Here's how you outline:
Section Title A
-Main Idea A
--Detail A
--Detail B
...
-Main Idea B
--Detail A
--Detail B
...
...
Section Title B
...
Is this by any chance AP US History? I took it last year. If it is...make sure you outline well! They really help you learn. Read the section, outline it, then read it again to make sure you got the main points. Also, if you're using the American Pageant book, you should be getting 4-6 pages (front and back as 2) of outline per chapter. Also, after every chapter, try to write an analysis (summary) of what happened. This should help you understand the big picture and it should not be longer than 5 sentences.
btw: I got a 4 on that exam. Most of my classmates got a 5. I had other 3 exams to worry about and math/science took priority.