – Gender roles.
Teaching Strategies
Working Together
As the course is obviously very challenging I think it’s important that students are not overwhelmed during the first few weeks of the course. Thus I feel it is important to build a feeling of camaraderie within the classroom, so that students feel they are not alone with the challenge that is the AP World History Course. With this in mind, I regularly put students into groups to analyze or group primary documents, analyze points of view or different historical interpretations. This is also very beneficial in order complete graphic organizers or charts for possible essay questions.
Essay Practice
I will use a step-by-step method of introducing the DBQ, Comparative and Continuity and Change Over Time essays by first using graphic organizers and concentrating on planning rather than writing initially. Students will be made aware of the AP scoring guidelines and will assess in pairs or groups previous free response essays that are available on the AP World History website. In addition, to covering the necessary content, I aim to get the students familiar with the structure and necessary skills to use in order to proficiently produce high quality DBQ and comparative essays. This begins relatively quickly as the first comparative essay and DBQ the students will initially plan, and then write is on early river civilizations. At first the students will require a lot of guidance and will also be encouraged to work in pairs to complete the provided graphic organizers. At home students will practice writing more essays. Students will be made aware of the AP scoring guidelines and essays will be self-assessed, peer assessed as well as being marked by the teacher. The purpose of this step-by-step process is so that the students do not feel overawed during the initial weeks of the course and also to make them feel empowered about their chances of success. In addition, at the end of every unit the students will complete five Continuity and Change Over Time Analysis Charts that examine the five themes.Students will then be assigned a different CCOT essay topic each. Once again, students will be made aware of the AP scoring guidelines and essays will be self-assessed, peer assessed as well as being marked by the teacher.
Final Exam Practice
In preparation for the AP World History Exam students will take a 3-hour, 5-minute AP Practice Exam. In addition, revision classes will be run afterschool and on Saturday mornings in the weeks leading up to the AP World History Exam
Lesson Structure
The class is 120 minutes long so it is split into four parts:
Part 1 - the starter activity is usually a discussion question based on the student’s assigned reading from the previous class.
Part 2 – A lecture (with PowerPoint) which is intended to build on the information in the students textbooks (20 minutes maximum)
Part 3 – Student activities; discussing different historical interpretations, student debates, group work on essay skills, self and peer assessment.
Part 4 - Review of topics studied and explanation of homework expectations for the following class.
Assessment
Participation in class discussion – 10%
Students are expected to participate in class discussion in order to analyze different historical interpretations, stimulate debate and assist fellow classmates.
Student files – 20%
Students must keep an AP World History file, (preferably a ring binder) in which they must keep all classwork, homework, assignments and handouts. The AP World History course is equivalent of a college level course and therefore students must be taught the importance of being organized and taking responsibility of their own work. As college students they will be expected to read assigned pages in their textbooks and take notes as instructed by the teacher. Every week students will have to complete assigned reading. Based their reading students will be required to complete tables, charts, map exercises, graphic organizers or complete comprehension based questions either for homework or in class. Student files will be checked once a week to ensure students are keeping up with the demands of the course.
Tests and Quizzes – 25%
Students will have multiple choice quizzes from each chapter of the textbook. There will be a multiple choice test after the completion of each unit which will be conducted in class.
Essays/Assignments – 25%
During unit each students will complete in class Continuity and Change over Time Essays, in addition to periodic practice of DBQ and comparative essays.
Project – 20%
The students will complete a Comparisons and Snapshots project. Students will work in groups to create a summary of the comparisons and snapshots topics from the AP Course Description for each unit.
Cornell Note-taking
As part of this course you will be assigned a reading and note-taking class every week. Note-taking is a skill that must be learned like any other. I will teach you how to use the Cornell method of note-taking which I believe is the most effective for this course. This method will help you to organize your notes in a uniform style and most importantly will help you to only take notes on the pertinent information from your textbook. This is a skill we will practice in class and will be one you can use when you study at university.
See below guidance on how to use the Cornell method. Additional materials can be downloaded from the the "Reading and Note-taking" page of this site.
See below guidance on how to use the Cornell method. Additional materials can be downloaded from the the "Reading and Note-taking" page of this site.