August 19, 2015

Dear Parents and Students in AP U.S. History,

My name is Mrs. Ladd and Ill be your Advanced Placement United
States History (APUSH) teacher. You're about to embark on one of the
most challenging and rewarding classes offered at LHS. I do love
history, but it is the skills you will learn this year that will benefit you
throughout your entire secondary and collegiate career. As
sophomores, students are taking a college level survey course. The
class will be difficult at times. Hard work and preparation are a must as
well as excellent study skills, but all of these qualities will assist you
throughout your educational careers. This is why I felt it was very
important to reach out to you early, so that you understood the class
structure and focus. APUSH is the first advanced placement class
students take and the experience can be overwhelming at times but
its a great foundation for the future.
APUSH will be a rigorous and fast paced course. It is a two-semester
survey of American history from the age of exploration and discovery
to the present. The course material will expose students to extensive
primary and secondary sources and to the interpretations of various
historians. Emphasis is placed on historical thinking skills, essay
writing, and critical reading in order to prepare students for the AP U.S.
History National College Board Examination. The exam is stressed
because students with a 3, 4, or 5 score have the opportunity to test
out of entry-level history courses offered by some colleges. Students
should possess strong reading and writing skills and be willing to
devote substantial time to study and the completion of class reading
assignments.
Students for the class will need the following items:
Binder
Notebook- I suggest a multiple subject notebook because
students will be taking a significant amount of notes.
Pencils, Pens, Highlighters
As you can see, APUSH is set up like a college class. Students will write
multiple papers this year, take various assessments based off the
national exam, and create a presentation at the end of the year.
Students learn the expectations the first day of school and yes, some
are nervous, but they all rise to meet the challenge. And I do believe
they are capable of the challenge!

Parents, I'm holding an open house Tuesday, September 1 from

6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in my classroom, E150, in order to
further explain the expectations for the class. I believe
working together from the beginning we can help students
succeed in reaching their goals. I'll be sending out an email
reminder the first week of school. I hope to see everyone
there.
If you have any other questions or concerns before the open house,
please contact me either through email (ladd@lepapps.org) or by
telephone (330-875-1438 ex:1303). My conference period is from
12:51 p.m. to 1:51 p.m. Or we can meet by appointment.
I hope to make this a wonderful and exciting year and by working
together we can achieve just that for the students at Louisville High
School.
Thank you for all that you do!
Sincerely,
Kelly Ladd