AP Human Geography Mr. Luthringer

What is AP (Advanced Placement)? AP is a rigorous academic program built on the commitment, passion and hard work of students and educators from both secondary schools and higher education. AP provides willing and academically prepared high school students with the opportunity to study and learn at the college level.

What is AP? Through AP courses, talented and dedicated AP teachers help students develop and apply the skills, abilities and content knowledge they will need later in college. Each AP course is modeled upon a comparable college course, and college and university faculty play a vital role in ensuring that AP courses align with college-level standards.

What is AP? AP courses culminate in a suite of college-level assessments developed and scored by college and university faculty members as well as experienced AP teachers. AP Exams are an essential part of the AP experience, enabling students to demonstrate their mastery of college-level course work.

What is AP? Strong performance on AP Exams is rewarded by colleges and universities worldwide. More than 90 percent of four-year colleges and universities in the United States grant students credit, placement or both on the basis of successful AP Exam scores.

AP Human Geography The purpose of the AP Human Geography course is to introduce students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth’s surface. Students employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine human social organization and its environmental consequences.

AP Human Geography Students learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their science and practice.

AP Human Geography On successful completion of the course, students should have developed skills that enable them to: Use and think about maps and spatial data. Understand and interpret the implications of associations among phenomena in places. Recognize and interpret at different scales the relationships among patterns and processes.

AP Human Geography On successful completion of the course, students should have developed skills that enable them to: Define regions and evaluate the regionalization process. Characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places.

AP Human Geography Topics Geography: Its Nature and Perspectives Population Cultural Patterns and Processes Political Organization of Space Agriculture and Rural Land Use Industrialization and Economic Development Cities and Urban Land Use

What is the AP test like? The AP Human Geography Exam is approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes in length and includes both a 60-minute multiple-choice section and a 75-minute free-response section. Each section accounts for half of the student’s AP Exam score.

Advantages Students WILL be challenged Reading and note-taking skills help in all classes Better prepared for college Studies show that kids who take AP, even if they fail the test, are more likely to earn a college degree Experience helps for future APs as well Students learn to follow directions Save money on tuition (assuming they pass) Get to learn LOTS of stuff about cool places Good introduction to why the world is the way it is Understand current events Makes you feel smart and informed!

Disadvantages It’s the hardest class they’ve ever had at this point in their lives. It’s just a LOT of material to learn. Much of it is unfamiliar & has foreign words languages. Work takes a long time (gets better as the year goes) Students HAVE to read the book Lots of reading Tests & quizzes are HARD HAVE to be independent Grades might be low, esp. at first Initial shock of how much work it is This goes away as they adapt.

Things to consider Are you a good reader? Do you like learning about other cultures? How much time do you have in your daily schedule? Are you the kind of person who does homework regularly? Can you handle the independence & responsibility? Are you organized?

Things students like about the class Learning about other cultures Interesting information Fun activities and projects By the end, they realize how much they have learned and accomplished Class discussion In-class time helps you process what you learned from homework (that’s why you HAVE to read the book) No matter how smart you are, you’ll be challenged