AP World HistoryMr. Miller

John.miller@cobbk12.orgBlog - http://www.cobblearning.net/ushistorymiller/

Due to time limits I will not be able to discuss your individual student tonight. If you do wish a private conference please email me at the above address.

Thank You

Grading

• 35% - Tests/essays• 15% - Peer evaluations• 10% - portfolio• 15% - projects• 10% - SLO (standardized test)• 15% - Final Exam

Units

• Up to 600 BCE - 5%• 600 BCE to 600 CE – 15%• 600 to 1450 – 20%• 1450 to 1750 – 20%• 1750 to 1900 – 20%• 1900 to Present – 20%

What is different about this class

• I will spend very little time in class lecturing content. • I expect the students to acquire this info through assignments

completed at home• Law of diminishing return • We will spend class time concentrating on the themes and skills

needed to pass the test.

•This exam has the highest national failure rate of all AP exams •49% of students that take this exam fail it•Why?

5 Themes

• Interaction between humans and the environment•Development and interaction of Cultures• State building, Politics, Expansion and Conflicts•Creation, Expansion and Interaction of Economic

Systems •Development and Transformations of Society

1st Skill - Making or creating historical arguments using evidence

• Analyze historical arguments and explain how an argument has been constructed from evidence• Construct convincing interpretations of historical evidence• Evaluate conflicting evidence to construct arguments

2nd Skill Chronological reasoning

• Cause and Effect• Continuity and Change (very tough skill)• Understanding large scale patterns over time• Connecting these patterns to historical processes, themes or

major events• Periodization • How one defines historical periods• Its about understanding turning points

3rd Skill - Comparison and Context

• Comparison• Comparing different societies• Comparing the possible perspective of different people on a given event

(being in their shoes)

• Context• What else would be going on at this time in other parts of the world?• How would these multiple events connect?

4th Skill – Interpretation and Synthesis• Interpretation • Why are there different interpretations?• Take your own values out of the equation• What would Spok do?

• Synthesis• Putting all this together and forming something new

Suggested reading

• Diamond, Jared. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. Viking Penguin. 2005 • Harman, Chris. A People’s History of the World. Verso, 2008. • Robinson, Tony. The Worst Jobs in History: Two Thousand Years of Miserable

Employment. Pan Books.2005• Standage, Tom. A History of the World in 6 Glasses. Walker & Company, 2005. • Mark Kurlansky. Salt: A World History