WHAP (World History AP) 2015-2016

WHAP (World History AP)—2015-2016 “Win from Within” Mrs. Clark [email protected]

Course Description The purpose of AP World History is to develop a greater understanding of the evolution of global processes and contacts, in interaction with different types of human societies over time. This understanding is achieved through acquisition of conceptual knowledge and analytical skills. The course highlights the nature of changes in world history and their causes and consequences, as well as comparisons among major societies. This is a conceptually oriented course in which all areas of the world will be given extensive and equal coverage. This course is guided by the larger exam given on Thursday, May 12, 2016. This is an extensive exam which will assess your abilities in writing and your grasp of the content covered throughout this course. The exam is in two parts: part one is a 55minute 70 question multiple choice exam and part two is a 130 minute essay writing exam. They are both evenly weighted and we will discuss further the logistics of the exam throughout the course.

AP World History is organized into five major periods/units in which an immense variety of topics and ideas are explored. They are as follows: Foundations to 600 BCE: Technological and Environmental Transformations 3 weeks 600 BCE to 600 CE: Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies 3 weeks 600 CE to 1450 CE: Regional and Trans-regional Interactions 7 weeks 1450 CE to 1750 CE: Global Interactions 7 weeks 1750 CE to 1900 CE: Industrialization and Global Interactions 7 weeks 1900 CE to the present: Accelerating Global Change and Realignments 6 weeks

Historical Thinking Skills: These are needed in order for you to be able to properly analyze the causations and consequences of events and their overall importance on world history. These will also act as major guides in influencing and improving your writing skills  Crafting Historical Arguments from Historical Evidence  Chronological Reasoning  Comparison and Contextualization  Historical Interpretation and Synthesis

Themes and AP World History: The AP World History course is organized around fiver overarching themes that serve as unifying threads throughout the course to help students see the “big picture” of history. Studying these themes will be guided by students using the SPICE acronym to help guide them in their analytical thinking and writing. Students will complete this activity in their self-created study groups and will be given the opportunity to complete the task several ways (visual, written, musically, oral report, movie, etc.). These will then be used for our final review before the exam. 1. SOCIAL: Development and Transformation of Social Structures  Gender roles and relations  Family and kinship  Racial and ethnic constructions  Social and economic classes 2. POLITCAL: State-Building, Expansion, and Conflict  Political structures and forms of governance  Empires  Nations and nationalism  Revolts and revolutions  Regional, trans-regional, and global structures and organizations 3. INTERACTION Between Humans and the Environment  Demography and disease  Migration  Patterns of settlement  Technology 4. CULTURAL: Development and Interaction of Cultures  Religions  Belief systems, philosophies, and ideologies  Science and technology  The arts and architecture 5. ECONOMIC: Creation, Expansion, and Interaction of Economic Systems  Agricultural and pastoral production  Trade and commerce  Labor systems  Industrialization  Capitalism and socialism Primary Text Bulliet, Richard, et al. The Earth and Its People: Global History. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 4th Ed., 2008.

Supplemental Primary Source Texts: Used to read and analyze documents, images, maps, etc.  Andrea, A. and Overfield, J. The Human Record: Sources of Global History volumes I & II. Boston: Houghton Mifflin College Division, 6th Ed., 2009.  Reilly, Kevin. Worlds of History: A Comparative Reader. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009.  Strayer, Robert. Ways of the World: A Global History with Sources. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011.  Weisner et. al. Discovering the Global Past: A Look at the Evidence volumes I & II. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 3rd Ed., 2007.  College Board Document Based Questions

Supplemental Secondary Sources: Used for additional readings on specific topics, quantitative data sources (graphs, charts, tables, etc.) used to analyze cause and effect  Bentley, Jerry H. and Ziegler, Herbert F. Traditions and Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past. New York City: McGraw Hill, 5th Ed., 2011.  Strayer, Robert. Ways of the World: A Global History with Sources. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011.  College Board Document Based Questions  A History of the World in 6 Glasses (Tom Standage)

Classroom Rules: This is an AP class and as such this class will be taught like a college course. I do not have time to waste (nor do your fellow classmates) in class on things like tardies and behavior issues so please conduct yourself in a mature fashion; Classroom norms and expectations will be developed for each class and are expected to be followed by all that agree upon these norms.

