During our 2nd period today we began a new chapter on 18th - 20th century Atlantic Revolutions. This period covers revolutions in North, South and Central America, movements to abolish slavery, the beginnings of the feminist movement and the rise of nationalism. Joshua will complete reading this chapter over break. Today we also practiced the AP skill of making connections, particularly causation.

We spent the period reviewing strategies and expectations for the written portion of the AP exam (2/3 of the exam). Joshua is learning strategies for Short Answer, Free Response (FRQ), Long Essay (LEQ) and Data Based Response (DBQ) Questions on the AP Exam. This is a 3.25 hour long AP exam and the M/C section (Joshua's favorite type of test question is just 55 minutes.) The remaining 140 minutes (over 2 hours) is comprised of the above type of writing questions. We are working on Joshua's comfort and competency with these AP types of questions.

Today Joshua learned the HW he must complete for this course over winter break. He must: 1. complete reading pp. 359-376 in Chap ter 8: "Atlantic Revolutions/Global Echoes 1750-1900 in his text. 2. In Barron's, Joshua must read pp. 25 - 41. This will bring him to the end of reading about the type of writing questions on the AP Exam, from Short Answer to Frequent Response (FRQ), Long Essay (LEQ) to the Data Based Question (DBQ). A DBQ requires a student to evaluate 6 sources on the World History: Modern AP. A DBQ is a complex type of essay question and the student has to write several paragraphs in response. These DBQs require students to use historical documents to analyze a trend or issue from the past. Each DBQ typically has five to seven documents for students to analyze. The documents can be primary or secondary sources, including maps, newspapers, letters, book excerpts and more. Essentially, when answering a DBQ, a student must use all the skills learned in their AP class and write like a historian. As a student writes their DBQ essay, they’ll need to demonstrate that they have the ability to: 1. Assess the context behind the documents, including the author’s perspective and the target audience. 2. Find connections between the various documents. 3. Write a solid thesis statement and use their analysis of the documents to support it. 4. Apply their knowledge of the historical issue to develop a stronger case. Josh has attempted to write a DBQ for HW and there is room for improvement as this is a new and complex format of historical analysis and writing. Joshua will also be required to complete his AP Classroom Unit 4 Progress Check all on line through AP Central. This will consist of 18 M/C questions and one FRQ written response. These questions are all accessible to Joshua online from Friday, 12/16/22 - Tuesday, 1/3/23. We will review all of this again in class tomorrow.

We reviewed the Short Answer Question Section, the 2nd section (this comes after the 55 minute M/C section) on the AP exam. This 2nd section is 40 minutes, each question is 13 minutes and worth 3 points. We discussed what must done to get full credit on the short answer questions, how they should be written and the length of the response. Joshua was instructed to highlight his Barron's Book as he reads! The 3rd section of the AP exam is 100 minutes, consisting of two essays: a long essay (LEQ) and a data based essay (DBQ). Joshua is continuing to learn about every section of the AP World History: Modern national exam. Everything possible is being done to orient Joshua to the structure of this exam. We will continue to work on practice questions throughout the year. This 195 minute (3.25 hours) exam has a 55 minute multiple choice section. The remaining 140 minutes (over 2 hours) is all writing. Much of our work continues to assist Joshua with writing solid theses and writing essays with substantive evidence and historical facts to support each thesis statement.

Upheavals shook both sides of the Atlantic between 1775-1825. The Atlantic revolutions in North America, Haiti, France & Latin America took place within a larger global context as upheavals were common overseas due to several weakening empires. The Atlantic revolutions were costly wars that cost European states & their impact was global. These revolutions were also linked to one another. They also shared a set of common ideas derived from the Enlightenment. New ideas of liberty, equality, free trade, religious tolerance, republicanism and human rationality were in the air. Nationalism, a key idea of the modern era, was instrumental in the Atlantic revolutions & shaped much of 19th & 20th world history & influenced the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. We then examined the North American, French and Haitian Revolutions.

Joshua ran out of time on his AP test yesterday and spent time completing it in class today. At the end of class, we began to review the expectations, format and idea for writing Free Response Questions, (LEQs), Long Response Questions (LEQs) and Document Based Questions (DBQs). We will continue to work on these skills throughout the year.

Joshua took a test in class today.

We discussed why the Scientific Revolution originated in Europe. At this time, its reinvigorated & fragmented status helped as did the autonomy of emerging universities. People could now study without the dictates of the church. Neither Islamic or Chinese places of learning permit this. In the 16th - 18th centuries, a tidal wave of new knowledge became available to Europeans. We then reviewed for the test tomorrow at the end of the period.

Confucian and Hindu cultures didn't spread as widely as Christianity and Islam in the modern era. In China a new system of thought emerged called Neo-Confucianism. Confucianism and Buddhism become more accessible to a greater number of people. We looked at the Chinese "kaozeng" or "research based" movement. It emphasized the importance of verification, precision, accuracy & rigorous analysis in all fields of inquiry. In India, the Mughal Empire under Akbar syncretisized many different religions and belief systems. A devotional form of Hinduism called "bhakti" began to spread. It was appealing to women as it often criticized the harsh social system/caste movement and was more of a personal - even a mystical, experience for some people. These bhakti reforms had much in common with Sufi forms of Islam. This helped blur the distinction between Hinduism & Islam in India. We looked at a passage from bhakti poet Mirabai. Sikhism in India also continues to grow during this period. They developed their own, sacred book, the "Guru Granth." Followers would make pilgrimage to the Golden Temple of Amritsar. In the 17th century, due to hostility from the Mughal Empire and Hindu neighbors, Sijhism begins to evolve into a more militant period. Over time, the military skills of the Sikhs even became valued by the British when they colonize India in the 18th century. We also focused on the AP skill of argumentation.

We discussed how Christianity made it's way to some parts of Africa while Islam spreads across Sub-Saharan, northern, east & west of Africa and the Afro-Asian world. This new "Islamization" was not the product of conquering armies, but of wandering holy Islamic men known as Sufis or scholars, traders. Islam also spread to Brazil to areas such as Sumatra & Java in the South Pacific. Orthodox Muslims in regions like the Middle East disapproved of the syncretism (blending of Islam w/ other traditions) in other parts of the world. Soon, conflict arises among different Islamic groups - all while the Ottoman Empire continues to weaken. We looked at how Wahhabi Islam took over Saudi Arabia. We then concluded with a discussion of how Joshua did with his weekend HW assignment. We focused on the skill of strong essay writing, providing historical evidence in both the LEQs and DBQ for the APs. What is acceptable: providing correct evidence what is not acceptable: avoid writing in "truisms." These are broad statements that may be correct about history, but they lack meaningful evidence. Joshua's writing tends to incorporate truisms and not enough evidence at this point. We will continue to focus on this skill.