Honors Chemistry (Regli)

For information regarding what kind of teacher she is, please view http://www.ratemyteachers.com/shannon-regli/23661-t/1

My thoughts on the class: Chemistry was a challenge for me. In hindsight, I wish I would have followed Regli's tips on the syllabus but, quite frankly, I'm lazy. She recommends rewriting the notes in my own words but I just didn't really want to.

1. Tips for Studying
1. Don't fall behind on the homework. Chemistry is a dense subject; you learn a lot during lecture everyday and the homework reinforces all that new info. Do it every night and correctly (not just to finish), yes I know it's tedious, but practice makes perfect. 
2. Review your notes before the test. Or even better, re-write your notes in your own words as Regli recommends. Especially for units mainly testing on theory ( like the nuclear chapter), I recommend the latter. Notes are a better guide than the textbook, so you can skip the reading in the textbook.
3. Make sure you know the reasoning behind the problem solving. On tests, all of the questions are similar to those of on either the notes, homework, or sample test. If you know how to solve all the problems and the reasoning for why it should be solved a certain way, you have an increased chance of doing well on the tests.
4. The main restriction on the tests is time. To overcome this obstacle the key is practice! If you ever need more questions to practice, the book has plenty! Regli also has the teacher's edition book so you can always check your answers too.
5. Specifically for nomenclature, memorize. It's a pain to memorize everything, but you set yourself up for failure if you don't because the nomenclature re-appears in future tests. Also, it's the only test that is so straight-forward that the majority of the students do well. Take advantage of the grade buffer!
6. Regli has to go through a lot of material in a short amount of time and sometimes you get confused. If you don't understand a problem, tackle it quickly. Chemistry is like math; the knowledge builds on each other, so you need to have a good foundation. My go-to explanation places are Crash Course and Khan Academy. Notice how I didn't include the textbook. :-)
2. Passes
1. About: Regli gives a sheet with 3 tardy passes and 3 homework passes in the beginning of each semester. It's worth 6 extra-credit points at the end of the semester if none are used. Your name must also be written in pen for you to use it/ redeem it.
2. Tip: Always keep the pass on you! It was really devastating to see a few of my classmates unable to receive any points because they forgot to bring the pass when Regli was collecting them. So, keep the pass in your chemistry folder/binder rather than leave it at home where you won't lose it because you just might forget to bring it to school on the most crucial day.
3. Other
1. Get the Casio scientific calculator she recommends! You don't even have to buy it -  just check it out in the library and you can use it for the whole year :) The texas instruments one has harder buttons to push and I know that sounds super trivial right now, but during a test you're going to beg your classmates for a casio.
2. She rounds up at 89.5, 79.5 etc.

Thanks to strangedolphin and Train for the help!

