Welcome to Mrs. Shook's

AP World History: Modern Class

Course Overview

AP World History is a challenging course that is structured around the investigation of selected themes woven into key concepts covering distinct chronological periods. AP World History is equivalent to an an introductory college survey course. The course has a three-fold purpose. First, it is designed to prepare students for successful placement into higher-level college and university history courses. Second, it is designed to develop skills of analysis and thinking in order to prepare students for success in the twenty-first century. Finally, it is the intent of this class to make the learning of world history an enjoyable experience. Students will be able to show their mastery of the course goals by taking part in the College Board AP World History Exam in May.

Six Themes

The thematic learning objectives describe, at a high level, the knowledge colleges expect students to develop in the AP World History course in order to be qualified for credit and placement. These themes focus on major historical issues and developments, helping students connect the historical content they study to broad trends and processes that have emerged over centuries. In class, we recognized these as the "SPICE-T" characteristics (social, political, interactions, cultural, economic, technology).

Course Schedule

Quarters 1 & 2 (Fall): August - January

Unit 0: Foundational AP Skills
Unit 1: Global Tapestry (1200-1450)
Unit 2: Networks of Exchange (1200-1450)
Unit 3: Land Based Empires (1450-1750)
Unit 4: Transoceanic Interconnections (1450-1750)
Unit 5: Revolutions (1750-1900) (Splits into Qtr 3)
Semester One Timeline Due in January

Quarters 3 & 4 (Spring): January - June

Unit 5: Revolutions (1750-1900)
Unit 6: Consequences of Industrialization (1750-1900)
Unit 7: Global Conflict (1900-present)
Unit 8: Cold War & Decolonization (1900-present)
Unit 9: Globalization (1900-present)
Review, Study, & Mock Exam
Semester Two Timeline Due after Spring Break
Final Project Completion after Exam
AP World History Exam - Thursday, May 11, 2023

Prepare for the Exam

The AP World History exam for the 2023 school year will be held Thursday, May 11, 2023 at 8:00 a.m. It will be administered as a paper & pencil exam. Students must register in order to take this exam. Registration takes place in November. Please be sure to complete AP Classroom sign up and any other registration forms that may be sent home.

Unit Exam Weighting Breakdown

Unit 1: 8-10%
Unit 2: 8-10%
Unit 3: 12-15%
Unit 4: 12-15%
Unit 5: 12-15%
Unit 6: 12-15%
Unit 7: 8-10%
Unit 8: 8-10%
Unit 9: 8-10%

Exam Format

Section 1A: Multiple Choice

55 Questions | 55 Minutes | 40% of Exam Score

Questions usually appear in sets of 3–4 questions.
Students analyze historical texts, interpretations, and evidence.
Primary and secondary sources, images, graphs, and maps are included.

Section 1B: Short Answer

3 Questions | 40 Minutes | 20% of Exam Score

Students analyze historians’ interpretations, historical sources, and propositions about history.
Questions provide opportunities for students to demonstrate what they know best.
Some questions include texts, images, graphs, or maps.
Students choose between 2 options for the final required short-answer question, each one focusing on a different time period:
- Question 1 is required, includes 1 secondary source, and focuses on historical developments or processes between the years 1200 and 2001.
- Question 2 is required, includes 1 primary source, and focuses on historical developments or processes between the years 1200 and 2001.
- Students choose between Question 3 (which focuses on historical developments or between the years 1200 and 1750) and Question 4 (which focuses on historical developments or processes between the years 1750 and 2001) for the last question. No sources are included for either Question 3 or Question 4.

Section 2A: Document-Based Question

1 Question | 1 Hour (includes 15-minute reading period) | 25% of Exam Score

Students are presented with 7 documents offering various perspectives on a historical development or process.
Students assess these written, quantitative, or visual materials as historical evidence.
Students develop an argument supported by an analysis of historical evidence.
The document-based question focuses on topics from 1450–2001.

Section 2B: Long Essay

1 Question | 40 Minutes | 15% of Exam Score

Students explain and analyze significant issues in world history.
Students develop an argument supported by an analysis of historical evidence.
The question choices focus on the same skills and the same reasoning process (e.g., comparison, causation, or continuity and change), but students choose from 3 options, each focusing primarily on historical developments and processes in different time periods—either 1200–1750 (option 1), 1450–1900 (option 2), or 1750–2001 (option 3).