<p>So...I'm taking APUSH/AP U.S. History and I already regret it. The reading and taking notes is unbelievably annoying and I can't seem to retain the information that quickly because each reading assignment we are required to take notes and then he checks them following a quiz each class so far!</p>
<p>Also, he told us we should be spending no more than 2 hours for this when I clearly spend like 4 (with mulitple breaks). I need some advice on what I should and shouldn't be writing down and also I don't want to drop the class because I understand it is suppose to be challenging and gearing toward college but I'm doing poorly in it. I'm trying to tell myself it will get better and be positive about the class but it isn't working.</p>
<p>I’m enrolled in APUSH, and I have around a 106 average (granted, we’ve only been in school a month, but still) - I’ve always had a knack for History. The notes ARE ridiculously long. I spent around 20 hours doing 17 pages of handwritten notes over labor day weekend, and he then graded our notes as a test grade – I find it best to look at the textbook as a story. It sounds lame, but believing that the Reconstruction era was a fairy tale made it much easier to retain facts than if it was just a series of obscure details I had to memorize. </p>
<p>Once upon a time, Andrew Johnson was impeached by radical Republicans…</p>
<p>My daughter (a junior with a 3.93 UW GPA) is in APUSH this year and is really struggling with the class. She is not doing well in this class and is putting a TON of work into it. She has tried several different tactics and nothing is working for her … she continues to do poorly on the quiz/test. </p>
<p>She’s very frustrated. So this “A” student is getting a “D” in the class. :(</p>
<p>None of those responses are actually useful to OP.</p>
<p>Now, for the time it takes, how much of that is spent reading and how much of it is spent taking notes? If you’re spending more time taking notes than reading, the notes won’t end up being useful at all because there will be too much. You don’t have to copy the textbook.
Does he grade the notes, or just check them? If he’s grading the notes, you have to try to figure out the least amount of notes you can take while still getting a good grade.
If he’s using the quiz as your grade on the notes, definitely try to write less.</p>
<p>If you do end up writing less notes, make sure that what you do write is what’s important. You should be able to figure out from the quizzes what’s important and what’s not. If you can figure this out, you’ll do fine. If your teacher is a good teacher, then what’s on the quizzes will be similar to what’s on the AP. If this is the case, and if you only take notes on what’s important for the quizzes, you’ll be able to study the notes only instead of the whole textbook and do fine.</p>
<p>If you can’t figure out what’s important yourself, try asking a classmate who gets the good grades to see their notes.</p>
<p>Someone else mentioned this in another thread - some publishers have study helps that correspond with the textbook. I can’t remember my son’s exact title of his book (something with “Narrative History”), but the publisher has GREAT study helps, complete with chapter outlines, quizzes,… If your publisher has a study helps section, perhaps skimming their outline prior to doing your reading might help focus on the key points.</p>
<p>APUSH may seem intensive, and it is. But you’ll get used to it and learn to balance it with your other courses. It’s a lot of learning but it gets interesting after the first few weeks and you learn how to study so that you get the A. Stay in the class; it’s an amazing feeling when you get a 5 on the AP (which I think you’ll get from the way you’re studying). Good luck if you ever need anything go to this study guide website I made <a href=“https://sites.google.com/site/apushstudyguides/home?pli=1[/url]”>https://sites.google.com/site/apushstudyguides/home?pli=1</a> and I also have a more detailed study guide if you want.</p>
<p>This isn’t a thread for you to be an arrogant jerk and say “WELLLL I HAVE A 4.0 AND I LOOOVE HISTORY!” Lying or not, you just look stupid. </p>
<p>He was asking for support…</p>
<p>-Don’t have any breaks when reading, have everything you need next to you so you don’t get distracted. Water bottle, your supplies, etc.</p>
<p>-At least for me, the words in my book sometimes I don’t understand and get confused, have dictionary.com opened when reading and NOTHING else.</p>
<p>-Something my teacher told me, skip anything to do with Military History…or “what” happened in particular battles. For example, it will be completely useless on the exam to know that 130 colonist died in the Stono Rebellion or such and such led such and such to attack such and such or any info like that. You just need to know causes and the effects of the major battles and wars. </p>
<p>-My teacher, in particular, gives us a list of important things and people…so I mostly focus on them or it and take notes with that.</p>
<p>^
Good advice about military history. I believe the AP exam has only ever asked out 3 battles - Saratoga, Antietam (I think?), and Pearl Harbor.</p>
<p>What textbook does your class use? American pageant? america: a narrative story?</p>
if you ever need anything go to this study guide website I made <a href=“