1. APUSH PREWRITING SKILLS
Or how to prewrite in a short time frame

2. Identifying Critical Words in an Essay Question (Prewriting Skills)
The Basic Questions to ask yourself
What is the time period of the question?
What am I to do with the question?
What content is appropriate in answering the question?

3. Common Phrases likely to appear in Free-response questions
What is the question asking you to do:
Content Areas:
Evaluate/assess the validity (AKA: Is this an accurate or inaccurate statement about history)
Analyze the extent to which…
Discuss
Compare
Contrast
Political
Diplomatic
Economic
Social
Cultural
Intellectual

4. Writing: APUSH STYLE
There are four main steps to writing a historical essay
Understand the prompt and identify key words
Generate a working Thesis
Categorize and connect historical information and documents
Organize your response through an outline
As you have to work within a limited time to complete your essays we will be practicing these skills all year!

5. STEP 1: Understand the prompt and identify key words
Consider the following prompt:
Using the documents above and your knowledge of the historical period, analyze the extent to which economics, religion, and politics shaped the earliest contacts between Europeans and native peoples in the Western Hemisphere.
You need to address ALL parts of the question to get a “5”
The topic
The task
The categories

6. How to address the Prompt:
Draw a box around your topic
Underline your task
Circle your categories
Let’s revisit our prompt now

7. Using the documents above and your knowledge of the historical
period, analyze the extent to which ,
and shaped the
Economics,
Religion,
Politics
earliest contacts between Europeans and native peoples in the Western Hemisphere.

8. STEP 2: Generate a Working Thesis
Your Thesis statement includes your main argument in response to a prompt.
Create a list of important information that comes to mind
Then go back to the prompt, and begin to organize some of this information loosely into other categories of you question (economics, religion, politics)
Finally, generate a thesis statement (argument) based on the information you have brainstormed

9. STEP 3: Categorize and connect historical information and documents
This step we will cover in more detail when we get to Document Based Questions (DBQ’s)

10. Step 4: Organize your response through an outline
This is the most important step after your thesis to help you create a logical and coherent historical argument.
Thesis and Introduction
Category 1
Compose a claim that answers the prompt in term of CATEGORY 1
Compose one or two evidence statements that prove your claim about CATEGORY 1. These evidence statements should use the historical information and documents that you gathered in your brainstorming.
Category 2
Compose a claim that answers the prompt in term of CATEGORY 2
Compose one or two evidence statements that prove your claim about CATEGORY 2 These evidence statements should use the historical information and documents that you gathered in your brainstorming.
Category 3
Compose a claim that answers the prompt in term of CATEGORY 3
Compose one or two evidence statements that prove your claim about CATEGORY 3 These evidence statements should use the historical information and documents that you gathered in your brainstorming.

11. Let’s Practice!