Okay folks, here is my advice for all you who are starting your first AP classes this fall.
ORGANIZATION:
I suggest that you have a separate binder for each of your AP classes, or at least a separate section in a large binder. You’ll be getting lots of notes and the better organized you keep it throughout the year, the better off you’ll be when AP time comes around. And trust me, by then you won’t want to be saying “where did I put all those notes?” or “I know I have something about the Great Depression in here somewhere…” so keep you’re notebook up to date as much as you can. And make separate sections for notes, essays, terms, and whatever your teacher has for you.
NOTES:
I know that you can get outlines online, but it’s still a good idea to write your own notes. You can do this by taking notes as you read the chapter, take notes on your teacher’s lectures (or copy the board if she writes it down), or by using the outlines as a skeleton for your notes and fill in some more details. And try to keep your notes all in the same place and in order.
YOUR TEXTBOOK:
I have one piece of advice for you here.
READ IT!!!
That’s all there really is to it.
REVIEW BOOKS:
A review book is never a bad thing to have. Princeton Review make some good books, but you can look around at different ones and decide for yourself. I’m sure your teacher can make a recommendation. Review books have some information that your textbook may not, and they’re separated by subject as well as time period and usually don’t have the clever titles that are fun to read but hard to interpret. Some also come with practice tests which I suggest you take periodically.
STUDY HABITS:
You’re going to have to put a lot of time into your AP classes. You should for study at least 5 hours each week on your own. Reading your textbooks or notes is a good way to do it, and if you do a little each day then it isn’t a big deal. It will help you remember more if you study each day then if you try to cram it all into one day or night (like the day before or of your test/dbq/quiz:rolleyes: ).
I think that’s all the advice I have for now. Feel free to add in your own suggestions.
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"I refuse to prove that I exist," says God, "for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing."
"But," say Man, "the Babel fish is a dead giveaway, isn't it? It could not have evolved by chance. It
Yeah...
READ YOUR TEXTBOOK
I didn't do any note-sheets or review sheets, i just read my entire textbook and i got a 4 on the AP test. Reading the book makes the difference. and DON'T CRAM EVER.
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DATE YOUR NOTES. I suggest using a spiral notebook instead of looseleaf. It keeps all your notes together and in order. But - DATE THEM!! Read your notes every once in a while...AND READ YOUR BOOK!!! It's good for you. I never used the review book, so I don't know how much good that'll do. The unit notes on this site are immaculate. Print them out and store them somewhere so when it comes time to start studying for AP, you'll have them all out. I stapled them all together and put them in a folder. Chapter notes are good, but use them like you SHOULD use sparknotes - read the book AND the notes together.
Study sufficiently and efficiently. Review your notes every two days to keep on top of them. When a test date is annouced, don't wait until the night before to study. Most tests are unit tests which means that's a lot of info for one night of studying. Start studying two or three days ahead of time and break it up. You could break it in half and then review on the third day. Don't scan your notes, read them slowly and carefully. Making charts is helpful sometimes, especially when it comes time when people's names start to sound the same and party names start changing(which is why the 1800s screwed me over). Keep track of who believes what, who belongs where, and why everything happens. A lot of questions on the test are not just 'definition' questions. Some of them are purpose questions, so keep the question 'why' in mind.
ETA: And remember to keep track of WHO did WHAT. That killed me too...
Are there additional worksheets available, that I could start doing this summer? I am going into tenth grade and I signed up for two AP classes this year, my first two. (Biology and U.S. History)
I bought the History book and have started to read it over the summer to get ahead. However, I doubt I will remember it all for the beginning of the school year. Are there worksheets I can do to help instill the information? Should I be taking notes?
Am I on the right track to getting A's in my AP classes. Any help/advice would be appreciated, seeing as I'm really nervous. I'm the only kid in my class to take two AP classes in the sophomore year, because I opted out of a basic science class next year. Thanks in advance.