Materials: ALWAYS bring a writing utensil, and your binder (notebook & loose leaf paper) to class.

What to expect This class is extremely difficult for many reasons and general students are not admitted. Only the highest caliber students are hand-picked to be enrolled in this class. To have been enrolled in this class shows that somebody else has judged you to be capable of the materials, impress me! This does not mean the class will be easy. This will be the hardest class you have ever taken and may ever take. Your success will be determined by your willingness to work hard and stay committed—BE RELENTLESS. Access to the internet will also be needed in order to complete some assignments.

Grading Procedures and assignments:  EVERY chapter in the textbook will be covered. Each chapter is to be read outside of class in preparation for in class discussions.  Writing assessments will be attached to each unit and focus on comprehension of the material in addition to the skills needed in writing AP level essays.  The exams will generally cover between two and seven chapter and are extremely difficult. They are college questions drawn from a college textbook. Doing well on college exams is a skill that must be learned. I have complete faith that over time you will compensate and learn to excel on these exams. Exposure to these questions will be done daily as well as skills needed to master comprehension of what the question is asking  All assignments and notes must be kept in a binder/notebook that needs to be brought to class every day.  Check the Brooks website daily (WHAP! World History Advanced Placement) for access to PowerPoint presentations and additional notes/handouts needed

What’s my grade? To answer that question, please recognize that your performance as a learner is more about you than it is about me. So ask yourself two questions: “Am I trying my best? Am I doing my best?” That said, your grade rests on the following numeric schedule:

You will always submit your work in hard-copy as soon as class begins unless instructed differently.  Summative Assessments (70%) We have 6 major units in that need to be covered in this course. At the end of each unit there will be a two-part summative assessment that mirrors the AP Exam you will complete in May. Part I will always be 70 multiple choice questions that need to be completed in 55 minutes. Part II will always be writing focused timed for 40 minutes. Additionally, at the end of the semesters an additional summative final will be given;  Formative Assessments (30%) Formative assessments act as a guide to see how well you are mastering all the standards and skills needed to be successful for the summative exam; completing these formative checks to the best of your ability will ONLY help you to improve your overall learning of the content. Formative assessments can be (but are not limited to) chapter quizzes, timed essay prompts, small group presentations, skill assessments (reading & writing), class participation, etc. RETAKE WORK & POLICY: Please make sure you consult your student handbook about the retake policy  SUMMATIVE: The retake work needed in order to retake a summative assessment (either Part I or II or both) will be presented well in advance of the actual summative exam. Students will need to complete all missing formative and practice work not completed during the unit and additionally they will be completing guided questions for each chapter (@25 per chapter) and/or additional essays to improve their mastery of the skills and content together.

DON’T FORGET THURSDAY MAY 12, 2016 8:00 A.M.

Last minute reminders—  Pace yourself: every month you get a calendar that shows when work is due and when exams will be; if you are involved in other activities make sure you plan your study and homework time accordingly; activities and clubs are not excuses as to why work is not done so don’t use it!  Make sure you are looking at the larger picture in world history—you want to examine how events, movements, political ideas, economic factors, environmental issues, etc impact groups, ways of life, etc… you really don’t need to know all of King Henry VIII’s wives but you do need to understand how the Protestant Reformation impact the lives of people in western Europe and how it led to further settlement of North America and so on and so on until we can bring it up to the present day with you all in class loving every minute of it!  Come excited and ready to learn!!! I promise that I will make this a great class for you –a lot of work but a great class…The class gets better as more people are involved and ready to learn…do the reading so that we can have an active class discussion…don’t do the readings and I can test/quiz you until you go crazy…we don’t want that (you can’t go crazy until after May 12th!)  Don’t be afraid to ask for help—I will be more than happy to re-explain or help you personally with aspects that are giving you a hard time…this needs to be done in a timely manner (please don’t tell me you need help on an essay the day that it is due!)…I will be at school each morning by 7:30, you can always see me anytime during the school day or if I miss you, shoot me an email ([email protected]). I will also be holding after school tutoring (more information to follow) most likely on Fridays  Please check out the College Board website to gain further knowledge of the layout of the exam and to help review (http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/sub_worldhist.html)  ON-LINE TEXTBOOK ACCESS: http://clarkchargers.org/apps/pages/index.jsp? uREC_ID=189386&type=u&termREC_ID=&pREC_ID=262389  GOOD LUCK! STAY FOCUSED!

