1. Introduction to Social Studies Skills Writing an Essay

2. Thinking Model Make a Claim ExplainEvidence

3. In History… A Claim = THESIS STATEMENT = 1 st Explain = Reasons why = Body EVIDENCE= Citations = within

4. Primary vs Secondary Sources

5. Primary Sources Historical documents, written accounts by firsthand witnesses, or objects that have survived from the past Advantages of: –Immediate picture of event –Reveals info not found elsewhere –Not an interpretation after the fact

6. Primary Sources, cont… Disadvantages –Difficult to read –One point of view w/ no explanation –May be biased, one- sided, and emotional Examples –Letters –Government Documents –Oral accounts –Diaries –Maps –Photographs –Artwork –Artifacts –Coins, Stamps –Poems –Court records –Data –Experiments

7. Secondary Sources Accounts of past events created by people some time after those events happened. They are interpretations or an analysis of a historical event.

8. Secondary Sources, cont… Advantages –Can study people, events from times, places w/o having to be there –Publishers of books and articles usually have more education and experience Disadvantages –Difficult to id relevant sources –Inhibits creativity

9. Secondary Sources, cont… Examples –Books –Journal articles –NP articles –Encyclopedias –Biographies –Dictionary –Social Studies Textbook

10. Citing Sources in MLA Style When you take ideas, paraphrases, or quotes from a source, you MUST tell IN YOUR PAPER the source of this information. Common knowledge does not need to be cited. PLAGARISM !

11. Example of when to use: According to a U.S. Senate staff member, legislation on Capitol Hill is often surrounded by a “fog of politics” (Light, 11). Bob is a member of the area Chamber of Commerce and owns a small business call Bob’s Brick (document C).

12. Works Cited Found at the end of the essay / paper 3 areas of info: Author, Title, and Publication info Separate page at end “Works Cited” is the title, centered Double-spaced Alphabetical order by last names Second line of entries is indented Last name, first. Title. City: Publishing company, year.

13. Sample: Works Cited Light, Paul C. Forging Legislation. New York: Norton, 1992. Smith, Darcy. “Politics.” Newsweek 14 Aug. 2007: 23-27.

14. Assignment In the front of the room is a collection of items related to Mrs. Verbeten. Analyze the items. After you have conducted careful analysis, make 2 claims about Mrs. Verbeten. Explain your claims. Provide evidence (a citation) to support your claims. Final product should be TWO paragraphs –Main idea = claim –Explanation = body –Evidence = citations

15. REVIEW Primary or Secondary?

16. 1. Map

17. 2. Textbook

18. 3. Encyclopedia

19. 5. Family Scrapbook

20. 6. Don’t Bet Against Me by Deanna Favre

21. 7. Richard M. Nixon by Ralph Bennet

22. 8. Interview

23. 9. Webster’s Dictionary

24. 10. Photo album

25. Thesis Statements

26. Definition: One or two sentence condensation of the argument or analysis of the argument you are going to make in the paper.

27. Why do we use them? test your ideas better organize and develop your argument provide your reader with a “guide”

28. How do you come up with one? Brainstorm Narrow Take a position Use specific language Make an assertion

29. A Good Statement Usually Does the Following: Takes on a subject that others could disagree Deals with a topic that can be addressed in the assignment Expresses one main idea States your conclusions about a subject NEVER uses I, me, or you

30. Strong or Weak? There are negative and positive aspects to the banana herb supplement.

31. Strong or Weak? While most American families would view divorce and re-marriage as a threat to the traditional family, many families, like my own, believe these marriages help reinforce kinship ties in an extended family.

32. Strong or Weak? Companies need to exploit the marketing potential of the internet, and web pages can provide advertising and customer support.

33. Strong or Weak? Hunger persists in Appalachia because jobs are scarce and farming in the fertile soil is rarely profitable.