AP History classes tend to be different from other AP classes. Most of the information is in a textbook, and it takes a lot of reading to learn the history. The teacher doesn’t have to do a lot of teaching because most of the information is in the textbook. There aren’t a lot of instances where you won’t get something in history because history is straightforward. Even though history sounds like a easy subject, it is not as easy as you think. Just reading the textbook won’t help you succeed on the AP history exams unless you’re a true genius. There are additional things you need to do to be able to learn all the history and know it very well.
Here are some things you will need to do:
• Take notes as you are reading and highlight important information in the textbook. Taking notes may seem very time-consuming, but these make you a lot more familiar with the information you are reading.
• After reading each chapter or unit, take the time to go online and look up websites that relate to your chapters. Read more from those websites.
• Take some quizzes online at the AP review website before each test.
• Form a study group and review at least twice a week with your group.
• Review powerpoints for each unit. Usually your teacher will provide these powerpoints or you can find a lot of them online.
• Create an organized binder with all your notes, maps, and other outlines put into the binder. This will help A LOT when you study for a semester exam or the AP exam.
• Usually during the history class, you will have to write essays about certain topics. Take the time to write more at home for extra practice. You can test how much knowledge you have gained.
• Pay attention to history videos you watch in class. These will give you a better picture of what is going on.
All these things mentioned above need to be taken seriously. I find all of these things very useful when tests come around. I tried just reading the textbook at first, but I found myself forgetting everything I read after one day!! It is better to take more time to take notes than to rush through a chapter without any idea on what the chapter is talking a
