May 14, 2012
To Parents and students enrolled in AP U.S. History for the 2012-2013 school year:
Welcome to Advanced Placement U.S. History at Richland High School. The AP United States History course at
Richland High School is a survey course of United States history beginning with the founding of America and ending
with Cold War domestic and foreign policy issues. The course is designed to teach students a variety of skills and a
wide range of content to prepare them for the Advanced Placement (AP) test and rigorous academic work in college.
There are several things you need to know about the class:
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When you signed up for AP U.S. History, you made a commitment. Part of the commitment involves being
prepared to learn history at a deeper level and at a faster pace from the very beginning of school. The summer
assignment insures that all students are prepared to start on day one and that we will be able to cover the
required material in a timely manner. The summer assignment emphasize skills that will be necessary to your
success in AP U.S. History, including summarizing, analyzing and inferring from documents, and defending a
position. These assignments are due on FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012.
The purpose of the summer assignment:
1. Introduce you to the first era of study – Colonial America and accelerate the movement through this
time period.
2. To orient you to the workload and variety of topics you will study this year. Reading is your primary
“homework” all year long and you will be required to analyze and respond in class. This assignment
will give you an idea of this process.
AP US History is a demanding class and requires daily homework. The curriculum is rigorous and requires you
to do your work when it is assigned. Pace yourself and you will do fine. No daily work will be accepted late and
being absent is not an excuse. This is a college class and will be treated as such. You will be given the time
allotted via the student handbook to complete any absent work for major assignments. You will be given a
syllabus every six weeks – it is not carved in stone. Be flexible!!
Internet access and email is a must. Many assignments and resources are posted to the teachers’ web page and
copies of these will not be distributed in class. If you are unable to access Internet from home, you may use any
public library or the RHS library computers.
Students will be expected to do their own work. Honesty is must. Plagiarism is considered cheating. There
are two kinds of plagiarism. The first form of plagiarism involves copying material directly from a book or
internet site. To avoid this form of plagiarism students must make sure they know how to summarize or use
proper citations. This type of plagiarism will result in a 0 for the assignment. The next form of plagiarism
involves copying another student’s work. This is almost always intentional. It is important to understand the
difference between collaboration and copying. Collaboration in an AP class is encouraged but most assignments
require you to submit your own work. It is acceptable to work together and discuss your assignments with
other students and seek their comments and advice. However, it is NOT acceptable for two students to turn in
assignments that are substantially the same. It is considered plagiarism and will result in a 0 for all parties
involved.
Grading Policies: There will be no test retakes, but you are required to complete test corrections. No
daily grades will be dropped and no extra credit will be given – you are in a weighted class THAT IS
YOUR EXTRA CREDIT!
The AP US History class is designed to teach you to analyze, make assertions and to your best ability support and
defend that assertion. You will be expected to do more than memorize dates, names, and facts – this course is meant for
you to become an independent thinker and challenge your thinking about history! This is a class in which YOU, the
student, must take primary responsibility for your learning. You must take an active role in your education. You are
expected to participate in all activities in a positive, constructive manner. Lectures are designed to be interactive, not a
passive experience. Please come to class everyday prepared and work with the best of your ability.
Enjoy your summer and we will see you in the fall. If you have any questions, please feel free to send your questions to
apushatrhs@yahoo.com and either Mrs. Richmond or Mrs. Thompson will respond to your e-mails.
Assignment One:
2 daily grades
Define the following terms/concepts/events/people and describe the significance of each on note cards. The
terms should be categorized into 4 groups : people, social, political, and economic. Place the notecards on a
ring and distinguish the categories – either use colored note cards or color the edges of cards.
Students should be able to clearly define the terms in one or more sentences and be able to answer questions
on the “who, what, when, and where” about these terms.
Example: Lusitania – was a British passenger liner which was sunk by the Germans off the coast of Ireland
in 1915.
Students should also be able to state the “how and why” about the term which makes it significant in US
History.
Example: A number of Americans lost their lives when the Lusitania was sunk, which increased American
antagonism toward Germany and German submarine warfare and ultimately contributed to the American
decision for war against the Central Powers.
Terms:
1. “inner light”
2. “starving time”
3. “stinking weed”
4. American
Enlightenment
5. Anne Hutchinson
6. Bacon’s Rebellion
7. Captain John Smith
8. Charter Colonies
9. Congregationalism
10. Deism
11. Dominion of New
England
12. Fundamental Orders of
Connecticut
13. George Whitfield
14. Great Awakening
15. Great Migration
16. Half-way covenant
17. Harvard
18. Headright System
19. House of Burgesses
20. Indentured servants
21. Jamestown, 1607
22. John Rolfe
23. John Winthrop
24. Joint Stock Company
25. Jonathon Edwards
26. Lord Baltimore
27. Maryland Toleration
Act
28. Massachusetts Bay
Colony
29. Mayflower Compact
30. Mercantilism
31. Middle Passage
32. Nathaniel Bacon
33. Navigation Acts
34. Pennsylvania
35. Pilgrims
36. pluralism
37. Predestination
38. Primogeniture
39. Proprietary colonies
40. Puritans
41. Quakers
42. Roger Williams
43. Royal Colonies
44. Salem Witch Trials
45. Salutary neglect
46. Separatists
47. Stono Rebellion
48. Thomas Hooker
49. Triangular Trade
50. Visible Saints
51. William Berkeley
52. William Bradford
53. William Penn
Assignment Two : Test Grade
You will develop one-pagers to demonstrate your understanding of historical terms. You will complete
a minimum of FIVE and maximum of TEN of these. You must use all of the terms listed above on the
list.
What is a ONE-PAGER?
One-pager: A single-page that involves historical terms, your personal response, information and
images. These one-pagers offer a way to make your own pattern of unique understanding by being
creative and experimental.
Requirements:
- Use unlined white paper
- Be informative, but concise
- Select theme and/or quotations dealing with the historical terms
o Use these as a springboard to explore your own ideas
- Use a visual image or images, either drawn or cut out from magazines, to create a central
focus for your page
- Cluster around this image(s) impressions, feelings, or thoughts regarding what you have
read or researched
- Create the one-pager in such a way that your audience will understand something of your
thinking about what you have read or researched
- Feel free to use colored pencils, pens, crayons, markers, etc.
- Include at least FOUR terms on each page
- Create connections between terms on each page
- Cite sources for written information as well any photos or pictures used on one pagers
Resources:
 Hippocampus.org (videos about US history – find the AP US History tab and the topic)
 U-S-History.com
 Apstudent.com
 Schmoop. com
 Sparknotes.com