It’s as well to keep in mind what you should not be doing. Do not introduce lots of fresh evidence at this stage, though you can certainly introduce the odd extra fact that clinches your case. Nor should you go on to the ‘next’ issue. If your question is about Hitler coming to power, you should not end by giving a summary of what he did once in power. Such an irrelevant ending will fail to win marks. Remember the point about answering ‘nothing but the question’? On the other hand, it may be that some of the things Hitler did after coming to power shed valuable light on why he came to power in the first place. If you can argue this convincingly, all well and good; but don’t expect the examiner to puzzle out relevance. Examiners are not expected to think; you must make your material explicitly relevant. The key word in the above paragraphs is think. This should be distinguished from remembering, daydreaming and idly speculating. Thinking is rarely a pleasant undertaking, and most of us contrive to avoid it most of the time. But unfortunately there’s no substitute if you want to get the top grade. So think as hard as you can about the meaning of the question, about the issues it raises and the ways you can answer it. You have to think and think hard – and then you should think again, trying to find loopholes in your reasoning. Eventually you will almost certainly become confused. Don’t worry: confusion is often a necessary stage in the achievement of clarity. If you get totally confused, take a break. When you return to the question, it may be that the problems have resolved themselves. If not, give yourself more time. You may well find that decent ideas simply pop into your conscious mind at unexpected times. Witnesses in court promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. All history students should swear a similar oath: to answer the question, the whole question and nothing but the question. This is the number one rule. You can write brilliantly and argue a case with a wealth of convincing evidence, but if you are not being relevant then you might as well be tinkling a cymbal. In other words, you have to think very carefully about the question you are asked to answer. Be certain to avoid the besetting sin of those weaker students who, fatally, answer the question the examiners should have set – but unfortunately didn’t. Take your time 5th grade essay topics, look carefully at the wording of the question, and be certain in your own mind that you have thoroughly understood all its terms. On reading a good first paragraph, examiners will be profoundly reassured that its author is on the right lines, being relevant, analytical and rigorous. They will probably breathe a sign of relief that here is one student at least who is avoiding the two common pitfalls. The first is to ignore the question altogether. The second is to write a narrative of events – often beginning with the birth of an individual – with a half-hearted attempt at answering the question in the final paragraph. Or if you are asked to explain the successes of a particular individual, again avoid writing the first thing that comes into your head. Think about possible successes. In so doing, you will automatically be presented with the problem of defining ‘success’. What does it really mean? Is it the achievement of one’s aims? Is it objective (a matter of fact) or subjective (a matter of opinion)? Do we have to consider short-term and long-term successes? If the person benefits from extraordinary good luck, is that still a success? This grappling with the problem of definition will help you compile an annotated list of successes, and you can then proceed to explain them, tracing their origins and pinpointing how and why they occurred. Is there a key common factor in the successes? If so, this could constitute the central thrust of your answer. You need to think for yourself and come up with a ‘bright idea’ to write a good history essay. You can of course follow the herd and repeat the interpretation given in your textbook. But there are problems here. First, what is to distinguish your work from that of everybody else? Second, it’s very unlikely that your school text has grappled with the precise question you have been set. Once you have read the question or prompt, you must determine the key points you will need to address and then brainstorm ideas that will support your points. The purpose of this guide is to walk a high school student through an easy step-by-step process of writing an historical essay. d. Evidence should be used, such as data (facts and figures) or authority (what historians know, or think they know). -A "concessive" clause: "although such and such"…if you do not concede something, you will appear unreasonable, or unaware of another side of the issue. 4. Describe: Give an account of; tell about; give a word picture of. 5. Misspellings may be inevitable problem solution essay structure, nevertheless, a student should learn to spell terms associated with each unit of study as well as other frequently occurring terms, such as "affected" and "occurred", words like "which", "their/there". Effective quotation is a literary device--not a way to transfer information unprocessed and undigested from your sources to your reader. 3) to use some of the documents but usage is sketchy or poorly done Think of the paragraph as an instrument to develop an idea. The paragraph should have a recognizable idea, usually as a topic sentence. f. Use "structural indicators" (first, in the second place, etc.) and use transitional devices between body paragraphs. Show where you are going with your essay. There are times to violate the no-one-or-two-sentence-paragraph rule, especially: to make a succinct statement stand out sharply for emphasis; or, to make a transition to a new section of the paper. 