• What is history?
• What types of writing have you done in your history classes?
• What does it mean to write history “as a historian”?
1. What do you notice about
this document?
2. What type of
document is this?
3. Why was this
document produced?
4. What went into producing
this document?
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Consider a historical question or problem
Research and sift through the available sources
Draw inferences and conclusions to create a thesis
Organize information and evidence
Writing, feedback, revision, and editing
Complete and submit the work
Question: Which step is the most critical?
• Why do historians write?
• What might be some reasons
for writing in history classes?
• What are the purposes for
different types of writing?
• What is the audience’s role
in historical writing?
• What is a prompt?
• The importance of
addressing the prompt
• TAP: Topic,
Audience, Purpose
• Prompt Analysis—Practice
• Common terms found
in prompts:
• Read as a “historical
detective” to gather
evidence in response
to a question or
prompt (putting the
pieces of the
puzzle together)
• Sourcing
• Contextualizing
• Corroborating
• SOAPS: Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Significance
• 5W’s plus S:
– Who? (the source, including point of view and bias)
– What? (the type of document and its key ideas)
– Where? (context)
– When? (context)
– Why? (purpose of the document’s creation)
– So what? (significance)
• Organize information and sources into categories:
– SPRITE: Social, Political, Religious, Intellectual,
Technological, Economic
– Subcategories such as causes, effects, women, military, etc.
• Categories should relate directly to the thesis
• Categories provide the focus for body paragraphs
• A single document may fall into multiple categories
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Why are maps created?
Create a plan or road map for writing
Make sure you have enough information to begin writing
Various formats of organization:
– Outlining
– Categorizing and classifying charts (a column for
each body paragraph, with info under each column)
– Two-column charts (pro vs. con, or interpretation
and evidence)
• The main idea or argument that you will support and defend
with evidence
• Sets up the plan for the whole paper and directly relates to
the prompt or historical question
• Supported by key points, categories, or topics in your
introduction as a preview of the body paragraphs
• Sample thesis statements:
– “The social, political, and economic ideals stated by the
Declaration of Independence have not been satisfactorily
realized in contemporary America.”
– “The Protestant Reformation was surely sparked by the
abuses of the Catholic Church, but it was fueled by the
passion of reformers like Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin.”
• Set-up and packaging for a thesis statement
• Historical background/context:
– “The Civil War between the United States and the
Confederate States of America took place between 1861
and 1865 across thousands of battlefields.”
– “The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw unparalleled
political changes throughout the world.”
• Catch a reader’s attention so they want to read further
– “Those who oppose immigration to America are unAmerican, unless of course they are Native Americans.”
– “At many times and in many places, the stomach
has prevailed over the mind when it comes to
political choices.”
• Topic sentence: The first sentence of a paragraph, which sets
out the main idea
• The topic sentence should directly link to the thesis
• Subsequent sentences should directly link to the topic
sentence’s main idea
• The language used should reflect the type of thinking required
by the prompt
• Example: What were the causes of World War I?
– “One of the causes of World War I was militarism.”
– “World War I was the result of years of military buildup.”
Like a lawyer, you must prove your case with evidence:
• Your evidence should link to your topic sentence, as well as
to the thesis
• Use clear, convincing quotes and facts from multiple primary
or statistical sources—at least two per paragraph
• Avoid saying, “Document A says x”; weave in quotes instead
• Example 1: John Brown’s naiveté is brought out by statements
such as “I never did intend murder…”
• Example 2: The “right of the people to keep and bear arms”
meant something completely different in 1787, due to the
socio-political context in which it was written
• The explanation (also called commentary or analysis) helps the
reader understand exactly why and how your evidence
supports your thesis and topic sentence
– Should interpret the evidence and also answer the question,
“So what?”
– May require multiple sentences
• Basic example: Bob was seen at a soccer game by four
different individuals at 2 pm (evidence). Therefore, he could
not have robbed the store at 2 pm (explanation).
• Historical example: In saying that “a house divided against
itself cannot stand,” Lincoln argued that slavery and the
divisions it produced could not go on indefinitely.
• The concluding sentence
should reconnect the
reader to the idea
expressed in the topic
sentence and thesis
• The concluding sentence
should not merely restate
the topic sentence
• The conclusion provides the final opportunity to make your
point to your audience
• Do not merely repeat your introduction and thesis, but instead
think about what lessons should be learned from this event, or
its relevance to today
• Write something which will stand out to your audience—a
memorable quote, or a restatement of the thesis that brings
out the “So what?” of your main argument
• Reflect and read
• Rubric: How well does the writing meet the criteria?
• Word choice: Avoid “I,” “in my opinion,” “obviously,” “you,”
clichés, and slang
• Citation: Has proper attribution been given? Has proper
formatting been used?
• Clarity: Would someone who does not know about history
understand what is being said?
• What are your stronger points? How do you know?
• What do you need to work on? How do you know?
• How do you plan to improve?