Course Organization

PERIOD 1: c. 8000 CE to 600 BCE: Technological and Environmental Transformations KEY CONCEPTS:  Big Geography and the Peopling of the Earth  The Neolithic Revolution and Early Agricultural Societies  The Development and Interactions of Early Agricultural, Pastoral, and Urban Societies A) Introduction to World History  Familiarization with overarching themes of AP World History  Approaches to conceptualizing world history  Secondary Source Reading: Why Did Human History Unfold Differently On Different Continents For the Last 13,000 Years? A Talk (transcript) By Jared Diamond (Geographer)  Paleolithic Era: Populating the Globe; use of fire; new technology with stone tools; economic structures of hunting-foraging bands; B) Neolithic (Agricultural) Revolution  Human interaction with environment  Characteristics of foraging, pastoral, agricultural societies and their impact on human societies  Improvements in agricultural productions, trade, and transportation: pottery, plows, woven textiles, metallurgy, & wheels and wheeled vehicles  Concept of “civilization”; problems it presents C) Early civilizations  Political and social characteristics of the following foundational civilizations: Mesopotamia in the Tigris and Euphrates River Valleys; Egypt in the Nile River Valley; Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa in the Indus River Valley; Shang in the Yellow River (Huang He Valley); Olmecs is Mesoamerica; Chavin in Andean South America;  Use of new weapons, new modes of transportation, urban planning, monumental architecture, systems of record keeping, developed legal codes and the use of art and artisanship  Compare river valley civilizations through trade analysis between Egypt and Nubia and Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley  Examine literature as a reflection of culture D) Major Religions  Basic features of Animism, Hinduism (The Vedic religion), Judaism (Hebrew monotheism), and Zoroastrianism  Impact of religions on culture  Spread of religions to 600 BCE

PERIOD 2: c. 600 BCE to 600 CE: Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies KEY CONCEPTS:  Development and Codification of Religious and Cultural Traditions  Development of States and Empires  Emergence of Transregional Networks of Communication and Exchange

A) Major Religions  Codification and further developments of existing religious traditions: Hinduism, Judaism, Daoism, Confucianism, Buddhism and Christianity  Impact of religions on culture: ethical codes to live by, created a common bond, asserted universal truths, Daoist influence on Chinese culture, gender roles, and persistence of ancestor worship  Spread of religions to 600 CE B) Development of States and Empires  Geographical importance of the locations of the Persian Empire (Southwest Asia), Qin and Han Empires (East Asia), Maurya and Gupta Empires (South Asia), Phoenicia and colonies, Greek city-states and colonies, Hellenistic and Roman Empires (Mediterranean region), Teotihuacan and Maya city-states (Mesoamerica), and Moche (Andean South America)  Artistic expressions in literature, drama, architecture, and sculptures showing distinctive cultural developments  Political administration techniques and institutions; changing and developing gender roles  Trade within and between civilizations and the development of major cities; method of producing food and other necessities of the empires C) Late Classical Period (200 CE to 600 CE)  Collapse of Han, Persia, Maurya, Roman, and Gupta Empires: environmental damages, external problems, and internal factors leading to decline and transformation into successor empires or states  Interregional trade networks by 600 CE  diffusion of culture, technologies, domesticated pack animals, maritime technologies, religion  Spread of crops encouraged changes in farming and irrigation techniques; spread of disease pathogens and their effects on empires; religious and cultural traditions were transformed as they spread  Migrations of people between empires

