AP American History - Advice Wanted!
 

I'm doing American History next year with all of my kids. If at all possible, I'd like my oldest (10th grade) to work toward the AP exam.

What have you used? Did you student feel prepared for the exam? How did your student score?

Here's what I have planned. Thoughts?

Our spine is going to be Land of Hope. The teacher text comes out at the end of the month, and there's also a class at Hillsdale College (free! and online). For the AP component, Khan Academy has a course and there are loads of test prep books and materials. I'm thinking she could do a course with me in conjunction with Khan or another test prep book. (I have absolutely ZERO AP experience, though. I grew up in a small town that didn't offer ap any classes and I've never taught any in my short stint in PS music classes. Is that a reasonable expectation? I've read that the history tests in particular are written and graded from a Progressive viewpoint so if I teach from any other point of view, my student may suffer. Again, not sure how accurate that it, but it sounds plausible. I figure the Land of Hope may be on the wrong side of the political viewpoint of the tests, hence the need to combine.)

Along with American History, we're doing Veritas Press Omnibus III (Primary only, but it includes a lot of political writings) and her local Literature teacher is doing American Lit next year, so she'll have a solid writing component. I'm teaching American Music next year, for our IRL homeschooling friends, too.

On top of that, we live in New England, so we have loads of field trip and living history options that we are planning to take. One of my closest friends is homeschooling her 8th grader and we're planning to do History together. She's a great resource - she was a History major, did Revolutionary War-era re-enactments and worked in a living History Museum as a "translator" or whatever the term is for people who pretend to live in another era and interact with visitors. It feels like next year will be pretty saturated with American History.

Re: AP American History - Advice Wanted!
 

I don’t know from experience teaching APUSH.
I have taught AP Language and Composition.

So I don’t have insight into your curriculum.

Kahn Academy is a fantastic resource.
Taking timed AP tests is crucial.

You probably know all this already :)


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Re: AP American History - Advice Wanted!
 

A key component of AP courses scores is demonstrating historical analysis skills, including evaluating and contextualizing primary and secondary source documents. A fairly comprehensive set of historical knowledge is also required of the period of history being studied. I don't know the primary text your recommended, and if it is not comprehensive US history then I would steer clear of it.

I would recommend reading the college board site for further exam information including course outline and content.

https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/...states-history

Passing an AP Exam is a lot of work and requires a particular set of test taking and essay skills. There are rubrics and sample essays so you can see how they are graded. Youtube has a lot of songs to help in memorizing key events.

Does your student have a strong interest in history? If they're not really into it as a subject (or aren't skilled test takers/writers), I wouldn't necessarily recommend doing the AP exam.

Re: AP American History - Advice Wanted!
 

She loves history. World History more than American, but we need to cover American History. She may not end up taking the exam, but I want to prepare her for it if she chooses. It's a reasonable goal given her aptitudes.

I've spent enough time recently on the College Board site that I'm going a little cross-eyed. :hunh

Re: AP American History - Advice Wanted!
 

:up This.

It's been eons since I took AP American History, but the biggest distinction I remember is being asked to write essays on things like WHY the political trends of one decade led to the next decade, with specific examples of contributing factors.

It was the first history course I'd ever taken where I wasn't simply required to memorize boring, disconnected names and dates to take a multiple choice exam, but to view them as context, as cause and effect, as supporting details.

Anyhow, that's just my very outdated and very minimal perspective as a student. You should absolutely look up samples and descriptions for a more accurate understanding.

It's just that for me, the big picture was that it felt like a completely different flavor than my previous history classes. I *think* that my homeschool classes have covered things a little more like a story, a little more of a connected narrative, but even so, I've not seen the strong demand for essay skills emphasized like AP History, nor even the degree of comparing and contrasting between different periods...most younger curricula seems to be written with smaller transitions...here's a description, then a couple sentences to segue into the next period, then a description of that period...But AP History really, really made the connections...here's how this period relates back to several previous periods in great detail, and how it sets the stage for the following one by putting these factors into play...lots of analytical skills emphasized.

---------- Post added at 12:31 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:24 AM ----------

:think

I have heard that you CANNOT list the course as APUSH on a transcript unless following an approved syllabus/curriculum. You can list that your student took the exam, however, and the grade received, but you cannot title the course as AP without pre-approval.

Last I knew, you can petition for approval. I've only heard of homeschoolers doing so for math and chemistry...a bit more straightforward. I don't know whether there are acceptable syllabi posted anywhere, or whether that's considered proprietary or what. I decided that I've got too much on my plate to aim for that, so tuned it out. It was on the Well-Trained Mind forums where I heard about the math/science being discussed a few years ago. Again, it's one of those areas where you'll probably have to read even more from the College Board, straight from the source.

:blush I'm very sorry to babble if you've heard all this already. I'm in awe that you're attempting it, honestly.

AP American History - Advice Wanted!
 

Quiteria— you are correct: unless the syllabus has been approved by Collegeboard, a student can’t list that they took the class.

ETA: speaking as an AP teacher, not homeschooler. We had to get our syllabus approved every year (the other AP Lang teacher and I just used the same one)


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Re: AP American History - Advice Wanted!
 

Sounds like you have a solid plan.:rockon

As to showing the class to be advanced on her records. In my state, students doing well above the normal curriculum would take a course as 'honors' and it would be weighted on their transcript.

Another thing you may or may not have already considered, if she is old enough, is to take the course as duel enrollment. Or study for the CLEP test in addition to at home work.

Re: AP American History - Advice Wanted!
 

The College Board has a list of texts that are compatible with the course content. One of my kids took this exam and did very well. I would prefer to share any details of that in pms, if you want.
I have definitely heard of kids who take this test, and the English tests, both homeschooled and private schooled, and do well after one or more years with other texts that do not follow the AP curriculum.

This course and exam is heavily based on analysis of primary and secondary source documents, so if you don’t want to find lots on your own, there are volumes of them that you can purchase.

It is apparently pretty easy to get a syllabus approved. Last year, you could submit one of the available ones from the College Board and not have to draw up your own. Last year was a big transition because they changed fully to fall test registration, rather than Feb/March. They also began offering more resources to teachers and students, and there is a discussion board for teachers, which is one of the reasons to consider getting a course approved. And you probably know that this spring, the tests were truncated and offered 100% online, at home. I do wonder whether this experience might push them to offer online exam option going forward to students who are home educated or who do not have certain exams available at their schools. But I mention the fall registration because next year, finding a test site may be tricky with Covid and resultant school changes. It is not too early to ask or to make contact with potential schools.

Another thing to check on is that every few years, they make revisions to the exam. There are plenty of previous essay examples online for practice, but it is good to know if your student might be taking the exam in a year when there will be changes.