USING THE CORE ACTIVITIES
The worksheets and activities contained in this section are designed for use throughout the course. Filling
out these charts will help students analyze content and provide them with concise resources for studying
people, events, and concepts in the AP World History course.
Leader Analysis
This chart is used to record important specific information about leaders in political, economic, and social
fields.
Peoples Analysis
This chart helps students record details about groups, societies, and civilizations. It also asks them to
analyze the impact these peoples had on history.
Conflict Analysis
This chart helps students organize and analyze conflicts of all types. It is useful for finite wars, but it can
be especially useful to help them sort out long-term social and ideological conflicts.
Change Analysis
Filling out this chart will help students become aware of continuities and changes within one society over
a period of time. Through the recording of important events over a time period, students will start
thinking about the causes and effects of change and continuity.
Societal Comparisons
This chart facilitates comparisons between contemporaneous societies.
Document Analysis
This chart asks students to record important information about a document and summarize its main ideas.
Students describe the setting in which the document was created and analyze it in the context of its time
period.
Dialectical Journal
The purpose of this activity is to get students to slow down and process information while they read. It
encourages them to think about what they read instead of merely recording facts.
Inner/Outer Circle
This is a discussion technique that can be graded. It puts the responsibility of carrying on a meaningful
discussion on the students' shoulders. Teachers assign a reading (primary or secondary sources, including
the textbook) and tell the students to write higher order thinking questions on the materials. Students
return to class with their questions and take turns being in either the inner or outer circle. The students in
the inner circle discuss the questions they have written. The teacher selects a facilitator to keep the
discussion going and to encourage students who have not spoken. The teacher also determines how many
times each student is expected to participate in the discussion. Students in the outer circle take notes on
the inner circle’s discussion. They follow the discussion and actively listen, recording in general what has
been said. When the time allotted for discussion is half over, students switch roles.
Leader Analysis Sheet
Name of leader:
Lifespan:
Title:
Country/region:
Years in power:
Political, social, and economic conditions prior to leader gaining power:
Ideology, motivation, goals:
Significant actions and events during term of power:
Short-term effects:
Long-term effects:
Peoples Analysis Sheet
Name of group:
Time period:
Location:
Important neighbors:
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Impact on neighbors:
Legacy:
Conflict Analysis Sheet
Name of conflict:
Time period:
Type of conflict:
Underlying causes:
Immediate cause(s):
Turning points/important events:
Ending event(s):
End result:
Short-term effects:
Long-term effects:
Change Analysis Sheet
Society:
Time period:
Significant events during time period:
Characteristics at the beginning
of the time period:
Political
Social
Economic
Artistic
Religious
Intellectual
Technological
Military
Geographic
Demographic
Women’s status
Causes and impact of changes:
Characteristics at the end
of the time period:
Societal Comparison Sheet
Time period:
Significant events during time period:
Society One:
Society Two:
Characteristics of Society One:
Political
Social
Economic
Artistic
Religious
Intellectual
Technological
Military
Geographic
Demographic
Women’s status
Explanation of similarities and differences:
Characteristics of Society Two:
Document Analysis Sheet
Source (name and type):
Author:
Time period:
Society:
Political, social, economic characteristics at time written:
Purpose:
Tone:
Audience:
Point of view:
Important content:
Evidence of bias:
Assessment of validity:
The Dialectical Journal
Complete this double-entry journal while reading. In the left column, paraphrase an idea that is
important or interesting. Include the page number so others can locate the passage. In the right
column write your response to the concept or fact in the left column, by analyzing its importance.
paraphrase and page number
response
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Inner/Outer Circle
Soon we will have an inner/outer circle discussion in class. You will be graded on your
discussion, and you will need to prepare for it. Here are the expectations for the discussion.
Discussion Expectations:
1. Be prepared. Read the texts for depth of understanding. Think about your reading. Take
care to write questions that are worth discussing and can be answered by the text. Write
down answers to your questions.
2. Raise your hand and wait to be called upon. Do not raise your hand until the student
currently speaking is finished.
3. Look at the other students--not your desk--when talking.
4. Do not engage in side conversations in either circle.
5. Take notes with your head up when you are in the outer circle.
6. Positive points: contribute relevant facts, analysis, interpretation, evaluation; add new
information--don't just restate someone else's comment.
7. Negative points: not paying attention, interrupting, irrelevant comments, attacking other
speakers, monopolizing the conversations
To prepare for the discussion, you will write questions based on the assigned readings. You need
to write questions that are at high levels of thinking. This chart of thinking levels will help you
make sure your questions require thought and discussion.
Bloom's Taxonomy
1. Knowledge
arrange, define, duplicate, label, list, memorize, name, order, recognize,
relate, recall, repeat, reproduce, state
Name the . . . ., identify facts
2. Comprehension classify, describe, discuss, explain, express, identify, indicate, locate,
recognize, report, restate, review, select, translate
Explain what happened, tell what is meant, give reasons
3. Application
apply, choose, demonstrate, dramatize, employ, illustrate, interpret,
operate, practice, schedule, sketch, solve, use, write
Use the author's thesis, classify new information
4. Analysis
analyze, appraise, calculate, categorize, compare, contrast, criticize,
differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, examine, experiment, question, test
Answer why, make conclusions, differentiate facts from opinions, find
supporting evidence
5. Synthesis
arrange, assemble, collect, compose, construct, create, design, develop,
formulate, manage, organize, plan, prepare, propose, set up, write
Combine elements to make a new product/pattern, create solutions
6. Evaluation
appraise, argue, assess, attach, choose, compare, defend, estimate, judge,
predict, rate, core, select, support, value, evaluate
Compare theses, evaluate ideas, assess actions
Reading selection:
Author:
Questions: