The AP Euro Experience

AP Euro has proven to be one of the most beneficial classes I've taken in my school career. Not going to lie, the course can definitely be stressful and rigorous, but it is an AP class so what else can you really expect. Mrs. Salisbury is honestly one of the best teachers I've had and she holds high expectations for the students in her class and makes sure she gives you all the skills and knowledge you need to go into the AP exam with confidence. Euro covers a lot of material and involves trying to tell the difference between a lot of dead guys named either Charles, Louis or Edward. That can prove to be overwhelming at first, but you'll get the hang of it under the guidance of Mrs. Salz. The textbook was definitely not the most excitement inducing read and has almost succeeded in making me fall asleep multiple times, so if you have notes due, I highly recommend not putting those off until the night before. I've learned a lot during my time taking this class and I sincerely think it has made me a better student and has prepared me for my future journey in higher learning. Don't be nervous about this class, it truly is not that bad and I promise you won't regret taking it.

Some Tips:

1. TIME MANAGEMENT: Anybody who has taken this class will tell you that this is the secret to surviving AP Euro. I feel like a hypocrite for even bringing this up considering hardcore procrastination has and will continue to be a fatal flaw of mine. However, putting those notes off until the night before is not the move, I know from experience. Resisting the intoxicating lure of procrastination will make this class less stressful and save you from getting teardrops on your textbook pages.
2. DON'T WORRY ABOUT YOUR INITIAL QUIZ GRADES: You're going to fail your fair share of reading checks... probably most of them. Don't stress about it, it is normal. It's definitely jarring when you get that first reading check back. You're probably not used to seeing those types of grades on any other quiz in any other class. I'll let you in on a not so secret secret; everybody gets bad grades on those, especially in the beginning. You get to correct them and they'll start getting easier for you as you get a handle on the AP format. Your grades will work themselves out in the end as long as you do all the required work. Remember, you're taking an AP course, it's SUPPOSED to be hard.
3. BE PREPARED: If Mrs. Salz assigns homework, its usually because you'll need it in order to participate in class the next day. You get out of this class what you put into it. There is a lot of material and very little time to cover it all so there's some out of class reading to do. Usually there are in-class discussions based off homework so it's always important to make sure you have all the information you need to follow along. Its a way to help prepare without taking up too much class time and its effective. If you want to be successful in this class you HAVE to put effort into it.

Overall, this class is not nearly as bad as what you might think-- even though I may hold a personal grudge against the textbook. Don't get me wrong, its difficult, and by no means easy, but this is AP so you knew what you were getting yourself into. Don't stress too much, it really isn't bad and as the year progresses, you'll get into the flow of the class. AP Euro can be a fun experience as you start to bond with everyone in the class and explore the intricacies of European history together. So relax and be excited to take this class. Good Luck and Godspeed!

THE END

When I was signing up for my junior year classes, I got a lot of mixed messages. When it comes to the harder AP classes, people tell you one of two versions of the actual truth:

1. "THIS CLASS IS SOOOO HARD. YOU'RE GOING TO WANT TO DIE. IT'S TORTURE! DON'T DO IT TO YOURSELF!"

2. Dude. It's really not that bad. Like, it's hard. But seriously, if you just manage your time you'll be fine. It's a lot, but stop stressing. No big deal. 

These two conflicting opinions made my decision to take Euro kind of a struggle. My mom also told me not to take Euro, because she knew how heavy my workload is with all APs and Honors classes. But I pretty much make a habit of trying to screw myself over so I went ahead and took it anyway. I didn't really realize how much summer work I actually had and put it off until a few days before school. Other than Censabella's Honors US 1 class, I'd never really had a challenging history course. So I spent the last few nights of my summer cramming in all the work, which became a very frequent habit of mine. My biggest take away from this course is that if you manage your time at least a LITTLE better than you usually do, you will be OK. 

Throughout this year I learned more about history than I probably had in my years in school combined. There were some kids in my class that just naturally had a pretty solid understanding of history. I was not one of these kids, so I felt at first that I was at a slight disadvantage. You overcome this setback pretty quickly. The material itself isn't HARD. There's just a lot of it. 

Here's what you need to do and know to get through this class: 

1. READ. When there is a reading, you'll be saving yourself so much stress if you just read SOMETHING. Even if its a summary online or the timelines and vocab, just read something. It might not be mandatory, but you can use your notes on all of the quizzes. SO Jesus just read and write something down. 

2. Don't save everything for the last second. I'm one to talk because I pretty much did this every time, but when I did spread out my work and plan ahead, my grades and lack of stress reflected it. I know it's hard with sports and other AP or Honor classes, but just try. 

3. SALZ IS AMAZING. I'm not saying this because she's reading it, but because it's actually so true. She understands that students are people and that we have things going on in our own lives. If you really need an extension or some leeway, she'll understand and try to help you. She lets you correct and make up almost any reading check. She makes the activities interactive and fun. She talks about life and the problems in school with her classes. She doesn't lecture. She gives us food (pizza, croissants, subs, Swedish fish...). She made us goodie bags for the AP Exam. She is just overall a teacher that you will not struggle to get along with. She makes the class so much more bearable. And she knows what she's doing and what she's talking about... So trust the process 

4. If you get really bad grades, its good. A 50 is still passing on the exam. I think I failed almost all of the reading checks, and so did everyone else lol. But you get to make them up and correct them. If you do your classwork and projects well and put in the effort, it will make up for the worse grades. I somehow managed to have an A for two of the quarters and a B for the other two. 

5. RELAX. It really all does end up fine. Everything works itself out if you just put in the effort. 

Make the most of the class, the skills you learn are REALLY going to help you in other classes and in college. 

Manage your time, put in the effort, stress a little but not too much, eat some snacks, and become friends with Salz. You'll be fine. Just keep your eye on the prize!

I actually became closer with people through this class because we all struggle (and succeed!) together. You become like a little AP Euro family. 

Best of Luck!

- Vianne Turcotte 2019

How to Manage AP Euro- Shreya Kotwal

Likes: 

1. Assignments

I liked how the assignments weren't just looking through the book and finding out information that goes on chart. We would do things that were like the 30 Years War food assignment, New Monarchies job application, Industrial shark tank and etc

2. Style of Teaching

One think that way different from the other APs I took this year, was Mrs. Salisbury style of teaching. She wouldn't just go through slideshows and make us take notes, there would be activities that we would have to do on our own to learn.

Dislikes:

1. I Really disliked how much was presented towards the end of the year was using skills based, but I understand that issue was more of being taught to the test 

2.Bad Reputation

I feel like AP Euro gets a bad name for a class, I heard from so many people to not take as it hadst class in the school. 

Suggestions 

I wished that we would review writing DBQs and LEQs doing them periodically through the year.I felt liked towards the coming of exams,we would practice how to write them without using an rubric. Especially writing them by ourselves, as I felt like we did a lot in partners and we never saw in practice our true, raw score. 

I wished that the multiple choice, we should of combined more chapters together so we replicate how the actual exam was taken. Since the actual exam is based on analyzing questions as a continuity and change, using the overall concepts of history.i

 Survival Tips

1. Reading the Chapter/Taking Notes

This helps with understanding the information in class, especially since a lot of the material is new and in depth. Don't go crazy with the notes, take the information that you think will help you understand the main concept of the section. Really pay attention with you reading, as many of the reading check's aren't just straight facts you have to be analyze why information is a continuity or a change, cause and effect,compare and comparison and etc.

2. DON'T PROCRASTINATE 

AP Euro teaches you have to time management, there will be a lot reading checks, webquests that will be covered in a month. Mrs.Salz will give you a calendar for a every month, plan when you will do things otherwise you be stuck with so much homework on one night. Especially if you taking at least 2 or more APs, you will crash if you don't break up the readings and assignment into chucks. 

3. DO THE CLASSWORK/HOMEWORK 

Doing the classwork/homework help saves your grade a ton, it helps saves those reading check grades as you will failed most of your quizzes. BUT DON"T BE SCARED, Mrs. Salz say that scoresbetween those ranges will reflect a 2,3,4 on the actual AP Exam

4. Get a Review Book 

Getting a Review will be so helpful when your taking notes in class, or if you don't understand a topic enough that it taught. It also really helpful in reviewing for the AP Exam, and I definitely recommend during the last month or two review old information of Period 1 and 2 

AP Euro Class Survival Guide

Enjoyment

When it came to the class, there were many uplifting moments that I found to be quite enjoying. Group activities that we got involved in such as the Industrial Revolution Shark Tank were fun due to the fact that we acted like real salesmen and tried to place our pitch out there for others to be intrigued by. We graded each other and it was an overall new experience. Also, the Congress of Vienna activity was awesome since we had to gain as many territories as we could and get more points/power without the other "nations" knowing about it. Finally, my favorite, which may come as a shock to most, was the class discussions about topics we looked into. The reason for that was because it involved everyone's ideas and became a constant debate between classmates over who thought what. It assisted me in attaining the information clearly while gaining insight to the differing perspectives of my fellow peers. Overall, I enjoyed the class very much as it had many laughs and good memories and believed that Salisbury did a great job in getting us prepared for the 3s.

Dislikes

If I were to say that there was nothing that I didn't like about the class, I would be telling a lie. There were moments where I wanted to slam my head in the book or throw my popsicle stick in her plant by the window so that when she drew names from the sticks, I wouldn't be called on(I did sometimes). The reason for that was because to me, history was hard to attain a grasp on and got me tired whenever I learned a lot of the material. When it came to the readings, I constantly found the chapters hard to focus on and understand individually. Also, the readings were hard to take notes on because almost everything stated in the book seemed like it needed to be written down as t was all important, so the idea of note taking became a struggle with me. Overall, the class seemed hard and did put me through periods of stress and discomfort, but in the long run, it helped me to understand the material more and feel better prepared by the time the exam hit my desk. 

Suggestions

When it comes to the class and ways to improve it, all I would recommend would be to incorporate at-home readings into class discussions and maybe make them class readings so that the students will be able to ask questions and get a better understanding of the material through the teacher's or their own classmates' remarks. Also, the fact that period 4 kinda felt rushed and that the material blew by quicker in that area before the exam and was harder to attain a full understanding on, unlike the other periods. Therefore, maybe change around the schedule next year so that enough time is given in advance for period 4's material to be discussed and explained in a timely fashion. Other than that, I liked everything else. The quizzes and quiz corrections helped understand the material and expect what would be on the exam, the projects made the material fun to learn and intriguing while informative, and the discussions brought forth the best insight.

Survival Steps

"There are no limits to what you can accomplish, except the limits you place on your own thinking"

- Brian Tracy

1. Manage your time with the readings as they will be long and stressful. However, if you do choose to procrastinate to the last day on readings like me, a 15 pack of mini Pepsi cans are being sold at Walmart for $5 and a mini fridge wouldn't hurt to keep them cold as you stay up working while hyped on caffeine.

2. Use the notes for quizzes and expect raw scores to be low. Trust me, they will get better and a 50 basically equals a 3 on the exam. Over time, you'll get the hang of it.

3. Take advantage of the projects and work diligently while having fun because those projects are going to make the assignments fun and intriguing,

4. Do the blogs! They will help in the long run as cushion grades and you will want to use them to keep your grades up when some low grades are put in.

5. Just enjoy the class and listen to what Salz is saying. She knows what she's doing and will get you on track for a 3, but remember that a 5 is on you and you need to really want it and put in the effort in order to get yourself there. Good luck!

AP Euro for Dummies by Logan Zonfrillo

AP EURO FOR DUMMIES
by Logan Zonfrillo


Chapter 1 : Things to consider before walking in to the first day of class

         If you clicked on this blog post, then you have already admitted to being a "dummy"... and that's BEFORE you get your first reading check grade back... If you want to apply your passion for history to this challenging class, the first rule is this: don't be a "dummy"... and if you already are one, then GET SMART. Of course, I'm not trying to insult anyone's intelligence but the fact of the matter is that doing well on your summer work is a wonderful way to declare yourself a "non-dummy" and put to practice some very beneficial homework rituals. Read closely, analyze deeply, write concisely. Learn the material from the passages that you are given for summer homework because the first few weeks of class branch off it. The following weeks branch off the first weeks and so fourth. Learning the basis of everything is key to knowing everything required for your AP exam. Causation is a major skill that we focus on in class so be sure to get familiar with the material provided to you and what it may have caused.



Chapter 2 : What did I enjoy in AP Euro?

        Before you assume that I love history, let me refute your assumption : I really REALLY don't like history... at all... or at least not until this year. For some unknown reason, I decided to take AP Euro this year despite my lack of passion for history in its entirety (maybe it's because I heard rumors of Salz being a great teacher?) and up until the end of first quarter I thought it was a huge mistake. The work seemed grueling and unpleasant but then I realized the type of discussion that I was naturally participating in throughout class. I think the one feature that I enjoyed most about AP Euro is its ability to make me truly understand the content in a way that I genuinely enjoyed it. The way we were learning made me want to contribute to discussion - a concept foreign to me in regards to any other history class - and it felt great! This class, due to its rigorous methods of preparation, truly synthesizes passion and confidence out of thin air! My favorite activity / activities that we did were the Socratic Seminars and / or Model UN-style conferences. The class helped with my appreciation of history, as I, for the first time ever, was able to comprehend and care about the events enough to enjoy talking about them to Salz and my peers. It's an experience that I wish everyone could get, so be sure to take this opportunity and capitalize on what is being presented!



