Q&A Regarding History at the Ninth Grade vs at the High School

Crimson Crier: How would you describe your course to incoming students?
Jennifer McKinney: This is a one semester class covering Exploration to Reconstruction. Students will be required to complete readings outside of class on a regular basis. The textbook used is the American Pageant, which is a college level textbook. Students will be required to complete annotated terms for all 22 chapters and will take unit tests (anywhere from 3-5 chapters). Students will complete document analysis activities on a regular basis and will also write essays (free response and document based). It is recommended that you have at least an 85 average in Pre-AP World History to take this course.
CC: What do most students expect coming into your class?
JM: Most students expect videos, more writing, multiple choice tests and tests covering one chapter at a time.
CC: How is the work rate different between the Ninth Grade and the high school?
JM: We use college textbooks vs a seventh grade reading level book as well as move at a faster pace. We have unit tests instead of chapter tests and we do outside readings which include more homework.
CC: How has the work rate changed from the ninth grade to the high school?
Lauren Jones: Last year my regular history class was pretty basic and if you did the work you were pretty well off. This year in my Pre-AP history the work is much more expansive and takes up a lot of time. The tests are also much more complicated because we do tests that are more similar to the ACT questions compared to just doing normal multiple choice.
CC: What were you told coming into your high school courses?
L J: We weren’t told that much about how extensive the classes were. We were basically told that regular is for if you’re only “alright” at a subject and that Pre-AP was for those who grasped the concept well and needed more of a challenge. I was told Pre-AP classes were taught at a faster pace when they really just give you more homework and have different expectations than they would have in a regular class.