Tips for Writing World History Honors On-Demand Essays

What should you start your introduction paragraph with?

A thesis

What should your thesis be?

A direct response to the prompt which is an argument, historically accurate, and proven accurate by your evidence analysis.

About how many sentences of background information should there be in your introduction paragraph?

three to five sentences

What should you ask yourself when writing the background information in your introduction paragraph?

"If my reader knows nothing about this topic, what information must I provide up front - before I present and analyze my evidence - to help them understand the accuracy of my thesis?"

What should you do after writing the background information in your introduction paragraph?

Provide a "road map" so your reader knows the broader themes you abused prove the accuracy of your thesis. These themes will be your body paragraph topics, not individual pieces of evidence.

What should be in your introduction paragraph? (other than thesis, background information, and "road maps")

Your hook, a bold, assertive, attention-grabbing statement.

How many body paragraphs will you write?

Three body paragraphs

How many analysis' of pieces of historical evidence should each body paragraph have?

Three pieces of analyzed historical evidence

What should you evidence be/do?

It should be strong and prove the accuracy of your thesis.

What should you do to indicate the beginning of a new paragraph?

Drop to the next line and indent

True or False: You may repeat / reuse evidence in multiple body paragraphs.

FALSE

What should you do to each piece of evidence?

Explain it for a reader that is ignorant, do not assume that your reader has prior knowledge of the topic.

What should you do when explaining content-specific info?

Use your own words as much as possible, be specific and thorough, don't waste time on unnecessary sentences.

What should you avoid when developing your evidence in body paragraphs?

"Fact vomiting" which makes your reader do the hard work of connecting your fax to your overall thesis.

What should effective historical writing do?

Make the connections for the reader, so there's no need for the reader to make inferences on the writer's behalf.

How should you order you evidence when possible?

In a logical and chronological order.

What should you remind your reader of in the conclusion paragraph?

Your thesis, which you've proven to be accurate throughout the course of your essay.

What should you NOT do in your conclusion paragraph?

List the nine pieces of evidence that you analyzed in your body paragraphs to defend your thesis.

What should you ask yourself when writing your conclusion paragraph?

"Why does your thesis matter in the Big Picture of history? Why is it relevant?"

What should you not include in your conclusion paragraph?

History clichés like "It is important to learn about _to make sure that history's mistakes don't repeat in the modern day."

What should your finishing thoughts of your essay reflect?

They should reflect your personal insight.

What matters most in your essay? HINT: it's not grammar or spelling

Your thesis and your ability to prove its accuracy through thorough evidence analysis.

What words should you NOT include in your essay? (they do not match the tone of formal writing)

Words like "I", "me", or "you"

Not to scare you, but how much time do you have to complete the entire test including your on-demand essay?

One hour (60 minutes)!!