Chapter 3 : What didn't I enjoy about AP Euro?

       This class possesses one of the harshest learning curves I have ever had to deal with. When your first reading check comes back around and you see your grade, don't be discouraged: it's part of the process... but MAN does that feeling suck (excuse my colloquial language). If you are a student that has become accustomed to getting 90s on every assignment, or if you were counting on getting highest honors all 16 quarters of all 4 years of high school, then best of luck and power to you, but don't be upset if this class deters you from your goal; it most definitely did to mine. It's really unfortunate to have to sacrifice GPA or honors status for this class and although that is 100% my least favorite part about the entire experience, I still have no regrets and would advise everyone to stick with it. It's a challenge. You will get bad grades. But part of the AP class is being able to adapt and finding your preferable method of studying / working in order to maintain prosperity. The skills that one develops along this adventure of a class are much more valuable than the few points lost off your GPA. Even after your grade drops, don't fret about the way colleges will review your transcript; they are well aware with how challenging this course is and will understand why this is the only class you've ever had lower than a 90 in. All in all, the grades look ugly, but it converts to a passing AP score, and some truly beneficial skills so do NOT be discouraged, persevere and you will be successful!



Chapter 4 : Suggestions for this class

       Mrs. Salisbury knows what she's doing. To be quite frank, there is not a ton that I would suggest in order to change the structure and flow of the class. If anything, I would say this: DBQs are an essential skill for the exam that we work on quite a bit, however I still felt weary when the prompt was staring back at me on the actual exam. The DBQs in class were erratically scheduled and I believe that everyone would benefit if there was a monthly DBQ to be done in class. An activity like that would be challenging and generally frustrating (no one WANTS to write a monthly essay) but the immense amount of practice that it would provide seems like it would do well in preparing students even better for the exam.



Chapter 5 : My advice to you

Class keys to success:
     1.) READ THE MATERIAL FOR EACH READING CHECK WELL *AND* TAKE NOTES
     2.) Trust the system, it's going to be a rocky road but it'll pay off!
     3.) Respect Salz and never wrong her... ever (she doesn't deserve it she's too kind)
     4.) If you're being bogged down with other APs, don't be afraid to reach out and ask for extensions (your teachers are very understanding and get that you have a lot of work for other classes)
     5.) *here comes the cliche that you've heard a million times* please... I'm begging you... don't procrastinate... it doesn't help anyone and it will make you hate yourself
     6.) Use class time wisely! You get a lot of time to work on your assignments in class so don't screw around and just put it off for homework
     7.) Believe in yourself! Stay motivated. You can do it. Take deep breaths. Stay focused. You got this!

GOOD LUCK AND GODSPEED

AP Euro: 10/10 Would Recommend

1. AP Euro was a really great experience and I am very glad that I took this class. I love learning history, so I was very excited to take a class that focused on a history subject I had not really learned before. I really liked how Mrs. Salisbury focused our time in class towards reiterating the big ideas learned in the readings. The activities and the assignments that we did really cemented the important concepts in my mind, and these were more than just people, dates, and events. AP Euro focuses on the how and why of history, not just the who, what, where, and when. I really appreciated how Mrs. Salisbury would let us correct our reading checks to improve our grades because usually those corrections were extremely necessary! While my grade in the class benefited from those corrections, so did my knowledge of the subject because I was able to go over what I got wrong, see why it was wrong, and then realize why the right answer is the right answer.

2. There was nothing that I really disliked about the class as I felt as if everything we did was not just busywork, but rather something that would help us to understand a concept. In general, I do not like summer work or work over any school vacation, but besides the summer work there was not homework over any break that could not have been done on the Monday night we returned to school, thank goodness.

3. My suggestions to improve the class would be to practice writing LEQs and DBQs more often, or at least spending time on grouping documents together or trying to come up with sufficient evidence for LEQs. We practiced multiple choice a lot, but it also could have been beneficial if we did a guided analysis of documents, at least in the beginning of the year, to help us to be able to gather the important information from primary sources.

AP Euro Survival Tips:

1. Invest in a guide book- I recommend buying one of these for every AP that you take! I personally prefer Barron's, but other brands exist. These books go over the major developments and events that occurred throughout European history and include practice tests! There are multiple choice and SAQs at the end of each section to make sure that you can recall the important information and connect it to primary and secondary sources. I suggest that after you finish reading a chapter of the textbook, go over the corresponding section in the guide book to make sure that you did not miss anything.
2. Manage your time wisely- You will probably see this a lot in these survival tips because it is really important! you will receive a calendar every month that has all of the assignments and activities for that month. You may have a reading check due Monday, a Napoleon webquest due Wednesday, then a blog post due Friday. It is up to you how you choose to manage your time and finish these assignments on time. Break readings into chunks and spread it out over a few days as you may have around 30 pages to be responsible for per reading check.
3. Some advice on reading- You learn the Euro content through independent reading at home. I recommend that before you start reading the 30-40 page chapter, copy the timeline at the start of the chapter and the flip through and copy down all the vocab and the definitions. This helps narrow down the most important parts of the chapter. Focus more on reading, then take notes on the main idea of each paragraph- don't focus on the specifics. When you finish reading and taking notes on the chapter, go through the guide book section and see what you missed!
4. Stay calm! AP Euro is a great class and Mrs. Salisbury is an amazing teacher. You may not do great on every reading check or assignment and that's okay! You can learn from the mistakes you make on the quizzes and can use that to see what you need to study before the exam in May. You are usually allowed to correct your quizzes and you receive a lot of points back for this, so take advantage of it! Also, don't stress out when you have a ton of assignments to do for Euro and then for other classes. Just take a deep breath and get cracking.

Have an awesome year! You'll do great in AP Euro!

Charlotte - Final Blog

AP Euro is a difficult class, but if you take the time to do your work, it is much more manageable. While there is a lot of content to learn before the exam, the class is fun. I liked all the class activities that we did instead of lectures, which helps me learn better. I also enjoyed most of the content we learned, as I was not very familiar with European history. The one thing that I didn't like was all the reading that had to be done because I don't learn best that way. And although those readings were associated with reading checks, I did like how we normally did an activity to reinforce the material on the selected reading. One survival tip is to definitely try and time manage during the readings. I know everyone procrastinates, which is fine when you have a 15 page reading, but not when a whole chapter is due. I think to improve the class, is to focus more on how to answer the multiple choice questions because even though we had reading checks, I felt that most of the time I could narrow it down to the two best choices, but would end up choosing the wrong one. (also maybe go through the different formatted questions on the exam) There were also a lot of visuals on the multiple choice questions on the exam, that I felt we didn't do enough of those questions on reading checks. Another piece of advice I have is to always correct any of the reading checks that Mrs. Salisbury lets you. You learn why you chose the wrong answer, and it also helps your grade. You are not going to get 90s on all of your reading checks, but that is completely normal, you're not supposed to! This is why you should take advantage of the ability to correct them though! You also don't want to stress over the work that is due. Mrs. Salisbury gives you enough times, and makes the assignments manageable, as she knows we are only high school students. While you shouldn't stress over the work, you do actually need to put in effort into all the assignments. You need to put in the work at home, everything is not about class time, buying a review book for the exam can help you review the topics for the reading checks, and then to get recaps when studying for the exam. If you're ever confused, just ask Mrs. Salisbury, she is always there to help you out. Most importantly, have fun, not everything is about the grade.

