Part 1: The Long Essay Question

Essay Writing

Locate:The verb: what is the question asking you to

do?The topic: who or what is the essay about?The lens (strand): in what ways are you being

asked to look at the topic?The era: what period(s) are you being asked to

examine?The area: what place(s) are you being asked to

examine?

Reading the question

Nearly all essays have 2 parts.Some have 2 verbs (Compare and Contrast)Some have 2 topics (Hitler and Stalin)Some have 2 eras (17th Century and 19th

Century)Some have 2 areas (England and France)Some have 2 lenses (Political and Economic;

Policies and Practices)To earn full credit, you must address all parts

of the question

Caveat #1: Balance

In an essay with a single era, split the era in half. Discuss some events from the first half and some events in the second half.

For example, if your essay is on the 20th century, you must devote time to the first half (1900-1949) and the second half (1950-1999)

Caveat #1A: Time

Some essays do not indicate lenses (or strands).

If they are not explicitly listed in the question, you should include multiple strands in your thesis.

For example, an essay may ask you about the differences between living in the Europe and Iraq in 2013 (Europe in 1815).

Explore political, religious, artistic, intellectual, social, economic, and diplomatic differences.

Caveat #2: Lenses (or strands)

ThesisUsing Targeted Historical Thinking SkillUsing EvidenceSynthesis

You will be assessed on the following four criteria

Your thesis must be explicit.It must be easy to locate.

Your thesis must be complex.You must acknowledge the other side.“Although”Your thesis should look at multiple strands

Your thesis must be specific.Do not say “economic reasons” tell what they

are.“Because”

Thesis

Restating the question: “President Obama was elected in 2012.” Not A Thesis!

The general thesis: “President Obama was elected in 2012 for social, economic, and diplomatic reasons.” Considered A WEAK THESIS!!!!

The incomplete thesis

Give a little, take a lot (although)Multiple Causation (because)

“Although many people felt Governor Romney had a strong command of economic issues, President Obama was ultimately re-elected because socially he could connect with the average voter, economically his tax policy was more sound, and politically he pursued a less aggressive foreign policy.”

The complex thesis

Your essay must have multiple paragraphs.Your introduction/thesis must be one

paragraph.Each topic, strand, area, or era must be a

separate paragraph.Your conclusion must be one paragraph.

Organization

You must address the entire questionEvery question has multiple

ErasLenses (strands)TopicsAreas

Balance

You must use evidence that directly relates to your thesis and explicitly explains how or why it supports your thesis.

Evidence must be used to support each strand, era, topic, or area.

Analysis

Your essay must be factually correct. For every significant error, you will lose 1 point.

Errors

Timed writing’s are considered a roughGrammar is not a focal pointBetter grammar makes essays easier to read

What about grammar?

Scoring the LEQ on a quiz:Thesis +1 pt.Using Targeted Historical Thinking Skill +2pt.Using Evidence +2 pt.Synthesis +1 pt.Written in Pen +1 pt.Packet Filled Out Correctly +1 pt.All numbers circled correctly +1 pt.Writing legibly and correct format +1 pt.Errors -10 pts.Test corrections allowed, must be typed and

emailed/dropbox in 48 hours.

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A few notes on scoring:

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A few notes on scoring: