Essay Questions 50% of score 10 minute reading period 2 hours to write 3 essays Essays should be 5 paragraphs Thesis, body, body, body, closing Spend 5-10 minutes outlining your essay before you start writing

Types of Essays Document-Based Question Essay (DBQ) Change-Over-Time Essay Comparative Essay

Before you start Look at directions –Underline where you are getting the points and how many. Look at the question –What are they asking me to do (analyze, compare, explain, describe, etc) –Which characteristics are they asking me about –Which civilization are they asking me about and when Brainstorm the topic –What do you know about this topic

Thesis Key to writing a good essay, first thing the reader sees. Worth 1 or 2 of 9 points Readers ask –Is the thesis acceptable? (1 st point) –Do you have a comprehensive, analytical and explicit thesis (Possible 2 nd point) Try to keep it to only one comprehensive sentence.

Thesis Rephrase the question as a simple answer. Decide which 3 characteristics your body paragraphs are going to talk about. Come up with another word to describe the characteristic that is more specific, yet still broad enough to write 3 details about. –Economic….. Trade –Social……family structure –Political…… revolutionary process Try to change the verbs to make a strong statement about what you are going to prove –Changed….transformed –Effected…influenced

Outline Next outline your essay. Use this 5 paragraph form. 1) Thesis 2) Body 1 Thesis –Concrete detail and commentary 3) Body 2 Thesis –Concrete detail and commentary 4) Body 3 Thesis –Concrete detail and commentary 5) Conclusion

Write the Essay Now write the essay by following your outline Remember your concrete details must be based on historical fact, not opinion. Support what your going to say by adding evidence. Your commentary explains why this detailed happened and how it relates to your thesis. It may be part of your concrete detail sentence or a separate sentence following it. Introduce evidence for each key phrase

Stick to thesis Use transitional and trigger words to highlight important points in your thesis –Contrast or Change But, however, although, though in contrast, alternatively –Similarity or Continuity Since, moreover, similarity, as well as, still, likewise, therefore

Conclusion Finish your essay with a concluding paragraph. Like your thesis it should be only be one sentence. Simply restate your thesis in different words.

Final Advice Write neatly, if you don’t know how to spell a word choose another Watch your time –Spending to much time on the 1 st essay could mean running out of time for the last Think before you write –Make notes, jot ideas, create an outline –The more work you do before you write, the neater and more organized your essay will be