Laura's Declassified School Survival Guide - AP Euro Edition

     I'm going to start off by saying that if I was able to get through this class then so can you. And let me tell you, I struggled. Despite this, AP Euro was one of my favorite classes this year. At least it was favorite class in school, not necessarily outside of school with the homework. Also, don't think this class is going to be a joke class taught by a teacher that doesn't care about teaching. Mrs. Salisbury truly cares about her job and her students. She makes sure that AP Euro is an actual AP class and not one of those joke ones that everyone takes for an easy A. It might be very challenging, as an AP course should be, but it's definitely extremely beneficial and I'm so glad that I decided to stick with it. It was one of those classes that I was looking forward to basically daily (except when we had a reading check that day). But let me tell you that after the exam was over for Euro, I felt as if a huge weight was taken off of my shoulders. It may have been one of my favorite classes but it was also a ton of work. Time management really is key in order to do well. I honestly didn't really start managing my time that well until about January or February but it was beyond worth it (also note that this was likely because I had a lab period second semester so that also helped a ton). It was one of those classes that I know will stick with me for a long time.
      AP Euro had a bunch of fun day activities that were really helpful and some even involved food (who can say no to that). One of my favorite activities that we did was the Congress of Vienna activity where we were split into groups, chose a country, and had to settle an agreement over the obtaining of territory within Europe with some of the other countries. Each country had a set point system so if they obtained specific areas, then they'd get a sum of points and whoever had the most points after the agreement was settled won. It was an activity of manipulation, as you didn't let anyone outside of your group know how many points you would obtain from each area and you'd fool the others around you to think that they were the ones benefiting from your plan when in actuality, you did. So that's how my group won anyway. Sometimes you just have to manipulate people in order to get the job done correctly. I also really enjoyed the first project that we had to do when we chose a figure from history, without really having any prior background on them, and connecting them to Machiavelli's ideas of a what a good ruler should look like. I believed that it allowed for everyone to take a brief glimpse on what they would later study in history. It allowed for people to understand specific different parts of history so that everyone would have some random knowledge about a specific subject that no one else would really know. I also really liked how some of the LEQs and DBQs in class were partner ones just used for an outline, allowing for all of us to get used to the typically structure.
      However, also regarding the LEQs and the DBQs, I disliked how we never really were able to do ones by ourselves towards the end of the year, close to the AP exam, as I felt less comfortable with those two pieces of the exam than the multiple choice and SAQs, which we completed those for all of the reading checks. Speaking of reading checks, I feel as though it would've been more beneficial for the reading checks to have been on multiple chapters more often as the actual exam focuses more on history as a whole and the overall concepts rather than specific random pieces of information. Those reading checks were torture. If you got over an 80 on one of those, you were a god(dess). I only managed to accomplish that on one reading check and I'm pretty sure it was one of the first ones we took. But the good thing about those terrible grades was that Salz was nice enough to let us stay after to correct them and increase our grades by half of the points we lost (if she didn't I'd assume most of us would be failing or close to it).
      Honestly my only advice besides managing your time is to accept that you're going to fail. It personally took me a while to realize it, as I'd get really upset over any grade under an 80 since I wasn't used to such low grades, but I was able to realize that you'll only succeed if you understand your failures. The reading check quiz corrections were the prime example of understanding failures, to which I'm still incredibly grateful for, as you'd go back to each question you got wrong and figure out the answer which you needed evidence to support (sorry, no making up random excuses as you got the answer from a friend - you'd need a page number or some evidence from the passage). Another thing, actually read the entire section for the reading checks since sometimes I'd stop ten pages before the end of the chapter as I'd given up and waited until the last minute to read the section and take notes. But you all will be fine. If you actually read all of this, I'm impressed and you definitely have potential to do well with a long attention span.

And finally, as you'll hear a lot this year, good luck and godspeed!

AP Euro? Just Chillax Dawg

  Ignore what anyone has told you about this class, unless they said the same thing as I am about to.  This class is not as hard as everyone says it is.  For people who need to get 100's in every class, it will be hard.  But for people just trying to get a good grade and get ready for the exam, its really not that hard.  The tips I would give you would be do ALL of the non-quiz/test assignments (they'll be consistently referred to as "cushion grades").  The cushion grades help keep your average high despite your low reading check scores.  I know what you're thinking "Oh "i'm really smart, I'm not gonna get low scores on my reading checks"  This might be true for the first few but just wait.  Thirty pages of reading is a lot easier on September 15 than it is on March 15.  However, you are in luck because you can use your notes on the reading checks and I have personally created an outline that will guarantee you a 65 on every reading check (before corrections).  The sections of reading are in chapters, on the first page of the chapter there is a timeline with all of the important events highlighted in the chapter,copy the entire thing down with the dates into your notes.  The flip through the chapter and copy down all of the bold vocab words and write there definitions which are listed in the margin.  Usually, many things  in the timeline are defined in the timeline, but if not define the things in the timeline that you may be confused about.  This will never take more than 25 mins and you will have less correcting to do.

  I can admit that I tend to see the narcissistic side of things so before I get to the things of substance I did not always enjoy about Euro out of the way, I'm going to quickly list the petty things that I would always dislike.  The classroom is way too hot, the computers we use are slow and have horrible interface, and I hate chalkboards.  You don't have to worry about that, cause that's just me being petty.  In actuality, there weren't many things I truly disliked about this class.  If I had to pick one it would be, honestly I liked everything about this class, so I probably hated the classroom temperature the most.

 To improve AP Euro, the first thing I would do is restructure the review for the exam.  I felt like the weeks leading up to the exam were strictly concentrated on content, with little to no focus on writing skills.  I don't know anything about lesson planning so you can take this with a grain of salt, I think it would have better if we reinforced a content review with not only MCQ's, but with SAQ's and LEQ's.