Unit 3: 600 CE to 1450 CE: Regional and Transregional Interactions KEY CONCEPTS:  Expansion and Intensification of Communication and Exchange Networks  Continuity and Innovation of State Forms and Their Interactions  Increased Economic Productive Capacity and Its Consequences A) Islamic World  Rise of and major features of Islam: tenements and beliefs  Dar al-Islam in Eurasia and Africa: preservers of the past and key developers of scientific thought and technological improvements  Islamic political structures: religious based law structure  Arts, science, and technology B) Interregional networks and contacts  Interregional trade, improved technologies and transportations, and resulting cultural exchange: Silk Road, Indian Ocean, Trans-Saharan, Mediterranean Sea  Increased trade of luxury goods and organizations with new state practices of monetization and forms of credit  Expansion of empires facilitated trade: China, Byzantine Empire, The Caliphates, The Mongols  Spread of religion (e.g. Buddhism, Islam) & contact between major religions (e.g. Buddhism and Islam, Islam and Christianity)  Innovations stimulated agricultural and industrial production in many regions  Revival and Decline of urban centers: invasion, disease, decline of agricultural productivity, Little Ice Age, end of invasions, availability of safe and reliable transport, rise of commerce and warmer temperatures, increased agricultural activity and rising population, and greater availability of labor C) Empires & States China, Europe, The Americas  Economic development in Tang, Song and Ming dynasties, Byzantine Empire, Toltec, Maya, Aztec, Inca  Influence of China on religion  Social and technological features: examining traditional sources of power and legitimacy and new innovations used by these new empires  Restructuring of economic, social and political institutions: labor organizations, class and caste hierarchies, free peasant revolts (China & Byzantine Empire), gender relations and family structure changes because of cultural and religious diffusion  Division of Christianity and its impact on Western and Eastern Europe and subsequently the rest of the world  Political, economic, social, and cultural patterns: Interregional contacts and conflicts between states and empires like Tang China and the Abbasids, across the Mongol empires, and during the Crusades D) Demographic and Environmental Changes  Causes and effects of the nomadic migrations on Afro-Eurasia; environmental knowledge and technological adaptations  Some migrations had significant environmental impact: Bantu migrations in Sub-Sahara Africa & Polynesian migrations in Oceania  Diffusion of language, diasporic communities (merchant class mainly), interregional travelers, diffusion of literary, artistic, and cultural traditions, diffusion of scientific and cultural traditions, new foods and agricultural techniques  Spread and consequences of The Black Death and other epidemic disease  Growth and role of cities

Unit 4: 1450 CE to 1750 CE: Global Interactions KEY CONCEPTS:  Globalization Networks of Communication and Exchange  New Forms of Social Organization and Modes of Production  State Consolidation and Imperial Expansion A) Changes in Trade, Technology, and Global Interactions  European technological developments in new tools for navigation and new ship designs  Global circulation of goods from Europe, the Americas, India, and Asia; Columbian Exchange  Competition over trade routes, state rivalries, and local resistance all provided significant challenges to state consolidation and expansion (piracy; Thirty-Years War; Samurai revolts) B) Political, Social and Economic Characteristics of Major Empires  Expansion of land empires: Manchus, Mughals, Ottomans, & Russians; Maritime Empires: Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, French, and British; all challenged by competition over trade routes, state rivalries, and local resistance in maintaining their empires;  Gender and family restructuring (demographic changes in Africa due to slave labor demands); new ethnic and racial classifications; new ethnic and racial classifications  Emergence of new elites and interactions with existing elites; differential treatment of ethnic and religious groups;  More taxes increased funding for the visual and performing arts; innovations in visual and performing arts and popular authors, literary forms and works of literature; using the arts to display political power and using religion to legitimize their rule  Traditional peasant agriculture increased, plantations expanded, demand for labor increased, growing global demand for raw materials and finished products; coerced labor used in colonial economies C) Slavery and Trans-Atlantic Trade System  Continuation of slave system in Africa with the addition of mass exportation to the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean; impact on culture, environment, and economics; D) Demographic and Environmental Changes  Columbian Exchange (e.g. American foods, cash crops, domesticated animals, foods brought by African slaves, deforestation and soil depletion in Americas)  Major migrations of people  Population changes; increased populations in Afro-Eurasia and decreased population of native populations in the Americas E) Cultural and Intellectual Developments  Scientific Revolution; Enlightenment; Age of Exploration  Comparative global causes and effects of cultural change; spread and reform of existing religions (Islam, Christianity, Buddhism) and new forms of religion (Sikhism, Vodun, etc.)  Changes and continuities in Confucianism  Major developments and exchanges in the arts

