First Six Weeks Exam Recap - MOVED to Wednesday FIT

Hi everyone -

Sorry for the confusion and the late notice on this, but we're going to have to move our exam recap session from Tuesday FIT to Wednesday.  Apparently there's a mandatory junior assembly on Tuesday, so you'll all be learning fun stuff about class rings or something.  Anyway, if you want to go over your exam with me or Ms. Pettigrew, please sign up for one of the Wednesday FIT sessions.


- Flowers

Lecture 1 and 2 handouts

Here are the outlines and terms lists for lecture 1 and lecture 2 in case you happen to want electronic copies.  Extra paper copies are available in 274.

Outline 1

Outline 2

Terms List 1

Terms List 2

Intro to LEQ Handout

If you want your own copy of the Intro to LEQ Handout from class just use the link below.

Intro to LEQ Samples

Student instructions for APUSH – Aug. 22 and 23

APUSH students –

Please take ten minutes or so to familiarize yourselves with the course syllabus, web site, calendar, and other handouts.  We will briefly discuss procedures, grading, and other housekeeping items when I get back to school.

Once you’ve looked everything over, please locate your terms list.  You have the balance of the period to begin working on your first ten terms.  Normally, you would complete this during a lecture or once the lecture has concluded, but since I’m not at school I wanted you to get a preview of what’s expected of you for this task.  You should have the first ten terms completed by next class.

Your instructions for each and every terms list are the same – you should identify and explain the historical significance of each term on the list within the space provided.  This should usually take 2-3 sentences, and should be more than just a definition.  Terms lists are a significant part of your grade for each six weeks, so you should always make sure to complete them according to these instructions.

For today, you are welcome to use whatever resources are available to you to complete your work – your outline, textbooks and review books in the classroom, or your phone / tablet / computer.  You may also work with other students, but it is NEVER acceptable for you to copy your work directly from another student.  There is a fine line between working together and cheating – do not cross it.

I will check over your work next class, and this grade will be aggregated with your first terms list grade.  Please let the sub or Ms. Pettigrew know if you have any questions.  

Why I’m not at school

APUSH students –

As I’m sure you will have realized by the time you read this message, I’m not at school for the first day of class.  I’ve never missed the first (or second) day before, so I wanted to let you all know what I’m up to and when I’ll be back.

Last summer, I was chosen to be the head coach of the United States team for the International Geography Olympiad.  Some of you may be familiar with other international academic Olympiad competitions – things like math, biology, physics or linguistics.  Some of you may have taken qualifying exams for these competitions during your time at LASA. 

This year, the iGeo competition is taking place in Beijing, China.  Students at the competition are required to take a written examination and to complete geographical field observations which are then used to solve a set of problems relating to both physical and human geography.  As I’m writing this, Team USA, along with students from 44 other countries, are finishing the last phase of the competition – a multiple choice examination called the multimedia test.

In addition to the competition and testing, there are excursions to famous Beijing landmarks and cultural presentations from all 45 delegations.  By popular demand, Team USA will spend their allotted time tonight explaining to the world the cultural phenomenon that is Donald Trump.  On Sunday, with the competition concluded, we will take a day trip to the Great Wall.  Monday we will have the gold medal ceremony on the grounds of the former (and future) site of the Beijing Olympic games.  I’ll be traveling home on Tuesday and finally in class on Wednesday, ready to start a new year of APUSH.

Hope your first days of the new school year end up going well.  We'll get started with a few procedural items and then Reconstruction on Wednesday in class.

- Flowers

At the Summer Palace

Street food on Wangfujing Street

iGeo excursion to the Forbidden City

Team USA 2015 in front of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow

Pettigrew - Contact Information and Office Hours

Here's my contact information and office hours for the 2016-2017 school year.

Kimberley Pettigrew

Room 272
Conference Periods: 0A, 7
Email: kbpttgrw@gmail.com
Classroom phone: 512-841-3072 [not currently working]

Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday afternoons 4:00 - 4:30 and by appointment

APUSH 2016 - Election Year Madness Edition!!

Welcome to a new year of LASA APUSH!  Ms. Pettigrew and I are happy that all of you will be joining us for this crazy, historic election year.  We'll follow all the ups and downs of this ridiculous political season, and also learn a bunch of US history along the way.

Please refer to this site throughout the year for information about the course, announcements, class handouts and assignments, and the official course calendar.

I'm sorry I won't be with you all on the first (or second) day of school, but I'll be back in the States and ready to get started on Wednesday.  See you all then!

- Flowers