The Historical Investigation

Pre-Work Pre-research for a topic Narrow your topic down through more research Come up with a specific & narrow research question Take cited notes off of your sources and label them: Main Idea, Supporting Detail, Analysis

Part A: Plan of Investigation 100-150 words Refine your RQ which should be: specific, focused, detailed and narrow SCOPE = Your thesis and an explanation as to why your topic is important, deserves research and why you focused it as you did. Explain WHY it is as broad or narrow.

Part A: Plan of Investigation METHODS = an explanation as to HOW and WHY you found your sources. This is NOT a story about how you went to the library or sat at a computer or used the internet to find sources. Look at your research question and think : What types of sources do I need to find to answer this and WHY? How will they help answer the question? You need to have a plan to research info, not just go blindly into it.

Part A: Plan of Investigation You can’t do all of your research on the internet I need to find letters from “X” …and why I need to look at others who were there…and why I need to find court records of “X” …and why I need to find newspaper articles about “X”… and why

Part A: Plan of Investigation A good Thesis declares what you believe and what you intend to prove. It is evaluative, NOT descriptive. It makes the difference between a thoughtfully researched paper and a basic retelling of facts. A good thesis is created and supported by a substantial amount of research If you skimp on the research you are skimping the grades on EVERY section of the paper.

Part A: Plan of Investigation A good thesis takes a stand on an issue Creates further discussion on the topic Clearly expresses one main idea Is specific and focused Is original, not generic or formulaic Avoids: “I think…I believe…In my opinion…” Does not restate the question. Clearly answers the question. Is Evaluative

Part A: Plan of Investigation- marks 0 - There is no plan, or it is inappropriate 1 - The research question, method, scope and rationale of the investigation are not clearly stated 2 – The research question is clearly stated, the method, scope and rationale are outlined and related to the question. 3- The RQ is clearly stated, the methods, scope and rationale of the investigation are clearly developed and closely focused on the RQ.

Pre-work for Summary of Evidence You must have all of your research completed Your research must include a variety of credible sources from a variety of places You must have your cited notes completed and LABELED: Main Idea, Supporting Details, Analysis

Pre-Work for Summary of Evidence With your Research Question in mind, pick five strong Main Ideas that directly answer your question. One should be a counter argument that you can prove is weak Align your supporting details, quotes and analysis under the corresponding Main Idea What ever details do not directly answer your question should be discarded.

Part B: Summary of Evidence 500-600 words Just the facts, NO OPINION Prove you researched extensively by using/citing a variety of sources (minimum 7) You should have some information from every source you will list in your Works Cited (Part F) Use a mix of primary and secondary sources If you use quotes, put them in context SUMMARIZE, SUMMARIZE, SUMMARIZE

Part B: Summary of Evidence DON’T DO THE FOLLOWING: Include analysis Answer the question (Your conclusion will do this) Create a large footnote of context information. The IB examiner is not required to use/acknowledge this info Repeat information (The point doesn’t get stronger the more you say it) Include “Filler” facts that don’t directly answer your question. Waste time on the backstory, be succint.

Part B: Summary of Evidence You MUST do the following: Have some sort of organization to the presentation of your ideas (and be able to justify it in your Plan): Thematically or Chronologically Cite your sources consistently Have strong Main ideas that directly answer your question and are supported by SPECIFIC and detailed facts It is a good idea to have evidence that may go against your theory, so that you can argue against it in the Analysis section

Part B: Summary of Evidence – 6 marks 0 – There is no relevant factual evidence 1-2 – There is some relevant factual evidence OR the factual evidence is not correctly cited 3-4 – There is relevant and factual information that shows evidence of research, organization, and referencing. 5-6 – The factual information is ALL relevant to answering the Research Question and is properly cited, the research is very strong and the sources are varied. The information is thoughtfully organized.

