AP US History I: Summer Information/Reading for 2015-2016
Welcome to Advanced Placement United States History with Mr. Kalb. The 2015-2016 school year
should be a fun, yet challenging year. It will also mark the beginning of this new course in the Social
Studies Department. You have elected to take a college-level course, which means you have chosen to
take on a more rigorous workload, which you are to be commended for. If you accept these challenges
that await you, we will work through them together. Despite the challenging nature of an AP course, you
will find this to be a very rewarding experience and hopefully decide to take more Advanced Placement
courses in the rest of your high school career.
Another important part in deciding to take AP US History is accepting the challenge of the AP US
History Examination, which you will hopefully take in May 2017 at the conclusion of APUSH II. This
will be one of the more difficult tests you will have taken at this point in high school, but I believe that as
juniors and seniors looking to go on to college in the near future, it will greatly benefit you to take this
test. If you have “bought in” to the program by completing your classwork, homework, written
assignments and other tasks we will work on in AP, I am confident that you will be pleased by your
performance on the AP US History Exam.
I will provide an extensive overview of how class will run when we get back to school in September. You
should know that we will hit the ground running as soon as we are back (there are no days off in
APUSH!). In order to get a head start on the 2015-2016 school year, I have created the following summer
reading and assignment that is based on the Revolutionary Era and Early Republic of the United States.
This is a key foundational period that requires great attention to detail.
Your summer reading book is called Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J.
Ellis. It is a winner of the Pulitzer Prize as well as a National Bestseller and highly regarded amongst
historians, scholars and history teachers alike. A summary of the book can be found at the bottom of this
page.
This is a book that will take some time to read so do not delay. I would suggest you read a chapter at a
time and complete your assignment for that chapter immediately after reading it. It would also be wise to
write in the margins of your book, highlight the text and take notes on the book. It will greatly help you in
completing your summer reading assignment and better prepare you for the Socratic Seminar discussions
we have using the text when we return to school. You will be permitted to use those notes when we
discuss the text.
If you have any questions about the assignment, please contact me immediately. I expect you to do your
own work. You may collaborate to discuss the book, but all work must be individually completed. For
any questions during the summer, I can always be reached at kalb.j@deptford.k12.nj.us
I look forward to working with you and getting to know those of you I do not know in September.
Mr. Joshua Kalb
About the book: This book explores how a group of greatly gifted but deeply flawed individuals—Hamilton, Burr,
Jefferson, Franklin, Washington, Adams and Madison—confronted the overwhelming challenges before them to set
the course for our nation. The US was more a fragile hope than a reality in 1790. During the decade that followed,
the Founding Fathers—reexamined here as Founding Brothers—combined the ideals of the Declaration of
Independence with the content of the Constitution to create the practical workings of our government. Through an
analysis of six fascinating episodes—Hamilton and Burr’s deadly duel, Washington’s precedent-setting Farewell
Address, Adams’ administration and political partnership with his wife, the debate about where to place the capital,
Franklin’s attempt to force Congress to confront the issue of slavery and Madison’s attempts to block him, and
Jefferson and Adams’ famous correspondence—Founding Brothers brings to life the vital issues and personalities
from the most important decade in our nation’s history.
AP US History I: Summer Information/Reading for 2015-2016
AP US History Students “To Do” List
1. Contact me via my school email address: kalb.j@deptford.k12.nj.us before June 15.
- Directions for email: Put APUSH as the subject. Use this email as a brief way to tell
me about yourself in an academic setting. Tell me why you decided to take APUSH,
what you are excited about regarding the course as well as your concerns. Also tell
me your own personal assessment of yourself as a student: identify a strength and
weakness or two.
2. Sign up for Remind before June 15 to get updated reminders of assignments and other
course info.
3. Obtain your summer reading book, read, take notes and complete your assignment for
Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis. Complete your
summer reading and submit your assignment by August 20.
- Barnes & Noble has been notified about this text and have stocked it for you. It can
also be purchased very inexpensively on Amazon as well. Please let me know if you
have difficulty in securing a copy of the book.
- Complete Dialectical Journal-See attached instruction sheet.
- Thursday, September 10- Test on the content and historical thinking skills based on
the book.
- Friday, September 11- Socratic Seminar will take place using your Summer Reading
Assignment.
4. Obtain Materials from the Supplies List-must be obtained prior to first day of school.
Bring these items to the first day of class. September 8 for sophomores and September 9
for juniors.
- Two, Three-Ring Binders; One 2-inch binder for documented files to remain at home
and one 1-inch binder for daily use in class. You may want a larger binder for your
documented files that remain at home.
- A packet of dividing tabs
- Loose-leaf note paper
- Highlighters
- Pens and Pencils
- A copy of your submitted summer reading assignment
AP US History I: Summer Information/Reading for 2015-2016
Assignment Page: Dialectical Journal
Dialectical Journals: This particular type of journaling allows for a more authentic conversation
about the text you read. Your dialectical journal is also known as a reader-response journal.
Regardless of its title, it will help you read and think about a text more critically. You may also
use it when we conduct a Socratic Seminar based on this text within the first few days of school.
It will help you record dialogue between the words in the text and the ideas of the reader. Keep
in mind the major elements/themes of the book.
Procedure:
You must have at least three examples from the text (left column examples from the text) and
corresponding responses (right column) for each chapter. You must identify the chapter number
and title of the chapter at the top of each table. Failure to properly label and follow directions
will result in point deductions. In the right column, write your responses to the text and be
certain to label your responses using the following codes in parenthesis.
(Q) Questions- ask about something in the passage that is unanswered. This must be a
significant question about the theme or main topic of the chapter.
(C) Connection- Make a connection to some other significant historical event, era or person. Be
as specific with the connection as possible.
(R) Reflection- Think deeply about the passages and how it connects to the development of this
country. What conclusions can you draw?
(E) Evaluate- Make a judgment about what the author is saying. You may agree or disagree with
what the author says, but make sure to explain your thinking.
To best create this, use Microsoft World and insert a table. Your table should have three rows
(left side-text; middle-page number of the passage; right side-corresponding interaction to the
text). Your work for this assignment should be single-spaced and use Times New Roman 11
point font. Nothing else.
This assignment will count as two quiz grades and must be submitted no later than August 20 as
an email attachment. Early assignments will be accepted. I will send you a reply to verify
obtaining your work. Submit your work early to avoid a 20 point daily deduction. Be sure to also
print out a copy to have in your binders on the first day of class.
Dialectical Journal Format:
Name:
Date:
Founding Brothers: Dialectical Journal Assignment
APUSH
Chapter 6: The Friendship
Selection
“I must study politics and war, that my sons
may have the liberty to study mathematics and
philosophy.”
Page
Response
236
(R) Adams needed to serve as Ambassador
to France for the purpose of negotiating
treaties of peace and commerce with Great
Britain. He knew that sacrifices made by
one generation meant greater liberties for
another.
AP US History I: Summer Information/Reading for 2015-2016