1) is poorly written with no thesis c. Include your THESIS statement. It is best to "weave" your arguments into the thesis. 8. To What Extent and In What Ways: How much? In what ways did an event or condition relate to another? Understand both what was done and what was still left to be done. Anticipate counterarguments. d. Also, anticipate counterarguments. Consider arguments that are against your thesis ideas for who am i essays, not to prove them, but to show you are award of opposing viewpoints. The strongest essays confront conflicting evidence. Include this in your essay somewhere. To receive an 0-1, the essay probably: . The Scoring Rubric for the AP US DBQ Essays: 3) to use at least 5 (more than half) of the documents effectively with some documents analyzed 3. However, write in the active voice, it is livelier and more interesting to read. Active voice is when the subject acts through the verb (Columbus discovered America how to do case study analysis, Napoleon made the decision to invade Russia). I. Thou shalt begin with an outline that buildeth thy entire paper around thy central ideas. 4) have some outside information for support VII. Thou shalt use quotations sparingly and judiciously, only for color and clarity; if thou must quote, quotations should not break the flow of thine own language and logic, and thy text should make clear whom thou art quoting. Learn first of all to write lean, tough, logical, precise prose. After you have learned that, you may begin to experiment with metaphors, allusions, and fancily turned phrases. But use these only if they add to communication and do not clutter it up. 3) has major errors which show no understanding of the period or the topic IV. Thou shalt strive for clarity above cuteness; thou shalt not use jargon when common language will serve, nor a large word when a small one will serve, nor a foreign term when an English one will serve thesis statement sample paper, nor an abstract term where a vivid one is possible. Phrases that tell your reader explicitly what you intend to do or to do next online education essay, or that tell explicitly where to see emphasis, are crutches. They indicate weaknesses in your paper's implicit development and emphasis. 5) be organized and written with some skill with some errors, but minor ones. 6. Write the Conclusion 1. Analyze the Question 1. A good essay does more than "rattle off" facts. It reveals an understanding of the general principles of the "big picture" of history. The best essays "weave" an understanding of content with some critical analysis. d. Be sure to include all aspects of the question. 2. Assess: Judge the value of character of something; appraise; evaluate. How true or false it is. To receive an 8-9, the essay needs: 5. Write the Body/Supporting Paragraphs (Prove one "big picture" idea/argument per par.) Avoid use of first person. II. Thou shalt avoid self-conscious discussion of thy intended purposes, thy strategy, thy sources, and thy research methodology. (Generally drop a notch in the above categories--thesis, outside info, effectiveness, and document usage.) X. Thou shalt not use passive voice. 5) has some major mistakes but not overwhelmingly so So, do not refer to facts in language that implies that the reader is already familiar with them, unless you have first established the facts. To do so may make the reader feel dumb. Often this rule means: using "a" or no article at all instead of using "the" or a possessive pronoun; and, not putting the reference in a subordinate clause. 1) a clear thesis which addresses the central issue(s) in the question a. Good essays should end simply and cleanly. 6. Evaluate: Give the positive points and the negative ones; appraise; give an opinion regarding the value of; discuss the advantages and disadvantages of. Trying to impress your reader with obscure vocabulary, erudition in foreign or specialized verbiage, and all such pretension main idea thesis statement, is absolutely out. 1) a thesis dealing with the central question (topic)--answering the question b. The conclusion should focus on the thesis. Restate the thesis in a fresh and interesting manner or explain its significance. b. DEFINE your key terms, those that are vague or controversial (effective, liberal, revolutionary, etc.) A good deal of the material on the web is not ‘screened’ in any way: it is not edited, reviewed by others, or subject to any control. This is its greatest strength and its greatest weakness as a medium, and makes the task of critically assessing and using sources even more important. John of Salisbury, Policraticus. trans. J. Dickinson, in The Portable Medieval Reader. ed. by J.B. Ross and M.M. McLaughlin (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1977), pp. 251- 2. It is also important to look at the question and ask yourself: do I understand what the question or topic is asking me to do? Have I interpreted the question correctly? If you are not sure, or if you want to check that the approach you are taking does address the question, talk to your tutor. Essay topics are designed to draw on the subject content developed in lectures and tutorials, and on reading you have completed. Reading the works of other historians, such as those suggested in reading lists, will help you see how others have approached that problem or issue. In your conclusion stellar nucleosynthesis, you should restate your case strongly and clearly by summarising your main points. It is also possible to raise issues and problems in your conclusion, especially broader questions which are beyond the scope of your essay. You might reflect on what your interpretation implies for contemporary debates or discussions, write briefly about the broader historical implications of your position, or consider what your