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Advanced Placement United States History (Grunder)
Message to the Parent
The AP US History experience can be extremely challenging for even the most prepared WHHS student. Nearly all students will be required to alter some aspect of their study and writing technique in order to be successful in this course. A few students will make these adjustments with little or no outside assistance. Others will require assistance and should make an effort to work with me in order to make the alterations necessary for a successful experience.
I am hoping you will assist me in ensuring your son or daughter has a successful and rewarding experience in AP US History this year. With that in mind, I would like to make the following suggestions as you actively monitor your son or daughter’s progress this year:
1) Encourage your son/daughter to initiate a conference with me if his/her efforts to succeed in the class do not produce the desired results. I am available before, during, and after school (by appointment) and on Tuesdays after school (appointment preferred).
2) If test scores are low, then the following may be helpful and useful activities:
a) Check to see that the text is being read in manageable blocks. No more than one or two sections of a chapter should be read in one reading session. In order to determine a reading schedule, students have been encouraged to use the following formula:
(1) count the # of sections to be read before the next test (usually 12),
(2) count the number of days until the next test, minus two (usually 12)
(3) divide the number of sections by the number of days to find the number of sections that should be read each day.
b) Encourage the taking of some form of notes as based upon the text reading (beyond the note card assignments). Ask to see these notes. If test performance is an issue, then creating and maintaining an ongoing notation system may help.
c) Do the notes indicate an organizational framework…that is, one that shows headings or subheadings that indicate the logical categorizing or grouping of related content? Most of us were probably schooled to use formal roman numeral outlining. This method is highly structured and if done properly, provides a vast array of information that is easily discernable. However, the roman outline system can become tedious as it requires an extraordinary amount of time and energy. Students are advised to adapt this system to fit time constraints by using headings, subheadings, and indenting subordinate information under those headings or subheadings.
Notes that are linear, running down the margin of the page are not likely to be a useful study tool. Occasionally, alternate organizational tools can be very useful, such as concept mapping or webbing. Informational handouts concerning all of these techniques will be provided upon request.
d) Check the notes to see that they covered the entire assigned reading.
e) Check to see if the notes include occasional page numbers for easy referencing/specific review.
g) Encourage your son or daughter to take the on-line practice tests available from the text publisher (http://college.hmco.com).
h) Continue to monitor the reading/note taking schedule/routine of your son or daughter.
3) If essay scores are low, then the student should schedule an appointment with me immediately. I will review in-class note taking and essay – writing techniques.
Student performance is monitored on a weekly basis. Due to the restrictive nature of the district’s electronic grading program, I will continue to use my personal grading program. As such, grades for individual assignments will not be available via Power School. Each student will receive a grade update every Monday. The update displays individual scores and overall average for each student. Additionally, a detailed midterm report will be printed for each student during midterm week. Students earning below 80% at midterm are required to obtain your signature on the report. These reports can be created and sent to you weekly upon your request.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at 363-8489 (voicemail) or email me: grundes@cpsboe.k12.oh.us. I will make an attempt to return your call or email in a timely and informative fashion.
I sincerely hope the AP US History experience is one that we all will enjoy this year. Ultimately, I hope that in addition to acquiring advanced skills and achieving the designation of “qualified” by the College Board, that your son or daughter will develop a love and interest in history that will enrich his or her life.
Mr. Grunder
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