WWI Essay Reflection
Common Errors--Introductions
Historical Context
What does the reader really need to know in order to understand my essay?
Decent Context:
– How WWI began
– Who fought in WWI
Better Context:
– Dates of war
– Alliance system led to war on a wider scale
Excellent Context:
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Industrial Revolution
Militarism
Nationalism was fierce
Brief statement of what wars were like before WWI
Common Errors--Introduction
Historical Context not connected to Thesis
Mediocre: “World War One began because of the alliance
system. Once one country went to war, its allies had to
follow. WWI was different from past wars because women
worked, and trench warfare led to the use of new
weapons.”
Excellent: “World War One was caused in part by militarism.
Since European nations were focused on war and
stockpiling weapons in the late 1800s, new technologies
were developed. This changed the nature of war very
quickly. WWI was different from past wars because women
worked, and trench warfare led to the use of new
weapons.”
Common Errors—Body Paragraphs
• Not enough cause and effect analysis
• No concluding sentences
Examples of Cause and Effect Analysis
• “The invention of the machine gun led to the use of
trenches as a defensive tactic.”
• “Due to trench warfare, many new weapons such as
poison gas and tanks were developed to gain an
offensive edge in an otherwise stagnant war.”
• “Governments encouraged their citizens to ration food
because food imports were destroyed in submarine
blockades and most of the nations’ farmers were
young men who had been drafted into war.”
Cause and Effect Analysis:
Topic Sentences
Decent Topic Sentence: The experience of the soldier in WWI was
different than in past wars.
Excellent Topic Sentences:
• Because of growing militarism in European countries, new
technologies were invented, including the submarine, which
completely changed how wars were fought.
• Trench warfare was developed in WWI and drastically
changed how soldiers would live in war.
Common Errors--Conclusions
• Long Term impacts too vague
Decent Example: “WWI was different from past wars
because…WWI was one of the most important wars in
history. Our world has never been the same since.”
Excellent Example: “WWI was different from past wars
because…WWI changed the ways wars are fought and has
led to modern warfare with the use of bombs, submarines
and tanks. With respect to the impact of war on the
average citizen, after WWI women in many countries
gained the right to vote. In addition, the populations of
many European countries decreased. WWI has truly shaped
the modern world.
Critical Reading
• 2 Highlighters (yellow & orange)
• Intro
– Yellow—historical context
– Orange—any words or phrases that help connect the
historical context to the thesis and essay question
• Body Paragraphs
– Yellow—concluding sentences
– Orange—any cause and effect analysis
• Conclusion
– Yellow—Sentences that effectively establish the
significance of the developments of WWI
Reflection (to hand in…)
1. What have you improved on since you first
started learning about thesis statements, topic
sentences and essay writing.
2. What would you like to improve on with your
semester exam essay?
3. Did you prepare enough for this exam by writing
out your thesis and topic sentences at home and
finding specific evidence to use or do you wish
you had prepared more?