AP English Language & Composition

Honestly, this class isn't challenging. Yes, it's an AP course, the first of many, but don't let the AP label frighten you sophomores. The class in itself is pretty easy; if you manage to keep up with the work, you should be able to earn an A. The actual AP curriculum that you need to learn for the test is kind of funky; it's nothing you can't take but it's nothing you've ever done before. The good news is, your teachers are pretty great and if you listen to them then you should be able to pull out of a 5 (I was able to easily). Basically the test is made of three essays that you have to finish in around 2 hours and 40 minutes and 50 multiple choice (your AP E&L teachers should tell you all about this in class so if I'm wrong, smite me)
One is the synthesis essay, where you are given documents and an issue where you have to utilize the documents to support your stance on that issue. This one is hard because you have to be able to read and analyze quickly, but as you go through the course, hopefully Mrs. Link, Mrs. Cheney, or Mrs. Madrid will give you enough practice that it'll come easy breezy! As for tips for the synthesis, honestly, if you're sitting there just stuck, I just hit the documents first. Always go for a strong stance, but if you can't find one, choose the side that probably easier to argue from the documents. In short, read the documents first and then choose your stance from there. It doesn't hurt to hone your reading skills in a short time frame; I wouldn't be lying if I said that being a fast reader didn't help me on the synthesis.
The second is going to the rhetorical analysis essay. This essay is by far the hardest for most students (thought I personally found it to be the easiest and most enjoyable to write, but maybe I'm just weird). This is when you encounter something you never have before: you aren't writing about meaning, you're writing about how the author conveys that meaning through strategies. What the heck does that even mean? Well for example, I'm using a colloquial tone in this piece in order to keep you interested in what I have to say. I'm using shorter sentences to keep the consistency of my writing choppy in order to make this advice column seem less banal than it already is. If that made no sense to you, no worries! Honestly rhetorical analysis isn't something you learn over night, I started out with a 6/7 essay and ended up consistently getting 8/9's. If you're stuck on this one, your safety net will be the triangle of a good argument, pathos, ethos, logos and tone. I think what prevents most people from doing well on this essay is the sheer foreignness of its nature. You should try to practice these essays as often as possible in order to morph your writing from literary to rhetorical.
The third is probably the easiest, the argumentative essay. It's pretty similar to the SAT argumentative essay, you're given an issue and you have to take a stance and support it. It's easiest for students because it's probably the one that most of us are familiar with. The hard part: the examples. Build an example bank if you can and always have some really broad ones that you can go to no matter what the topic. Good examples are going to be ones that are hard hitting, for example the Arab Spring vs something banal like your daily struggles at Troy (not to trivialize your pain). I read a lot of news online (Huffington Post & National Geographic are good) and I have a subscription to Time; I would highly recommend reading the paper every day just to naturally build your awareness about the world and thus your example bank. Literary examples are always a surefire way to do well, but of course even if you use a literary example, you aren't guaranteed a 5. The thing about literary examples though is that they play on so many different themes that (for example) I could easily use Brave New World by Aldous Huxley to talk about homogeneous societies or the effects of technology on society. I, myself, am a pretty avid reader, so it made it easier for me to think of examples for my essay. :) In recent years, the essay topics have become a little more philosophical, so it also wouldn't be a bad idea to read up on some Socrates or Aristotle (like the Symposium), just to get your smart juices flowing so you don't look at a prompt about existentialism and just blank out.
As for the multiple choice, it's pretty tough. There are really strange and obscure questions about terminology but don't sweat it because the curve is often going to be big enough so that you can get 7's on your essays and a 50% on the MC to get a 5. With that said, don't take it lightly though. I would highly recommend just practicing as much as you can (5 steps to a 5 500 Questions brought me from a 50% average to a 90% on MC), and read fast.
That's about it. I hope my tips help some of you get 5's! Best of luck (and skill).

APUSH

This is really quite beautiful for us lazy children who don't keep up with the reading.

Great list of presidents that have a good outline of what happened during each president's term

Nicholson's presidents list for those who have lost it. (not completely the same, but mostly the same)

Nicholson's and Robinson's Troy High pages for review. LOTS of material on there! Timelines/notes/ etc.

FRQ Practice + Tips (collegeboard)

~currently expanding

Let me introduce myself...

Salutations, blog visitor. I am a new addition to this lovely school oriented survival blog. I'd prefer not to disclose my name (though you will find it eventually seeing how the evolution of the Internet has destroyed any notion of privacy), but you can call me Train. I will mainly be editing posts made by the established author, but from time to time, if I feel it be appropriate, will publish some of my own personal work and insight.

I have, like the other author, have been at Troy for two years now. I was a full IB/ Troy Tech candidate, but I decided to drop the IB title going into my junior year because I view the rigor of the International Baccalaureate system as synonymous with slow and painful torture (not to mention the fact that IB tests cost a small fortune these days). 

I hope to major in Political Science and English, while hopefully later be accepted to law school, contrasting with the other author, thus I hope to reveal another side to Troy - not oriented around the excesses of science and mathematics we are known for. I believe that Troy stands for more than what its widely associated with; though others can probably argue the same for their Alma mater, I believe Troy has a true eclectic mix of students that creates a unique and wonderful atmosphere that results in prosperous alumni. With that said though, I would like to utilize this blog as a means of pointing out some of my anxieties I have developed as I've enrolled and gone to Troy.

Seeing that I will be speaking to you all in the up and coming months, I'd like to share a bit of background information about myself: I am an avid reader. I enjoy engaging in political conversations and I consider myself fairly liberal (to use the term loosely). Unlike many of my peers, I enjoy every part of English class, from literary analysis to rhetoric. I have a list of clubs and activities that I could divulge, but as it may bore you, I will refrain. On a more personal note, I have a penchant for indie rock groups and vintage clothing. I am an artist, specializing in acrylic painting. I have played a total of 5 or 6 instruments in my life, yet never long enough to truly develop a passion for the art form (perhaps because any musical inclinations I've had have been eclipsed by my visual desires).

