DBQ Prep: Sample Essay Scores!

Hopefully, by this point you have read, annotated, and scored the two sample essays included in the packet you picked up on Friday.  It’s time now to see how accurate you were in your assessment, so get out the essays and your scores, and let’s see what the College Board says:

Sample 1A — Score: 8

The thesis outlines factors shaping the modern Olympics and correctly places them in the relevant historical context of the time period (1 point). There are four groupings: peace, political interests, economic interests (“incentive for sponsoring as well as hosting the games”), and social reform (female athletes) (1 point). The essay demonstrates understanding of all 10 documents (1 point) and correctly uses evidence from 9 documents to answer the question (2 points). Document 5 is inverted, expressing the effects of the Olympics on Japan, and therefore did not count for evidence of factors that affected the Olympics. There is analysis of point of view for three documents (Documents 4, 6, and 10) (1 point). The request for additional documents from people who were not athletes or people from Africa and South America shows awareness of other factors that could have affected the Olympics in the time period (1 point). An expanded core point was earned for additional analysis of documents through groupings and of point of view (1 point).

Sample 1C — Score: 4

The thesis identifies three factors that shaped the modern Olympic movement: “nationalism,” “host country to show off,” and “feminism” (1 point). There are three document groupings: peace (Documents 1 and 6), nationalism (Documents 3, 4, and 10), and feminism (Documents 2 and 8) (1 point). The essay demonstrates understanding of all 10 documents (1 point). No points were awarded for evidence because the documents are used to support the inverse of the question, i.e., how the Olympics had consequences or effects. There is analysis of point of view for three documents (Documents 3, 4, and 7) (1 point). No point was earned for the request of an additional document because the explanation of how the requested documents would help assess a factor that shaped the modern Olympics is incomplete.

So.  How accurate were you?  Don’t forget to quickly explain any discrepancy between your original score and the one assessed by the College Board!

Homework: DBQ Preparation!

Happy Friday, folks!  While I don’t want to rain on your parade, I’m afraid I have to remind you that you have your very first document-based question scheduled for next Monday (February 29th).  We’ll be doing this as a timed essay, so you will not be receiving the prompt in advance– instead, I’m going to ask that you do a different type of preparation in advance of the coming DBQ.

Today in class you should have picked up the annotated rubric for the 2008 released DBQ from the College Board exam, as well as two sample student essays.  (This is the same essay which you outlined for me on Wednesday night.)  You’ll need your DBQ documents out in order to complete this assignment– if you’ve lost them, you can download another copy from the link in the post from Wednesday, February 24th.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Carefully read over the annotated rubric.  Make sure you fully understand what you can and can’t give points for before you start reading the essays.
2. Read and annotate each essay.  You may find it useful to highlight or underline the thesis, POV analysis, additional documents, grouping, and evidence.
3. Use the rubric to decide on a score, from 1 to 9, for both essays.
4. Then, on a separate sheet of paper, briefly write an explanation for your score for each essay.  What points did each earn? Why didn’t you give them certain points?  (Bullet points are fine for this.)
5. Check the class blog on Sunday afternoon.  I will schedule a post to go live at 12:00 PM with the information on how each essay was actually scored.  Compare your score to the official score and write a brief statement explaining why your score differed (if it did) from the official score.
6. Be prepared to turn in your score analysis sheet at the start of class on Monday!

NOTE: First and second periods, I told you that you would also need to analyze your own DBQ outline and give it a grade– and you’re still welcome to do so!– however, I forgot to give third period back their outlines, so that part of the assignment will not be required. 🙂

Have a good weekend, guys, and I’ll see you on Monday!

AP World History Twitter Chat!

Hey, guys– I neglected to bring this up in class today, but I wanted to make sure that you were all aware that there is going to be another AP World History Twitter chat tonight from 8:00 PM until 9:00 PM.  To join the chat, just use #APWorldCobb to address your questions about content, essays, and exam preparation to Cobb AP World teachers as well as a few special guests.

We’re lucky enough to have the Great Khan of AP World History, Bill Strickland, participating in tonight’s chat.  As students, you probably don’t know anything about him, but he’s an absolute rock star among AP World History teachers.  A good two thirds of everything I know about teaching this course, I learned from Mr. Strickland.  He’s an absolute gold mine of information on anything you can think of relating to World History, so please take advantage of the opportunity!

DBQ Practice!

Sorry for the late post, guys! I had to cover a class during my planning period and then had a meeting after school, so this is the first chance I’ve had to put up this post.

Tonight for homework, please complete the  DBQ Essay Worksheet, using the prompt and documents from the Olympic DBQ which you received in class.  This assignment will be due at the start of class tomorrow, and you can expect it to take you a fair amount of time to complete.  (The first AP-style DBQ is always difficult to put together; I promise it will get much, much easier with practice.)

