Studying for an AP class is not always easy...

What can you do to maximize your time, your final grade, and your AP scores?

1. Decide on Day One that you are INVESTED. Make a commitment to do what it takes to achieve the kind of grade you would like, the kind of grade you deserve, the kind of grade you'll be proud of.
2. READ. No, really. Read everything that has been assigned. Know how to access the readings, whether it means you've downloaded the textbook onto your laptop, your phone, or knowing how to access it via the internet. Find uninterrupted time to devote to the reading assignments, preferably where there are no distractions. But PLEASE, devote yourself to doing ALL of the reading assignments.
3. Expect regular progress checks to see how you're doing with the reading. These progress checks will be at the beginning of class, maybe 2-3 times a week, and will be add up to one weekly grade, to be recorded in the gradebook every Friday.
4. Keep up with the calendar and homework assignments. The class is easy to follow if you read the assignments, which are assigned way ahead of time, to give you the opportunity to plan your homework, to read ahead, to catch up if you're absent, to stay on track and know where we are with our work and where we are going. Everyone misses an assignment here and there, but do your best to keep up with as much as possible. The behinder you get, the behinder you'll be, and it'll catch up to you fast.
5. Pace your reading. The reading assignments are generally designed to divide up our reading into smaller, regular chunks, in order to keep you from reading a small amount one night but a huge assignment the next. If you have a reading assignment for the night, it is usually doable to read it all in one reading session. But...if you see you are feeling restless and having a difficult time paying attention for long while you are reading, allow yourself the opportunity to read for 10 minutes, then take a break; do another assignment, take a walk, get a snack, and come back to it to read for another 10 minutes, for example. As long as you end up reading the entire assignment for the night, breaking it up into smaller bits is just fine.
6. Consider scheduling your reading assignments for the same time each night. Many of my students have said they read their nightly assignments right before they go to bed. Studies have shown that whatever you have studied before going to sleep, your brain works to make sense of during the night, and the information is retained for longer periods of time and is easier to access later.
7. Be aware of test dates. The tests are scheduled and announced way ahead of time, for your convenience. It is your responsibility to keep up with the reading and testing schedule. Consider putting any announced assignments, either reading or homework assignments, or tests, into your phone's calendar or agenda, with alarms to remind you at least two days before they are due! Since you have the schedule for the entire semester, knock out recording the assignments in your calendar all at once!
8. Take notes. Write them by hand, not typed. What does that mean? Why do I need to take notes? Studies have shown that the actual act of writing words on paper, with a pen, requires the mind's full attention to the details of creating each letter, each word, and each concept, which helps the mind to retain that information longer than simply typing each letter and each word. Typing does not involve as much attention to the details, and students who type their notes versus students who write their notes tend to remember less of the details. Isn't the whole point to remember the details? Simply reading the information is helpful, but summarizing and then writing the main ideas in addition to reading them is proven to help students retain that information longer, in order to be ready for the test at the end of the week, or even the end of the month. TAKING NOTES IS FOR YOU...not for the teacher! It is for YOUR benefit!
9. Consider drawing in your notebook. While you take notes, consider drawing diagrams in order to learn the structure and relationships of concepts, rather than just writing definitions. Draw a chart or diagram of the information to help you organize your thinking - or even copy a chart or diagram that has already organized the info for you. Use color in your notebook, to make chapter headings stand out, or section headings or vocabulary. Color used in your notebook is NOT about making it more attractive, but making it meaningful. The colors you choose should have a meaning that is clear as you review your notes. AND DON'T WORRY ABOUT HOW ARTISTIC YOU ARE. Nobody is judging your notes. Just do the best you can. They are for YOU!