AP US History Class Reviews for Class taught by Daniel Burns

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APUSH by Daniel Burns (DB) posted by Connor Baer on May 27 2008 at 15:41:59

Did you fee like the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Most definitely. I actually felt like the exam didn't test us on our total knowledge well enough. It was very specific on certain things, so in that regard I almost felt over-prepared. (if that's possible)

How many hours per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

When I first looked at the course and saw all the hours that people had put into the work, it looked very intimidating. To be sure, this class is not a slouch class, but the hours really do slip away. I spent anywhere from 45 minutes to 3 hours a day, and probably around 9-11 hours a week. The reading takes most of the time, so be prepared to be spending time with a heavy book.

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yes. I found myself doing research on certain topics just because I was interested in them. The structure of the class makes the learning enjoyable and not a painful process.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Haha. We had many interesting and heated debates on the forums ranging on topics from the ideas of the Constitution to abortion to homosexuality to evolution to pretty much anything we could think of. I really enjoyed my classmates and I learned a ton from our discussions. For homeschoolers, this is a great way to stretch outside of the house and interact with other people.

Would you recommend this course to other students?

If anyone asked me if they should take the APUSH class by DB, I would say "yes" in a heartbeat. I've heard the class by Mrs. Richman is really good as well, but you can't go wrong with Mr. Burns. He makes the learning process enjoyable and acts more as a facilitator than a teacher which puts the responsibility on the student. This is a great class, and anyone who is willing to put the time and effort into the work should try it!

Review of APUSH posted by David Berghan on May 16 2008 at 22:02:18

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes. After the three weeks of review we got at the end of the course before the exam, I honestly feel as if the only thing that would have helped me more was the answer key for the exam. :)

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

1 1/2 to 3 hours a day, and about 9-11 hours a week. Mondays and Tuesdays use to be the hardest though because that was when I had the most assigned reading.

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

The main book we used as our "text book" is called "America, A Narrative History," or "ANH" as we call it. Honestly, my favorite part of the class, the most valueable part and the most fun part was reading ANH. It is a great book and I will keep my copy in very good condition after the class.

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Learning about something in detail always makes it more interesting.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Yes, definately. It was especially interesting for me because I was the only non-Christian student in the entire class, except for one girl who wasn't Christian.

great class! posted by Mary Kate Hetzel on June 28 2007 at 23:20:58

*Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes i definetly feel like i was very well prepared for the exam. The studying and tips from other students really helped.

*Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I loved the interviews and cartoon analysis. I had never done anything like this before and it brought history in a whole new light.

*Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Definetly. Since the course ended i began to read Dont know Much About American History: Things you never Learned But Really Ought To Know. :]

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

A very disciplined student would thrive in this environment. Because there is room in this class to go above and beyond, anyone who has the drive could get so much out of this class. I would 100% recommend this class to anyone with a good work ethic. I learned so much and had a good time doing it.

APUSH Review posted by Lillian Otieno on May 22 2007 at 17:44:14

Dear Reader,

If you're reading this, you're probably strongly considering taking Mr. Burn's APUSH class, and you want to get the inside scoop from APUSH alumni like me. Before I answer the guided questions, I would just like to say: this is the best APUSH class in the world!! I learned so much and had so much fun. Mr. Burns is the best teacher in the world. He is patient and really wants you to succeed. The way he set up this class is brilliant! With that said, the guided questions:

1. Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes, this course definitely prepared me to take the AP exam. The various assignments prepared me for different aspects of the exam, especially the essays. I was able to finish both the multiple choice and the free-response sections with enough time to check over my responses. I did not feel unprepared for the exam--I was confident because I knew that we had covered all periods of U.S. History. A brief illustration: Because we had finished the entire textbook about five weeks before the exam, I knew I was prepared to write an essay on any topic in American History. It was interesting to listen to the conversations around me--most students were planning what they would write if they got a question on the Cold War (it appeared that they had not finished the book, and had not discussed the Cold War). The ideas ranged from "I'm going to write that the teacher is stupid, she didn't teach us this" to "I'm going to write a poem". I could help smiling, knowing what I would write if we got the Cold War. This just goes to show how prepared I felt because of the excellent layout of this course.

2. How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I generally put about five hours per week into this course. It usually took me an hour to complete the assigned reading, about two hours for the bi-weekly essay, and about two hours reading primary source documents. However, I would say that a person could get an A out of the course if they put in only three and a half hours per week.

3. Are there any particulary favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I really enjoyed all the essays, and I also enjoyed reading primary source documents (PSDs). These helped with recall of information, and I kept finding questions on the AP exam where I would say, "Oh, I know that answer! I wrote an essay [or read a PSD] on that!"

4. Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yes, it did! If you like politics, this course will give you a background on which to base many of your discussions! I strongly believe every American should take U.S. History so that we can understand the workings of our country. I know no better way to do that than to take an indepth course like this.

5. Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Yes, I did! I was able to make a good friend, whom I talk to and email regularly, as well as several acquaintances. If you want to make a friend though, you must make the effort to contact the person outside of class and start communication. Friends don't just pop up in the class atmosphere. However, I am living proof that it is possible to make friends in this environment.

6. What student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

Any student who is disciplined will do well in this class. All the class requires is to do the assignments and make sure you have a grasp on the material. You needn't be a genius writer, or a good memorizer. You just need to be steady and disciplined. I would recommend this course to any student who meets the above criteria or who is willing to put sheer effort into it.

This is a great class! I would recommend it to anyone who loves history, who is disciplined, or even if you love to write (honestly, we wrote more in this class than in my Honors English 1 class!). If you're not sure, I would say go for it. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

Best wishes,

Lillian Otieno

Jared's Review of Mr. Burns' Class by Jared Kephart, May 18 2005 at 06:31:06

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam? Yes, extremely well.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course? Approx. 10 hours

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable? I really loved the debates.

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject? Yes, history is one of those things that the more you know the more you can learn.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable? I loved having the different students and different opinions. They gave me loads of new ideas and different opinions.

What sort of student would do well in this course? A hard-working, hard-reading, history-loving, persistent student.

Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)? I would ONLY reccomend this class to someone who is willing to work hard, is honest, and reliable and has a love of history. If I did think that they were ready I would reccomend this class to them above all others.

w00t for the course! by Andrew Hou, May 18 2005 at 13:19:09

This course is extremely well put together, especially for a first year teacher. ;-) We all really enjoyed being in this class, and I, especially, have gained alot from it. Mr. Burns is an excellent teacher, and I'm almost sorry that this class is over.

The preparation for the AP Exam was very good, especially in the area of essays. The selected prep books were excellent, and essay subjects, outstanding. Although, it would've been nice if there was a bit more preparation for MCQs. All of MCQ quizzes were very well prepared, but I would've felt better prepared if there were even more. The Debates that we had between students were extremely helpful, too. They really encouraged us to think, and they were also great fun. Hopefully, Mr. Burns will be inclined to join in on the debates with his next class. ;-)

This course has definitely piqued my interest in history (as well as government, economics, and politics. :-) Mr. Burns is definitely a wellspring of all infomation pertaining to those subjects, having taken AP and college courses in all of them.). It has given me a greater understanding of what has lead to how our country is as it is today, which is invaluable infomation.

Interaction between students was also greatly encouraged and helpful. They were around so much that they almost "haunted" our Web Forum. Often, questions would be posted on the forum with another student answering them within half an hour. Even with the answer already given, many other students would add their own additions or comments to the answer, giving more infomation that was either in direct corrolatioin or simply pertaining to the subject.

Anybody with a strong work-ethic, a love of reading, and a love of history would do excellently in this course. This is a course that should not be missed. You meet alot of interesting people, all of which are at the utmost highest caliber of academics. And our teacher even more so. Viva le United States!

Need an excellent APUSH course? Look no further. by William Honaker, May 18 2005 at 16:38:45

If you want a five on the APUSH exam, this is the course to take. The cours load is no easy task (quite hard, even) so make sure you are really interested and really have the time for this. Sad is the student who is so eager, but cannot finish his work.

That said, you'll have a lot of fun with this course. The work is enough to please those who love a challenge: about 50-75 pages to study each week, two or more essays a month (it's actually slightly easier when you write them by hand, I found) and also interviews and analyses of political cartoons. And to keep you busy once you've finished the required work, there's a competitive extra credit race. Read primary documents, do quizes, participate in debates, and even band together as Burninites to defeat your APUSH rival class, the Richamnites!! Much fun, all of it.

The best part, once we got over all the extremely tough assignments, was the class camraderie. The best part was checking in on the website every day to catch up on all the latetest debates and discussions, and maybe gain some ground in the extra credit race. You'll make plenty of friends, and maybe you'll even get Mr. Burns to arrange another class trip tO DC!

Mr. Burns has done a very good job with the course this year. You'll be hard pressed to find a better teacher. (But give the guy a break if he's a little late grading your work. He's a really busy guy, with college and all). If you think you can meet the challenge, love history, and feell that you have too much free time, go ahead and apply. You won't regret it.

APUSH Burnite Review by Kylene Peroutky, May 19 2005 at 05:55:12

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam? Yeah, I was still kinda stressed because it was my first AP class, but I felt like I knew the material:-)

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course? 1 to 2 hours a day, usually about 8 hours a weeks

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable? I liked the debates and the chrono games, also, I enjoyed the bio essays

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject? Not really, I've always kinda liked American history, and this year I was just doing what I have liked before, only much more in depth:-)

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable? Yeah, especially when the 4 hard core students met at the end of the year:-)

What sort of student would do well in this course? I think someone who has already experienced a class where there is very little teaching done, motivated person, and (obviously) a history person:-)

Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)? Yes!!!! It was a lot of fun even though it was hard work.