Bellwork Think about an argument or debate What are you trying to accomplish? What is most useful in convincing your audience? How do you present this information? Convincing your audience your perspective is correct, addressing their counter arguments 2. Relavent evidence, well presented to support 3. Interspersed with your own opinions, in logical progression
How to write about history
Keep in mind! This is a crucial skill that you will be working on and developing over the next several years- don’t expect to be perfect right from the get go. Writing is an ESSENTIAL skill to success in school, and in real life Ask questions!
Essays vs. Reports Kiss your report writing days goodbye- its essay time! Reports tell me about something that happened- detailing facts and events Essays use those facts and events to prove or defend a point
Topic Focused, specific, narrow enough that you can sufficiently answer/defend it Example-”How did sectional differences contribute to the beginning of the Civil War?”- focuses on one specific aspect Counter Example- “What caused the American Civil War?”- would take books to answer this question, if you could ever answer it! Concepts to consider that will narrow a topic: geography, time, perspective, etc.
Topic Specific formatting will be discussed later Thesis statement Central idea or argument that binds your essay together Absolutely essential to a well formed essay Can be argued Specific formatting will be discussed later Examples: Ellie Goulding is the best artist of 2013 because of its meaningful lyrics and complex alternative sound; The industrial nature of the northern economy lent the union a distinct advantage in the civil war Counter example: Stop, have them write example in notes.
Structure Clear introduction and conclusion Mention your arguments, but unnecessary to state them overtly Restate arguments made in intro and body during your conclusion At least 3 points supporting your argument Distinct from each other Each clearly supported
Sources and Research Your argument is only as good as your sources. Genuine and trustworthy Genuine= authentic, i.e. did this person actually say this (plausibility) Trustworthy- reliable- having authority and knowledge enough to be trusted
Sources and Research Primary Sources Original records political, economic, artistic, scientific, social, intellectual Produced by people who participated in and witnessed the past First hand accounts Examples Audio- oral histories, interviews, music Images- photographs, videos, film, fine art Objects- clothing, tools, pottery, gravestones, inventions, weapons Statistics- census data, population statistics, weather records Text- letters, diaries, original documents, legal agreements, treaties, maps, laws advertisements, recipes, sermons/lectures Bring my primer
Sources and Research Secondary Sources Documents, texts, images, and objects created by someone who typically referenced the primary source for their information Examples Textbooks Magazine/journal articles that interpret previous research or events Biographies Encyclopedias
Physical sources Do not underestimate the value of visiting the library. Ask a librarian for help! Look at the date of publication- how old is it? Research the author- did this person have an agenda? Agenda- Spike Lee, Democratic/repulblican websites Ads
Online sources Today, most of your resources will be found online. Look for websites ending in .edu- comes from a college or university- scholarly websites Examine the site Can you find an author? Where was this article published? Wikipedia and yahoo answers= unacceptable Scan through search- Abraham Lincoln
Documentation and Plagiarism The great pitfall of historical writing- don’t let it happen to you! Quotations and paraphrasing- both must be documented! You will get more practice recognizing what needs to be cited- but if in doubt, cite! Use quotes appropriately, not just as a space filler MLA style The OWL at purdue
Closure Discussion Essays vs. Reports Primary and Secondary Sources Sources- Genuine and Trustworthy Documentation