Essay Writing The WHAP Way History Essay Writing

Essay Writing The WHAP Way!

History Essay Writing NOT the same as “creative writing” class NOT the same as “journalism”– but closer MUST address the prompt and give historical evidence A LITTLE bit like a formula Memorize the basic structure Plug in your facts and analysis And Voila!

Break it Down! WHAP Essay Writing Formula 5 -6 paragraphs NOT fancy, NOT wordy DBQ CCO COM T P DO NOT grab a thesaurus NOT your opinion, stick to the facts Get the job done!

Introduction First paragraph Contains thesis statement Provides some background details to “set the scene” 1. The s is

Huh? What’s a Thesis? The major point or argument of your paper MUST be in the introduction paragraph Drives your essay Start with Although a is important, b is more significant because… May be two consecutive sentences NOT a split thesis

Thesis #1 There were lots of changes in the Indian Ocean trade from 650 to 1450. However, many things stayed the same. OK? Not OK! (not going to get a thesis point!)

Thesis #2 Indian Ocean trade was very important. A lot of traders made money selling stuff. They spread Islam and even invented Swahili so they could talk to each other. Some things stayed the same like selling tea and spices. OK? Not OK! (No time period! No thesis point!)

Thesis #3 During the period of 650 to 1450, changes in the Indian Ocean trade included new technology like rudders and lateen sails; however, traded goods, like silk and spices, remained constant. OK? Not OK? OK! (pretty good, actually!)

Your Turn! Practice writing a thesis statement. Use the sentence strips provided. Discuss your thesis. Why is it good? Bad?

Paragraphs 2 -5 Contains good transition sentences However, therefore, as an example Explains the facts WITH analysis Two or three per paragraph Analysis (why does what you have written matter? Due to, because, since, as a result Gives the impact or significance of the fact What changed? Who was affected and why?

Conclusion Re-states thesis without exact wording Briefly summarizes your argument And you’re done! See? You can do it!

THOU SHALT NOT. . . Start or end with: “These are some of the reasons why. . . ” “There were many differences and similarities. . . ” Use: I, me, you, we, us “IMHO” B/C, W/O, cuz Any number instead of spelling (“to” NOT 2) Text message or email style

Three Types of Essays Compare and Contrast (Comp) Change and Continuity Over Time (CCOT) Document Based Question (DBQ)

Compare and Contrast ALWAYS do both How were x and y the same? How were x and y different? Must be clear in your thesis OK to not be even so long as BOTH are discussed

Change and Continuity ALWAYS discuss both How did x change over time? How did x stay the same over time? Must be clear in your thesis OK to not be even so long as BOTH are discussed

DBQ Use ALL documents May misunderstand 1 (only 1!) Analyze the documents Group the documents POV at least 4 documents Must have additional document and WHY Must be reasonable No letters from preliterate societies! Does not need outside historical information, but APUSH does. . So get ready for next year

Additional Documents What kinds of things are documents? Letters and diaries Accounting, sales, and tax records Newspapers, magazines, books Government documents Photographs Statistical and Demographic Data