Historical Essays
Throughout
the year you will be asked to compose short essay answers on a variety of
topics and questions. These essays will
not only help you better understand the historical content discussed in class,
but also improve your writing skills.
Short essays will be turned in for a grade and ultimately end up in your
History binder. This handout describes
the proper way to write a high quality short essay answer. You are always expected to do your best and
to turn in quality work. The information
discussed below can be used as a guideline to help you with short essay
assignments. You should also remember to
include proper punctuation, capitalization, and spelling in your short essay
answers.
Mr.
Gigliotti will often present you with short essay questions. A short essay question can usually be
answered in one well written paragraph.
A well written paragraph contains at least five quality sentences. Good essays also consist of three main parts:
(1) a topic sentence, (2) supporting details, and (3) a conclusion. Every good paragraph starts with a topic
sentence. The topic sentence introduces
what will be discussed within the paragraph.
Supporting details give specific information about the topic which you
are discussing. Most paragraphs contain three to five sentences of
supporting details. Finally every good
paragraph also includes a conclusion.
The conclusion summarizes what was discussed within the paragraph. Think of a sandwich, your topic sentence and
your conclusion represent the two pieces of bread, while the meat, cheese, and
fixings inside take the form of the supporting details. Below you will find an example of all of
these parts in action!
Example Short Essay Question: “What were the main causes of the
Civil War?”
Quality Short Essay Answer:
The Civil War was caused by a number of different factors including Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the Dred Scott decision, and the Election of 1860. (Topic Sentence – This sentence introduces
the topic and tells the reader that there are 3 causes you will be discussing.) Uncle
Tom’s Cabin was a book written by Harriet Beacher
stow which exposed many northerners to the horrors of slavery for the first
time. The Dred
Scott decision was also a cause of the Civil War when the Supreme Court declared
slavery constitutional. Finally, Abraham
Lincoln’s election in 1860 was a major cause of the Civil War because
southerners feared
How will
these short essay assignments be graded?
These assignments will be graded on a four point system
similar to how students will be graded on the Ohio Graduation Test. The following criteria will be used to assess
each essay.
|
0 Points (F) Little if
any attempt was made to answer the question with historical facts and application
skills or the essay is incomplete and/or missing. This essay must be redone for any
credit. L |
1 Points (D) The essay
indicates that the student is unaware of the historical facts
associated with the question and/or did not apply the material
appropriately when responding. Essay must be redone L |
2 Points (C) The essay
indicates that the student is unaware of many historical facts associated
with the question and/or did not apply the material appropriately when
responding. Essay must be redone L |
3 Points (B) The essay
indicates that the student is aware of some historical facts
associated with the question and/or did not apply the material when
answering the question. Good Job! J |
4 Points (A) The essay
clearly indicates that the student is aware of numerous historical facts
associated with the question and can apply the material when answering
the question. Well Done! J |
Historical Essays
During most
units of study, Mr. Gigliotti will assign short essay questions based on the
material discussed in class. These “BIG
QUESTIONS” must be answered on one sheet of clean notebook paper and neatly
hand written. Students must also rewrite
the question and include the date each question was assigned. Students will be able to find information
about the essay topics from their guided class notes, class discussions and
activities, text book, and web page.
Collectively, these “BIG QUESTIONS” will make up the student’s “History
Journal” throughout the year and will be saved in their History Binder. Usually, Mr. Gigliotti will give students
time each day near the end of class to write their essays. Students are expected to use this class time
to write and edit their work. At various
times, students must choose their very best essay, edit and improve their work,
and then neatly type that essay in a word processing program. The typed essay should represent the student’s
best work and should be printed out and stapled to the clean notebook paper
containing all of the “Big Questions”.
This should be then turned into Mr. Gigliotti. Students will be asked to redo poorly done or
incomplete papers.
Follow the steps below to ensure proper completion of such
assignments:
1. Copy down
the “Big Question” of the day in your agenda book.
2. Pay close
attention to class discussion, notes, assignments, and readings.
3. Handwrite
each essay near the end of the class period.
All of the “Big Questions” should be
placed on one sheet of clean notebook paper and include the
date it was
assigned. The paper
should also contain the proper heading (see example below).
4. Choose the
short essay that represents your best work and further edit the essay to
improve its overall quality.
You should have a friend or parent proofread your work.
5. Use a word
processing program to type your best essay.
Be sure to follow the correct
format (see example below).
6. Print out
your essay and staple it to your clean notebook paper. Turn both into Mr. Gigliotti on
the specific due date assigned.
