Summer Reading assignment, 2012-13

AP World History Summer Reading 2011-2012 Welcome to AP World History. Over the summer you are to do the following:

1) Read the first six chapters in the textbook. That's chapters 1-6 of Bentley and Ziegler's Traditions and Encounters Third Edition published by McGraw Hill Higher Education. I strongly encourage you to take written notes as you read, but I will not be checking those notes, nor will you be graded on them. These chapters will cover the Foundational period of time, and establish the origins of the major civilizations we will explore this year. There will be a 70 question multiple choice test on these chapters on the second day of class. There will also be a Compare and Contrast essay on these chapters on the third day of class. The scoring guide for the essay is linked to a Google Document HERE

2) Read the Prologue and Parts One, Two and Three (chapters 1-14) of Guns, Germs and Steel, by Jared Diamond. You can find the book at the local library and on-line through numerous booksellers and through iBooks. There is an audio book that is fine to use, but be aware that the film version of the book differs significantly from the text and will not be acceptable to use for this assignment. You can use it to supplement your understanding, but not for the project. (I have seen it, and I do know what is used in the film that isn't in the book--some pretty easy give-aways...) I encourage you to own your own copy if the book, so you can mark it up. You have a choice of what you do next:

 OPTION A) Join Edmodo.com. Enter the code lb40pi, and you will be made a member of the Guns, Germs and Steel group I have created. There are prompts for each of the chapters you will read. Your task is to respond to the prompt I posted, and then to at least one other posting made by classmates for each of the prompts. (So you are posting at least twice for each chapter.) These will each count as a homework assignment, and must be completed by August 26th at midnight in order to count.

OPTION B) Compose summaries (typed and double spaced) for each chapter you read. The summaries may be no longer than 250 words each, and they must be done in a Google Document that you share with me. Each summary will count as a homework assignment, and they must be completed and shared with me by August 26th at midnight. To share a Google Document with me, please use the following email: whitten@bpsk12.org . You can also use that email to communicate with me during the summer, but be aware that I go for long stretches of time without checking email while on vacation. So if you do email me, be patient, and I'll respond eventually.

During the year, over each vacation you will be required to complete a book report. If you want to get a jump on that, the list of books from which to choose is linked up HERE as a Google Document. Note that you will be required to read both fiction and non-fiction, so don't read only one type of book!

Enjoy your summer and rest up for the fall! We will hit the ground running in September.

iPad survey form

The iPad survey has been emailed to you, or you can use the form below to complete it.

Winnah Winnah, Chicken Dinnah

Winner of the May Madness Tournament of Leaders is Tang Taizong of the Tang Dynasty! Congratulations!

The course survey is linked up here.  It is to be done anonymously. Please take a moment to give me some feedback about the course!

The iPad survey is linked up here.  We'll talk about it as well.

The final activity will consist of a silent, written conversation between two students in the class.  You will have a large sheet of paper, two different writing implements and a prompt.  In the course of the conversation, you must each reference five different leaders in more than just a name-droppy way. (i.e.: you have to discuss why you are bringing this leader into the conversation.)

May Madness

Updates:
Period 1 class finals will be between Alexander the Great and Mansa Musa
Period 2 class finals will be between Tang Taizong and Fidel Castro
Period 3 class finals will be between Genghis Khan and Ho Chi Minh.

The format of this round will be a Lincoln/Douglas-style debate with questions from me, your humble moderator.  An explanation is linked up here. It has also been shared with you via school email. Leaders may tap in a lackey, phone a minion, or ask for a hint, and must designate three lackeys to serve this purpose.

The scoring for this round will follow Boxing's 10 Point Must system: for each round the winner must get 10 points, and the loser must get less than 10 points (i.e. 9 through 1). The score sheet is linked up here and has been shared with you via school email.

Monday will be a work period/organizational period, and we will conduct the debate in class on Tuesday.  We will have the finals after school in room 222 on Wednesday, June 13th

May Madness Update 2

On the second day of Round One:

Period 1
FDR defeated Darius 390-267
Jesus rose above Toussant 268-235
Charlemagne defeated Napoleon 464-236
Julius Caesar defeated Babur 287-230
Mansa Musa defeated Otto von Bismark 230-167

To come: Reagan vs. Alexander, first thing on Monday

Period 2
Tamurlane defeated Empress Cixi 191-93
Tang TaiZong defeated Akbar 252-164
Gandhi defeated Ismail 239-200
Fidel Castro defeated Han Wudi 218-213

To come: Kubilai vs. Ashoka; Cyrus vs. Sundiata; Augustus vs. Queen Elizabeth, first thing on Monday

Period 4
Mandela defeated Hatshepsut for class valedictorian, 273-260
Justinian defeated Tokugawa 203-181
Bolivar defeated Lincoln 246-153

To come: Qin Shihuangdi vs. Ho Chi Minh; Chandra Gupta vs. Attila the Hun, first thing on Monday.

The deal: Round Two will begin on Tuesday, June 5, and likely carry over into Wednesday. Monday matchups will go after all the others are done. Minions may be used in the debates in whatever way the leader determines.  Costumes, props and visuals are still optional. The focus of the second round is lasting legacy, and the score card we'll use is linked here.