Writing 101 Writing in History Class

Why does it matter? Writing skills and the ability to effectively communicate are amongst the most highly rated skills employers look for "Being able to get your point across means the difference between success and failure,“ Senior VP of Human Resources Mike Panigel, Siemens, a global company that reviews thousands of applicants each year

A strong topic sentence… While it doesn’t matter where it goes in your first paragraph, if you are just starting out and want to make it easy on yourself put it right away, after your attention getting statement The purpose of the topic sentence is to tell the reader what the essay is going to deal with

A strong topic sentence… Your topic sentence is strongest when it tells the reader what your topic is, the position you are taking if you have one, and what your main points are To make your historical writing more effective eliminate unnecessary words like “I think,” “I feel,” or “I believe”

Which is stronger? Reconstruction was a success because it allowed the nation to come back together as one country, created a path for African Americans to push for equality, and opened the door to economic development in the South. I believe Reconstruction was a failure because African Americans ended up losing the gains they made, the South developed a system of segregation, and violence against Blacks spread throughout the country.

A final thought on topic sentences The topic sentence should not set out to describe or give details, its job is to outline what is being written about The body of your paragraph(s) describe the evidence or PROVE your claims in the topic sentence

Proper Nouns & Capitalization The pronoun “I” – ALWAYS capitalized Ex. My dogs and I are looking forward to running outside again. Proper nouns – the names of specific people, places, organizations, eras and sometimes things: Reconstruction, Civil War, Freedmen’s Bureau, United States, the Union, the Thirteenth Amendment

Proper Nouns & Capitalization Titles – when preceding a name – President Lincoln, Senator Revels Directions that are names i.e. used as a section of the country not as a compass direction: the South, the North, the Old West Remember, months, days, holidays ARE capitalized, seasons are not

Additional tips… One sentence does not make a paragraph – even if you write one sentence that fills an entire page One sentence should never fill an entire page, if you are just starting out, only put one or two ideas in a single sentence

Additional tips… Always have someone proof read your work before you turn it in for a grade If you do not have someone else to proof your work, try reading your work out loud, often times hearing your writing will help you catch mistakes like awkward phrases

Additional tips… Transitional words help ease the reader from one idea, sentence, or paragraph to the next and improve the quality of your writing A good source for transitional phrases and writing in general: 574/02/ 574/02/

Your conclusion Should stick to the theme of your essay and restate your topic The length and task of the conclusion varies depending on the assignment Appeal to your reader, the conclusion must be as strong as the topic sentence & leave the reader with something to think about