Historiography in AP® U.S. History, Reconstruction as a Case Study

Teaching historiographyin Advanced Placement United States History is essential for developing critical thinking skills and strengthening analytical abilities without losing coverage time. By focusing on historiography, educators can curate experiences that will help students to understand multiple...

AP Euro: Catherine The Great–Englightened Or Not?

One of the greatest rewards of teaching history is when students are able to show that they can think in a complex manner and recognize that history is often muddled with differing interpretations and controversies. Catherine the Great is one of the more complex rulers that students must study in AP

AP® World History: Comparison, Continuity, and Causation

AP® US History: Article Analysis

In a 2004 Gallup survey, history and social studies ranked as the least popular subject for teenagers. Why is this? Many adults recount history class as being forced to memorize names, dates, and events without a connection to one another. Acronyms like SOAPStone (Speaker, Occasion, Audience,...

Analyzing Primary Sources in the Social Studies

One of the most common tasks I see in the social studies classroom is the use of primary sources. The power of letting people choose their own story and bringing diverse perspectives to the historical narrative is essential and worthy work. After all, teaching with textbooks, for a wide variety of...

AP® History: Piecing Together The Complexity Puzzle

With just one percent of students earning the complexity point on the 2021 AP® World History DBQ, is teaching it even worth it? John Maunu says, "YES!"

How to Approach the 2023 AP® World History Exam

Experienced AP World History teacher Dave Drzonek and AP World History Exam table leader Charlie Hart discuss what students did well and what they struggled with on the 2022 AP World History Exam, and offer tips on how to use this information to better prepare students for the upcoming 2023 exam.

Hitting the Ground Running: Top Tips for a Beginning AP® Macro Teacher

Teaching Advanced Placement^® classes can be daunting. You’ll ask yourself questions like “what is the rigor?”; “How do I test them?”; “Should I stick closely to the book, or can I deviate?”; “How much writing do they need to do?”; “What is the graphing requirement?” and so on. If you’ve never...

Using Cornell Notes in Your AP® Government Classroom

AP^® instructor and consultant Brian Stevens shares how he implements Cornell Notes in his AP^® Government classroom. Be sure to download his template below and share it with your class!

My Favorite Day of the AP® Year...

The test is over! Your students feel much better and relieved now that the exam is over. Score releases are in the distant future. You feel relieved as well. Now…we wait.