Note-Taking Tips for History Class
The 6th century CE historian Gregory of Tours opened his great work of history Decem Libri Historiarum (The Ten Books of History), with the line “A great many things keep happening, some good, some bad,” and I think this encompasses very much the trials and tribulations of note taking and reading for history class.
The first problem many students, especially AP history students, run into is that there are “a great many things” that “keep happening” in their textbook and teacher’s lectures. There are events, dates, names, battles, documents, and so much more. This firehose of information can overwhelm students and make them want to give up on the class. The good news is that students do not need to remember every single piece of information that is covered by their textbook or teacher.
Prioritizing Information
One of the ways a tutor can help, is assisting in prioritizing information and making it more manageable for students. A common issue is students taking too many notes as they try to write down everything. A tutor can help a student work on targeting information that is important. The student can start by reading a page and picking out the three pieces of information they find most important. This helps the student pair the information into the broader themes of the unit. Most AP history tests require knowledge of broad themes and trends and then a few examples of specific information that supports or demonstrates those themes and trends, so knowing and retaining every piece of content is not actually required.
A tutor can also help students improve their note-taking skills during lectures. They can review a student’s notes to see what information the student captures and identify any gaps. Tutors may also give short practice lectures so students can work on taking clear, organized notes. Afterward, they review the notes together to check understanding and refine the student’s technique.
AP History Class Tips
One big challenge in AP History class is the heavy reading load. Students often need to read dense textbook material in just a few days, on top of other homework. It can be a challenge to get through them, even for the most enthusiastic readers. A tutor can help students find strategies to digest the dense information. Finding strategies like breaking up the reading into manageable bits can help. It may take some trial and error, but with guidance from their tutor, students can master their coursework more confidently.
AP history classes are great at teaching you the content for the class, but the teachers don’t always have the time to support students with figuring out note taking and reading strategies. A history tutor is a great resource for this, and can help a student gain confidence and mastery of both skills and also the content!