interpretations tells us about the role and nature of history itself. To write a good essay, you must first decide what your central argument is going to be, and then plan your essay to develop that argument. Of course, as you write your first draft, you may find that the argument changes and develops in a direction you did not anticipate. Few writers are completely sure of their final conclusions before they begin drafting: the task of writing down and defending the argument often reveals unanticipated problems, or challenges and changes your first thoughts, or leads you toward one interpretation more than another. Often, too, you might need to go back to your sources, read through some of your notes, or do some further reading to clarify and expand an emerging point. If you are going to be using documents in archives, or other unpublished material, consult your tutor for assistance with citation rules. Roger Cooter, ‘War and Modern Medicine’, in W. F. Bynum & Roy Porter (eds), Companion Encyclopedia of the History of Medicine. London, 1993, p. 156. The following rules should help you through most situations. The absolute rule is to be consistent. Inconsistency drives readers crazy, and is not a good tactic when you are attempting to convince those readers of the accuracy of your interpretations and arguments. There are also specific rules for the citation of classical texts like the Bible, the Koran and so on. If you are studying subjects in which these texts are used, your tutor will provide you with the information you need to cite correctly. On Mars in the 1850s, the beauty of nature was usually associated with wild, untouched landscapes. Painters rarely drew human figures. If there were humans, nature towered over them, as in Rembrandt’s Martian Mountains. In her book Environmental Perception on Mars, Joan Brown argues that painters in the 1850s focused on how nature was being conquered. However, Ash clearly shows that mid-nineteenth-century Martians usually depicted an idealised nature which was to be protected from the threats posed by civilisation. ‘Golly Gee, I’m Interviewing a Famous Person’, Sixty Minutes. Nine Network, 13 February 2001. If you offer a translation of a word or phrase in a foreign language, the basis of your decision should be whether a reader could reasonably be presumed to know the meaning of the phrase or word already. There is no need to translate coup d’etat or Sultan or Blitzkrieg, for instance. Take responsibility for critically assessing your own writing. Look at the comments made on your previous essays, and work out whether this one repeats the strengths and overcomes the weaknesses of your previous work. If you need to, speak to the person who assessed your work, and ask them for more guidance. Reading other writers. As you read, evaluate the styles of different writers. What makes them more or less effective? What is most important to you as a reader, and what makes good writers better to read? If your area of history follows the MHRA Style Guide. this item in your bibliography would follow the same convention outlined earlier, namely: Always ask yourself: This sentence or two states your case. Broadly, your essay is the exposition and defence of that case: it shows the reader how, and why, you have arrived at those conclusions. In developing yourcase, you will need to make decisions about the kinds of sources you will refer to, and the best ways to use them. Sources can generally be defined into two broad types: primary or documentarysources (usually written at the time by an eyewitness, direct participant or close observer) secondary or scholarly sources (usually interpretations and explanations written after the fact by someone analysing the primary or documentary sources) (Note: ‘trans.’ is the abbreviation for ‘translated by’.) Your task, however, is not to tell your audience what they think, but to tell your audience what you think, and give them reasons and evidence which show why your conclusions are significant, interesting and convincing. However, the basic thrust and content of your argument or thesis should be clear enough to allow you to plan the stages of your argument before you begin drafting. Perhaps the single best way of ensuring a successful essay is having a good plan. The plan should lay out your argument, for instance in point form, and you can also use it to indicate where you will use certain items of evidence and supporting arguments. Block 1: stage of the argument Let other people read what you write. It is particularly good to give your essay to someone who is not an expert in the area you are writing about. If it doesn’t make sense to them, your argument might need clarification. If they struggle to read it, you might need to edit more carefully. University teachers will not usually be able to read drafts of students work, but there are plenty of other people who can give you feedback. Swap essays with fellow students. Get the people you live with to read them. Distribute them on buses. 