  AP Euro was an awesome class, especially if you really love history.  In its simplest form, it was a good way to challenge myself, learn more about the world, and it looks good for college.  What I liked about this class is that you got out what you put into it, but what you put in wasn't always a stressful, nervous breakdown-worthy amount of work that people will tell you about.  Mrs. Salisbury did a great job of not making every assignment a lecture with note-taking, in fact the large majority of out in class work revolved around collaborative activities designed to help us understand the topics in a more cohesive, group oriented way.  An extremely important part of understanding history is reading primary and secondary documents, analyzing them and drawing conclusions to the time period in question.  This class provides you with the tools to do this ti any historical source, not only are your comprehensive reading skills improved upon but your ability to make connections across historical periods increases tenfold.

My end, your beginning- AP Euro

1. What did you enjoy about the class?
2. What did you dislike about the class?3. Suggestions to improve the class?4. Survival Tips for those taking AP European History next year!


     AP Euro is an enjoyable class if you make it so, however if you decide it's what you want it can be your worst enemy, and it'll happen in the blink of an eye too. Euro affords you the opportunity to either start your work extremely early and budget out your time, or you can start the night before and get it done all the same, but the difference here is that your grade on the work itself is reflective of the quality of it, not what you have done which is a harsh lesson that you'll have to keep in mind. The class is relatively easy going if you stay on top of things, like taking notes on the chapters for reading checks, actually reading in the first place, and word of advice for the reading, don't read to read, read the text as if you're familiarizing yourself with where everything is, that way you'd probably understand a lot more than if you just read. Mrs. Salisbury is very good at giving second chances and will allow you to correct reading checks. Blogs are important, don't ignore them, if anything complete them the day they are assigned, I was terrible about completing them, and regret it. Among the things to watch out for in the class is making Mrs. Salisbury angry, she's very easy going, reasonable, and can be negotiated with, but should you make her angry with you all of that goes out the door, she isn't afraid of burning you to set a precedent for the future which isn't a bad thing, maybe for you, but in the long run will cause her less stress. Among the biggest things that needs to be stressed for you to pass this class is be sure you actually understand the material, don't blow past what you don't know because it will come back to haunt you in the end with the exam, it can and will be rough. Expect a lot of nights where you don't know what you're doing if you aren't organized and can't budget your time, and if you don't know how to budget time or stay on top of things you better learn because this class will not be merciful with assignments being due. Don't underestimate how stressful and imbalanced one class can make your schedule, but don't let it scare you away either, this class will teach you how to act right as a student, but only if you let it. TL;DR- Manage your time, don't come to class unprepared, stay on top of everything as it comes, and do not ever anger Mrs. Salisubry. As she would say herself, "Good luck, and Godspeed."

AP Euro Is Not Really Thattttt Bad

     AP Euro was one of the most enjoyable class where I learned important skills for school and life. In my opinion Mrs. Salisbury is the only teacher that can make such a grueling class worth it. She sets a great foundation for how AP classes are like. One dislike about this class would be how little time we have and that we fly through topics. When I know there is a certain topic in history that I like I would want to spend time on it, but we do not get to do that because there is not enough time due to the amount of information we need to cover. Reading long sections with too much information is hard but having to read 20-30 pages of that is even harder. Shorter sections need to be given to read or discussions about the readings should happen before the quizzes. This can eve happen for the beginning part of the year to show students what they should be getting out of the text. AP Euro is one of the few classes I have taken that is structured very well.

    Survival Tips! The calendars are your best friends, Print them out! Hang them in your room or locker, and always have one in your binder. They will help with planning and time management. Mrs. Salisbury takes a long time to make them and she puts all she can into making sure you are doing your best. Anything you need she will help you with. If you need an extension because of a little bump in the road she will give it to you (if necessary). Mrs. Salisbury is one of the few teachers that recognizes that you take other classes, sports and have a life outside of AP Euro. A few times this year she put extensions on work due to other AP tests. The care she has for her students is tremendous and for one I am grateful because she helped me get through it all.

     The first day I entered AP Euro I wanted to drop out, due to how Mrs. Salisbury hyped up the work to be. Looking back on it now, it truly was not that bad. She will say December is "Hell Month", and honestly its not. Yes there is a boat load of work, but she gives you just enough time to finish it all. Reading checks may seem annoying but ALWAYS corrects them if you can, and if you are having trouble reading and remembering the dense context take notes as you read. Also, try spreading out the readings into a few different days so you do not get stressed. Getting stressed if your worst enemy. When you get stressed you put off what you have to do and will not complete it to the best of your abilities. After completing the summer work you will have a good feel to what the year will be like.

     Most important things to remember:

          - DO NOT procrastinate

          - Participate

          - Talk to Mrs. Salisbury about ANYTHING you need help with, even if it is just a simple question

          - Stay organized

          - DO your readings

          - fix your quizzes

          - put your whole heart into this class because Mrs. Salisbury does the same

     This class has been a pleasure to take and taught me skills I will use for the rest of high school and college. When you finish AP Euro it will be the biggest relief but in a good way. You can look back on how hard your worked and what you accomplished in such a sort period of time.

Thank you so much Mrs. Salz for a great year!

Natalie Kach AP Euro Guide

AP Euro was most definitely a positive experience overall, though that is not to say there weren't many a nights that I would have rather taken a zero than finish an assignment.  It was a very dense class that covered a considerable amount of history in more detail than past history classes.  I liked the class because Mrs. Salz tried her best to make each day different and entertaining.  There were very few periods, if any, that were just lecturing, and there were several days that she planned fun activities with us that still stick out.  She gave us food so I'll never forget the stages of the Thirty Years war.  I also noticed that Mrs. Salz took an interest in every one of us and did her best to make sure that everyone was involved and felt included.  We really did become our own little AP Euro family and out of all the APs I took this year I felt like this class bonded the most.  I also enjoyed having class discussions about a period or event in history where everyone had to make an input.  I felt like I learned the most during those discussions.  I will say, though, I was not a fan of the reading checks.  The quizzes themselves weren't horrible, but the reading is dense and the font is smaller than a typical textbook and the chapters averaged to about thirty pages each.  I also didn't really like the Socratic seminars, especially since people were required to talk x amount of times and graded on the quality of their input.  I do see the value in the seminars, however I felt like certain people ended up dominating the discussions, every time, and other people had a hard time finding a break in the rhetoric to chime in.  Though I loved this class and learned a lot from it, one suggestion for improvement would be to have more timed, in class individual writing assignments.  I felt the least confident on the written portion of the exam, and some of my friends mentioned that they struggled with it as well.  Written assignments may not be the most enjoyable however the practice is invaluable on the exam.  Overall, though, Mrs. Salz is a great person and the best AP Euro teacher I could have asked for!

SURVIVAL GUIDE TO AP EURO:
1.  Time Management: Do not wait until the day before a reading check is due before you start the chapter.  It's very dense material that you will have to know for both the quiz and the exam, and what you put into the class is what you will get out of it.  I recommend dividing the amount of pages you have to read by the amount of days you have to do the assignment which will give you how many pages you should read a day.  I did this and found that the reading was a lot more manageable.

