AP Class Reviews

One of my favorite highschool courses . . . posted by Jessina Leonard on June 01 2010 at 14:36:12

Before I delve into answering these questions about the course, let me just say that this is a truly wonderful class that I very highly recommend. It is professional, organized, and challenging, as have been all the courses I have taken through AP Homeschoolers. Hopefully my enthusiasm for this class in particular shows through in my answers to these questions . . .

Yes, I certainly felt as if the course prepared me well for the AP exam at the end of the year. Probably one of the most helpful prepatory tools for me was the study charts, which were basically lists of certain pieces of art work that we needed to have memorized from each art historical period. Mrs. Lanctot compiled these early in the year and we refered to them basically as our study sheets when preparing for quizzes and tests as well as the actual AP exam. Sometimes it can be overwhelming how many works of art there are to know, but these study charts broke it all down and made it feel much less overwhelming. We also wrote an essay or two almost every week, which was invaluable come exam time as there are two long essays and seven short essays on the AP exam. Mrs. Lanctot graded our essays on the same scale as the AP exam graders, so this helped us evaluate how we needed to improve in order to do well on the AP exam at the end of the year. Overall, while any AP exam is a bit nerve-wracking for me, this class certainly helped build my confidence for exam day.

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

I always find these types of questions hard to answer as the amount of time per week varied so much throughout the year, particularly for this course. Some weeks we had as few as five works of art to memorize while other weeks we had up to 30 works of art to memorize. Some weeks we had two essays and some weeks we had no essays. On average, I would say I spent 5-7 hours on this course. Though at times, especially as exam day neared, I probably spent up to 12 hours a week studying art history.

But one thing I want to mention is that Mrs. Lanctot is very good about making sure her students are not too overwhelmed. After an extra-hard week, she would always give us a "breather" week with less images to memorize and maybe even no essay! Also, there were a few weeks this year that I was really overwhelmed with some of my other school work and she graciously understood and helped me through an extra difficult week. She really is one of the most understanding and kind teachers I have ever had. So if you're feeling overwhelmed, do not hesitate to ask for help!

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

There is actually not a lot of variation in the assignments throughout the year, but I actually found this rhythm of work to be especially valuable as I knew each week what was expected of me. For example, each week we would generally have a portion of the textbook to read (generally 20-40 pages), a certain number of images to make flashcards for and to memorize, a multiple choice quiz to take, a short essay quiz to take, an essay to write, and generally one other assignment that varied from week to week. Sometimes we had a non-western assigment, in which we had to study a work of art of our choice from the non-western cannon of art history. Sometimes we had to write a primary-source question, which is basically an essay based off of a quotation. Some weeks we had to compare and contrast two works of art. And some weeks we had to grade one another's essays. I really enjoyed the way in which this class was organized and put together, with just enough rhythm in the work not to be overwhelmed and just enough variation to make things interesting each week!

But probably one of my favorite assigments was the artist biography paper that we had to write during the first semester. We could choose any artist of our choice and write a paper about his or her life and work. Mrs. Lanctot gave us the option of writing it in a research paper format or a more creative format. It was a really fun assignment that allowed us to delve deeper into the life of an artist and to be creative with our writing.

Most certainly so! I honestly didn't quite know what to expect when I began this course; I had no real conception of how you studied a work of art. But throughout the year, through the enjoyable textbook reading and through Mrs. Lanctot's careful tutelage, my understanding of and interest in art history really grew. I truly find it to be one of the most fascinating subjects to be studied--every work of art is like a picture in the storybook of the world, telling us more about the culture it reflects and the values that particular culture held. In fact, this course is one of the reasons I declared a partial major in Art (which includes a hefty load of art history courses) as I head off to college this fall. And it's also one of the reasons that half of my summer book list contains books on art history.

And if you feel at all concerned that you don't know enough about art or art history to take this course, don't worry! I was a little nervous myself coming into this course that I wasn't prepared enough since I really didn't know a thing about art history previously. But you honestly don't need to know a thing in order to enjoy and do well in this course. Mrs. Lanctot provides all the tools you need to succeed in this course and on the AP exam.

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

Considering this past year's class was quite small and that most of us students were seniors and therefore extra busy, there was not a whole lot of interaction between all of us students. I know Mrs. Lanctot was a bit disappointed with this, but I honestly didn't feel that it detrimented the course in any large way. And if you did ever feel the urge to discuss art history with another like-minded soul, Mrs. Lanctot was always available and willing to have a discussion!

