EC books

You may read one of the following books for extra credit by December 22 if you wish. I own some of them, but others you may find at the library.

There are a series of questions you will need to answer in constructed response form for each book. The points that you may earn are based upon the length and difficulty of the book as well as the depth of your answers.

These critiques are due with absolutely NO EXCEPTIONS on Tuesday, December 22 by 10:30 am.

The Slaveholding Republic, By Don Fehrenbacher

America, Empire for Liberty, by David Reynolds

The American Political Tradition and the Men Who Made It, by Richard Hofstadter

Miracle at Philadelphia, by Catherine Drinker Bowen

The Other Founders: The Anti-Federalists and theDissenting Tradition in America, 1788-1828, by Saul Cornell

Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era, by JamesMcPherson

A History of Reconstruction, by Eric Foner

The Age of Jackson, by Arthur Schlessinger

Manifest Destiny’s Underworld: Filibustering in Antebellum America, by Robert E. May

Trail of Tears: The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation,by John Ehle

The Fate of Liberty: Abraham Lincoln and Civil Liberties,by Mark A. Neely

1776, by David McCullough

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, by Doris Kearns Goodwin

A Different Mirror: A Multicultural History of America, by Ronald Takaki

An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of theUnited States, by Charles A Beard

The Cycles of American History, by Arthur Schlessinger

A History of the American People, by Paul Johnson

America’s Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates,and Heroines, by Gail Collins

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, by Dee Brown

A good place to help study terms

Since some of you are concerned about your terms check comprehension, here is a good site (although it is based on a different textbook, there is a lot of overlap):

http://www.apstudent.com/ushistory/cards.php

For practice multiple choice items, this site provides instant feedback:

http://www.historyteacher.net/USQuizMainPage.htm

I’d bookmark these sites, if I were struggling, and I’d use them often!

Hooray! We’re back! Just in time for finals!

And just for checking in, here is some more review– it will only be here for 24 hours, though, so grab it while you can!

It’s gone! And you should have studied more!

Extra credit book choice due Monday.

Make sure you decide on a book if you are going to do the extra credit assignment by Monday. This can raise your grade as much as 3-4 %.

Checking for signs of life out there

Hmmm, I am performing a little check.

If you’ve read this, bring in a picture of a monkey tomorrow. It can be Karl the Pencil Monkey. It can be the “See No Evil, Hear No Evil Speak No Evil monkeys. It can be a monkey mentioned in the “Another Postcard” song from Barenaked Ladies– even though those last two are actually chimpanzees, not monkeys.

I will give you ten assignment points if you do this to prove you’ve read the blog tonight.

Suggested supplies for APUSH

Well, since the school sales started practically back in June, I thought that it might be a good idea to suggest a few things for you to make your life easier in APUSH.

Suggested supply list:
1 binder, at least 2 inches thick, to organize and hold papers

notebook filler paper, either college or wide ruled (whatever suits you, but I prefer college ruled myself)

4 dividers for binder, to create sections for in-class notes, text notes + chapter terms defintions, skills development (vocabulary and writing), and handouts

pink or yellow highlighter

black or blue ink pens– no funky colors or gel, please!

# 2 pencils, which you must have with you at all times (Note: I do not stock mechanical pencil lead, so make sure you’ve got enough for yourself if this is what you like to use)

I would also strongly suggest that you have a GOOD dictionary and thesaurus on hand for when you are reading or writing– for any class.

Roget’s Thesaurus is the classic thesaurus, and I have found that Merriam-Webster’s Tenth Collegiate Dictionary is an excellent dictionary that you will be able to use all the way through college– don’t just depend upon a website, because, you know, sometimes these go down.

— Then you know, actually USE the dictionary when you encounter a word you do not know. Vocabulary development is CRUCIAL to success, but especially in this class and other college-level classes, –not to mention on the ACT and SAT, and so on.

We will be taking notes over European exploration and colonization (Chapters 1-4) on the first day of class, so come ready to go on August 15! Don’t forget your extra credit summer assignment is due on that day, as well!

Basic outline for book critiques

Your emphasis should be on analyzing the author’s arguments and evaluating them for effectiveness. Remember, if you are not going to do a great job, don’t waste our time. You also need to devote some of your analysis to the specific question I give you regarding your book. You will get these on Friday.

Book Critique Form
AP US History
DUE: December 18 at 3 pm! If you are absent, email the report to me.

Subject of book: Include a specific thesis statement, including specific time period and any sort of ideology followed by the author– Marxist, conservative, feminist, etc.

Title. Author. Place of publication: publisher, date of publication. Number of pages.

A very brief overview of the contents of the book. Outline the author’s argument or thesis. Is there any controversy regarding the thesis? Be specific.

Purpose or Audience for the book. Is this written in a narrative or expository style? Explain how this affects the delivery of the author’s message.

Your reaction and evaluation: How well the book has achieved its goal? What possibilities are suggested by the book? What specific points are convincing (or not?)

What kinds of sources did the author use? Be specific.

Conclusion:

Major extra credit opportunity for semester 1

You are expected to read one book during the course of this year from a list of approved books on the subject of history. Most students do this in the second semester. However, if you wish, you may read one of the following books between now and December 15 and then write a critique paper using a format I have created. You need to let me know by next Monday, November 13 if you wish to take advantage of this opportunity, and we need to agree upon which book you will be reading for this opportunity before you start this activity. Below are the books from which you may choose. More difficult books can earn more potential credit than simpler books, so if you really want some extra credit, you may want to take length and difficulty into account.

Carl N. Degler. Out of Our Past: The Forces That Shaped Modern America. Third edition.

Richard Hofstadter. The American Political Tradition and the Men Who Made It.

James M. McPherson. Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era.

Edmund S. Morgan. American Slavery, American Freedom.

Don E. Fehrenbacher. The Slaveholding Republic: An Account of the United States Government’s Relations to Slavery.

David. M. Potter. The Impending Crisis: 1848-1861.

Robert Middlekauf. The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789.

Bernard Bailyn. The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution.

Gail Collins. America’s Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines.

Ronald Takaki. A Different Mirror: A  History of Multicultural America.

Arthur Schlessinger. The Age of Jackson.

Stanley Elkins and Eric McKitrick. The Age of Federalism.

Joseph Ellis. Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation.

Gordon Wood. The Radicalism of the American Revolution.

David Hackett Fisher. Albion’s Seed.