AP U.S. History Exam Prep Guide and Course Reader, Second Edition: Master the Most Critical Content in a Hurry

APUSH PREP DONE RIGHT!The 2nd edition is packed with concise, original readings and challenging exercises, making this book a powerhouse that combines the best of a textbook and the best of a study guide. The Stampede Learning Systems guide to AP U.S. History will help solidify your historical knowledge of people, places, and events, and give you practice in ways of thinking and writing that will be put to the test on the AP U.S. History exam.You will gain skills such as the ability to:

• Analyze primary and secondary sources
• Interpret data
• Identify cause-and-effect relationships
• Recognize historical turning points
• Describe historical trends
• Create compelling historical arguments

All of these skills are necessary to be successful as a student of history and an AP U.S. History exam taker. The AP U.S. History Exam Prep Guide and Course Reader is the cornerstone of the APUSH series by Stampede Learning Systems. The APUSH series also includes these titles:

• APUSH Writing Guide: How to Write Winning Responses to DBQs, LEQs, and SAQs on the AP U.S. History Exam (ISBN 978-0999279434)
• APUSH Pocket Dictionary: A Concise Reference for the AP U.S. History Exam (ISBN 978-0999279410)

The material in this book was created and edited by Stampede Learning Systems' team of highly qualified AP U.S. History teachers and writing professionals. It is designed around the most recently published official AP U.S. History test questions, as well as the most recent Advanced Placement U.S. History course outline published by the College Board.

INFORMATION FOR INSTRUCTORS

This book is best used under the guidance of an instructor. It can be used by a student independently for test prep, but its use is enhanced by an instructor’s lectures and daily reinforcement of the material and concepts.

We created it as an alternative to the college textbooks used in many APUSH classes, one that combines course content with workbook-style exercises that allow for a workshop model of instruction. Our primary author — a veteran APUSH instructor with a Master’s degree in history — found that the college texts were written so densely and with so much extraneous (albeit interesting) historical detail, to the point that his high school students were having trouble comprehending the material and focusing on the most salient information to prepare for the exam.

Each unit in the book includes a reading that distills the important concepts covered in the college texts into a concise, focused narrative. In addition, each unit features numerous exercises that serve formative assessments meant to stimulate discussion in pairs, small groups, or as a class. These exercises allow for students to explore historical concepts before, during, and after a unit is being taught.

The exercises are varied and numerous. As a result, the book becomes a tool for differentiated instruction. Students have the opportunity to display their understanding in multiple ways. Additionally, for the students who work through exercises more quickly than their classmates, they can be assigned an additional exercise that their classmates (who are working through the material more slowly) will not be expected to complete.

This workbook also helps busy instructors with day-to-day logistics, as they do not have to spend time making copies or fighting with troublesome copy machines because each student has her own workbook. It also reduces the need for the instructor to be concerned with pacing: If a lesson goes faster than expected, the students already have the materials needed to move on to the next reading or exercise. And if a student will be missing class due to a field trip, family trip, or illness, sections from the book can be assigned rather than trying to make copies ahead of schedule for students who will not be in class.