Friday, October 26th Take picture of Stamp Sheet – include name clearly in it! Use this time to refine your research, research question, and thesis Reread the Gold Assignment Instructions – have you missed anything? Review upcoming due dates for next week – plan weekend accordingly Take a look at some of the writing PowerPoints on Maners’ website – the outline, things about thesis statements, general writing tips How are you going to keep yourself ‘in check’… it will be very easy to chit chat as you go, but is this the most effective use of your class time?

Feedback on TRS… Fine to have really needs work or needs work – that is OK at this stage If it is not a good topic – I say so in the notes I wrote, if there is negative feedback it doesn’t mean you HAVE to CHANGE your topic… but you do need to refine it! Must have both CHURCH and STATE! Balance of specific and not getting too factual AND DEBATBLE! Focus, focus, focus – only have 800-950 words… that really isn’t a lot – and need to dig in, otherwise you just end up writing a report Need correct grammar and conventions in a thesis – even a rough draft.  Names are capitalized!!!!

The good, the bad, the ugly Thesis Statements The good, the bad, the ugly

The Problematic Too broad The Renaissance sparked in European minds the transformation of artists into individual achievers and artwork into a form of expression.

The Problematic Too specific The pentathlon event was one of the original events from the Ancient Olympics and remains as a part of the Modern Olympics representing, as it has changed over time, the change in what society thinks is most important in athletics.

The Problematic Too obvious, not debatable or controversial Leonardo’s masterpieces of art and science contributed heavily to the success of the Renaissance, and as well as becoming the base for modern inventions, his contributions earned him the title of a true Renaissance man.

The Ugly: Un-provable The bombing of Pearl Harbor indirectly caused the Cold War because it drew America into WWII, creating two superpowers that split Europe between two new factions.

The Good Specific and provable The injustice in Lenin’s life paralleled the conditions in Russia, fueling Lenin to lead the revolution that would change the face of Russian politics.

The Good Dissent and large scale protests on the part of the German people in response to the oppression and injustice they experienced under communist rule, as symbolized by the Berlin Wall, impacted Gorbachev’s policies in a way that ultimately led to the demise of the Soviet Union.

Things to avoid: Topics very hard to argue i.e. people’s attitudes changing, hypotheticals, etc. If you can plug in another topic into your thesis and it still makes sense, it’s too broad

The Strategy, Thesis Use your evidence to create a thesis with … … arguable point. … specific point. … importance (answers “so what?” question)

The Strategy, Thesis Thesis don’ts: Use the word “I.” EVER! Answer the question with the question’s words. “The best place to live …” So, no “best!”

The Strategy, Thesis Thesis dos Create an original statement that answers the question specifically. Minimize the amount of words. Make each one count. Narrow down the scope so that is as specific as possible. Claim the most significant, coolest thing you can based on your evidence. (What can you prove?)

Tell me what works… Prompt: Explain the reason(s) for the outbreak of the English Civil War. 1.       King Charles’ conviction in Divine Right and Parliament’s frustration with his ineffective, wasteful rule created tension between those loyal to the king and those supporting parliament. 2.       The false claim to be an Anglican crusader, and the constant attempts to suppress the voices of the people through the oppression of Parliament, is what drove the people of England to outbreak into the English Civil War.

Tell me what works… Prompt: Explain the reason(s) for the outbreak of the English Civil War. 3.       Charles’ stubbornness and ignorance prevented Parliament from coming to peaceful terms with the king, forcing the people of England to revolt against the Royalists. 4.       Charles I’s stubborn reactions to the outbursts of Parliament upset the public, splitting England into a Civil War.