Founding Brothers Assignment
The book is divided into six chapters. For each chapter and the preface,
you need to complete a brief Study Guide. For each Study Guide, please
answer the questions in your own words. All answers should be in complete
sentences and handwritten legibly in black pen.
This book is easy to find – less than $12.00 on amazon.com- and the library
has a copy as well. You will find it to be really entertaining as you read.
You can also buy a used copy from any junior who completed AP US
History.
Although the study guides are due over the course of the first six weeks of
school, you should begin to read the book over the summer. Precise due
dates may be found on the two week class schedules, which will be posted
in August. We will not read chapter three –“The Silence – until second
quarter, so you do not have a Study Guide for this chapter.
If you have any questions, please contact us at mlopez@d211.org or
hrubin@d211.org
History 369
Summer Assignment
Hello! We are looking forward to meeting you in our classes next year; we believe that
AP US History is a grand experience. Our journey through US History will be much
easier if we begin it over the summer, so think of this as a shift in the school calendar, not
an extension. We need to finish our curriculum by early May, not mid-June, so getting a
head start will definitely make your life calmer in the fall.
Commonly Asked Questions:
1. Why do we have a summer assignment?
Junior year is a challenging time, as you are adjusting to a heightened set of
academic expectations in all of your classes, and for the first time possibly taking
several AP-level courses. Our year is busy, particularly at the beginning, and we have
5 weeks less than the regular academic calendar because the AP test is in early May
(May 11th to be precise). We think that your life at the beginning of the school year
will be much calmer if you start the work over the summer.
2. What will the summer assignment be?
The assignment will be to read three chapters in the textbook and complete the accompanying
study guides, as well as to read a book, Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis.
3. When is the summer assignment due?
Technically this is not a summer assignment at all, because the study guides are due
the first and second weeks of school and the book should be read by the third week
of school – it’s more along the lines of advance notice.
4. What if I have questions over the summer?
Both of us will be teaching summer school this summer as SHS, so we can be reached there, as
well as by email at hrubin@d211.org or mlopez@d211.org.
5. What if I do not do the summer assignment?
Your life will be busier the first three weeks of school next year. There is no
penalty for not doing these over the summer.
6. What if I’m not sure if I really want to take AP next year?
We’d be happy to meet with you and talk about the expectations of the class. While
it is a challenging course, it certainly is one that you can master. Talk to your
friends who have already taken the course, talk to your parents, then talk to us.
You’ll do fine.
HOW TO DO THE HOMEWORK
Here is a basic understanding of what I am looking for. Please use black pen for all
assignments, and please do not type any Study Guides.
IDENTIFICATIONS: These are to ensure that you are catching the most important facts
in the reading. These may be done on your Study Guide or on index cards. Please include in
your ids the following elements:
a) Date(s) or general time period
b) Important facts
c) Impact of person/even/idea on time period
d) Long-term impact on US History
I intend that after these are checked, you can use them as a review tool for the Unit and
AP exams. As such, please use this format:
Mary Kate Lopez – 2001 – present – Born in Arlington Heights, IL, the second child of Ed
and Mary – she excels at terrorizing the family dog and making a mess in virtually every
space she enters. She has had considerable impact on the family dynamic, as she steals
attentions from her brother and frequently hits him. She has curly blonde hair.
THOUGHT QUESTIONS: You will be assigned one of these for most units. The reason for
these is similar to the idea of journaling – to force you, through written word, to examine an
issue. Your answer to these questions should be about 50/50 – 50% your opinion as a
historian, 50% evidence. These should be approximately 1-3 pages in length, and must be
handwritten. Please use structure – NOT a giant paragraph – and a thesis statement. Don’t
become obsessed with this length guideline – if you are stretching to fill a page you are not
deeply enough into the issue, but I am looking for quality over quantity.
STUDY GUIDES: These will accompany each chapter, and have a series of questions
to guide your reading. Please simply answer the questions as they are asked. I am
looking to evaluate that you were able to glean the main points out of the chapter.
DO NOT COPY DIRECTLY FROM THE TEXTBOOK OR YOU WILL
NOT RECEIVE ANY CREDIT.
One note about the Chapter 2 Study Guide: You will NOT be able
to fill in all of the cells on the chart… we’re looking for you to
answer the questions and identify the terms on the chart.