Intellectual Diaries

Good writing is often about letting go of fear and affectation. Affectation itself, beginning with the need to define some sorts of writing as “ good ” and other sorts as “ bad, ” is a fearful behavior. - Stephen King Intellectual Diary 1.Learning to write well requires that you write often. You cannot develop good writing skills by simply listening to a teacher or reading a textbook. 2.The purpose of the Intellectual Diary is to help you improve your writing skills. Approach each assignment as an opportunity to become a better writer. 3.Writing is a good way to discover and clarify your thoughts. Use writing assignments as a tool of self-discovery. 4.Learn to write as naturally as you speak. Rather than trying to choose your words before you write, let words and ideas come to you during the writing assignment. a.Keep your pen moving during a writing assignment. Each writing assignment is timed. You should not stop writing until you are told to stop by the teacher. Turn off the critic in your head. Don ’ t let anxiety or perfectionism get in the way of putting ideas on paper. b.Avoid correcting mistakes while you write. If necessary, you can proofread and revise after you have put your thoughts on paper. c.If your mind goes blank, write “ I don ’ t know what I think, ” or “ My mind is blank. ” An idea will eventually come to you as long as you keep your pen moving and stay focused on the topic of the writing assignment  Inside Front Cover of ID The secret to writing well is practice – actual writing experience. In general, the more you write, the better a writer you will become. - Scott Edelstein

Tips For Writing  1 st Page of ID

To Succeed in a History Class  Write well  Extension of your thoughts  Think Historically & Analytically  Know a Vast Amount of Historical Information

Analytical Thinking (Not Critical)  Make an assertion  Be confident  Defend it with specific, accurate, and relevant information  Use your sources and be precise  Leave out what is not needed  Must have a basis from what you have studied  Understand counterarguments  The truth often lies in the middle

So, what do we do in History…?  History requires patience  Piece the information together  Social studies is about analysis  NOT ABOUT OPINION  Conclusion based on evidence provided to you  Essential skill is writing well  Write often  Developed by doing

Thimble Analogy

My job is to increase your capacity to hold more content by teaching you skills to do so  Writing Skills  Quickwrites and DBQs  Analytical Skills  OPTIC, SOAPS, Quickwrites, Reading Like a Historian, Questions/Inferences, APPARTS, G-PERSIA, Yes/But, 3-Level Questions  Thinking Skills  Thinking maps plus all of the above  Primary Sources

As your skills grow… SKILLS SKILLS SKILLS …your capacity to hold content grows

 Once you reach AP classes at KHS, you will be a bucket overflowing with the skills necessary to succeed on AP Tests, in college and in your future career. An Overflowing Bucket

CONTENT My job is not to pour!