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)?

Hopefully it's clear by now that I do highly recommend this course! I think any student who is, yes, willing to work hard and diligently and has some interest in history would do well in this class. Basic essay writing skills are also helpful, as there is a lot of essay-writing required for this course. And as I said previously, you don't really need to have any foreknowledge of art history to enjoy and succeed in this course.

So in conclusion, APAH is truly an excellent class that is professionally-run with a kind and generous teacher whose own enthusiasm for art history spills over to the rest of the class. Mrs. Lanctot is really encouraging (you will hear the words "awesome" and "terrific" a lot!) and always careful to point out what you do well while at the same time giving helpful constructive criticism. I sincerely say that this is one of the best courses I've ever taken and I highly recommend it to all of you. Best of luck!

When you look at a cloud, what do you see? A smallish, white fluffy-looking thing that floats through the sky. It’s nice. It’s even pretty, but hardly out of the ordinary. Until you stop and really look at it. Until you can see the colors within the colors, the beauty hidden in the normal everyday things. It’s this new perspective that artists throughout history and cultures have brought to the world. It’s that perspective you come to appreciate in a class like AP Art History.

Looking back on my year in this class I can’t believe what an amazing experience it’s been. Back in the late summer in a last minute dash to try and find AP classes to take I was determined to take a history class. Unfortunately every other history class was booked solid. I was very disappointed till my brother pointed out that Art History wasn’t marked as full yet. I thought it was a crazy idea. After all the last art class I had taken had consisted of lots of frustration, an inability to draw stick figures, and a whole semester spent checking my Facebook on my phone while my teacher left us to our own creative devices. I couldn’t draw, had left the novelty of staring at pretty pictures in my kindergarten days and had absolutely no interest in studying something as pointless as pictures that hang on a wall when I could have been studying the great stories of mankind’s history. Still I decided to give it a quick shot. After all if I hated it I could just drop that first week and then I’d have prove I tried it before I judged it.

Best gamble I ever took. Not only have I learned many greatly fascinating things about history but I’ve literally redefined my whole perspective on the subject. Art History gives a visual timeline from which to map out the web of connections that make up history. My biggest regret of the whole year is that I straddled myself with other AP classes when I could have given myself more time to explore this subject in depth. Mrs. Lanctot teaches you to understand paintings as complex examples of a culture’s unique identity. She teaches in such a way that you don’t really learn the great lasting stuff from the textbook but from the constant reexamination of the material. You come to understand art as a reflection or a story or a political tool. At the same time your learning to use art to understand the culture that created it. You learn to look at a painting or building a recognize its distinguishing features and what they mean. It allows for a deep understanding of history to form in a way that’s likely never been breached by any other teacher you’ve ever had. It also provides a visual timeline, linking each part of history not only to the one before and the one after but to dozens of points and eras. Regular history classes are like a to do lists jumping from each war and religious revival to the next without any in-between. Art History doesn’t focus on the big things alone, art history flows.

That’s not say it’s all one big story time though. While it’s a wonderfully flexible experience with so many things to learn and discover it’s still an AP class. If your reading these reviews you probably understand what that means work load wise, but I’ll break it down real quick. Typically in a week your looking at around twenty (up to fifty) pages of reading material (take notes). Then you’ve got around six works to memorize. You usually have at least one assignment to do during the week that reflects elements of the essay section on your upcoming AP exam. Then at the end of the week you’ll need about an hour to take the weekly test consisting of a essay, short answer and multiple choice sections (just like the exam except smaller). All in all I average about two hours per day depending on the intensity of the material for that week. I also kept review cards and the text around for review in my spare time (like that two hour drive to my brother’s soccer game in the capital or while waiting to pick my sister up from choir practice). It’s not easy, but honestly I had trouble not spending more. If I hadn’t had such a packed schedule I could have spent hours pouring over the material it gets a real grip on you like that. It’s such a joy to learn the subject that after you get the rhythm down the work tends to seem lighter and lighter even as the assignments are actually getting more and more complex. Mrs. Lanctot also has tests every couple of weeks. They are very comprehensive and really test your knowledge of the material. I think these tests more then anything prepare you for the AP exam best. In comparison it seemed a breeze. I feel very confident about a 4 at the very least all thanks to Mrs. Lanctot’s caring instruction.

