Conquering the APUSH Essay FRQ/DBQ Conquering the APUSH Essay

2012 Exam Scores Total # of Students 406,086 3 or higher 214,493 52.8% Number of Students % at 5 44,883 11.1 4 84,479 20.8 3 85,131 21.0 2 108,249 26.7 1 83,344 20.5 Total # of Students 406,086 3 or higher 214,493 52.8% Mean Score 2.75

AP US History Exam Format Multiple Choice DBQ FRQ 80 questions 1 question 2 questions (out of 4) 50% of exam score 22.5 % of exam score 13.75 % each 27.5 total 55 minutes 15 minutes reading/planning 10 minutes planning total .69 minutes each 45 minutes writing 60 minutes writing If students score 60% or better on the Multiple Choice they will have the opportunity to score a 3 or better on the AP exam!

Multiple Choice Test Questions Topics Approximate # of Questions Colonial - 1789 14 1789-1865 25 1865-1914 18 1914-Present 24 Political 32 Economic/Social Diplomatic/Cultural 15

Analyzing the DBQ (for each document) Author Place & Time Prior Knowledge Audience Reason The Main Idea Significance

DBQ 15 minutes planning; 45 minutes writing (22.5% of score) Can cover any period up to 1990; generally covering a 25 years period Use a substantial number of the documents (at least 60%) Support with your own knowledge & analysis to answer the question

How to use the documents in your essay Sourcing –consider the author of the document & the reason for its creation Contextualize –situate the documents & events associated with the documents in their appropriate place & time Close Reading –read the documents carefully to consider what the documents say & what language is used Collaborating –use multiple sources to check important details to determine agreement or disagreement

Answering the Question Three part thesis statement using SPRITE Social Political Religious Intellectual Technological Economic Categorize your documents evenly

The Writing Process Construct a three-part thesis (SPRITE) Organize your essay according to the verbs in the question Relate the evidence (SFI) you use to your thesis and to the other evidence (documents) Defend your thesis Address major arguments that run counter to yours (a paragraph or two will suffice) Introductory paragraph –include a topic sentence that clearly states your thesis. Be precise –limit this to what you will discuss in the essay. Concluding paragraph –this is the impression that the reader leaves with; reserve time to make it good. Reiterate and summarize main points; don’t introduce new ideas. Reinforce your thesis.

FRQs 5 minutes of planning; 30 minutes writing for each FRQ -2 total (27.5% of score combined) Part B choice of prompts; colonial period to 1865 Part C choice of prompts; 1865 to 1990 Read the question carefully and answer what is asked Stick to the time period “to what extent” means to evaluate the degree to which something happened, not whether it happened or not.

Ready-Made Theses Foreign Policy –consider a continuation of, or a departure from isolation and neutrality Politics -consider strict and loose construction of the Constitution (“necessary & proper”); Jefferson vs. Hamilton; State rights vs. Federal authority Social Issues –consider minority vs. majority rights and the growth of American democracy Economics –consider laissez-faire vs. government intervention Culture –consider conformity vs. change