Archive for the ‘Writing’ Category

17 Apr

FRQ Outlining assignment for EVERYONE

Posted by scoop2go in Analysis, AP Review, Test Preparation, Writing.

EVERYONE:
Especially given the reworking of our Monday schedule, this is for everyone to turn in to me by the beginning of class on Monday. You are to write an OUTLINE only, which should show your basic paragraph structure to organize your information. An FRQ when WRITTEN COMPLETELY should be at least a solid 400-500 words, so your outline should be able to support that length of analysis at a MINIMUM.

You need to write an OUTLINE for one of these two FRQ prompts. The outline would include a potential specific thesis, at least 15 statement pieces of relevant historical information or analytical statements ( have at least three minimum of each).

Although the 1960s are usually considered the decade of greatest achievement for Black civil rights, the 1940s and 1950s were periods of equally important gains.
Assess the validity of this statement.

OR

The Bill of Rights did not come from a desire to protect the liberties won in the American Revolution, but rather from a fear of the powers of the new federal government.
Assess the validity of this statement.

This should take no more than 15 minutes, and needs to be ready on Monday.

Your chapter 41 questions are due on Tuesday. You are welcome.

14 Mar

10 steps to remember when writing FRQs and DBQs

Posted by scoop2go in AP Review, Test Preparation, Writing.

1. Read and analyze the prompt. Determine EXACTLY what the prompt is actually expecting you to do. Underline key terms in the prompt, and rewrite the question if you have to. Do NOT skip this step!

2. Before looking at the documents, rough out a very basic answer to the prompt (a draft thesis) and an outline. You may revise this as you gather more information.

3. BRAINSTORM! You MUST generate Outside Information (OI), which is NOT provided to you!
During prewriting, spend some time writing down any people, places, laws, or events that happened during the time period before you look at the documents. This will also help you understand the documents better by refreshing your knowledge about the time period

4. Then use the documents to brainstorm more information– make notes on the context, the person speaking, the topic. See if the date on the document has any significance. Determine what each document means, and how it relates to the essay question. Group the documents within your outline.

5. Start writing. You might want to actually start writing the body of the paper first, so leave some space to go back and write your introductory paragraph, which should end with your very specific topic sentence that fully addresses the prompt– that’s why I suggest you might want to wait so that you can refine it as you write your essay. Make sure you focus on the question. After you’ve brainstormed, anything that does not advance your argument and deal directly with the questions is just a waste of precious time.

6. Cite documents, but avoid quoting from them. Show that you understand what the author was saying by paraphrasing. Also use the documents to support your argument, don’t just run through them in a laundry list. Readers hate that.

7. Develop a strong, clearly stated thesis that ANSWERS THE QUESTION. Take a stand– don’t try to be wishy-washy.

8. This thesis should be at the end of a strong introduction that uses a quote, an anecdote, or an image to grab the reader’s attention and make it stand out from the rest of the papers.

9. KEEP TRACK OF TIME! Try to leave yourself some time to read over your essay and make sure you haven’t left out any important information.

10. Remember, ANALYSIS, not narrative, is what the reader wants to see.

17 Dec

Possible essay topics for 5th period final

Posted by scoop2go in Analysis, Test Preparation, Writing.

It wouldn’t hurt all classes to rough out an answer to these, but here are the essay topics that 5th hour will face on their final:

I would strongly suggest that you outline these– it will also help you study in general. Use of specifics will be a major way you earn points.

A. Explain and trace the problems of unity faced in America from its founding through Reconstruction.

B. Compare and contrast the “achievements” of Andrew Johnson and James Buchanan as major contenders for the title of “worst president of the semester.” Ironic that they bookended one of the greatest ever….

C. Explain the development of political parties in the United States through Reconstruction.

16 Dec

Possible essay topics for 1st period final

Posted by scoop2go in Analysis, Test Preparation, Writing.

It wouldn’t hurt all classes to rough out an answer to these, but here are the essay topics that 1st hour will face on their final:

I would strongly suggest that you outline these– it will also help you study in general. Use of specifics will be a major way you earn points.

A.”Manifest Destiny and its changes made the Civil War inevitable.”
Assess the validity of this statement.

B. Compare and contrast the precedents that the presidencies of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln established, and consider how that changed American government.

C. Explain the development of political parties in the United States through Reconstruction.

16 Dec

Possible essay topics for 2nd period FINAL

Posted by scoop2go in Analysis, Test Preparation, Writing.

