HIGHLAND PARK HIGH SCHOOL
Township High School District 113
433 VINE AVENUE
HIGHLAND PARK, ILLINOIS 60035-2099
224/765-2000
FAX 224/765-2700
BRAD SWANSON, PRINCIPAL
June, 2014
"History is above all the study of complexity.
The capacity to live and come to terms with complexity
may be the hardest and most important thing we have to learn,
and we have to learn it over and over."
Hannah Gray, former President, University of Chicago
Dear Student,
It is in the spirit of Dr. Gray's comment that we welcome you to AP U.S. History for 2014-15. You are
about to embark on an exciting and sometimes confusing journey into our nation's past. Critical
thinking and analytical writing, the cornerstones of our inquiry, will be emphasized and nurtured. You
will receive assistance and opportunities to develop these skills throughout the course.
The HPHS Program of Studies notes that summer reading may be required for this course. While the
chosen work, The Lies My Teacher Told Me, by James W. Loewen, will dispense a great deal of
specific historical information, we are asking that you look for the big ideas as you read. Its primary
purpose is to provide a framework that will serve as the jumping off place for our investigations into
our nation's history. The book is available in paperback or at local libraries. The attached
assignment will allow you to get a taste of the type of work that will be expected of you next year. Our
year will begin with a discussion of this assignment. (NOTE: A “revised” edition of Loewen’s book
has come out. Either the original or revised versions are acceptable.)
We look forward to meeting you in the fall and building a meaningful and rewarding year together. If
you have any questions, please let any one of us know; the Social Studies department office is in A311.
Sincerely,
Michael Rosenzweig
224.765.2299
mrosenzweig@dist113.org
Nathan Sweeney
224.765.2302
nsweeney@dist113.org
AP U.S. HISTORY
SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT
DIRECTIONS:
1.
Complete #1 and #2 as you read The Lies My Teacher Told Me during the
summer.
Annotate *
(*) Annotation is like having a conversation with the author. It goes beyond
recognizing the key ideas. To highlight or underline the main thoughts, facts and biases
expressed by the writer is only the first step.
i.
Mark connections among the ideas.
ii.
Note examples, causes / effects, contradictions, strong and weak logic.
iii.
Note the relationship between ideas and their connection to knowledge / events /
viewpoints outside the body of the text.
iv.
Indicate your own reactions: agree / disagree with and evaluate what you are reading.
Despite your initial perception, this skill will, in fact, reduce your work in the long run. It will
condense pages of information and analysis into paragraphs and allow for a successful written
application of the material. Furthermore it will allow us to refer to specific passages when debriefing
the book in class.
2.
Write 3 Exit Slips for 3 different Chapters of Loewen’s Lies My Teacher Told Me.
The purpose of the “exit slip” is to allow you to focus and synthesize material in whatever format. This is often used for class
experiences like video clips and station activities. In this case we are asking you to create an exit slip for 3 Chapters of
Loewen’s book. We would like you to do 1 exit slip for a chapter in each of the following Chapter groups: 1 from chapters 1
to 3, 1 from chapters 4 to 7, and 1 from chapters 8 to 10.
Directions:
The exit slip should be approximately 6 sentences. To get the most out this assignment please follow these
simple guidelines.
1.
2.
3.
3.
Sentence #1---The first sentence should summarize the point of the chapter. What is the “big picture?”
Sentences #2—What is the thesis of this chapter.
Sentences #3--5—These sentences should provide specific details from the chapter that support the
summary from Sentence #1.
Sentence #6—This final sentence should analyze the significance of the information provided by the
chapter in Loewen. What lesson’s learned from this chapter should inform our study of US History in the
coming year?
THESIS WRITING
A. Remember: A thesis statement is a complex (2-part) sentence which present a causal analysis in response to a specific
prompt. “THIS is TRUE because of THAT!”
1. The two clauses are….
a. Subject clause which provides the writer’s analytical point of view (THIS is TRUE). This POV needs to be specific,
concise and precise in responding to whatever the specific prompt might be. An example of possible “subject
prompts”…
i.
You will be asked to write the “author’s” thesis for almost everything your read.
When writing this kind of thesis you need to ask yourself: What is the author’s major
point or reason for writing this essay? What does he/she want me to know? Here is
a hint. If you are not sure how to answer these questions, look at the title of the
article.
DO NOT USE THE AUTHOR’S NAME IN THE SUBJECT OF YOUR THESIS!!!
b. Attitude clause explains why the subject’s analytical point of view is correct. It provides a FOCUSED explanation
of the “reason why” or the “way in which” the subject’s analysis is true. The challenge here is to present a thesis
which is NOT TO BROAD/GENERAL and NOT TO SPECIFIC. (I call this the Godilocks conundrum)
i. It tends to be easier to recognize an attitude which is too specific/narrow.
Very often they contain lists.
i.e. “Superior talent led the Packers to a championship because of their running backs, linebackers and
kickers were the best.”
ii. Attitudes that are too general tend to present reasons that are too vague or unfocused.
i.e. “Superior talent led the Packers to a championship because they were better than everyone else.
2. Example: “Superior talent led the Packers to a championship because the men in green and gold consistently
outplayed their opponents in every facet of the game.” (“Just right”)
This document was distributed at the required meetings that took place in February when you were
signing up for class for the coming year. These meetings were an attempt to describe the course and
expectations, so that you knew what you were signing up for. We are including them again in this
format as you prepare to start the course.
1) Work Load:
 15 – 20 pages a night – Textbook, primary sources, or scholarly articles.
 Discussion Questions/Note Taking usually assigned with reading.
 Essay writing – Both take home and in class varieties.
2) Independent Learning:
 Major difference between Level 2 and AP is how much independent learning is
required. You will be tested on material that we may not cover in class!! You will
find ways to take your own notes on daily reading. Not much handholding!!
3) Pace:
 We must cover the Colonial Era to the 1980s, thus the pace is brisk. There is
homework every night. There is no such thing as a review day before a test!!
4) Grading:
 All letters of the alphabet used!!
 Multiple Choice Tests and Essays compromise a MAJOR part of your grade.
5) Summer Reading:
 We do require prospective AP US Students to read James Loewen’s Lies My Teacher
Told Me in preparation for class. Many schools assign the first 4 chapters of the
textbook, in order to get a jump on covering all the material. We prefer to have you
read something, that we hope is more interesting, but will give you a critical eye in
how you read and interpret history.
6) Goals of the Course:
 Undertake an intense in depth study of American History, or as much as you can in
a survey course.
 Engage in high level discussions of historical topics and relate them to the modern
world.
 Prepare students for the AP US History Test, which has Multiple Choice, DBQ and
Free Response Essay.