Unit 5: 1750 CE to 1900 CE: Industrialization and Global Integration KEY CONCEPTS:  Industrialization and Global Capitalism  Imperialism and Nation-State Formation  Nationalism, Revolution and Reform  Global Migration 1) Changes in Global Commerce, Communications, and Technology  Changes in patterns of world trade and how goods were produced  Factors that lead to the rise of industrial production: Europe’s location; geographical location of coal, iron and timber; urbanization; agricultural production improvements; accumulation of capital and legal protection of private property;  New technologies: steam engines and internal combustion engine  Second Industrial Revolution: steel, chemicals, electricity, and machinery  Causes and effects of the Industrial Revolution: political, economic, social, environmental  Further integration of the global economy as industrialized nations needed markets and raw materials for the increased amount of goods produced (e.g. British in China)  Production of cash crops: cotton, rubber, palm oil, sugar, wheat, meat, metals & minerals  Facilitating industrial production and investments led to the expansion and development of financial institutions and economic theories  Major developments in transportation and communication like railroads, steamships, telegraphs, and canals 2) Demographic and Environmental Changes  Migrations, end of the Atlantic slave trade, new birthrate patterns; food supply  Fossil fuel revolution; coal, oil, timber, iron  Rise of urbanization means a movement of people away from rural areas  Relocation occurred for several reasons: search of work; slavery; convict labor (Oceania), indentured servitude  New peoples created ethnic enclaves and were not always embraced by societies  Mining centers impact on environment 3) Changes in Social and Gender Structure  Woman in the workforce and the demand for women’s suffrage  Specialization of labor  Development of middle class, industrial working class  Unsanitary conditions in urban areas due to the rapid rise of cities  The need for all family members to work changed the family dynamic  Factory system concentrated labor in a single location  Organized workers to help improve working conditions, limit hours, and gain higher wages  Increased promotion of reform in response to the negative effects of capitalism 4) Political Revolutions and Independence Movements and new Political Ideas  Importance of Enlightenment thought and thinkers on the start of revolutions and rebellions  Revolutions in the United States, France, Haiti, Mexico, China, Latin America  Rise of nationalism, nation-states, and movements of political reform  Enlightenment influence on revolutionary documents of the time: Declaration of Independence; Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen; Bolivar’s Jamaica Letter;  Rise in commonality of peoples based on language, religions, social customs and territory; governments used this idea to unite diverse populations  Rise of democracy and its limitations 5) Rise of Western Dominance  Industrialized nations established transoceanic empires  Different forms of imperialism: economic, political, social (Social Darwinism)  European states used warfare and diplomacy and established settler colonies  Rise of European states, America and Japan established empires throughout Asia and the Pacific  Cultural and political reactions

Unit 6: 1900 CE to Present: Accelerating Global Change and Realignments KEY CONCEPTS:  Science and Environment  Global Conflicts and Their Consequences  New Conceptualizations of Global Economy and Culture 1) Wars and International Relations  World War I & II, Cold War (and related wars); led to states mobilizing all of their state’s resources for the purpose of waging war  Causes of global conflict: imperialist expansion by European powers and Japan, competition for resources, ethnic conflict, power rivalries between Great Britain and Germany, nationalist ideologies, and the economic crisis engendered by the Great Depression  International Conflict and Diplomacy; older land-based empires collapsed due to internal/external factors  International Organizations (e.g. League of Nations, United Nations, NATO, Warsaw Pact)  Declining Influence of Europe—Rise of U.S. 2) Nationalism  Proliferation of conflicts led to various forms of ethnic violence and the displacement of peoples resulting in refuge populations (e.g. Holocaust, Armenia, Cambodia, Rwanda, Palestinians, Darfurians)  Causes and effects of decolonization (India’s independence from Britain; fighting in Algeria and Vietnam);  Rise and fall of USSR 3) Major Global Economic Developments  Causes and effects of worldwide Depression & impact of New Deal legislation in USA  Command vs. Market economies (compare USSR to U.S.); Five-Year Plans; The Great Leap Forward  Development of non-Western economies; free-market economic policies and economic liberalism  Multinational corporations and globalization (Coca-cola, Sony  Regional trade agreements (e.g. ASEAN, NAFTA, EU); Economic institutions (IMF, WTO, World Bank) 4) Social Reforms and Social Revolutions  Changing gender roles  Humanitarian organizations develop (UNICEF, Amnesty International, WHO)  Nonviolence movements and other groups challenged war  Violent groups established to achieve political aims (IRA, ETA, Al-Qaeda)  Alternatives to the existing economic, political, and social orders  Marxism (USSR; China)  Feminism 5) Globalization of Technology and Culture  Spread of technology and effects (use of nuclear technology and power); new military technology and new tactics increased levels of wartime casualties  Impact of rapid advances in science assisted by the development of new technology (Green Revolution; theory of relativity; psychology; polio vaccine; antibiotics;  Mass media and influence on culture and increased the ability to spread information making geographical distances and problem of the past  Increased interactions among diverse peoples sometimes led to the formation of new cultural identities and exclusionary reactions  Popular and consumer culture became global: sports, music, film, fashion, etc. 6) Demographic and Environmental Changes  Major migrations (e.g. patterns of immigration, refugees, continued urbanization)  Patterns of population growth; causes and effects (Compare trends by region); caused by political changes and new boundaries being drawn  Diseases, scientific innovations, and conflict led to demographic shifts (malaria, tuberculosis, cholera, HIV/AIDS, influenza pandemic)  Environmental issues (e.g. deforestation, pollution, global warming, desertification, increased rates of extinction)

