Long Essay Question LEQ Maximize Your Score Information

Long Essay Question (LEQ) Maximize Your Score

Information ● Choice of 3 essays (P 1 -3, P 4 -6, P 7 -9) ● 6 Point Rubric ○ ○ ● ● ● Thesis 1 pt Contextualization 1 pt Support for Argument (Evidence) 2 pts Application of Targeted Skill 2 pts Historical Thinking Skills Exam Weight: 15% Exam Recommended Time: 40 minutes In order to score a 5, your LEQ score should be a 5+ In order to score a 3, your LEQ score should be a 3+.

Analyze and Partition AP = Analyze & Partition to Address the Prompt

Analyze the Prompt ●What is the essay asking you to do? ●What historical thinking skill is being assessed? ●Are there dates included? AP = Address the Prompt

Key Words in the Prompt ● ‘Compare and contrast’ means find similarities and differences. ● ‘Evaluate the extent to which’ means how much. ● ‘Explain’ requires the student to clarify or interpret an event on the basis of cause and effect. ● ‘Support, modify, refute’ choose evidence that confirms the statement, changes the statement (acknowledges gray area or nuances), or goes against the statement ● ‘Evaluate the relative importance’ means put things in order of importance.

Historical Thinking Skills ● Periodization - must discuss how the time period is similar and/or different from earlier or later time periods (ex: turning points, era titles) ● Comparison - must make comparisons between two different events/time periods/groups ● Causation - must discuss causes and effects ● Continuity and Change - must discuss what is the same and what is different

Your Turn What historical thinking skill (HTS) is being used for the following? ● Compare and contrast the Native American tribes of the Southwest and East. ● Evaluate the extent to which religious beliefs influenced American colonization. ● Evaluate the extent to which 1492 was a turning point for Amerindians. ● Evaluate the extent to which European colonization maintained continuity and fostered change in the Americas.

Partition ● The next step is to brainstorm the answer. The student must identify the names, events, terms, etc. that could be used in developing an answer. ● These items should then be organized into SPECial categories. ○ Social, Political, Economic, Cultural ● Many times the categories are inherent in the essay question itself. ● A partition is basically the divisions for your paragraphs. It can follow the SPEC categories or can be changes or continuities. It is your choice, but should be addressed in the introduction paragraph.

Your Turn ●What partitions might you use for the following prompts? ○ In the 16 th century, Europeans had both the motivation and the means to explore and colonize territory. Support, modify or refute. ○ Evaluate the extent to which 1492 was a turning point for Amerindians.

Thesis

Thesis ●This is 1 or more sentences that answer the prompt with a claim that can be defended with historical evidence ●The thesis (which is usually written in a single sentence) should come at the very end of the first paragraph, and should be clear and concise. ●In order to earn points for APUSH, it cannot be a simple restatement of the prompt!!

Advice from Readers ● When the prompt asks “To what extent…”, make sure to give an “evaluative” response. For example…. major extent, significant, watershed event) ● It is not enough to address the changes that occurred. The expectation is for you to indicate HOW MUCH change occurred ● If the question provides categories of analysis (political, economic, social), be sure to use them. ● In a periodization question, if not provided, set the parameters.

Thesis Formula X (counter argument) Y (your argument) A, B, C (three main ideas or categories = PARTITION) Now add it together - (X. However, A, B, C. Therefore Y)

Sample In the 16 th century, Europeans had both the motivation and the means to explore and colonize territory. Support, modify or refute. Politically, conflicts between Europeans nations drove their leaders to gain power through colonies. Economically, people pooled their resources to create companies to explore. Technologically, the Renaissance introduced new methods such as cartography to help expeditions. Therefore, Europeans had the political motivation and economic and technological means to explore and colonize.

Your Turn Evaluate the extent to which 1492 was a turning point for Amerindians. 1. Analysis - HTS 2. Partition & Categories 3. Thesis

Demographically, Amerindian populations were decimated by disease. Socially, new races were created through inter-mixing, And religiously, many Amerindians were converted to Christianity. Therefore, 1492 was a major turning point for Amerindians demographically, socially and religiously.

Introduction Set the Scene

Objective Students will write an introduction paragraph with the 3 required elements of context, partition and thesis.

The Introduction Paragraph ●This is the MOST important paragraph in your APUSH essay!!! ●Unlike AP Euro or AP World, it CANNOT be just a sentence. Forget what you learned last year!!! ●A great intro will set the reader in the frame of mind that they will be reading a 5 -6 essay. A bad intro will set the reader in the frame of mind that they will be reading a 1 -2 essay.

Write the Opening Paragraph The opening paragraph should introduce the reader to the essay’s topic. The opening paragraph needs to establish context for the student’s response. Ideally the introduction should grab the reader’s attention, but anything that relates to the topic is acceptable. Writing it well, however, puts the reader in the right frame of mind and organizes the rest of the essay. ● Establishing Context in the Introduction Set the scene! Provide relevant background information to connect the topic you are writing about to things that happened earlier in history related to that topic. ● Partition your topic - What subtopics will you discuss to prove your thesis? These become your body paragraphs. ● Last Sentence = Thesis The last sentence of your introductory paragraph MUST be your thesis statement.

Reminder At all times remember that your entire essay is designed to prove thesis. The essay must have a consistent theme. Despite previous experience to the contrary, one will not receive a good grade for an essay that doesn’t have a point and doesn’t use evidence to prove the point. You must answer the question. By the end of the first paragraph, the reader should not only know thesis but also have a clear idea of the main arguments that will be developed in the body of the essay in support of thesis.

Sample (This goes before the partition and thesis. Its purpose is to set the scene/historical context. Who? When? What? Where? ) Long before Europeans arrived in 1492, people of many tribes lived in North America. It is believed that they arrived via a land bridge from Asia, but then spread out across the vast continent, adapting to the varied geography and climate zones that they encountered.

