Jun 10, 2013 ... Dear AP Student, ... what to expect in your AP U.S. History class. ... second is 5
steps to a 5 (ISBN 978-‐0071804004) by Stephen Armstrong.
10 June 2013 Dear AP Student, Congratulations on signing up for Advanced Placement United States History. Many of you are taking other AP classes, English, Chemistry, advanced Mathematics and the like. This will be a tough but rewarding year for all of you. It may be taxing at times. Stick with it, work hard. You will be better for it. You will feel a major sense of accomplishment at the end. As most students say at the end College was much more manageable as a result of having been an AP student at Tahoma. I am sending you this letter so you will be able to get a jump on next year, and get to know what to expect in your AP U.S. History class. The text is titled “Created Equal” authored by Jacqueline Jones. Mr. Thompson and I have the text available in our rooms for checkout after June 16th. It is also available for purchase it at a number of places, including Barnes and Noble, the cost is about $170. It is not required that you purchase it and I do not recommend you do. During the course of the class we will read a number of historical novels and non-fiction books. The first novel is Rise to Rebellion by Jeff Shara. It is about the American Revolution. I am asking that it be read prior to school. You will have a quiz on the book the second day of class. I am sending a copy of the book with this letter, if you did not get one please stop by and see me. If you prefer your own copy you can purchase it from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. It is available for about $15.00. There are two supplemental books which are required you purchase for the course. One is A People’s History of the United States (ISBN-13: 9780060838652) by Howard Zinn. The second is 5 steps to a 5 (ISBN 978-‐0071804004) by Stephen Armstrong. You can use a previous edition of either book. You can find these books on Amazon for less than $15.00 each. Zinn’s Text can be found free on line, at www.historyisaweapon.com or, if perhaps you know a senior or graduate that has a copy you might purchase one from them. Prior to the start of school please read the first three Chapters in Zinn, and Chapters 5 and 6 in Armstrong (5 Steps…). You will be held accountable for the reading by in class and online quizzes. If you have financial problems in purchasing the books please contact Mr. Thompson, Mrs. Dillon, or me. You may know someone who has taken the course in the last couple years and they may sell/give you their books. Remember, A.P. U.S. History is a college level class. However, unlike a typical college level class you will: 1) Cover two semesters of college history in less than that amount of time in high school, 2) Be asked to take a comprehensive test over material that may or may not have been covered in the course. Given this it will be hard work and exciting, a real challenge. We look forward to meeting you and working with you this next school year. Mr. Soldano
Mr. Thompson
