AP Worldipedia
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Welcome to AP Worldipedia, the free encyclopedia for Mr. Henderson's AP World History classes at West Forsyth High School. This project is a work in progress, and is being aligned to the curriculum framework for AP World History. Below are the Key Concepts on which this course is based. Each has been filled out into a narrative text with illustrative media. Although they do not necessarily follow the chronological order in which the content will be taught in class, they should prove useful in summarizing the basics of the course. All questions on the AP World History test in May are built on the Key Concepts you see listed on this website. Later on the content will also be arranged by the 5 AP World History Themes and there will be articles and essay rubrics with links to examples. Our goal is to form an online repository of knowledge to help ourselves and other students with the content and skills of the Advanced Placement World History course. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the College Board in any way.
About AP World History
According to the AP World History Course Description) published by the College Board, "The breadth of world history has always posed challenges for AP teachers
to create opportunities for deep conceptual understanding for students
while addressing a syllabus largely driven by sheer scope. The AP World
History course outlined in this course and exam description addresses
these challenges by providing a clear framework of six chronological
periods viewed through the lens of related key concepts and course themes,
accompanied by a set of skills that clearly define what it means to think
historically."
"The course’s organization around a limited number of key concepts instead
of a perceived list of facts, events, and dates makes teaching each historical
period more manageable. The three to four key concepts per period
define what is most essential to know about each period based upon
the most current historical research in world history. This approach
enables students to spend less time on factual recall, more time on learning
essential concepts, and helps them develop historical thinking skills
necessary to explore the broad trends and global processes involved in
their study of AP World History."
Course Themes
The content of this course would be overwhelming were it not organized around major themes and key concepts. As you read and write articles for AP Worldipedia, you should keep them relevant to these themes. The Course Themes are as follows:
- 1) Interaction between Humans and the Environment -The environment impacts human beings even as human activity impacts the environment. From the earliest discoveries of fire and agriculture, this relationship has been driven by new technologies, migrations of human beings, disease and demographic changes, and patterns of human settlement.
- 2) Development and Interaction of Cultures -Throughout history, humans have held many belief systems and religions. They have developed philosophies and ideologies, technologies and forms of artistic expression. As societies interact, these aspects of culture adapt, blend or react to one another and often form new and complex mixtures.
- 3) State-building, Expansion, and Conflict -Humans developed forms of authority, or governance, to bring order and efficiency to their lives. These took the form of tribes or clans based on kinship, empires built by conquest, modern nation-states, and other hierarchical systems. All political systems are formed on the concept of legitimacy and when legitimacy is lost, revolts and revolutions transform the system.
- 4) Creation, Expansion, and Interaction of Economic Systems -This theme deals with how human beings use their resources and labor to produce and exchange wealth. It includes means of acquiring food, forms of labor, how things are bought, sold, and traded, as well as ideologies about wealth such as capitalism, mercantilism, and socialism.
- 5) Development and Transformation of Social Structures -All human societies develop assumptions about how human beings are grouped. These are almost always hierarchical, with some classes or castes higher than others. The most basic social structure has always been the family, but kinship, race, ethnicity and economic level are also ways of grouping. Most societies have assumptions about the role of gender also.
Course Content by Key Concept
Period 1 Key Concepts
Period 2 Key Concepts
Period 3 Key Concepts
Period 4 Key Concepts
Period 5 Key Concepts
Period 6 Key Concepts
The Essays
The essays on the AP World History test are graded on a scale from 1 to 9. The rubrics below show how you gain those points. If you get all 7 of the Basic Core points, your essay will be considered for 2 additional,or Expanded Core, points.
Document Based Question
On the DBQ the student performs the task of the historian. The student must read and analyze historical documents and answer a prompt based on them. It is grade according to this rubric:
| Basic Core | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptable Thesis | 1 point | ||||||||
| Addresses all of the Documents | 1 point | ||||||||
| Uses all the Documents as Evidence | 1 or 2 points | ||||||||
| Groups the Documents | 1 point | ||||||||
| Analyzes Point of View | 1 point | ||||||||
| Identifies an Additional Document | 1 point | ||||||||
Change and Continuity over Time
| Basic Core | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptable Thesis | 1 point | ||||||||
| Addresses all parts of the Question | 1 or 2 points | ||||||||
| Uses Appropriate Evidence | 1 or 2 points | ||||||||
| Uses World Historical context | 1 point | ||||||||
| Analyzes the reason for Change or Continuity | 1 point | ||||||||
Compare and Contrast
How to Write Articles
How to put an Image in your Article
Grading Rubric for Writing Articles
This wiki is currently being revised for the new College Board curriculum framework for AP World History.