<p>Does anyone have any predictions for the APUSH essays? Even though I'm fairly confident in my APUSH knowledge, it would be nice to have some areas to focus on.</p>
<p>Seems like it’s gotta be Gilded Age… They’ve touched around it every year, but never actually asked about the ~1900 area</p>
<p>Be prepared for anything. Last year they slammed us with a question about the late 17th century.</p>
<p>revolutionary time period</p>
<p>I know there’s definitely going to be a question on African Americans or women for social. They seem to have those every year.</p>
<p>I keep thinking it’s going to be on Civil War but I would reaaaally be happy if it was on the causes of WWI.</p>
<p>I’m thinking its going to be on gilded age as well…last year it was puritans so it is not that</p>
<p>Heard there’s always a minority, perhaps Native Americans or Blacks.
Women was last year.</p>
<p>Gilded age is okay. All I remember about Gilded Age is industrialization.</p>
<p>Hello Everyone:</p>
<p>I have to say, as an AP teacher I was stunned to read some of the posts here. It sounds like many of you have some lame AP teachers. None of you should have been freaking out the day before the exam. </p>
<p>I’m not looking for an ego moment here but the single job of every AP teacher is to prepare you for the test from day 1 to test day. EVERY single MC question my students receive comes from previously released exams (84, 88, 01, 06, etc.) all others are worthless. The College Board simply recycles MC questions which is why you are forbidden to discuss them. </p>
<p>Every FR and DBQ my students write was previously asked. I have them all dating back to 1971. It took A LOT of time and research but that’s what teachers are supposed to do. </p>
<p>My summer assignment is for students to read the first 3 chapters of our test (Brinkley). They get a MC test, 4 FR, and 1 DBQ. All are due the first day of school as well as their notebook so I can assess their note taking skills. That way, we get started at the French and Indian War in September and complete through Reagan by April.</p>
<p>I also analyze the patterns of the College Board to estimate the most significant essay topics for the year. It should have obvious for ALL teachers that the DBQ would be recent history. </p>
<p>Anyway, I enjoyed reading the posts here and hope you all get 4s and 5s! </p>
<p>Mr. Lyle</p>
<p>No you really need to cut down that ego</p>
<p>Well good for you MrLyle, but the fact that you did a super awesome amazing job preparing your students does not change the fact that other teachers were not as good at preparing their students. You are just causing undo panic with your post, and implying that, unless a teacher did exactly as you did, the student was unprepared for the test and will not do well. Also, the fact that there was a Vietnam DBQ two years ago makes the fact that there was ANOTHER Vietnam DBQ this year more than a little surprising. So why don’t you get off your high horse and stop talking about how amazing you are, okay? Because you’re kind of sounding like a conceited jerk. What works for you does not necessarily work for everyone, so stop acting as though your way is the best and only way.</p>
<p>^hindsight bias. look at the time posted.</p>
<p>I’m surprised about how the reactions to MrLyle’s post in this thread totally contrast with the kind welcoming reactions to his post in the other thread. :eek:</p>
<p>@Stoneherring: You guys (those of you who decide everybody on CC is automatically right in their predictions) should actually blame yourself for taking the word of all the people who said it’d be Gilded Age as the word of God. Nobody knows what it’s going to be. No amount of expertise or statistics of what was asked in the past can pinpoint what they’re going to ask this year. I’ve only been around CC for about two years, but I don’t think I’ve seen an accurate prediction yet. So next time, consider ANYTHING could be a possibility. You have nobody to blame but yourself.</p>
<p>@SeekingUni - I agree with you one hundred. I was trying to make the point I didn’t understand how MrLyle can say that the essay was “obviously” going to be modern history. I’m not complaining that I was unprepared, because I was, in fact, quite well prepared, both for the essay and for the exam. I actually prefer the Nixon topic over reconstruction. Nor was I trying to imply that anybody on CC had actually gotten it right. I was merely making the point that it was definitely not “obvious” as MrLyle would like to imply.</p>
<p>Ah, I certainly misinterpreted your post then!</p>
<p>MrLyle, not to discredit you personally in any way, but I do suspect there definitely is some hindsight bias in play here. Of the three APUSH teachers at my school, the BEST one (who isn’t my teacher) literally lives, breathes, eats, and sleeps APUSH. I don’t know how long she’s been doing it - probably about 10 years I guess? - but she has one of the highest passing rates I believe in the district and, like many others, she independently predicted the DBQ would be on the Gilded age. She even wore a shirt today with the profile of a big city on it (skyscrapers and such) to represent the population and industrialization boom that occurred during the Gilded age (I told you, she lives – and now wears – APUSH). She is so dedicated to teaching APUSH, that after the recent birth of her baby she was back in the classroom teaching that same week. I’m no expert, but most careless teachers would perhaps take at least a week off?</p>
<p>So as you see, she’s been doing this long enough, she’s dedicated, she loves what she does, and she definitely has some authority in the field. She predicted Gilded Age. She was wrong. Is she a poor teacher now?</p>
<p>It’s not obvious, clear, or right under our noses. Until, of course, after the fact. I don’t recall anybody’s predictions matching what today’s DBQ actually was. Why didn’t you post your prediction sooner to benefit us if you were so sure?</p>
<p>MrLyle, your a dou.ch.e…</p>
<p>Actually, Mr. Lyle, you are wrong there. From what you are saying, after studying FRQ patterns over the past decades and then predicting what areas of U.S will come up on this years FRQ, you are emphasizing THAT specific area of U.S History and therefore limiting teaching on other, just as important areas. Teachers who don’t waste time predicting FRQ (PREDICTING) are teaching and equally emphasizing ALL areas on U.S History. Not just the 1960’s or Great Depression. I think the point of a class is to learn as much as possible and master the material and not to receive a high grade on 3 essays.</p>
<p>@Cortana: Another teacher replied to MrLyle’s post in a different thread that he posted in, expressing much of the same sentiment that you have expressed. I agree, that “teaching to the test” is actually one of the downsides of education today. Everything is so “you don’t need to know this, it’s not on the test.” I find that ludicrous. It happened, just like everything else did. It’s history just as much as every other part of history is. There’s no reason not to learn it if it’s a survey course.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure the course description of AP US History doesn’t say “to learn what you need to know to pass the exam.” The exam is not the point of the class. It’s how you measure what you’ve learned in the class.</p>
<p>d’awhhhhhh this thread is too hostile :(</p>
<p>We have a black president = black frq WHY DIDN’T I THINK of that damnit</p>