If you missed our discussion of how to write a DBQ, or if you want to review the process or receive some extra help on the subject, please check the Document-Based Question page under the Essay Writing Resources tab on this page.  You’ll find a number of instructional videos and additional downloads which may help to clarify the process.  It would also be a good idea to come and talk to me to clear up any questions you have on the process before next Monday– we’ll be writing our first full DBQ at the start of class on February 29th.

Additionally, remember that you need to budget time during the remainder of the week to complete quiz corrections on the Unit Three reading quiz.  And– THIS IS IMPORTANT– I goofed on when I told you they would be due! I think I told all three classes that your corrections would be due on Tuesday, March 1st (the day of our next test).  However, my policy is to give you five class days to complete corrections, which would mean that corrections should be due on the second of March, not the first!  Sorry about that, guys.  I’ll address my mistake tomorrow in class.

Welcome back, Warriors.

Hey there, guys– it was good to see you today.  I know it was a rough first day back; finding the rhythm after a week off is always difficult, and I know today was especially challenging, given the loss in our community.  I do appreciate your kindness, understanding, and willingness to buckle down and work today.  We’ll try our best to get things as close to normal as we can, as soon as we can.  Remember, if you need any assistance or want to talk over the next several days or weeks (or beyond), please feel free to talk to any teacher or staff member, and we’ll do our very best to help in whatever way we can.  Keep an eye out for each other over the next few days, okay?  We all process grief and loss at our own pace.

As to tonight’s homework– remember that you have a reading quiz over the Unit Three material tomorrow during the first thirty minutes of class, and your Unit Three vocabulary is due at the same time.  If you have misplaced your vocabulary list, you can download another copy on the Unit Three resource page.

And if you are interested in reading parts of The Tale of Genji (which we discussed in class today), you can find an abridged version of the first seventeen chapters here.

Bonus Assignment: Film Reviews!

Are your essay grades less than desirable?  Do you need to do some grade repair?

Then you need to complete the Real to Reel: AP World History on Film assignment by Friday, March 4th!

As we discussed in class, remember that this assignment is NOT a simple bonus assignment– your work needs to be thoughtful, reasoned, and polished, and address all of the requirements described in the assignment sheet above.  Poor quality work will be graded as such.  This is, however, an optional assignment– you are not required to complete this review, and if you choose not to submit one, you will simply be given an exemption.

In order to help you make your selections for this assignment, I humbly present the original trailers to all most of the films listed (The Lion in Winter‘s trailer is super weird and not all that helpful):

Throne of Blood, dir. Akira Kurosawa (1957)

Spartacus, dir. Stanley Kubric (1960)

Hero, dir. Yimou Zhang (2002)

Henry V, dir. Kenneth Branagh (1989)

The Lion in Winter, dir. Anthony Harvey (1968)— remember, this one is rated PG, but the content is definitely edgy.  Best to clear this one with your parents first.

Some of these you may be able to find online or through instant streaming services, and some you may not.  You may even find it useful to check at your local community library for a few of these– they’re well-regarded films, many of which have won Oscars, so it’s not unlikely that you’d be able to check a DVD out from a library if you can’t find the movie streaming on Netflix.

Happy viewing!

Homework: The Question of Mongol Awesomeness.

I know I don’t need to remind you, but: you’ve got an in-class comparative essay tomorrow.  We’ll do it the first 40 minutes of class, so make sure you’re (a) present, and (b) not late.  I would suggest reviewing the following materials:

• Mongol Documents (from today’s activity)
• Southernization
• Your article on the spread of Islam (check the homework for this unit to find it up on this blog)

You could also watch this Crash Course video!

And this one:

You MIGHT find that the topic has something to do with trade. And religions.  So.

Now.  On to today’s homework: after reading the above Mongol documents thoroughly and discussing them in your groups today, please respond to the following prompt on a separate sheet of paper (YOU DO NOT NEED TO DO BLOG COMMENTS THIS TIME):

Were the Mongols a beneficial force for Eurasia during the Post-Classical era?  Why or why not?  Provide five reasons– supported by evidence from your readings– to justify your answer.

Happy mongol-ing, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

 

Homework: Tang and Song Meditations on War

First and foremost: congrats to second period for their victory in our first attempt at Thesis Statement Bootcamp!  We’ll be starting a new round, so if your class didn’t win donuts this time, don’t despair: you can still win a delicious reward by the end of the semester.

As to your homework– you should have picked up the packet of three examples of Tang and Song dynasty poetry, all on the subject of warfare.  As you read each of the poems, think about the historical, cultural, and political context which surrounds each poem.  You’ll need to complete the series of questions which follow each poem on a separate sheet of paper– I want you to hold on to the packet as a whole, and just turn in your answers.