2.  Take Notes:  Take notes on everything.  You will have a lot of in-class discussions about what you're learning about, and Mrs. Salz will write stuff down on the board as the class talks.  Write it down, even if you never look at it again because it'll help the information stick in your brain more.

3.  Corrections:  Whenever you have the opportunity, correct your reading checks.  They will be the lowest grades you have ever gotten in your entire life.  A lot of kids at the top of the class aren't prepared for the kinds of grades they will get in this class, but don't be embarrassed because everyone else failed too.  Mrs. Salz lets you correct your reading checks and you get half the points back.  It'll help you understand what you got wrong and you will get something out of correcting the quiz besides points back.

4.  Group Work:  Do your part.  Don't be the guy that everybody hates to work with because you don't pull your weight.  It'll only hurt you in the long run and it will make your classmates frustrated if you don't do you work.  And don't wait until the last minute either.  Be considerate that your classmates have a life outside of school between family events, work, and athletics.  Communicate with them and follow through with what you say you'll do.

5.  Participate:  Don't be afraid to participate in class, even if you get the information wrong!  Believe me, nobody really cares that you got Louis IV and Louis VI confused, or couldn't remember that Anglicanism was started by an English king.  If you participate and get it wrong, you'll retain that information better for the next quiz or exam.  Seriously, don't be self conscious in this class or any class, for that matter.  You're in school for you and your learning, not to impress your classmates.  You're taking the class because you don't know the material, not because you're the expert.  Speak up and don't be bashful when you get things wrong!

6.  Plan Ahead:  Mrs. Salz gives you a calendar at the beginning of every month with all the assignments and reading checks for the whole month.  We are all busy people.  If you know you have a sporting event the night before a test or reading check, do the work in advance.  Mrs. Salz is good about giving extensions, so if you really need it, advocate for yourself and she is likely to give you one.  However don't take advantage of her kindness because she won't want to work with you in the future.

Regardless of whether or not AP Euro is your first AP, this is a very rigorous and demanding course.  However, it is very doable even if you are taking several other APs and are involved in sports and other clubs.  The key is time management and making good use of class time, whether it be being focused on the classwork, taking notes, or actively participating in the conversation.  The more you do in class is the less work and studying you'll have to do at home.  Take the class one day at at time.  You got it!

The Survival Guide to AP Euro

Howdy! I'm Nicole, and just like you and the others before me, I made the wise decision to take AP Euro. As one of the 'survivors' of this class, I'm here to pass on my pearls of wisdom to enlighten you on the full details of what goes on in the class. No matter if you like history or not, Euro was probably one of my best decisions of AP Classes to take in high school, and hopefully it is for all of you. Regardless if it's your first AP or not, I really believe that Euro is an amazing class to take as a starter AP Course. If you survived the summer work (Machiavelli's The Prince was an absolute KILLER) and the first few weeks of school, then you'll be fine.

As some of you have probably heard, the class goes from the 1400's all the way to present day, but the material isn't as hard, or difficult as it seems. Although the course material is rigorous, it's doable. Mrs. Salz makes sure that you all go over the general concepts and themes to make sure that you can pull the main ideals that you'll need from the AP Exam anyway. (Speaking of the exam, that's not too bad either.) In the long run, it's extremely rewarding to see all of the dates and time periods that you covered. In a regular history class, you sort of skip around, miss some chunks, but never really get to see the full picture. In Euro, the entire puzzle comes together, and it's really astounding to see how everything comes together into what we have today.  Also, the course material is different than what you've done in other history classes.  Yes, some of the topics gone over have been talked about, but it's interesting to go further into detail and see how everything comes together and in order to get more information about it.

Mrs. Salz is an amazing teacher and lays down all the expectations for her students to follow.   As long as you follow the expectations and guidelines that she lays down for you, you'll really be all set.  Salz is an outstanding teacher that won't leave you hanging for the AP exam.  She fully prepares you for the exam, no questions.  She makes sure that you know how to bank out SAQs, DBQs, and LEQs for the exam.  Although the idea of taking the exam can be super intimidating, don't worry.  Mrs. Salz is there to help, and she does her best to make sure that every student has what they need and is prepared for the exam.  She's a fair teacher, and has high expectations for all of you.  She has the high expectations because she knows you can do it, and that you're all disciplined students that can push yourselves.  She is understanding, and as long as you talk to her about things, she can help you in the best way that she can.  Mrs. Salz and the rest of your classmates really become an AP Euro family, and it's just really nice to know that you're not there for the long haul, all of you are.

Just some overall advice for the class itself.  Just because the class doesn't seem as difficult as AP Chem or AP Bio doesn't mean that it's not going to be a wild ride.  After all, it still is an AP class, so that means that there will be times where it gets challenging.  Mrs. Salz gives you a calendar to make sure to help you all get organized for each month.  It has all of the information on it that you'll need for each month, what you'll be doing in class, and more.  USE IT!  It's a super handy tool to see when things are due, and to get a jump start on other projects.  For some of you, Euro might not be your only AP, and on top of everything else that you do, it's probably a good idea to plan ahead.

 DON'T PROCRASTINATE! I know, coming from me and probably a lot of my other peers isn't saying a whole lot, but, just don't do it. It'll set you up for not only good life skills, but it'll help keep you from stressing and having to cram your work. No one likes doing that, and it's not fun having to do loads of Euro work on top of work for other classes.

 This is going to sound weird, but, expect FAILURE. EMBRACE IT. Because, trust me, you'll be getting a lot of grades back that you really don't like to see. Assuming that you're all amazing students, you're all probably used to getting in the high 90s on quizzes in tests. In Euro, that rarely happens. You take reading checks, and the occasional test, and trust me, there will be times that you'll get grades in the 50s, 60s, or even lower. Although they can be disheartening to see, know it's not because you're a bad student, know that it's because the material is HARD. You're here to push yourself, don't expect to skate by. For these kinds of quizzes, they're timed, and they're structured to be like the AP Exam. So, yeah, it's not going to be easy. No need to panic, because Salz does allow for you to correct your mistakes so your grade isn't absolutely awful. But the point is, don't panic. Although your grades might not be as high as you want to see, know that you're pushing yourself, and that's all that matters. As long as you try, then you're doing something right. It might be difficult at first, but it looks better to have an 80-84 in an AP class than have a 93-97 in a regular honors class.

 Most importantly, have fun and enjoy the ride! Although you might not always like the class, it really is overall an amazing experience, and probably one of my favorite classes that I've taken in high school. Salz is an awesome teacher that makes the material fun, and you really have a bond with your classmates. So, always realize that taking Euro was the best choice. I know that for sure, I'm going to miss this class.