Your Turn Write an introduction paragraph that includes historical context, your partition and thesis statement for the following prompt: Evaluate the extent to which 1492 was a turning point for Amerindians.

Prompts ●Bacon’s Rebellion was a turning point in early colonial America. Support, modify or refute. ●Explain the reasons for and consequences of European exploration.

Writing the Essay

Essay Structure ●Context/Thesis ●Counterargument (Optional) ●Main Arguments in Categories/Partitions ●Summary & Context In each paragraph include a topic sentence, supporting evidence and a concluding sentence. (if time)

Topic Sentences ● Include category/partition - this is a thesis for your paragraph! ● Geographically, Southwestern tribes lacked significant water sources while Eastern tribes had numerous sources of water. This greatly impacted their food sources. ○ This paragraph will be all about how geography and landscape affected their methods of gaining food. ● The desert climate of the Southwest and the colder climate of the East gave rise to different styles of housing. ○ This paragraph will be all about how climate differences led to different styles of housing.

Five Professor Pet Peeves on Writing Pioneer Press, 11/05/2005 ❑ Papers that read like greeting cards. Leave cuteness and humor to late night TV. Show your scholarship, not your wittiness. ❑ Papers that aren’t proofread. These are laced with common spelling errors. ❑ Informal writing. Do not use slang or the first person. ❑ No clear thesis. The thesis must be clear and interesting and argue something. ❑ No fluff. A professor is not fooled by students padding essays with bigger fonts and margins. 28

Support for Argument Without the EVIDENCE it’s just a bunch of words!

Advice from Readers ● Be specific. Use proper nouns and demonstrate an understanding of how each works as evidence to defend thesis. It is not enough to just “name drop”. Students should indicate to the reader 1) they know the meaning of proper nouns included and 2) they know why these proper nouns help to prove their thesis and fit within the context of the argument. ● Try to avoid the use of “laundry lists, ” especially if the evidence cited is not properly explained or understood. ● Using several pieces of accurate evidence will earn one point using several pieces of evidence and directly linking it to the stated thesis or argument will earn two points. ● When there were significant errors in the accuracy of the evidence used, the reader had to weigh that against the accurate evidence provided. A preponderance of the evidence was used in order to determine the awarding of the point.

Evidence and Outside Info ●Using key terms - Colonial examples: ○ Events (Great Awakening, Enlightenment) ○ People (John Rolfe, Pocahontas, Jonathan Edwards) ○ Laws/Acts (Old Deluder Satan Law) ○ Concepts (American exceptionalism) ●Don’t just list the terms, EXPLAIN them connect them to the topic!!!

Example Outside evidence: - Southwest: Pueblo, maize, irrigation, desert, agriculture, classless society, clay houses, cliff dwellers, heavily influenced by Meso America - Eastern: woodlands, longhouse/wigwam, Iroquois Confederacy, Algonquin, social structure had women in charge, beaver trade, three sisters farming, fishing, lived near water

Are you snorkeling or scuba diving? Snorkeling - safely at the surface - meaning superficial, lacks detail - may have correct terms, but the terms are not explained. Scuba Diving - deep into the ocean (content) - lots of rich details, strong knowledge of the content.

Snorkeling Example After the Civil War, several amendments were passed to give blacks more rights. But Southerners did not want them to gain rights so put many obstacles in their path. Finally, in the 1960 s black people held marches to bring attention to the problem of voting. After many people were beaten on a bridge in Alabama, President Johnson signed a bill giving blacks the right to vote.

Scuba Diving Example Despite the passage of the 15 th amendment in 1870, African Americans still could not vote in many parts of the South. Whites used poll taxes, literacy tests and the grandfather clause to stop blacks from voting. In order to bring national attention to the issue of voting rights, people marched 54 miles from Selma to Montgomery. Within days, President Johnson passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, finally fulfilling the promise from 95 years earlier.

Your Turn What evidence could support your thesis for the following essay prompt: Evaluate the extent to which Puritan Massachusetts was a democracy.

Application of Historical Thinking Skill Don’t describe. . . ANALYZE!

Historical Thinking Skills ●Periodization - must discuss how the time period is similar and/or different from earlier or later time periods (ex: turning points, era titles) ●Comparison - must make comparisons between two different events/time periods/groups ●Causation - must discuss causes and effects ●Continuity and Change - must discuss what is the same and what is different

Advice from Readers ● Must discuss BOTH similarities and differences from before AND after the turning point. ● Understanding chronology is very important and it was a demonstrated weakness by students writing this year’s LEQ. ● One point can be earned for accurately describing similarities or differences. Two points can be earned by analyzing similarities AND differences.

Prompt ●Evaluate the extent to which the Mexican-American War (1846 -1849) marked a turning point in the debate over slavery in the United States.

Describe VS. Explain Describe: Explain: During Spring Break, my family went to Maui. There were lots of flowers, palm trees and sandy beaches. The weather was perfect. My recent trip to Maui was outstanding. There were cool tropical breezes, fragrant and colorful plumerias and tall palm trees that provide shade on a hot, sunny day. I loved to listen to the sound of the ocean waves crashing into shore on the white sand beach at Kaanapali.

Your Turn - Turning Point Before 1846 After 1848 Similar Different

Comparison

Cause & Effect Causes Effects

CCOT Continuity (SAME) Change Over Time

Credits ●APUSH Teachers on Facebook Group “The APUSHers” ●Gail Colbert, Tartan HS (MN) ●Erin Thorne, Decatur HS (WA) ●Kathy Conklin, Plano West Sr. High ●John Irish, Carroll Senior High School – Carroll ISD, Southlake, Texas ●APUSH Course Description, College Board