I look forward to bestowing my knowledge about the black, red and white campus I have learned to love through all the blood, sweat, and tears upon this audience. 

AP European History

Scale of difficulty: 4

The class is heavily weighted on tests. The homework counts for 20 points and tests one hundred points and some other miscellaneous assignments. However, completing the homework is very important -  turning in partially completed homework is better than nothing. My grade actually plummeted to a C in the beginning because I didn't turn in one homework assignment, whoops.

After completing the class, some things I would recommend that allowed me to succeed in the class are:

• listen intently during class and really digest all the information
• this allowed me to thoroughly understand the material
• for certain chapters, make a timeline like the French Revolution
• for some chapters, every thing happens in a short amount of time and some questions are the test are straight-up asking the order for certain wars/ treaties
• memorize the important things
• yes, I know that's vague but you should already know what's important and what's not. Often, like I've said before, a lot of the questions are just facts rather than critical thinking
• once you've memorized the facts, understand the concepts
• like what was the cause and effect of an event and even relate it to another event in another unit! Tying it all together :)

On a brighter note, it's one of the more interesting classes at Troy! (That may just be because I enjoy history; it's so exciting!)

Resources:

• Liem's Afterschool Review Recordings
• Just need to download the file; no viruses, I promise!
• Annabelle's Review Page
• -made for Troy students!- check this one out for sure! It has some really helpful sites that I would place on here, but it would be redundant.
• AP Euro Notes
• compiles all the powerpoints onto a nice, pretty website.
• *some of the links don't work because the website is a decade old*
• Chapter Outlines
• for the tenth edition of the book. Just adjust accordingly.
• AP Euro Notes
• AP Euro Notes
• AP Practice Questions
• 1,000+ questions, but you can only answer the questions one time (very frustrating)
• organized by century and different topics (religion, social movements, art, politics, etc.)
• Flashcards
• a previous student's flashcards
• Lectures:
• Lectures
• professor from Berkeley's lectures on Euro
• really detailed, almost too detailed
• Khan Academy Videos
• mainly concentrated upon the French Revolution and Napoleon (I watched it before the test and got an A!)
• Hank's History Hour
• on iTunes so convenient to listen to on-the-go!
• Review Sheet
• more broad, not specifically for Troy (more tailored for the AP exam)
• More Review
• if you've read everything else... might as well!
• ACE Practice Tests
• practice tests tailored for our AP Euro textbook! 
• the questions are not very difficult

AP Computer Science

Summary: A conceptual class. You must understand the logic in order to succeed.

Just a hint when googling for help: end the question with "java", type the specific issue rather than the lab name.
ex: how to change str to str[]  java


I've compiled some of the sites I've found to aid me in my journey to understand how to program!

• CodingBat answers
• *this website isn't meant for copy and paste; it's to help you learn from your mistakes quickly!*
• Java Tutorial
• written by some unknown source... but helpful!
• Java Tutorial #2
• written by Oracle, I use this for EVERYTHING! (this and Stackoverflow)
• Collections Overview(list, maps, sets, quene)
• Java Tutorial #3
• since it's hosted on CodingBat, the videos are especially helpful for the CodingBat assignments 
• Methods for all classes
• it has all the methods for a class and it can be really helpful in looking for a specific method to use (I use this pretty often)
• How to Write Recursive Methods

These are more geared towards the actual AP test. 

• AP Comp Sci Review Part 1
• AP Comp Sci Review Part 2

2nd semester--

I have taken on a great challenge this year - AP Comp Sci. It's not a very tedious class because most of the actual 'work' is all class work. At first, I struggled a lot to understand how to code everything from correct syntax and complier-issue-free code. I have googled endlessly to help me with CodingBats, Warmups or labs. There are lots of great sites with lots of information and some sites which confuse me even more...

We've started GridWorld around two weeks ago and it'll be 25% of the AP test apparently. Who knew? I think GridWorld is really fun to play around with. It reminds me of the first time I coded in Alice or my first CLA lab (okay, maybe not the CLA lab). What is really essential to succeed in GridWorld is to complete the homework and actually practice using GridWorld so the concepts are deeply embedded into your memory. The homework is quite simple - just reading and answering questions. Helpful tip: Study for the first quiz!!