Art History is the absolute best class I’ve taken all of high school. Yes it’s challenging but it’s very worth it. I have gone from hating the idea of an afternoon spent in an art museum and not being able to draw a stick figure that didn’t resemble a cow to finding a passion that cannot be quenched. I’ll be continuing my studies in art history in my coming first semester of college. I strongly encourage the study of art history with Mrs. Lanctot to any one who wants a challenging history course, already loves art or is just looking for a diverse course on an interesting topic.

A great review and introduction to APAH posted by Adrianna Grace Farson on May 08 2010 at 12:09:28

I definitely feel that this course prepared me for the APAH exam. This was my seventh AP class and first with PA, and I feel like this was just as thorough a review as all my other classes have been.

My score is still pending, but I think that this AP Art History course prepared me very well for the exam.

With that being said, I would reccomend this course to a student who already has a developing interest in art history. This course definitely involves a lot of preparation, studying and initiative, so it would be much more challenging for a student who doesn't have an interest in the history of art. I love art, so this course really drew me in, but I still had to work hard and was challenged by the amount of memorization involved. I usually spent between 7-10 hours a week on the reading (which is pretty extensive), making flash cards and completing class assignments. If you want to succeed, I would definitely reccomend putting forth the extra effort--I bought a Barron's study guide, and read through it and took the practice tests in it. As the year progressed, I learned the kind of study habits it takes to succeed.

So is this a challenging course? Absolutely. Is it worth it? Absolutely. I knew I liked studying art before, but I came out loving it and knowing that it may be something I want to pursue in college. AP Art History was one of my favorite classes of this year, and I would strongly reccomend Mrs. Lanctot to anyone. She is so enthusastic about both the class and its subject, and willing to work with the student to improve.

•Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam? Yes. Our teacher, Mrs. Lanctot, took special care to provide AP exam-oriented study material, and I definitely felt prepared when the time came.

•How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course? I generally spent 1-2 hours a day working on APAH, depending on my workload and how well I understood the material.

•Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable? The grading assignments were very helpful!! They helped me see a student's essay through the grader's eyes. That insight became invaluable during the AP exam. I also really appreciated the final exam in the form of the 2004 AP Exam. Laborsome as it was, it was the best study tool I had. •Did the course enhance your interest in the subject? Yes. I did not know the inner workings of art history before, and now that I do I am perpetually fascinated.

•Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable? Not when it came to studying, no. To clarify an assignment and such, yes.

•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 student who works hard, is disciplined and can pace themselves. They should also be determined and able to keep up with a solid weekly schedule.

AP Art History is quite possibly one of the most demanding courses I have ever taken. This is not to say the course is bad in any way, but this year I have delved into more pages of a text book, written page upon page of essays and learned so many images that just thinking about it makes my head spin. If you or your student is not up for a challenging (but not remotely impossible!) year of work, then AP Art History may not be for you. If, on the other hand, you are up for a challenge then please read on and hear about what all this work produced in this art history student.

Looking back over the year now that the AP test has passed by, I must say I am very impressed with how well prepared I was for the AP Art History test. The scope of the material is incredibly vast and the AP test could easily cover a number of various artistic periods, styles and cultures. Yet the text and the study course used in the AP Art History class seems to have nailed every important aspect while keeping things as manageable as possible. As to how much time all this work might take in an average week (it does vary between easier and harder weeks) I would take a rough estimate of about 4-5 hours reading, 1-2 hour studying, 1-2 hour on weekly quizzes and essays and 1-2 hour on various other weekly assignments. It can be tough at times, especially when other infrequent assignments are added to a normal week's work, but it is not beyond accomplishment. I should ask a question of prospective students though, do you like writing? AP Art History is a course that deals in analyzing works of art by their style, culture and time period and you will need to learn how to communicate those points effectively through essay writing. This course requires many written assignments so that you receive more then enough practice though. This is especially important not only for reinforcing the learning, but also to prepare for the many essays on the AP test which account for 60% of your AP grade. I will note that the material is extremely well presented and it is doubtable that you will have any trouble learning the concepts and connections found in art history. And even if there was something you were having trouble figuring out, worry not for the AP teacher, Mrs. Lanctot, was always more then happy to help out with an explanation. This course does demand much work when it comes to reading and writing, but all that time put into the subject pays great dividends come test time.