As you'll be hearing plenty of times this year, good luck, and Godspeed! 

Final Blog - AP Euro

AP Euro is a class which I am very happy I decided to sign up for.  You not only learn a great deal about the vents which make up European history, you also learn  much about yourself as a student.  Throughout the past year, I have done both.  One really great (and pretty important) part of the class is Mrs. Salisbury herself.  She is really good at what she does and will make sure that you learn what you need to in order to prepare for the exam.  That is not to say however, that it will be a breeze, there is a lot of reading which you will have to do, and note-taking.  Most of this reading/note-taking is not in pursuit of a grade either, you as a student must be willing to work hard and get it done because although as I said it doesn't directly count as a grade, it will effect the grades you earn on the all important reading checks.  While these reading checks may seem as a pain to prepare for and take, they are genuinely helpful in the process of  exam preparation.  Throughout the year, they will become easier for you to manage and, providing that you actually read, you should be able to do alright on them, typically.  The one thing I would change about the class would be to increase the frequency at which the other portions of the exam are practiced (DBQs and LEQs).  In the moment you will not appreciate in any way shape or form this increase, however, on the day of the exam when you go in there and know how to do everything properly and are privy to the facts and knowledge the exam asks you to exemplify, you will think back and be thankful for those otherwise "grueling" practice exercises.  The most important skill that you can have in preparation for this class is TIME MANAGEMENT.  Salz makes calendars with every assignment and important due dates, quiz dates etc on it.  USE THIS.  It will help you to plan out when you will do certain assignments and will help you juggle the workload of this and all of your other classes.  If you don't come into this class with any form of time management skills (such as I did,) you will either pick them up very quickly (also such as I did) or not and if you don't, (and believe me, there were some people who didn't) your year here will be much worse than it has to be.  Of all the points which I addressed, I think this one is the MOST important as it really does help in and out of the classroom.  In the words of Mrs. Salisbury, "Good Luck and Godspeed!"  and remember to manage your time. 

Surviving AP Euro

So, AP Euro was a challenge that's for sure. But I really liked how close the class got over the course of the year. We really are like a little family, and I loved staying after together for corrections and studying. I really liked the challenge of the class itself, where it was difficult but not too difficult. I think I'll definitely be prepared for a college history class after I graduate, with out a doubt.
Learning all the material and trying to remember it all was a challenge. It was the worst. And all of the reading was so much, especially when we had to read whole chapters in one night or two nights. It was a lot especially with me having work and other APs. But, I managed and got it done somehow so there's that. It is a lot of work, not gonna lie, but even though it stressed me out so much I definitely think it was worth it. Don't stress too much, because you don't need to! Just be accountable and diligent, and you should be fine.
Improvements for the class- I think we could have used more writing especially with DBQs because I know me and a few other people studied before the exam and were freaking out because we didn't know how to write one. Well, we did, but we felt like we didn't. We went through a few prompts in our study books and realized that we were actually fine with DBQs, but we felt like we haven't done them in forever and were scared. I also think we could have gone through our reading checks as a class a few times, not for every single one, but a few so we could deconstruct the passages and the questions together. I think we could have used a little time with going over how to interpret maps and graphs because that was a little iffy on the exam and some of the reading checks.

TIPS!!!!
- Do your readings. DO NOT try to skip them, skim, or look up summaries online. It will suck for the exam. And the reading checks. Trust me, I tried it a few times and it wasn't good.
- DON'T take long notes!!! Be concise and write the most important things. You don't want your notes to be five pages long. Aim for them being three pages max. It'll be way easier to go back and study them.
- Make sure you grab all dates, names, battles, movements, etc for your notes. Those are the things that are going to be on the reading checks! (Obviously make sure you know what they mean and how they had an impact/connect/whatever)
- Do not procrastinate. Especially if you have other APs, a job, sports, or whatever. Do not procrastinate. Try to get everything done as soon as you get home from school. You don't want to save notes on a whole chapter for the night before, especially when they can be 20-40 page long chapters. Don't do it. You will cry. I promise.
- Don't stress out too much. It may be a lot of work right now, and you might want to cry or quit. But I promise it is worth it. You'll be better off in college and better prepared for the exam. The difficulty now makes it that much easier later.
- Talk to people!!! Have friends and a group of people you can ask questions, study with, complain with, etc.. Its good to study with a few people, especially before the exam. Have a group of three or four people and study together. It will be so helpful.
- Make a timeline!! There's a timeline at the beginning of each chapter. Copy it down. Trust me. A timeline will be helpful for the exam when all you get is a date and a country and you have to figure out from that and an obscure passage what the heck is going on.
- Know your people. ESPECIALLY RUSSIA. Russia is hard. The whole end of Russia, USSR, present Russia stuff. All that period 4 stuff. Know it. And know the people involved and the things they did. I mean that goes for everything, but I know a lot of people struggled with that this year in my class.
- FIND FUNNY VIDEOS AND SONGS- they are so so helpful and funny. I watched like ten of them before the exam, and thank god cause they were funny. I personally enjoyed the Horrible Histories series, there's a bunch on youtube. and there's this song about the soviet union to the tetris theme(?) thats catchy and weird and perfect
- MEMES!!!! Find the memes. They are your best friend. Trust me. If you understand the history memes, you're on the right track. and they're a quick little thing you can look at and hopefully it'll stick with you and you'll remember whatever it is.
- I would also make a chart of all your monarchs at some point. They all have the same names, its confusing. MAKE A CHART OR YOU WILL DIE WHEN THEY ASK YOU ABOUT HENRY AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHICH HENRY IT IS AND IF HES FROM FRANCE OR ENGLAND. Trust me.
- DONT STRESS TO MUCH!! IT'LL BE WORTH IT AND YOU WILL DO AMAZING ON THE EXAM!!! Just stay focused, on top of things, don't procrastinate, keep organized, and you will be golden.

