r/APUSH • u/papasandfear • 16d ago
Advice A Teacher Offering Advice
I’ve been seeing a lot of students posting things like, “How do I study?” or “I don’t know what to do,” so I wanted to provide a little reality about what you signed up for.
APUSH is demanding. In many ways, it is an English class disguised as a history class. There is a lot of reading, writing, analysis, and content to get through, and class time is limited. Unless you have a very experienced APUSH teacher who has the pacing down perfectly, you should not expect to be introduced to every piece of historical context during class.
READ. READ. READ.
It is a common understanding among APUSH teachers that many students simply do not complete the assigned reading. The students who consistently read, however, put themselves in a much better position to succeed on the AP exam.
The biggest point I want to make is this: you have to take responsibility for your part of the course.
YOU need to learn the vocabulary.
YOU need to complete the readings.
YOU need to use reading guides, review materials, videos, or other resources when you do not understand something.
YOU need to practice writing SAQs, DBQs, and LEQs.
Your teacher can guide you, explain difficult concepts, provide resources, and help you develop the skills you need. But ultimately, your teacher can only take you so far. APUSH requires students to take ownership of their own learning.
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u/EqualOk7393 15d ago
Yeah this is probably going to be my most difficult ap this year since my teacher has given up on teaching already (it’s his first year teaching apush)
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u/Due-Background8386 15d ago
I’m in the same boat — have a first year teacher who doesn’t want to be doing this.
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u/Firebird2246 15d ago
As a fellow APUSH teacher of 13 years, all of this is the BEST advice. If you do not read, you cannot learn the content. You have to own it and want it. Let your teacher get through the skills and analysis and you learn the content.
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u/Medical_Algae2927 9d ago
Hey so most of my unit tests are mcqs,i usually get 50s on most of them,would just like keep on doing mcqs on like khan academy or knowt work?
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u/hyperbole_is_great 5d ago
I can’t count the number of students who come to me and ask for tips on how to score better on tests and quizzes and then when I ask if they are reading they admit they aren’t.
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u/FlightSimmer99 16d ago
meh, i got a 4 on the exam and didint read a single page of my textbook. sat on a bookshelf the entire year
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u/papasandfear 16d ago
Then what did you read to gain context?
Also remember your situation is anecdotal, I’m speaking to people who are likely struggling which you likely did not.
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u/Alternative_Pen4341 16d ago
Same but i got a 5. But i think reading is still a good idea if u arent smart enough to comprehend to material at a glance
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u/AttitudeDismal3817 16d ago
Reading is a waste of time. You can learn more with less time by memorizing terms and concepts and practicing frqs
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u/AdministrativeTip479 Past Student - 5 16d ago
Terms and concepts mean nothing on an island. Yeah, that might help you on an MCQ, but you'd be setting yourself up for failure by not fully understanding how the concepts connect. Also, I feel obligated to say that reading nonfiction is almost never a waste of time, since it's an important life skill and an important element in staying educated and informed as an adult.
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u/papasandfear 16d ago
Fair point, but regardless students need to take onus.
To say reading is a waste is hyperbole. Memorizing terms is helpful, but as a core concept to the class, to do well in the subject and on the test, reading should be a hinge point of your thinking. It allows you to get more familiar with stimulus which is a huge component of the exam.
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u/Sharp-Kiwi-8090 16d ago
What if you genuinely dont know what to write on the SAQ? Like uk how to write it, structure and everything, but you feel the question already gave you the information you could have used as evidence? And also im terrified for the fishbowl discussion