One of the benefits that I gained from taking this course was not only a greater understanding of art, but also a much increased appreciation of art. This course through its instruction really illuminates the finer connections art and architecture have with the culture in which they were created, points that are easily overlooked browsing over works without having studied their history. I was even surprised to learn much about the mysterious and strange artistic styles that have developed in modern years. Not only that, but you are able to watch the development of art from the earliest periods up through modern times. With all this knowledge, you cannot help but develop a greater appreciation and fascination for art.

One point I will note about AP Art History is that communication between students is greatly based on the students' willingness to participate. AP Art History does not require posting on the online message boards so that many students simply choose not to or to do so less. This doesn't mean that there is no communication between students though, I did communicate with a number of my fellow classmates over the year, with both art related discussion and simple friendly chat. There were also group study sessions facilitated by Mrs. Lanctot at the end of the year before the AP test using the AOL Instant Messenger service, these were highly educational as well as enjoyable. I don't think that the minimized level of communication greatly hindered learning though and many of the students were friendly and willing to help out as they could if you asked.

Again I say that AP Art History requires a great deal of work and you should know that going into the course. It is far from impossible, but enough to keep this course highly challenging. There is a great deal that you will be asked to learn and memorize. The more effort you put into your assignments and study, the more you'll take out in understanding and the more you'll be prepared for the AP test. A student that already has an interesting in history, art or both would probably take the most enjoyment from the course, but I don't think either quality is entirely necessary. Also, if you are hesitant to take this course because you do not have any history with art going into it, you need not worry as I don't believe you need this to do well in the course (I personally had nothing more then a passive enjoyment of seeing art going into the course and did not struggle because of that). I believe I would recommend this course to any student provided that they realize that it will require a great deal of work and dedication. Having completed the course and now waiting with confidence for my grades to arrive, I can easily say that I don't regret the time and effort this course has required. In fact, I am very glad I took AP Art History this year.

This is a truly excellent course! Mary Lanctot is a wonderful and enthusiastic teacher. She possesses an obvious love for art that spills over into her students. The amount of material seemed overwhelming and daunting at first, but through Mary’s encouragement and guidance, it became a joy to open my textbook every morning. Unlike in other courses I have taken, where the material seemed to disappear from my mind shortly after I took my final, I have been delighted on numerous occasions to realize how much I internalized from this course. Mary not only planted many priceless seeds of knowledge in my mind, but also fostered in me a love for art and its history. Every interaction I had with Mary was enjoyable and constructive. She is incredibly accessible, at times answering my questions sent to her in e-mails with a lengthy and thoughtful response in less than an hour.

This course requires a fair amount of independence and personal discipline. Mary has a deadline system, that I personally appreciated, but is not for everyone. All work, except for a handle of papers, is assigned at the beginning of the week and due on Friday. While this affords an aspect of flexibility and freedom, it is easy to fall behind, and leave too much work for the final few days of the week. Also, while Mary sets and announces deadlines, she will not be your parent and constantly follow up to make sure you are on target. She will post a message that alerts individuals to what work they need to complete and how late it already is, but overall she expects you to responsible and manage your time wisely.

This course is not for students who aren’t willing to apply themselves and put in a substantial effort. While during most of the year, I put in about 10-12 hours a week, as the exam approached I spent about 3-3.5 hours a day studying. There is a lot of memorization required! The course prepared me well for the exam, however, since AP Art History is less mainstream than other subject areas there are very few studying materials. It is pretty much up to the student (with help from Mary) to put together their own study plan by assembling various books, memorization aids, and other resources. This course is well suited to an organized, self-motivated student. Some people I have recommended this course to, have wondered whether a background in world history is required to excel in this course. An extensive knowledge of world events throughout history is definitely not required to do well in this course. A very general understanding of the major events in history, like World War I, World War II and the Holocaust, is sufficient.

The only element of this course that disappointed me was the lack of message board interaction between fellow students. Our online boards were pretty dead. Sometimes, it would be over a month between postings. One reason for this lack of interest in posting messages may have been that many of the students in the course were seniors, and busy with college preparation. Through the guided interactions I had with other students, like essay critiquing, thought provoking Discussion Questions, and other exercises, I found my classmates to be engaging and interesting. I don’t think my experience or the course suffered significantly from this lack of interaction. Overall, this was probably the most enjoyable and fulfilling course I have ever taken. I would highly recommend it to all!

AP Class Reviews

Art History taught by Mary Lanctot

by Students and Parents