Part C: Evaluation of Sources (OPVL) - 500-600 words, TWO paragraphs Critically evaluate two of your most important sources (one paragraph per source) OPVL: Refer to the values and limitations of the Origin and Purpose Origin = Who, when and where? Purpose = What is it and WHY was it created? You are assessing the USEFULNESS of these sources in regards to your research DO NOT SUMMARIZE the info from the sources (this was done in Part B) You don’t have to compare the sources, it is fine to have them stand on their own.

Part C: Evaluation of Sources Make sure you know WHO your author is, so you can critically examine their credibility. Is he/she a Historian? Citizen? Politician? Participant? …and how does this impact the information they are giving you… When & Where was it created? How does the time period and location impact for the better or worse the info that is given? Think of the type of source, is it a book? Journal article? Diary? Speech? What was the reason it was created? To inform/educate? Persuade? Get out personal feelings? How does this impact the info you got from the source? What insights did the source give you in answering your question?

Part C: Evaluation of Sources DO NOT USE THESE SOURCES FOR SECTION C: Encyclopedias OF ANY KIND Editorial Cartoons* Photographs* Children or Young Adult books Websites, like History.com, Biography.com… ** unless your paper focuses on a particular editorial cartoonist OR the significance of a certain photograph. **

Part C: Evaluation of Sources 0 – There is no description or evaluation of sources 1 – The sources are described but there is no reference to their origin, purpose, value and limitation. 2-3 – There is some evaluation of the sources but reference to their origin, purpose value and limitation may be weak (possibly as a result of weak sources) 4-5 – There is a strong critical evaluation with explicit reference to the origin, purpose, values and limitations.

Part D: Analysis 500-600 words If you took cited notes and carefully labeled them, this section should pretty much already be written. If you didn’t, than you have a lot of work ahead of you. This is where your voice comes out and you defend your argument. This is where you prove to IB that you critically examined your topic and can justify your point of view

Part D: Analysis DO NOT: Rewrite your Summary of Evidence Include information you did not reference in your Summary of Evidence Forget to cite your information

Part D: Analysis You must do the following: Put your paper in its historical context and explain how this impacted the outcome/influence on your topic Explain the significance of your topic through the historical context Explain how your facts in the Summary work together to support your thesis: How are they related? How do they conflict with each other? What do they mean in relationship to your topic? What is your interpretation of the facts? CITE your information again!!! Explain how a counter point of view is weaker than your point of view Discuss the significance of your sources from Part C in developing your argument.

Part D: Analysis – 6 Marks 0 – There is no analysis 1-2 – There is some attempt at analyzing the evidence 3-4 – There is analysis of the factual material presented in part B and references are included. There may be some awareness of the significance to the investigation of the sources evaluated in Part C. Where appropriate, different interpretations are discussed. 5-6 – There is critical analysis of the evidence presented in Part B with accurate references There is a critical evaluation of the importance of the sources in Section C to the investigation Where appropriate, different interpretations are analyzed The historical significance is clearly explained in relation to the historical context.

Part E: Conclusion 150-200 Words This is where you wrap up your paper and explain how all of the parts come together to answer your Research Question DO NOT include any new information Give the answer to your research question and explain how the evidence in Part B and analysis in Part D support your thesis. This should be consistent with the rest of your paper. Don’t switch the argument. It needs to be consistent with the evidence you presented.

Part E: Conclusion – 2 Marks 0 – There is no conclusion, or it is not relevant 1 – The conclusion is stated, but it is not entirely consistent with the evidence presented 2 – The conclusion is clearly stated and is consistent with the evidence presented.

Part F: List of Sources Not counted in your word count It’s a bibliography of the sources you used in your research for the Summary of Evidence All of the sources you used must be listed ALPHABETICALLY Be consistent with your citation, using Chicago Style. 0 – A list is not included/ or the investigation is not within the word limit 1 – A list is included, but it is limited (weak) or one standard methods is not used correctly 2 – A list of sources is given, is cited correctly and meets the word limit 3 – A strong list of sources is provided and cited correctly and meets the word requirement.