If you have lost your packet, never fear: you can follow the links below to each of the three poems and questions:

• Li Bo, “Fighting South of the Ramparts” (Song Dynasty)
• Du Fu, “A Song of War Chariots” (Song Dynasty)
• Yue Fei, “Poem to Be Sung to the Tune of ‘Full River Red'” (Tang Dynasty)

Happy reading, and stay warm out there!

Classwork Resources!

Hey, guys!  I hope everything is going well in my absence.  Remember, you’ll need to have ALL of your classwork for today completed by the start of class tomorrow, so make sure to focus and get it done.

You can use this PowerPoint to help you complete your African Kingdoms Worksheet: Medieval African Kingdoms and Empires.

Additionally, make sure you read the Southernization very, very carefully. It’s definitely going to play a role in your in-class comparative essay on Friday, so make sure you understand it thoroughly!

Homework: Ibn Battuta in Mali

First things first: remember that if you have not signed up for your AP exams, tonight is your last chance before the deadline.  Please go to the North Cobb TotalRegistration portal in order to sign up now! 

Everybody good?  Good.

As to your homework tonight, please thoroughly read and annotate Ibn Battuta’s account of his travels in Mali– if you’ve lost your copy, you’ll find a digital version on the Unit Three materials page.

Ignore the questions at the bottom of page 64 (I’ve marked through them on your copy)– instead, I want you to focus on the discussion points below.  One point of caution, however: as you respond to these point, you are to avoid using the words ‘bias‘ or ‘biased.’  Those words don’t exist in AP World History.  Find another, more precise way of explaining what you mean.

1. What does Ibn Battuta find admirable about the people of Mali?

2. Many of Ibn Battuta’s concerns regarding Mali involve the freedoms and behaviors of women.  What do Ibn Battuta’s responses suggest about his cultural and social background?  Is Battuta’s reaction surprising, given his personal background?

3. Is Ibn Battuta’s account useful as a source when studying Mali?  What are the problems inherent in using texts written by people who are from outside of the culture about which they are writing?  What are the problems in relying ONLY on sources drawn from within a culture?

Normal commenting rules apply: one good comment that answer the question will receive a maximum of 95%, and a comment to a colleague’s post will result in a maximum of 100%.

We’ll be working heavily on analyzing primary sources over the next several weeks, so you can expect us to spend a good chunk  of time working on reading texts for content, evidence, and perspective.

 

Homework: The Spread of Islam

As to tonight’s homework– you should have received a copy of The Spread of Islam in class today.  Please read the article carefully, and then respond in comments to the following discussion points.  Remember, the usual commenting policy applies– one good comment which addresses the prompts fully can receive a maximum grade of 95%, while one good comment PLUS a response to a classmate’s comment is eligible for a full 100% of credit on the assignment.  Please provide specific examples from the text when possible to support your position.

You may additionally find the following video a helpful visual:

Your discussion prompts are as follow:

Based on your readings and our discussions in class today, what factors led to the rapid expansion of Islam between the 7th and 15th centuries?  What made Islam attractive to people in sub-Saharan Africa? In India?  Central Asia? Southeast Asia?

How did Islam change as it moved into new regions?  Do you think these transformations– think about those which took place during the diffusion of Buddhism and Christianity– are beneficial to religions, or harmful?  Justify your answer with evidence from your readings.

Additionally– and I know that I don’t need to remind you wonderful people– as we arediscussing religion, please remember to keep your conversation academic and respectful, and remember that I am moderating all comments.  And comments I find inappropriate will be prevented from posting.

Have a good evening, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

Relevant Unit Three Dates and Reminders

Off we go, into the post-classical period!  Over the next month, we’ll be talking about the rise of Islam and the caliphates, the development of sub-Saharan kingdoms and empires, aristocratic culture in Heian Japan, the persistence of Rome in the Byzantine empire, the birth of Russia, the growth of American empires like the Aztec and Inca, the conquest of– wait for it!— the Mongols over much of Eurasia, feudalism in Western Europe, and the spread of the Black Death.

Thus, as you might imagine, there’s a fair bit of reading for this unit.  You should get started on it tonight.  (Remember, the Unit Three Reading Guide is always available for download on the Unit Three resource page if you’ve lost yours.)

Here are the dates you need to keep in mind for this unit:

• In-Class Comparative Essay (Friday, February 12th
• Unit Three Vocabulary Assignment (Tuesday, February 23rd)
• Unit Three Reading Quiz (Tuesday, February 23rd)
• Film Review Due (Thursday, February 25th)
• In-Class DBQ Essay (Monday, February 29th)
• Unit Three Test (Tuesday, March 1st)

Also, don’t forget that you need to register for your AP exams by February 4th; please use the North Cobb TotalRegistration portal in order to sign up online!