Download Summer Assignment for AP World History

2013 Summer Assignments for AP World History
Albert Einstein High School
Dear Rising Junior or Senior,
Welcome to Advanced Placement World History. Laying the foundation for the course begins
now, in the summer before. The scope of our course is broad-the history of the entire world
from 8000 B.C.E. to the present -- roughly 10,000 years of history! Yet our in-depth study will
focus on the years 600 C. E. to the present. To help set the stage for the more modern era, we
must do a relatively quick overview of the ancient world and the study of human societies in
general. To facilitate this study, you will read the first two chapters of the following book
during summer vacation:
Author: Standage, Tom.
Title: A History of the World in Six Glasses.
Publisher: Walker Publishing Company (May 16, 2006)
ISBN-10: 0802715524
Variety of prices on Amazon whether you get the book used, new, or electronically
It is not a requirement that you buy the book, although it is a great resource and will be
referenced throughout the year, so it will be helpful to own a copy. If you choose not to buy
the book, it is available in most local libraries (in limited supply and there are around 90 AP
World students next year). It can also be accessed digitally through Google Books
[http://books.google.com/books]. Search for the book title and look for a link that says
“Limited Preview.” From there you will be able to access the book, although a few pages from
each chapter will not be included. I can provide you with those pages if need be.
During the first week of school you will engage in a seminar type discussion of the material read
over summer. In addition, you will have a written assessment of the reading and the seminar
discussion. All parts of this assignment, i.e. the summer questions, the seminar and the written
assessment, will count towards your first quarter grade.
If you have any questions about the reading, please email me. I look forward to seeing you in
August!
Mr. Western
[email protected]
SUMMER ASSIGNMENTS 2013 for AP World History
There will be three assignments that should be completed during the summer to prepare for AP
World History. All of the information can be found under Summer Assignments on the Einstein
home page
1. Reading and Questions from A History of the World in Six Glasses
2. A map exercise to locate regions, bodies of water, landforms, and countries the eastern
Hemisphere {map on the home pages]
3. A Note taking Assignment on Mesopotamia from the textbook that we will be using during the
school year {textbook has been scanned and is on the home page} as well as an example of
Cornell notes
A History of the World in Six Glasses
This should be completed by August 15th and sent as an attachment
to my email [email protected]
1. Gain access to A History of the World in Six Glasses by Tom Standage.
2. Read the introduction and chapters one and two of the book on the importance of beer to
early farming societies. Answer the following questions in paragraph format – a response
should not be longer then ½ page. Cite passages from the book when you directly use
information.
Questions
1. Explain how the ingredients needed for beer is related to humans changing from a
hunter gather to settled communities.
1. A major concept for the first unit is that the agricultural revolution led to the
developments of new and more complex economic and social systems. How did beer
play a part in the development of a more complex economic system? Be sure to include
info on taxes; payment for services; role of government.
3. How did the introduction of beer lead to advancements in agricultural technology?
4. How did beer help to organize society? Your response should include information on
accounting and writing.
5. What were the cultural impacts of beer? Your response should include religious
rituals; nourishment and social interaction
6. Create a graphic organizer as to identify how civilization changed and stayed the
same during the Agricultural revolution. Please include at least 3 changes and 3
continuous characteristics
Note taking on Mesopotamia
You will keep the notes which will be collected on the first day of school. The paragraph
should be stapled to your notes
3. Read and take notes on Mesopotamia which is the first section of the first chapter of your
textbook, Mesopotamia is on pages 29 to 40 inThe Earth and its Peoples – you can fine the
pages on the Einstein web-site on my assignment section. The purpose of this activity is for
you to develop the most efficient note-taking strategy that works best for you. There are
two parts to this assignment: the actual note taking strategy and the an explanation as to
why you chose this specific note taking strategy
Map Items
There will be a quiz on these items at some point during the first week of class. A map is on
the summer assignments section.
4. Familiarize yourself with and be able to locate the following items on a map of the Eastern
Hemisphere. You will have a map quiz the first two weeks of school that will assess your
ability to locate these items.
Regions – Mesopotamia; Fertile Crescent; Southeast Asia; South Asia; East Asia; Middle East;
Far East; North Africa
Bodies of Water- Indian Ocean; Pacific Ocean; Atlantic Ocean; Mediterranean Sea; Red Sea;
Indus River; Tigris River; Euphrates River; Ganges River; Nile River; Huang He {Yellow} River;
Yangzi River; Bering Strait
Landform – Sahara Desert; Himalayan Mountains
Countries – Egypt; India; Iraq; Iran; China; Indonesia; Afghanistan