2 Joan Brown essays on the holocaust, Environmental Perception on Mars. Sydney, 1995, p. 13. Interview with John Howard, 3LO, 8 February 2003. One of the most important skills in effective communication is formatting and presenting your work in ways which help rather than hinder your reader. Abel, Emily K. ‘Valuing Care: Turn-of-the-Century Conflicts between Charity Workers and Women Clients’, Journal of Women’s History, vol. 10, 1998, pp. 32-52. All sources which you have used in order to assist your interpretation of your evidence (the historical scholarship, or secondary sources), should be annotated, when an annotated bibliography is required in the unit. Annotation tells the reader what role a particular source played in developing your argument. A statement of two or three sentences is usually ample. For instance: Estelle Freedman, ‘”Uncontrolled Desires”: The Response to the Sexual Psychopath, 1920-1960’, in Kathy Peiss & Christina Simmons (eds), Passion and Power: Sexuality in History. Philadelphia, 1989, pp. 187-99. The desired outcomes of essays in third-year subjects include formulating research projects and acquiring independent research skills; presenting a sustained argument, based mainly on substantial primary sources; placing secondary sources in their cultural, ideological and epistemological context by showing where they fit into the current state of historical knowledge; and greater awareness of the ongoing debates about the philosophy and practice of history. Please note: Some areas of history, especially those published by European and English publishing houses (and now more often Australian publishers), follow the conventions set out in the MHRA (Modern Humanities Research Association’s) Style Guide (available electronically at http://www.mhra.org.uk/Publications/Books/StyleGuide/download.shtml, see section 10.2.2). These publication details are always on one of the first pages of the book (and usually on the page after the main title page): these details list the publisher and the place of publication, and give other information, most of which you don’t need to provide (though see the note below). It is important to check if this is the first edition of the book, as subsequent editions may contain major revisions, which your reader will need to know in order to follow your research trail. If the book is a second or subsequent edition accounting career path, put that information behind the title. Some further examples: Thompson, Paul, The Voice of the Past: Oral History. 2nd ed. Oxford, 1988, pp. 53-76. Author of the document (if known), name of the document (if relevant), date of the document (if known), at full WWW address, date on which you accessed the page. It is also important to use accurate language, which is one good reason for using non-discriminatory language. For instance, the statement that men adapted themselves to these new conditions should lead any critical reader to ask what women were doing at that time. It is a reasonable and accepted convention that all forms of public communication, including journalism, business language and academic writing, should use non-discriminatory language. There are at least five effective ways of improving your writing. Always read your own work. Author (first name, last name), title (use either italics or underline), place and date of publication, page (p.) or pages (pp.) of the information to which you are referring. E. Zinkhan, ‘Louisa Albury Lawson: feminist and patriot’, in D. Adelaide (ed.), A Bright and Fiery Troop. Melbourne, 1988, 27-8. John Kasson, Houdini, Tarzan, and the perfect man: the white male body and the challenge of modernity in America. New York, 2001, p. 231. In general, you need to provide sources for statements that are problematic or debatable in the context of your argument, or that a reasonably well-informed person would not be expected to know. Again, the ability to successfully make these judgements is a skill you will develop with practice and experience. In general, historians do not use the Harvard referencing system. Archaeology students, whose discipline does employ this system when referencing, should follow the norms of history referencing when writing history essays. Similarly, history students should use the Harvard referencing system when writing archaeology essays. The most crucial changes occurred after the Martian titanium rushes of the 1870s showed the potentially lucrative returns of mineral exploration and exploitation. Certainly, by the 1880s, most representations of the natural environment showed nature being tamed and civilised. Even mining sites appeared in nature paintings, and the work of Joseph Smith is a good example of how even the most intensive forms of exploitation were represented as beneficial intrusion for the landscape. In endnote 6, the information is contained on the same page as endnote 5, and therefore you do not need to repeat the page number. Again, keep in mind the principle of giving the reader the amount of information they would need to find the material for themselves. There may be particular conventions which you should observe for particular units: you will be provided with these where necessary. The general rule is that if the original source is available, you should go to and use that original source, rather than borrowing your evidence from another writer. Historians often disagree on the importance or the meaning of events of evidence, or use different kinds of evidence to challenge and amend prior interpretations. They will take different approaches to the same question, and suggest different ways of examining an issue, be it gender relations in medieval Europe or the reasons for the collapse of the Soviet Union or the impact of colonial rule in India. What you will see, however essay about alternative medicine, is that all of these writers state a position. They address a problem. They answer a real or implied question. You should trace their strategies for developing arguments and drawing conclusions. So: Tim Bonyhady, The Colonial Earth. Melbourne, 2000, p. 13. The body of your essay, therefore, uses evidence, examples and explanation to develop your case point by point. Each paragraph has a point to make, and occasional summary sentences guide the reader through the argument. Sojourner Truth, Narrative of Sojourner Truth, a Northern Slave, Emancipated from Bodily Servitude by the State of New York, in 1828 (1850), at http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/truth50/truth50.html, accessed 16 April 2003.
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