Essay Writing: Throughout this course there will be an extensive focus on writing. Writing makes up half of the final exam and it is a skill you need to have mastered before engaging in post-secondary endeavors. It is a skill that you need not only for this class but for all classes! The essays will demonstrate not only you having a grasp on the historical content we are examining but you also have the ability to write a clear and coherent argument with a thesis and relevant supports of the thesis. Because much of this writing will be new to you, I use the first semester examining the requirements of APWH writing but more importantly the development of thesis statements and supporting arguments for each type of essay.

Thesis Development: I am well aware for many of you this can be a scary word but have no fear they are quite easy once you understand how to develop one effectively. A thesis is the argument you will prove or defend throughout your essay. You want to make sure it has a focused time period, region, and addresses the question you have been asked. The easiest way to write a thesis is to know the subject you are going to write on. For many students when they are given a prompt the first thing they will do is try to write the thesis before they do any brainstorming of the topic or the time period. We will work on employing these skills in order to improve our thesis writing. When you have an effective thesis, writing the rest of the essay become a lot less cumbersome and is easier to tackle.

Supporting Paragraphs: When you are defending your thesis you want to make sure you support what you are saying with evidence! Many students struggle with this because they want to say it is this way because I read in a book that it is this way. You need to make sure anytime you are asserting a point you have evidence to support that (and you explain that evidence). Again, we will be completing writing organizers to help you create a develop these supporting paragraphs.

Types of Writing: WHAP has three key types of essays: 1. Comparison Essays: These essays are just what they say, they are asking you to compare two or more things. You need to remember when you compare something you are not ONLY examining and explaining similarities but also differences too. In addition, you need to explain why those similarities or differences occurred. This will be related to the themes we focus on in APWH 2. Change and Continuity Over Time (CCOT) Essays: These essays can sometimes prove the most difficult for students. They want you to examine how something changed AND stayed the same in a given time period. For example life in the Atlantic world 1400 to 1900—there are many major events that impact this region during the time and changed this region but don’t forget to also recognize the continuity or the constant during this time period. Again, this will relate back to our APWH themes. 3. Document Based Questions (DBQ): These essays tend to scare students the most because they utilize a variety of documents and you are responsible for gleaning out what is being said, how it supports the question at hand, the documents point of view, what documents are parallel with each other, and what additional information would you still need to complete this analysis more thoroughly. It is a lot to do but we will again work on all these steps and learn ways to “bucket” documents and again focus on the themes to help us develop and solid argument with elaborate supports from the documents provided. Study smart—Get it right the first time using the 3 Rs

To study effectively remember the 3Rs: reading or looking at charts, maps, web sites, etc; recording or taking notes to help you remember what you have read; and reviewing, or going over your notes so you will remember the information you have learned. First, however, get yourself into the study zone.

Get in the study zone

Cut out the distractors: One of the main misconceptions about studying is that you can multi-task: read, listen to music or TV, text-message your friends, talk on the phone….Wrong! Research shows that the parts of your brain that control reading are confused by other words (song lyrics, text messaging, etc.). The interference set up means you can’t really absorb written materials or concentrate effectively while trying to do something else. (If you must to listen to music, it should not have words. Listening to Mozart or Bach actually improves brain function, try it—it’s GREAT MUSIC.) This interference problem may explain why you need to read something several times to remember the information—or why you forget what you read last night when you take a quiz on it the next day. Do it right the first time: study smart, not just hard.

