The John F. Kennedy Social Studies Department is continuing its Summer Reading Program for incoming students enrolled in AP United States History. With the College Board’s institution of a redesigned AP United States History course comes a new emphasis on historical thinking skills, which require students to analyze and evaluate various interpretations of the past. As such, we believe it is essential that students engage in historical thinking prior to entering the class in September, and we have developed the following assignment to provide students with an opportunity to read and write about historians’ interpretations of American history.
Students must read TWO of the following articles, which will be posted on the JFK school website and AP United States Teachers’ websites (drurban.info and mrsscherer.info). Then, for each of the two articles, students will answer a series of questions, which will also be posted on the websites. Students must bring their completed assignments to AP United States History on the first day of class, as they will complete a writing assignment based on their summer reading.
Articles
Questions
Students must read TWO of the following articles, which will be posted on the JFK school website and AP United States Teachers’ websites (drurban.info and mrsscherer.info). Then, for each of the two articles, students will answer a series of questions, which will also be posted on the websites. Students must bring their completed assignments to AP United States History on the first day of class, as they will complete a writing assignment based on their summer reading.
Articles
- Apathy and Death in Early Jamestown (Kupperman).
- Colonial Origins and Colonial Transformations in Spanish America (Deagan)
- Notes on Life in a Plymouth Colony (Demos).
- The Columbian Exchange: A History of Disease, Food, and Ideas (Nunn & Qian).
- The Indians’ Old World: Native Americans and the Coming of Europeans (Salisbury).
- White Servitude and the Growth of Black Slavery in Colonial America (Galenson).
Questions
| questions_for_evaluating_ap_summer_reading_articles.pdf |