How to Succeed in AP World History

Read for Understanding Before reading, preview the key concepts and focus questions. Knowing what you should be taking note of is the first step in taking useful notes. Read all assigned texts employing active reading strategies. Pay attention to questions asked within the text. Write down questions that come to your mind as you are reading!

Handwriting is a building block for learning. Far more than just a tool for communication, the act of writing by hand appears to be an important building block for learning.

Better Than Typing During one study at Indiana University, researchers invited children to man a "spaceship," actually an MRI machine using a specialized scan called "functional" MRI that spots neural activity in the brain. The kids were shown letters before and after receiving different letter-learning instruction. In children who had practiced printing by hand, the neural activity was far more enhanced and "adult-like" than in those who had simply looked at letters. Hand writing apps are becoming ubiquitous.

Most History Work Will be Written by Hand All of your reading notes should be written out by hand. – It will help you on the tests – You will develop your handwriting skills in order to write legible essays on exams. – It will help prepare you for the intense note taking required for college success. – Minimizes the opportunity and temptation to plagiarize.

Purposeful Note-Taking Maintaining a notebook serves several purposes: – The process of writing notes helps you to learn and retain the information. – An organized notebook facilitates more active and constructive participation in class discussions and activities. – A well organized notebook provides an easy reference when studying for quizzes and tests.

Methods of Note-Taking Modified Cornell Notes – Divide your notebook paper into two sections Left: reading notes and questions/comments to present in the class discussion – *it is useful to note page numbers in your reading notes so that you can easily refer back to a specific point of text during discussion Right: class notes – Don’t just copy from the book. Paraphrase in your own words. Use the opposite facing page for any relevant graphic organizers and/or concept maps that may aid you in your understanding

Organizers and Concept Maps Organizers and concept maps are useful for synthesizing information. Some common organizers for World History are: – Cause and Effect T-Charts – Venn Diagrams for Comparisons – SPICE Charts

Most Importantly… You must do all the readings! Your success in this class is determined, first and foremost, by your preparation! Procrastination is your greatest enemy!

Pay attention to… Themes of World History Periodization/Period Acronyms Key Concepts Essential Questions Maintain a stellar notebook! Ask Questions!!!

Homework Complete the Big Geography assignment. Look back in the “Succeeding in Harkness” section of Haiku and read the “Developing Questions” document. Write one good, original question based on the assigned reading!