Here are some helpful links/ documents that will help you understand GridWorld more!

• Student Manual : Basically the Holy Grail to GridWorld. The homework that the teachers give correspond to this and the first few labs are also derived from this.
• GridWorld Solutions : Please, please don't just copy the answers from this, rather use this as a guide towards the right answer! Your grade will suffer if you don't understand and just copy since tests are 80% of your grade! :)

That's all for now!

Helpful Links for Studying!

In most textbooks they have some helpful sites where a student can go for more practice!

Spanish 1 Textbook

• If you have trouble grasping a grammar concept/ vocabulary in Spanish, classzone.com should be helpful! On the website it includes animated grammar, extra practice, quizzes for each lessons, online flashcards, etc. Check it out for yourself and see if it's helpful! Another website is studyspanish.com. Although the website isn't tailored to the book like classzone.com is, it has more detailed in the grammar explanations and has even more tests/ quizzes you can take! All you have to do is sign up for a free student membership.
• Yay! Spanish Resources! Sra. Menna has linked many helpful sites including an online book for both Spanish 2 and Spanish 3! Now if only they could get an online book for math....

Algebra 2 Honors Textbook

• For Algebra 2 Honors: http://www.phschool.com/webcodes10/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.gotoWebCode&wcprefix=ajk&wcsuffix=0099. The website includes worked out examples for each lesson in the book (under extra help), a self-test (the answers for these are sometimes really wrong), key terms for each chapter, etc.

Algebra 2 Textbook

• For regular Alegbra 2: http://www.classzone.com/books/algebra_2/index.cfm?state=CA. It has extra challenges and examples for each lesson, flashcards and crosswords for vocabulary terms (Flipcard activity & Crossword Puzzle), and they even have a games for people who think math is boring. It is just basically a simple game with questions in between each level. (The graphics are very simple so don't expect much)

Khan Academy Logo

• There are lots of online tutorials but I think the best of the best is at Khan Academy! They have lots of comprehensive videos on an large variety of subjects! I go here for Biology mainly, but they have lots of subjects, from Geometry to SAT prep! Unfortunately, they don't have foreign languages or anything related to English. See their diverse videos yourself!
• There are also other online tutorials like http://www.courserepository.org/ (It's very extensive in Biology!) 

• For Biology, studying off the CD practice quizzes/ tests are the best place. If you need extra help go to your teacher or check out the online tutorial sites!

• For honors Chemistry: Student Study Guide has summaries of the sections and interactive examples where you can answer questions as you learn or review and the Online Learning Center: has self-assessments, Animations, Chapter summaries, and more.

• Also, if you ever forget your book at home and need to read, you can always go on Online Chemistry Book but it's the 10th edition rather than the 8th edition used at school.

• Cramming for a Chemistry Test and no one is online at 4am when you need help? Go onto Chegg where they have solutions to most of the problems in the textbook! *you need an account to read the answers*

• AP European History Practice Exams for chapters 1-31
• Now there aren't many sites for English help since English consists mainly of essays and analyzing, some helpful sites include SparkNotes, but we all know that website already don't we? If don't already know what SparkNotes is, this nifty site will tell you all about SparkNotes and what it offers. Two other websites are Cliff Notes and Shmoop ; you may also consider checking out cliffnote's book study guides from a local library. Shmoop is really helpful for reading quizzes since they have quote and symbol quizzes; it is has lots of great things, you really just need to explore it! If you have trouble with grammar http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/ has lots of tips!
• 
  

• For most of the geography classes, the test concepts are based on handouts and not solely on the book. There are map questions for each unit we learn though. One of the hardest maps for me to memorize was Africa. After using http://www.ilike2learn.com/ilike2learn/africa.html I almost aced that section the test. If you prefer doing it old-school you can always print out a blank map and just fill in the countries.

• Some students decide to buy an extra copy of a textbook to keep at home so they won't have to lug a textbook back and forth. Others decide to study ahead during the summer for the coming school year. On Troy website ( http://troyhigh.com/students/text_room.jsp ) there is an official textbook list that has every class and the corresponding textbook.

~currently expanding~