Make your writing matter! Teaching APUSH students how to write a good LEQ *adapted from APUSH LEQ 100 slides

Proper Grammar Requires Proper Punctuation! Punctuation directs you how to read, in a way musical notation directs a musician how to play. EX: “A woman, without her man, is nothing” “A woman: without her, man is nothing” EX: “Panda. Large black & white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots, and leaves” “Panda: large black & white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats shoots & leaves”

Some Professors are SUPER SERIOUS Some Professors are SUPER SERIOUS! -U of Wisconsin, Economics Class 2003

Professor Pet Peeves Papers that read like greeting cards. Leave cuteness and humor to late night TV. Show your scholarship, not your wittiness. Papers that aren’t proofread. These are laced with common spelling errors. Informal writing. Do not use slang or the first person. No clear thesis. The thesis must be clear and interesting and argue something. No fluff. A professor is not fooled by students padding essays with bigger fonts and margins. Penmanship. If it is not legible, it won’t be graded

Writing the Long Essay APUSH candidates have a choice between two questions that focus on the same historical thinking skill (HTS) but may apply to different time periods and thematic learning objectives

What are the HTS again?

Chronological Reasoning Causation. Cause AND effect. Short & long, term. Interactions among multiple causes. Continuity AND Change. Analyze and evaluate historical continuity. Turning points. Making connections Periodization. Grouping events/processes within a time period. Compare competing models/view points

Comparison & Contextualization Comparison. Compare AND contrast developments across time & space Contextualization. Connect events & developments to broader themes (ie: M Sanger’s movement for birth control  women’s rights/liberation). Making connections to other periods (ie: tying it to affirmative action 1980s)

Crafting Historical Arguments Historical Argumentation. Analyze commonly accepted interpretations & why. Convincing interpretations using contradictory evidence. Persuasive historical arguments. Relevant Historical Evidence. Analyze features of PDs. Draw supportable inferences & conclusions

Interpretation & Synthesis Interpretation. Analyze diverse historical interpretations. Evaluate how interpretations change over time. (ex: use of atomic bomb 1940s vs 1990s) Synthesis. PS & SS to create understanding of the past

THE L.E.Q.

Essays are evaluated on four criteria: Argumentation. Develops a thesis or relevant argument that addresses all parts of the question Use of Evidence. Supports the thesis using specific evidence, clearly linked to the thesis Targeted HTS. Demonstrates ability to think beyond content – causation, comparison, continuity & change over time, periodization. 4. Synthesis. Extends argument by connecting it to a different time, historical context, or connecting it to a different analysis category (geographic, economic, social, political, cultural)

STEPS TO THE L.E.Q.

STEP 1: Analyze the Question Take time to consider what the question REALLY asks. Identify the targeted HTS (causation, comparison, continuity & change over time, or periodization) Circle the main tasks required & organize your answers accordingly. Look for buzz words: “analyze, explain, support, modify, refute…” Underline the time period in the question Identify all parts of the questions that need to be addressed.

You will NOT receive full credit on an LEQ by simply reporting information. You must meet the HTS “Evaluate the relative importance of domestic and foreign affairs in shaping American politics in the 1790s” You must discuss BOTH foreign AND domestic affairs, as well as 1790’s politics. You must do more than just describe what they were like, you must Evaluate (causation) To gain the synthesis points, extend your LE to go beyond, (contextualization, comparison, show impact on geographical boundaries....)

STEP 2: Develop the Evidence Spend some time planning before writing. Organize your info in a brief outline. Domestic Affairs Foreign Affairs Politics Hamilton’s plan: ntl debt, tariff, excise tax French Revolution British v French Jefferson v Hamilton Two-party system

STEP 3: Develop a Thesis & Introductory Paragraph Take a position that you can back up DO NOT just restate the question Parts to the Introductory Paragraph BTR: Background statement (brief explanation of the topic) Thesis (your argument, stance, hypothesis, position) Roadmap (your main arguments which you’ll prove in the body-don’t be too specific, leave that for the body. But do state your intended synthesis)

STEP 4: Write the supporting body paragraphs Usually, but not always, 3-5 paragraphs. Depends on your thesis, main points of your argument, and the amount of historical evidence you provide Focus on the HTS Identify the MOST IMPORTANT supporting evidence. Simply stating everything you know is not going to earn you points. You must make that information meaningful

CONTINUITY & CHANGE OVER TIME HISTORICAL CAUSATION WHY did stuff happen? What’s the impact (long/short) COMPARISON Similarities & differences w/in or between topics CONTINUITY & CHANGE OVER TIME What stayed the same? What changed? Why’d it change & how much? PERIODIZATION Why historians start/end time period? (turning points!) SYNTHESIS Understand how past is relevant to present (connections across time, ideas, people, events)

Use BAGPIPE to help you with the SYNTHESIS Belief Systems America in the World Geography & the Environment Peopling Identity Politics & Power Economy

STEP 5: Conclusion DO NOT INTRODUCE NEW EVIDENCE OR IDEAS Sums up what the reader has learned Restates the Thesis in a fresh & interesting way DO NOT thank your reader or “hope they learned something”

Finally… Memorize the guideline for writing analytical essays (see handout)