Have Fun!!! (It is worth it, I promise)

Surviving AP Euro - Issy Paterson

AP Euro is so unlike what I imagined it to be at the beginning of this year. After pulling almost three all-nighters to get the summer work done (I'm sure you can relate), I honestly thought that was how the rest of my junior year was going to go. And I knew that, unlike many other people taking AP Euro who are literally top of the class and taking like, idk, three other AP classes and still cruising by, I was going to have to work really hard to keep up with them. But that's not the case; Mrs. Salisbury is one of the most understanding and kindhearted teachers I have ever had, and she knows that us high school kids have a lot going on with not only other schoolwork and extracurriculars, but also personal lives. She does not cram us with busy work, in fact she doesn't even cram us with work at all; Everything is well-balanced, BUT it is up to the students to actually manage their time to make it work. Time management is everything, and to be honest I'm still not good at it, but I still manage. Whatever works best for you, whether that's leaving everything until the last minute and wanting to rip your eyebrows out, or spreading the work over a few nights and not having to stress about it. We are never in the dark with anything, because Salz is always open for questions and advice, and she makes sure you really understand the content as best as you can. Just don't be afraid to ask, otherwise you could become completely lost. There could be times when you think you might just have to drop the class out of pure frustration (for me that was during the French Revolution), but again, remember that Salz is always available, whether it is just advice on studying the material, or staying after with her to help you. Yes, it is an AP class, but we are still in high school, and we're not expected to know everything. Stop comparing that 46 you got on the reading check to the person who got a 73. It doesn't matter, as long as you stay after to correct and understand the content better. Don't get too caught up on comparing yourself to others, because there are going to be people in your class who seem like they actually do know everything, just do the best you can and try your hardest to understand the material. And your classmates are always there for you, too. Like Salz says, AP Euro literally becomes a family. Don't doubt yourself. You got this. :)

Tristen Swist Survival Guide

This class was one of the most beneficial classes i have taken in my high school years. The class itself is great and it taught me many things, not all academic things either. I learned and improved upon my time management, different ways of studying and learning and how to effectively retain information in different ways. This class helped me prepare for not only college but my other classes that I was taking at the time. My writing improved along with my reasoning skills when looking at a problem. I also liked this class because of how we learned. There was little to no lectures, most of the learning in class was through demonstrations, group projects and hands on activities which helped me learn on a deeper level. The class is anything but boring the and the class makes the information you learn enjoyable. When I first signed up for "European History", I was fully prepared for a very boring class, but it the end was proven wrong.
The only things that I disliked about this class was the reading checks. I slacked on some reading checks and they really brought my grade down. So, I did not like the reading checks int he class but mostly because sometimes I did not prepare properly. But, I did feel that the reading checks were really helpful and crucial int he process of preparing for the AP exam.
A suggestion to the class that I would make would be to give more time dedicated to SAQ, DBQ and LEQs. On the AP exam, I felt a bit unprepared for them and after felt like I did not do very well. Spending more time on period four and writing assignments would have been helpful in the class. I felt very unprepared for the last period of European History going into the AP exam. Going over not only content but how to apply that content would have been helpful int eh class and would really be my only suggestion to make the next class better.
I would give this class, as a grade, a A minus. The class itself is amazing, but some of the things and concepts toward the end of the year I felt were a bit rushed leaving me feeling unprepared. But the class was informative, helpful and make me feel better about  going into harder classes next year. This class made me better academically when looking at how to address a problem and looking at things logically.
Survival Tips: 
Make sure you read for your reading check. They make up a very large portion of your grade and it does not take that long to read it. A little bit of effort goes a long way and will eventually pay off in the end. Time management is crazy important in this class. If you don't come in with it, the class makes you learn time management. Leaving things to the last minute does to work in this class, despite it maybe working in others. She gives you a calendar for the month, USE IT. Stay on top of your work so its not two int he morning and you have to read half a chapter for the next day. Invest in an AP European History prep book. They are like twenty dollars but helped me through out the year. It breaks chapters down into more simplified concepts making them much easier to understand. Do not just buy this book to help you on the exam, but also to help you understand the chapters more in depth through out the year. Take good and effective notes through out the year. In his class you learn about 900 years or so of European History, taking GOOD notes will help you when it comes to studying. Trying to go back into the book and cover 300 pages of reading before a test will not help you as much as notes would. And do not give up in this class. It is not made for the smartest kids int he class and with the right amount of work it is totally achievable. I finished this class with a high C-low B and I am not the smartest conventionally. As long as you put work into the class, you will see good results from it.

Survival Guide- "Words of Wisdom" from AP Euro 2018-2019

This is it- Your last AP Euro Blog!  You survived AP European History and the end is near.  It has been a pleasure being your teacher and I truly hope that you learned more than just history in this class, but some important skills that you can apply to other classes and throughout life.  It hasn't been easy and I know you cursed my name more than a few times... so... this is your time to let me know how I did.  I have been providing you with your grades and feedback all year... now you get to do the same to me... give me a grade!!!
(Due by the end of the period today- Thursday 5/23)

Please do the following for your final blog grade:

1. What did you enjoy about the class?
2. What did you dislike about the class?
3. Suggestions to improve the class?
4. Survival Tips for those taking AP European History next year!

Please note that as always this is a judgement free zone and I will not get upset with your comments. I truly appreciate you taking time to help me become a better teacher, and I value your opinion.

 In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.- "We are not makers of history. We are made by history."  Challenge yourself, don't take the easy road in life and learn to appreciate the little things!  It has been a pleasure being your teacher this year and I truly hope you can apply the skills you learned in class in the future.

Art Field Trip Selfie-- Even if you did NOT attend!

For your May blog assignment you will be analyzing a piece of art work that you viewed during our field trip the MFA.  I would like for you to post your art selfie and then do the following:

  1. Identify the art work, artist, and art style. (post your picture/selfie)

  2. Then you should Describe it, Analyze it, Interpret it, and Reflect on how it represents the art style.  Below are some guiding questions for this task.  You do NOT have to answer all of the questions but use them to help you complete the task.
 3. Why did you choose this piece of art?  What did you like about it?- Explain.

   If you did NOT attend the field trip... please choose a piece of art that was stolen from the Isabella Gardner museum.  Get a picture of the stolen piece... and then follow steps 1, 2 and 3 above!!!

  THIS POST IS DUE BY FRIDAY 5/17/2019!!! 11:59PM

Describe it.

What kinds of things do you see in this painting? What else do you see?

What words would you use to describe this painting? What other words might we use?

How would you describe the lines in this picture? The shapes? The colors? What does this painting show?

Look at this painting for a moment. What observations can you make about it?

How would you describe this painting to a person who could not see it?

How would you describe the people in this picture? Are they like you or different?

How would you describe (the place depicted in) this painting?

Analyze it.

Which objects seems closer to you? Further away?

What can you tell me about the colors in this painting?

What color is used the most in this painting?

What makes this painting look crowded?

What can you tell me about the person in this painting?

What can you tell me about how this person lived? How did you arrive at that idea?

What do you think is the most important part of this picture?

How do you think the artist made this work?

What questions would you ask the artist about this work, if s/he were here?

Interpret it.

What title would you give to this painting? What made you decide on that title?

What other titles could we give it?

What do you think is happening in this painting? What else could be happening?

What sounds would this painting make (if it could)?

What do you think is going on in this picture? How did you arrive at that idea?

What do you think this painting is about? How did you come up that idea?

Pretend you are inside this painting. What does it feel like?

What do you think this (object) was used for? How did you arrive at that idea?

Why do you suppose the artist made this painting? What makes you think that?

What do you think it would be like to live in this painting? What makes you think that?