AP_Fanatic wrote:Are there additional worksheets available, that I could start doing this summer? I am going into tenth grade and I signed up for two AP classes this year, my first two. (Biology and U.S. History)
I bought the History book and have started to read it over the summer to get ahead. However, I doubt I will remember it all for the beginning of the school year. Are there worksheets I can do to help instill the information? Should I be taking notes?
Am I on the right track to getting A's in my AP classes. Any help/advice would be appreciated, seeing as I'm really nervous. I'm the only kid in my class to take two AP classes in the sophomore year, because I opted out of a basic science class next year. Thanks in advance.
You could ask your teacher for worksheets. Do you have a workbook with your textbook? You could do work in that.
It's good that you're reading early, but don't read too much at a time because that might be information overload and you'll forget things that you may need. The main course notes website has amazing unit notes, which I found to be the most helpful thing on this site. I would really keep track of people and events. Try making a chart with major events and who was involved. You could try making charts for the different wars (I think the French-Indian War comes early in the year...gah! I've forgotten). For my class, I didn't have to know every little detail about wars. I just need to know major people, major events, and WHY something happened and CAUSE AND EFFECT.
Read over the unit notes - THEY'RE AMAZING. I give them credit for giving me a 4 on the test. It really helps wrap up all the information in a neat and clean way and they were just amaazzzinngg. lolll. You gotta sit down and read them thoroughly and soak in all the information.
What kind of learner are you? All my advice works for me, but it could be different for other people.
Haha, I'm taking ap bio too!! What science class did you have last year? I had regular biology in 10th grade so I remember some stuff. We should work together!
Okay, before I start rambling on about other suggestions, jen marie brought up something very important that I forgot. Knowing you're learning type is very important, especially when you're going to have a lot to remember. Some people learn better by drawing pictures while others learn by writing notes. Some people don't need to write anything, but learn best by hearing everything (annoying when you're frantically trying to keep up with the teacher and they're just sitting back and you both get about the same grade...). So if you don't know what you're learning type is, I'd be happy to help you. Just post here, or e-mail me at [email protected]" class="bb-email">[email protected], or IM me at pianogirl2422, or PM me. I check them all frequently. I also plan to post something to help the process, but with moving to a new house and into dorms in a few days, I've lost the papers I need temporarily.
Good luck with you're AP classes, and if you ever want advice, or just to vent (you'll need to do that every once in a while;) ) feel free to look me up. I'm always happy to talk or to help.
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"I refuse to prove that I exist," says God, "for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing."
"But," say Man, "the Babel fish is a dead giveaway, isn't it? It could not have evolved by chance. It
Thanks pianogirl and jenmarie for the advice. No, I didn't get a workbook with my textbook, and I have no way to contact the teacher before the year starts.
I think I learn best by working. Like looking things up through the book for a worksheet, or trying to formulate an essay response. Which is why I was looking for a workbook, not the generic quiz. I hear my AP US History teacher for next year relies heavily on worksheets.
Jenmarie, I opted out of Physical Science my freshman year, and took regular biology. Now, in my sophomore year, I'm able to take regular Chemistry and AP Biology.
:eek: reading the book never works, the best way to learn the material is to listen to your teacher and to look at the course-notes outlines to learn. It makes things soo much easier, so easy that you will never have to study.
:eek: g-baby postin up, playa
Remember taht everybody learns in their own way, some are visual, some are auditorial learners, etc... Find your way and use that!
And do not give up! Trust me, I almost gave up APUSH but kept with it and now I am a college freshman and am glad i stuck with it. Everything is so much easeir now!
college is for squares who can think good
ANNUAL BUMP! It's that time of year again when the weather is nice and cool breezes are imminent and we all look forward to the changing of the colors of the leaves...
That's right, it's the time when the weather TAUNTS you while you're stuck in a classroom for hours learning stuff you never wanted to know in the first place. Hopefully this advice will help you survive the year with your sanity.
[=RoyalBlue][=Comic Sans MS]
"I refuse to prove that I exist," says God, "for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing."
"But," say Man, "the Babel fish is a dead giveaway, isn't it? It could not have evolved by chance. It
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