Location, location, location: You wouldn’t practice volleyball in your bath tub or shoot baskets in your car. Find a place that will help you get in the zone to read, record, and review. Get comfortable—but not too comfortable. Bed may be a good place to read a novel or magazine, but not the best place to read a textbook. Sit in a comfortable chair, with a table or desk at the right height, and have plenty of light. You also need to eliminate distractions. That’s right: turn off the I-POD, MP3, TV, or anything that makes noise, put your phone on silent mode (AND DON’T LOOK AT IT FOR INCOMING MESSAGES unless you are waiting for an organ transplant). And absolutely no Face Book or any other “friend” site while you are studying.

Then read, record, and review. Try to read and record one whole section of a textbook or chapter of a novel before you get up, check your phone, or get a snack. Concentration takes practice, and you’ll get better at it and be able to work for longer periods as your develop these new intellectual muscles.

Reading Preview the chapter and each section to fin out what the chapter is about. 1. What is the title of the chapter? Section? 2. Read the focus questions to find out what you are supposed to learn. 3. Check to see if there are vocabulary words or key terms you need to know. Look up ones you are not sure of. Sometimes the new vocabulary is listed at the beginning of a section and sometimes new words are bold-face or a different color in the text. 4. Look at the charts, maps, pictures, or other graphics in the section (make sure to read the captions!). 5. Decide what kind of notes you will take depending on what is the type of information in the section: cause-effect or sequencing; comparison; information presented by categories; main idea and supporting details; lots of new concepts, important people, or vocabulary, etc. 6. Begin reading and note-taking. It’s fine to switch between types of notes in the same section depending on the type of material you are reading. It is even okay to use pictures if that helps you remember things better. Remember, the purpose of note-taking is to help you organize and remember new information. Recording The main reasons to take good notes are to help you: . understand what you are reading, . learn organizational skills, . see connections and relationships between things you read, and . study efficiently for tests.

Some types of notes are good for reading textbooks and other printed materials, others work well for taking notes from lectures or films. First let’s take a look at notes designed to help you remember information in text books.

Type of material in the section Type of notes New concepts, vocabulary, or people; also 2-column notes; flash cards good for characters in fiction Sequencing Flow-chart Chronology Timeline Cause-effect Flow chart, timeline, cause-effect chart (best choice for more than one cause) Two or three things to be compared (and Venn diagram, T-chart contrasted) Lots of data to be organized Table Main idea with supporting details Concept web or outline Ideas and details presented hierarchically Outline (some things are more important than others) Narrative or new information or Sections summaries explanations

Reviewing Review is the process of going over your notes or other materials in order to remember what you have just read. Studies show that reviewing new material several different times of 10-20 minutes helps you retain the new information better than if you spent two hours studying before an exam. New studies also show that if you review material, and then get a good night’s sleep, you will be 20% more likely to retain or remember the information the next day. Sleep—7-8 hours a night—seems to be absolutely essential to learning and to brain health (and physical health!). You may not notice the effects of lack of sleep, but it can be tested and documented in a lab.

One of the best ways to do a major review for a test is to have a regular study group or study buddy. Choose you group with care: people who can help you stretch your abilities and who are serious about learning—not necessarily the bff you like to hang out with or text-message sixteen times a day. Study groups are the key to success in college.

Type of notes How to use them for review 2-column notes; flash cards Cover up one side of notes and quiz yourself; flash cards—go from name or vocabulary word on one side and quiz yourself Flow-chart Cover up one part of the sequence and see if you can fill it in Timeline Shuffle the dates and see if you can put them back in order Flow chart, timeline, cause-effect chart Go from effects to causes, and then from causes to effects (best choice for more than one cause) Venn diagram, T-chart Cover one section of the chart, see if you can recreate it from memory. Table Review data vertically, then horizontally Concept web or outline Cover the central area and see if you can recall the main points, then reverse the process and cover the details and see if you can remember them with the main ideas as a cue Outline Cover the supporting details for each main idea and see if you can remember them Section Summaries Re-read the summaries and see if you can recall important details.