1. PLATINUM OPTION: FORMAL ESSAY
SEMESTER PORTFOLIO OPTION SERIES

2. SEMESTER PORTFOLIO STANDARD and HONORS SIMILARITIES DIFFERENCES
Choose your topic and acquire resources
Conduct & Analyze Research
Create your outline
Write rough draft
Receive teacher feedback
Revise & submit final draft
STANDARD and HONORS
SEMESTER PORTFOLIO
DIFFERENCES
Standard USH
Honors USH
Why should American citizens learn about this event?
6-8 paragraphs
C&A Research questions
ONE grade to rule them all!
How does this event shape modern American society?
1,500-2,000 words
C&A Research questions
Submit individual parts along the way

3. 1
Choose A Topic
Do not take this “first step” lightly, as the topic you choose will have a direct impact on your overall enthusiasm and motivation for completing this semester portfolio project.
The Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918
The Dust Bowl
New Deal Programs
Japanese-American
Internment Camps
WWII Leadership Comparison (speak to Mr. Snell if interested)
Dropping of Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
McCarthyism and Blacklisting
Cold War America
Cuban Missile Crisis
1960s Civil Rights Movement
Separate, But Equal
Integration
The Space Race
Watergate Scandal
American Culture- “The 60s”
Vietnam War
The First Computers
Reagan and Gorbachev
Other (Must get teacher approval)?

4. Research STANDARD US 2 Conduct & Analyze
What are the basic facts of your event?
What is the historical context of your event? What were the causes of your event? What were its effects?
Why is this event important for new citizens to understand?
What perspective do your primary sources bring to understanding the event?
How do your primary sources help you make your argument?
Research
STANDARD US
Conduct & Analyze
What facts about the event does your reader need to have in order to understand the event’s importance to new citizens? 
Why is this event important for new citizens to understand? 
What perspective do your primary sources bring to understanding the event? 
How do your primary sources help you make your argument?

5. Research HONORS US 2 Conduct & Analyze
What are the basic facts of your event?
What is the historical context of your event? What were the causes of your event? What were its effects?
How does this event connect to the modern world? What lasting influence has the event had on American government, culture, society, or interaction with the world?
What perspective do your primary sources bring to understanding the event?
What biases do your primary sources reveal? How reliable is the information presented within your primary sources?
How do historical primary sources evaluate the event? How do modern primary sources evaluate the event or events that have resulted from it?
How do your primary sources help you make your argument?
Research
HONORS US
Conduct & Analyze
What facts about the event must your reader have in order to understand the event’s importance within U.S. history?
What is the event's historical context?
Why is this event important for American citizens to understand?
How does this event connect to the modern world?
What influence has this event had on modern American government, culture, society, or interaction with the world?
What perspectives do your primary sources bring to understanding the event? What biases do they reveal?
How do your primary sources help you make your argument?

6. OUTLINE 3 Thesis sentence (hook) Section for each subtopic or claim
Supporting detail
Statistic
Analysis
Subtopic or claim 3
OUTLINE
Thesis sentence (hook)
Section for each subtopic or claim
Subsections for details, facts, graphics, statistics, etc. x3
Conclusion- connections, predictions, etc

7. ROUGH DRAFT 4 Step 1: Crafting a Thesis Statement
A thesis statement should sum up the main argument of your paper. For this paper, your thesis
statement should answer the question: Why should new American citizens learn about this event? A thesis statement is usually a sentence long. Click on the link in the lesson to watch the "Thesis Statement" Discovery Education™ streaming movie. You will organize your essay around this statement.
Step 2: Writing a Rough Draft
1. Be sure to include transition words between topics such as then, next, secondly, and also.
2. You may have more ideas than paragraphs for a section. Think about combining two related
ideas into one paragraph.
3. Check that all of the ideas presented in your essay support your thesis statement.
4. Include at least one quotation from each primary source to help enliven and support your
thesis. Be sure that the primary source quotes you select relates closely to your argument and
offers information that could not have been obtained from a secondary source. Also ensure
that you identify the quote's speaker within the text of your essay. You may wish to provide
historical context on the speaker to help the reader better understand that person's point of
view and experiences.
Step 3: Edit
You need to edit your rough draft to fix mistakes and make your report better. Print your essay, then write your corrections on your rough draft. Lastly, have another person you trust do the same process.
ROUGH DRAFT

8. 5 WAIT…..WAIT FOR IT……WAITING……
DO NOT submit final draft without teacher feedback.

9. FINAL DRAFT 6 Step 1: Final Revisions Step 2: Submit Final Draft
Address feedback from self-critique, your additional chosen editor, and all teacher comments/concerns as well.
Step 2: Submit Final Draft
This is it! This is your best version of you, your best foot forward. You should feel confident in what you are about to submit, and resolved to accept whatever final grade you may receive. In other words, should feel as though there is nothing else you could do or want to do for this portfolio. 
FINAL DRAFT

10. DIFFERENCES
Honors USH
Standard USH
SUBMIT PORTFOLIO
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