Student Handout
Long Essay Set-Up Guide
Remember….Make your introduction HOTT!!
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW – 4 sentences
i.
Describe the time period immediately BEFORE the time period of the question with
relevant, specific information. Your first sentence should include specific historical
information relevant to the topic at hand. NO EMPTY WORDS!! (1 sentence MAX)
ii.
Describe the time period OF THE QUESTION with relevant, specific information.
(GOAL: 3 sentences) [CONTEXTUALIZATION POINT]
THOROUGH THESIS – 1-2 sentences
i.
Make sure you address each part of the question in writing a complex, yet concise,
answer to the question. This sentence(s) should use KEY WORDS FROM THE
QUESTION (KQW) and should be break-uppable (it should indicate what the
different body paragraphs will explain.)
Historic Overview + Thorough Thesis = Introduction
Body Paragraphs (Generally 2) – What’s the IDEA?
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Each body paragraph should begin with a main IDEA sentence. What will
that paragraph be about?
Include 2-3 relevant DETAILS per paragraph. These are
people/facts/events/terms/etc. that come from the vocabulary and
concept questions in your Period Study Guide.
ELABORATE on the details as much as you can, as long as it is relevant to
the question. If you know more about the detail/example than you are
writing, then include it!
ANALYZE – how do the details and elaboration you just included help you
to answer the question?
You need to STOP in your conclusion!
i.
STATE your THESIS again. You should reword it or emphasize a certain
part. For example, if you are writing a compare/contrast essay, as you are
reviewing the similarities and differences, emphasize what you believe to be
the most significant one.
ii.
Connect your essay topic to an OTHER PERIOD or an OTHER PLACE.
Think about other topics in history that you can connect to the topic of
Updated 10/01/2015
Student Handout
the question and explain the similarity and/or connection. [SYNTHESIS
POINT]
Updated 10/01/2015