Hey there Dhara! I was in the same situation as you are in last year. My teacher was new so she really didn't know what she was doing. We had some experienced teachers, including one who is an AP grader, but much to my disappointment I didn't have him as a teacher.
I'm not going to lie -- I've always been a very good history student. But that's only when I work as hard as I can. When I got into APUSH I was very shocked at how easy the class was so I slacked off A LOT. I guess my teacher could see how much I slacked off because I had gone from having the highest test score in her classes to more of the medium range (I always got a B though).
Anyways, because it was my junior year I decided that I needed to get working again so here's what I did (and have done for the past 3 years):
1. I did my homework (everyday) whenever i could. Because I had an A in the class, I didn't really need to do my homework.
2. Before a test, I always studied and read the chapters at least 2 times. One time, the day before the test and another time a couple of days before. We took notes but I was unsatisfied with the notes so I never used them. We used the American Pageant too so I know how much of a pain in the butt it is (we also have units). Most of the units were 50+ pages so it was extremely difficult to read but it is a necessity in order to do well on the exams!
3. Be a smart test taker. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS use the process of elimination even if it wastes a lot of time.
4. Constantly test yourself if you need to so you can be sure that you have the right information down. Typically, there are key facts that your teacher will definitely ask you so I suggest you write those down.
5. If possible, write an outline of the chapter. By writing something down, it helps you with memorization. Also, saying it out loud also helps because as humans, we are primitive in many ways ;)
6. Just relax and let your brain do all the work ;)
I know that it seems really really long and tedious but it actually works well. Because I always did those things, I can recall facts (I memorized all the presidents, major battles of wars, the Bill of Rights, and many court cases) very well for my Gov't class.
Remember, your teacher is not going to ask you about every little detail so focus on the big concepts! I also suggest purchasing an AP prep book because they give you significant details that you can use to recall details that you may forget.
Good luck!