Okay, I feel very guilty trying to give advice on this because I personally didn't read the book that much, even though I wish I did because it would've helped me on the multiple choice a lot. But, I can see if I can help in some way =).
Throughout the year, I actually sat down and read Chapters 2, 3, and the majority of 4, Ch. 15 (all), and about 5-10 pages of the other chapters sparsely. Then the rest of it was skimming mostly looking for terms. Yeah, it was not my greatest move and that is one of the main reasons why I didn't get a completely good grade in Mr. Johnston's class (still passed though AND the grade did get weighted!! heh heh...yeah).
When reading this book, especially the older ones (since I don't know if the School District is getting new books before the year starts for you guys), it's HARD to just sit down and read it because the text can get boring and bland.
Mr. Johnston actually had a talk with me (because I was not doing so well...opps =? lol) and he showed me his book. If you ever get the chance to see his highlighted and almost destroyed book, its pretty sweet (and funny to see how dirty it is from years of fingers flipping though it). Anyways, he was showing me the best way to read this and decipher how to go about taking notes and being able to ask questions.
Just like in any class, you have to be curious, whether it's because you like the subject or something about a line in the book or what Mr. J said was confusing or made you want to question it more. Mi$ta J started reading off one paragraph and was talking about when you read a line, gears should be turning in your head and asking things like "What is a war bond? a bureaucracy?" or "How does this connect with the fact that..." or even "Why is this important!?" Then, these are the questions you take to him during lecture (another reason why he says you should ALWAYS be at least a chapter ahead in your readings than you guys are in Lecture) or before school. Nothing seems to make him more happy then when you are asking questions (also the more questions you ask the longer the test is pushed back...heh heh =) ).
There's a historian who teaches APUSH on getafive.com that talks about two rules of history, one of them is that everything happens for a reason and it's all about linkage!! These are great rules to follow when trying to question what it going on. For instance, if we want to know why salutary neglect diminished, leading to the drips towards the Revolutionary War, we can link together the fact that the French and Indian War was over, which means that the British were not focused on war with France therefore now they could focus on the colonies more. It, for lack of better words, takes the mystery out of history.
Basically what I'm trying to say is that long, descriptive notes just in the purpose of getting them done are not going to help. Even though you cannot highlight and underline your book like Mr. J, the notes you take should be as if you were highlighting it. While reading a column, jot down a couple of blurbs like, "Bacon's Rebellion: Nathaniel Bacon lead attack on Native Americans; late 1600s; Berkeley hate it." But then ask questions like "Why did Berkeley not like it" and think "Oh, because he was doing trade with the Indians" and all that good stuff. Once you can connect the reasoning by WHY people did what they did and WHY it is important, not only will terms and multiple choice be easier, but these questions will help you through the AP Exam, esp. the DBQ and FRQ portion (you'll also get props from Mr. Johnston, and c'mon, who doesn't want that?). This is why the WHY section is 4 points of the term! It all connects!
Taking notes in for his class doesn't need to take 4 hours a night where you try to jot down everything and then try to study your notes, of which are illegible (use pen or type them btw, pencil smudges =/). Read through it, ask and write down questions or comments you have, and jot down a couple of lines about the content that could be a main topic on a test (my biggest mistake was writing down long lines and practically rewriting the textbook and it was time consuming, boring, and didn't help me at all). Obviously, that is easier said than done and I'm no expert in how the heck to take notes but I hope this helps or at least leads you to a note-taking method that you find beneficial!
If you are an alumni of Mr. J's class and you took notes or thought that if you did ever take them, there was a different way you would do it, please comment below! Thanks a bunch and good luck!
Throughout the year, I actually sat down and read Chapters 2, 3, and the majority of 4, Ch. 15 (all), and about 5-10 pages of the other chapters sparsely. Then the rest of it was skimming mostly looking for terms. Yeah, it was not my greatest move and that is one of the main reasons why I didn't get a completely good grade in Mr. Johnston's class (still passed though AND the grade did get weighted!! heh heh...yeah).
When reading this book, especially the older ones (since I don't know if the School District is getting new books before the year starts for you guys), it's HARD to just sit down and read it because the text can get boring and bland.
Mr. Johnston actually had a talk with me (because I was not doing so well...opps =? lol) and he showed me his book. If you ever get the chance to see his highlighted and almost destroyed book, its pretty sweet (and funny to see how dirty it is from years of fingers flipping though it). Anyways, he was showing me the best way to read this and decipher how to go about taking notes and being able to ask questions.
Just like in any class, you have to be curious, whether it's because you like the subject or something about a line in the book or what Mr. J said was confusing or made you want to question it more. Mi$ta J started reading off one paragraph and was talking about when you read a line, gears should be turning in your head and asking things like "What is a war bond? a bureaucracy?" or "How does this connect with the fact that..." or even "Why is this important!?" Then, these are the questions you take to him during lecture (another reason why he says you should ALWAYS be at least a chapter ahead in your readings than you guys are in Lecture) or before school. Nothing seems to make him more happy then when you are asking questions (also the more questions you ask the longer the test is pushed back...heh heh =) ).
There's a historian who teaches APUSH on getafive.com that talks about two rules of history, one of them is that everything happens for a reason and it's all about linkage!! These are great rules to follow when trying to question what it going on. For instance, if we want to know why salutary neglect diminished, leading to the drips towards the Revolutionary War, we can link together the fact that the French and Indian War was over, which means that the British were not focused on war with France therefore now they could focus on the colonies more. It, for lack of better words, takes the mystery out of history.
Basically what I'm trying to say is that long, descriptive notes just in the purpose of getting them done are not going to help. Even though you cannot highlight and underline your book like Mr. J, the notes you take should be as if you were highlighting it. While reading a column, jot down a couple of blurbs like, "Bacon's Rebellion: Nathaniel Bacon lead attack on Native Americans; late 1600s; Berkeley hate it." But then ask questions like "Why did Berkeley not like it" and think "Oh, because he was doing trade with the Indians" and all that good stuff. Once you can connect the reasoning by WHY people did what they did and WHY it is important, not only will terms and multiple choice be easier, but these questions will help you through the AP Exam, esp. the DBQ and FRQ portion (you'll also get props from Mr. Johnston, and c'mon, who doesn't want that?). This is why the WHY section is 4 points of the term! It all connects!
Taking notes in for his class doesn't need to take 4 hours a night where you try to jot down everything and then try to study your notes, of which are illegible (use pen or type them btw, pencil smudges =/). Read through it, ask and write down questions or comments you have, and jot down a couple of lines about the content that could be a main topic on a test (my biggest mistake was writing down long lines and practically rewriting the textbook and it was time consuming, boring, and didn't help me at all). Obviously, that is easier said than done and I'm no expert in how the heck to take notes but I hope this helps or at least leads you to a note-taking method that you find beneficial!
If you are an alumni of Mr. J's class and you took notes or thought that if you did ever take them, there was a different way you would do it, please comment below! Thanks a bunch and good luck!