Pearls of Wisdom

Hello Freshman of the Scholars Academy. This is ---- (all information pertaining to me is Top Secret accessible only by high ranking members of the NSA - New Scholars Administration) bringing you the latest news in Sports, Gaming, and Movies. Nah, I'm here to tell you about the course you are taking. The class, of course, would be the one you are currently in right now. So without further ado, here's some wisdom from ----, a sophomore who took this class and read letters just like you are doing right now, on how to ace the class Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics". Don't feel safe worry, this will be a miserable time that you will never forget. Don't let the long name scare you; this class is often abbreviated to AP Gov, APGOPO, or something similar.

Homework
For starters, you need to do your homework. You may or may not have skipped some homework or turned it in late back in Middle and Elementary school, but that needs to stop. Trust me, the consequences that arise from not doing homework are great: You lose a sense of hard-work, you miss a lot of material, it can often be difficult to catch up, Mr. McDowell will lose his respect for you, etc. And if those things don't scare you away, how about the fact that turning in homework late will result in halfcredit. Yes, you will get a 50 if its late. And a 0 if it's more than 1 day late. Mr. McDowell is actually quite generous; some AP teachers and the overwhelming majority of college professors do not take late homework at all you get a 0. Despite the grade drop you will receive from turning in work late, you will find yourself behind and will miss material. In my opinion, that is the greatest consequence for not doing your work. After we do homework, we end up discussing it 95% of the time the day after. If you didn't do your homework, it may be very difficult to gain anything from the discussion (especially if you didn't do the homework the nights before). And on top of that, you will have more work and more thinking. So in conclusion, do your work and turn it in the day it's due. NO PROCRASTINATION ALLOWED (though this is a battle you'll be fighting potentially for your whole experience here at scholars). I'm not saying I suspect you will turn in work late, I'm just giving a small warning. In addition to homework, it is strongly recommended that you review material every night. What I mean is that if you are on Day 3 of Congress, it may do you some good to review what you learned on Day 1. This can be done by spending some time with your future best friend Wilson. Now before you start asking everyone if Wilson is cool or hot, I will advise you to look at the author of your biggest textbook. This is the way the book will be referenced in the future, so it is best that you get used to it. Anyway, you won't have to review in the beginning as you do later on in the year, but the review is important for several reasons. First and foremost, you'll need to have a good understanding of the material in order to prepare for the AP Exam. Secondly, you'll have to be able to express your understanding of the topic to ace the FRQs (I'll

get back to that in a second). Thirdly, studying only a few days after you learn the material (and continuing to review it) will cut down on the study time you'll need at the end of the unit. Don't worry, studying and reviewing won't take away a large chunk of your time. You can easily study the 10 minutes before class starts (there is a 10 minute break between classes), on the car/bus on your way here, during lunch, or whenever.

Free Response Questions

I mentioned FRQs in the last paragraph and I'm sure you're wondering what it is. They are not pronounced furuqs; FRQ is an acronym for Free Response Question (silly you). They are exactly as they sound, but a lot more at the same time. Basically, you have 25 minutes to respond to a multi-part question. You will have to greatly elaborate on your response and show that you truly know the material; fake-outs (or whatever your generation calls it) will not earn you credit. Here are some basic strategies for these furuqs I mean FRQs. Make sure you reread the questions to catch anything you may have missed. When actually answering the question, make sure you DEE. As you may have guessed, DEE is an acronym -- which stands for Define (go over what the answer is), Explain (expand upon your definition), and Example (give an example whenever possible). Another thing to keep in mind is that "It's about what's right, not what's wrong!" You'll actually be quite familiar with this quote, as Mr. McDowell likes saying it. Basically, you won't get space taken off for Spare Tires, or extra answers. Now before you start putting down many short answers for the FRQs, be reminded that spare tires are not to be used on every type of question and that you still have to elaborate. That's really the basics; Mr. McDowell will have lots more to say, and you'll gain experience after completing many of these. Oh, did I mention he will often give pop-frqs (like pop-quizzes) with almost no notice? Just make sure that you don't tell anyone who hasn't had the class yet on that day about the FRQ. Sorry, you can't even tell your teddy bear or your mommy.

Notes
During class discussions, you need to make sure you are taking notes. Personally, I wasn't a big fan of notes back in Middle School, and I am still only acquaintances with him now, but I'm hoping I will take even more notes. So when Mr. McDowell is up there speaking, you should take notes. I usually do it on the back of the Guided Questions that we do for homework (I would single-side print them, leaving the back completely blank). These notes will help clarify the information and prove to be a quick study tool for the tests that the book may not supply. Yes, I know it's tempting to stare at McDowell's gorgeous face, and you can still do that every once in a while, but you should be taking notes and processing what he says. While I'm on that topic, do NOT talk when he is talking. This is extremely disrespectful and rude. The occasional comment on whatever is going on is fine, but side conversations should not exist when he is discussing material. If you don't care that you're being rude, some other consequences include missing out on material, making your friend lose out on material, McDowell losing respect for you, and being

scolded at. So basically, if you see side conversations, kill it with fire. Just make sure you don't accidentally ignite Mr. McDowell's butt... (it would make a funny story- maybe you should ask McDowell *wink-wink* *nudge-nudge*)

Handouts/Videos
Throughout the year, you will receive several different handouts and articles. As unimportant as they may sound, these articles and other types of handouts can greatly help your understandings of the material. This also applies to any study guides he gives you. In addition, I would advise you to pay attention whenever a video is being played. Some may be fun- such as the Democracy in America Videos, but some may be excruciatingly boring- such as the West Wing. For some reason, I have the feeling I got something mixed up in the last paragraph. Oh right: *understandings (silly me and my spelling mistakes).

Conclusion
Well ladies and gentleman, it appears that the letter has reached an end. Keep in mind all of the details above, but the main idea is this: This class is hard. In fact, it's going to be the hardest class you have taken up to this point. The work you put in will have to be greatly increased. Yes you are smart, very smart in fact. However, that doesn't mean anything unless you put in enough effort. But don't get discouraged! Just look at yourself: You're awesome! You can conquer anything that McDowell throws at you!

Just remember that you'll have up to 3 hours of homework every night (excluding projects) ;D

- Love - From - Sincerely Biraj Dahal