Download Advanced Placement United States History

Advanced Placement World History
Summer Assignment
Any questions? E-mail Mr. Fayle at [email protected]
PART ONE: TEXTBOOK ASSIGNMENTS
In the 2011-2012 school year, AP World History became the first of the College Board’s
history courses to implement a redesign. As a result of this redesign, AP World History
focuses not on names and facts, but rather on the “big picture” of world history. Within
the “big picture”, the new design emphasizes four historical thinking skills (crafting
arguments from evidence; chronological reasoning; comparison and contextualization;
historical interpretation and synthesis), and five themes of history (interactions between
humans and the environment; development and interaction of cultures; state building,
expansion, and conflict; creation, expansion, and interaction of economic systems; and
development and transformation of social structures), spread across six historical
periods (technological and environmental transformations to 600 BCE; organization and
reorganization of human societies 600 BCE. – 600 CE.; regional and trans-regional
interactions 600 CE. – 1450 CE.; global interactions 1450 CE. to 1750 CE.;
industrialization and global integration from 1750 CE. To 1900 CE.; and accelerating
global change and realignments 1900 CE. to present). The first two time periods are
roughly from the beginning to about 600 BCE, and are covered in your textbook in
chapters 1 and 2. The second time period goes from 600 B.C.E to 600 C.E. These three
chapters are where you will focus your attention over the summer. Chapters 1 and 2
represent about 20% of the questions you will see on the national exam, so it is
important that you not only complete the summer work, but do it carefully and
thoughtfully.
Below you will find assignments from the textbook dealing with chapters 1, 2, and 3, as
well as the summer reading. Please complete these assignments over the summer and
keep the textbook assignments separate from each other by chapter. When you have
completed them, put them in a large envelope, and bring them to the high school on the
first day of school, with your name on the outside. They should be delivered to me in
my classroom.
I will be doing a great deal of traveling this summer. If you have questions, it would be
wise to e-mail me as soon as possible as I will be in and out all summer long. The best
way to reach me will be through my e-mail.
Although you do have work that you are responsible for this summer, I hope you enjoy
learning about the history of the world while you are doing it, and that you do find time
to relax and enjoy family and friends.
Summer Assignments:
CHAPTER-1
First Peoples, First Farmers; Most of History in a Single Chapter; to 4000 BCE
Please read this chapter carefully. Begin on page-3 of your textbook and read “The Big
Picture” through page-7. Chapter-1 begins on page-11 of your textbook. It is part of the
time period we call technological and environmental transformation. The key concepts
it presents are: 1.) Big Geography and the Peopling of the Earth and 2.) The Neolithic
Revolution and Early Agricultural Societies.
Once you have carefully read the chapter, turn to page-44 of your textbook. Look at
“Big Picture Questions”, and answer questions 1 – 5. Now, turn to the Chapter-1 Wrap
Up at the end of the chapter. Do Step-1 verbally. No need to turn anything in for Step-1.
Do Step-2 questions 1 – 5 in writing to turn in. Do Step-3 in writing to turn in. I am not
looking for long answers at all. Keep them as pithy as is practicable.
To guide your focused reading, here is something to consider. Visuals are presented to
you on the national exam. The visuals you find throughout this textbook are very good
examples of what you might expect to see on the national exam. Also, frequently found
on the AP World History exam from this period, are the following:
-
Common features of Paleolithic communities
The Agricultural Revolution
Domestication of plants and animals
Examples of the spread of ideas and technology via migration and
diffusion
The Bantu migration
Human population over time
Pastoralists as conveyers of culture, disease, and technology
CHAPTER-2
First Civilizations Cities, States, and Unequal Societies
Please read this chapter carefully. Chapter-2 begins on page-61 of your textbook. It is
also part of the time period we call technological and environmental transformation.
The key concept it presents is: The Development and Interactions of Early
Agricultural, Pastoral, and Urban Societies.
Once you have carefully read the chapter, turn to page-90 of your textbook. Look at
“Big Picture Questions”, and answer questions 1 – 4. Now, turn to the Chapter-2 Wrap
Up at the end of the chapter. Provide answers in writing to all three steps, and label
them as Step-1, Step-2, and Step-3. I am not looking for long answers at all. Keep them
as pithy as is practicable. My longest answer to any of these would be four or five
sentences.
To guide your focused reading, here is something to consider. Visuals are presented to
you on the national exam. The visuals you find throughout this textbook are very good
examples of what you might expect to see on the national exam. Also found on the AP
World History exam from this period, are the following:
-
The trend toward patriarchy as civilization developed
CHAPTER-3
State and Empire in Eurasia/North Africa
Please read this chapter carefully. Chapter-3 begins on page-117 of your textbook. It is
the first part of the second time period we cover which is called Organization and
Reorganization of Human Societies.
The key concepts it presents is: The Development and Codification of Religious and
Cultural Traditions, The Development of States and Empires, and the Emergence of
Trans-Regional Networks of Communication and exchange.
Once you have carefully read the chapter, turn to page-144 of your textbook. Look at
“Big Picture Questions”, and answer questions 1 – 4. Now, turn to the Chapter-3 Wrap
Up at the end of the chapter. Provide answers in writing to all three steps, and label
them as Step-1, Step-2, and Step-3. I am not looking for long answers at all. Keep them
as pithy as is practicable. My longest answer to any of these would be four or five
sentences.
To guide your focused reading, here is something to consider. Visuals are presented to
you on the national exam. The visuals you find throughout this textbook are very good
examples of what you might expect to see on the national exam.
DO NOT wait until the last minute to do this work. If you do, you will regret it. You
might want to take a couple of days off and then start the work to give you an idea of
what you may require for time. Answer some of the questions. Spend a couple of
hours and see how much work you get done. From this, you should get an idea of the
total allotment of time that is required and will be better able to plan your time.
E-mail with questions. If you have to reach me, the best way is by e-mail. I am in and
out all summer long, but I check my e-mails at least once a day.
Mr. Fayle
PART TWO: SUMMER READING
The course designed by the College Board (who administers the AP National Exam
which you will take at 8:00 A.M. on Thursday, May 12th 2016) divides the history of the
world into six time periods as I have already described. But, this is just one way to
think about history. It may be divided into any number of periods. This is called
“periodization”. In addition to your textbook, I am assigning This Fleeting World: A
Short History of Humanity by David Christian. This book divides the history of the
world into three time periods or eras. The book actually explores the very question of
Periodization. I hope to prepare an assessment of this book over the summer. If I do, it
will be short and high level. It will be your first grade for the course.
Some AP World teachers assign another book for summer reading called A History of the
World in Six Glasses by Tom Standage, that divides the history of the world into six
periods. I am NOT assigning this as summer reading, but, it is a fun book to read and it
was on the New York Times bestseller list. This is NOT mandatory. It is completely
optional.
Finally, when you are tired and stressed from the summer work, please read “To My
Sister” by William Wordsworth. http://classiclit.about.com/library/bletexts/wwordsworth/bl-wword-tosister.htm It will take you two minutes at most. It is
good advice when the work gets to be too much!!