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WSHS AP United States History:
Summer Assignment Letter 2007

May 25, 2007

 Dear Parent:

 Welcome to the world of AP US History.  We are looking forward to working with your son or daughter during the next school year.

 This letter is to inform you of the summer reading assignment. One of the greatest challenges in AP US History is amount of material students are expected to know. This summer assignment is designed to help give students a “jump start” on some of the information and to expose them to the early events in American history.  It should help ease them into the rigorous pace of AP US History.

The summer assignment has two parts.   First each student should plan to come by room 254 between June 1^st and 18^th  to pick up their textbook, The Enduring Vision, and the assignment.  This assignment will be due on  September 4^th or 5^th (depending on what day your child has AP US History).  Please note that students will be formally issued the textbook at this time and therefore will be held accountable for lost or damaged books.

Second, each student should acquire A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn published by The New Press. Zinn presents a readable survey (albeit opinionated) of American history and is widely used by AP US History students throughout the United States.  Student will need to read the first six chapters in this book over the summer. This book can be purchased on-line at any number of booksellers or by special order at the Springfield Borders.  This book has several editions.  This book has been used here at WSHS for the past five years, so perhaps your child can acquire it from a former student.  Any of the editions will suffice and allow students to complete the assignment.  The ISBN numbers for the latest editions are 0060838655 and an abridged version with questions 1-56584-379-7.  It is important that your son or daughter have easy access to a copy of this book as it will be used throughout the year. 

Please be aware that as mentioned above there will be an in-class graded assessment assigned upon the return to school in September tied to the first six chapters in the Peoples History of the United States.  This will be an OPEN NOTE assignment and therefore students should take some notes on important information from these first six chapters.  Again, questions answered from the Enduring Vision will be collected during the first week of school.

One of the things you can do as a parent to help your child succeed in AP US History is to make sure they don't wait until the last minute to complete this summer work. Students who do it over time, in small manageable amounts, are more likely to do better in the course.

If you have questions, you may contact me via email during the summer at Margaret.Tran@fcps.edu.

Thanks for your time, attention, and support. Your encouragement is a vital piece in helping your child become successful in AP US History.   Again I look forward to working with either your son or daughter in September.

Sincerely,