It wouldn’t hurt all classes to rough out an answer to these, but here are the essay topics that 2nd hour will face on their final:

I would strongly suggest that you outline these– it will also help you study in general. Use of specifics will be a major way you earn points.

A. In what ways did the administrations of Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln expand the power of the presidency– and by extension, the power of the federal government?

B. Trace the expansion of voting rights from the founding of the colonies to Reconstruction, including any controversies.

C. Explain the development of political parties in the United States through Reconstruction.

1 Oct

Information for your DBQ

Posted by scoop2go in Analysis, Chapt. 9, Chapter 10, DBQ, Revolution, Test Preparation, Writing.

Document A  http://www.usgennet.org/usa/il/topic/history/rev-war-women.html A list of women who helped during the Revolution, from a geneology site.

http://www.americanrevolution.org/nguyen.html A brief history of women in the Revolution

Document B http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expulsion_of_the_Loyalists

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-revolution/4321 another document- a petition from Loyalists’ families. Make sure you read the side bar on the right for background information that could be useful.

Document C  http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1133 scroll down to the part about the Chickasaws in particular

Document D http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/lynch/religious-freedom.html background on the document

http://www.pbs.org/jefferson/enlight/religi.htm on Jefferson’s Statute of Religious Freedom, written in 1777

Document E http://gbl.indiana.edu/ethnohistory/archives/dockett_317/317_36a.html about halfway down you will find the full text of document E and above it you will find some explanation of the circumstances. Once you go to the webpage, just search for the terms  “United Indian Nations” to find the link.

Document F http://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-34 Many of the names here should be familiar…

Document G http://shaysrebellion.stcc.edu/shaysapp/person.do?shortName=abigail_adams

Document H http://www.absolutemichigan.com/dig/michigan/slavery-in-the-northwest-territory/

http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/maps/northwest/ A map of the actual area…

Document I http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1982 Analysis of the quotation in question

Document J http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/journal_of_the_early_republic/v029/29.3.mcmahon.html This brief paragraph explains the attitude toward women’s education at the time.

http://occawlonline.pearsoned.com/bookbind/pubbooks/divine5e/medialib/timeline/docs/divdocs09.html The fourth document from the top is this address in its entirety plus a brief explanation of the school.
And this is a pretty funny exchange between John and Abigail Adams: http://occawlonline.pearsoned.com/bookbind/pubbooks/divine5e/medialib/timeline/docs/sources/theme_primarysources_Women_2.html

8 May

FRQs by era through 2011

Posted by scoop2go in AP Review, Study Skills, Test Preparation, Writing.

Here they are, listed as chronologically as possible going back to the 1980s….

FRQs to 2011

 

You’re welcome!

7 May

Generic DBQ rubric

Posted by scoop2go in AP Review, Study Skills, Test Preparation, Writing.

This also works for FRQs– just take out the document part.
AP_US_DBQ_Generic_Essay_Rubric

9 Apr

For use in class April 10

Posted by scoop2go in AP Review, Chapter 38, Writing.

You might want to do some basic research tonight on these two questions:

In what ways did the Great Society resemble the New Deal in its origins, goals, and social and political legacy? Cite specific programs and policies in support of your arguments.

“1968 was a turning point for the United States.” To what extent is this an accurate statement? In your answer, consider national politics, the Vietnam War, and the Civil Rights movement.

26 Jan

Example for Progressives and the income tax

Posted by scoop2go in Chapter 29, Progressivism, Writing.

This would be the full answer for a writing prompt I have used in the past on the Progressives and the 16th Amendment. You will be doing a writing prompt in class tomorrow which will be due before you leave at the end of the period.

Why was the 16th Amendment the first Progressive reform placed within the Constitution? What were they hoping to accomplish, and why?

The income tax and tariff were complementary issues: The Underwood Tariff Act not only reduced tariffs to their lowest levels in a half-century, but also included an increase in the income tax to offset the ensuing revenue loss. The shift to income tax was seen as an issue of economic fairness. Replacing the tariff system, which Progressives viewed as both an unpredictable source of government revenue as well as an inequitable government give-away to wealthy manufacturers, was a top priority for the Progressives. A graduated income tax,which had been first proposed by the Populists, would have less of an impact on the working-class and farmers who paid a higher percentage of their income on tariff-impacted goods than the wealthy did. An income tax would also provide a reliable source of government income to help pay for the new services the federal government would provide to the people under a Progressive agenda.

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