Social Studies 9: Essay Assignment
Format:
• Write a 750-1000 word essay (approximately 3-4 pages).
• Use the five paragraph model, with an introduction, body and conclusion.
• Make sure you have a clear thesis statement which will guide your essay—you must
make some sort of argument.
• Minimum five books for sources; absolutely no Internet sources. Use at least one
citation from each source, with 7-10 citations. Each book included in the bibliography
must be cited. No Encyclopedias.
• Use APA citation and referencing techniques throughout the essay. The student
handbook has examples, layout and procedures.
• Double space. If the essay is not double spaced, it will be considered incomplete and
20% will be deducted from the mark.
• Include at least one edited rough draft. If only a single draft is handed in, the product
will be considered a rough draft, and, as such, incomplete. 20% will be deducted from
the mark.
•A cover page must be included; it must be the only place where the writer’s name is
visible. It will include the following information: essay title, writer’s name, date, class,
instructor’s name.
Style:
1. Do not use first and second person usage (1st = I, me, my, we, us, our; 2nd = you,
you [plural], your). Formal writing uses only the third person voice (he, she, it,
one, -thing, -body, -one, they, them).
2. Do not use contractions (don’t, couldn’t, it’s). Write the full words instead.
Remember: not all words with apostrophes are contractions—Napoleon’s or
Romans’, for example, are possessives, not contractions.
3. Consider tone: write using an appropriate tone considering purpose and
audience.
4. Transitional devices should always be used to make connections between ideas,
and to provide a bridge over which the reader may pass easily from sentence to
sentence, paragraph to paragraph.
Content
1. Be brilliant. Set feathers to thy genius and fly like thought. Impress the reader with
knowledge and insight. Think of the essay as a document of intellect; the
document is a direct reflection of the mind that creates it.
2. Avoid, at all costs, historical summary in the essay.
3. Make connections. Show a thoughtful understanding and analysis of the
relationships between your topic and your sources.
Topic Proposal
You can write your essay on any event, invention, person or aspect of society
that had an important influence on history, from the start of human civilization
to no later than the mid 1400s. Your topic proposal is worth 10 marks. In the
proposal try to answer the following questions:
Why is my topic important?
How did my topic develop over time?
How did my topic influence history?
How did the events and atmosphere (social, economic, political, and cultural.
aspects) of my topic's time period influence my topic in history?
The key question being why is my topic significant in history? If you cannot give
a satisfactory answer to this question your proposal will be turned down and
you will have to take a different approach to your topic or find another one. Also
explain why you want to do this topic.
The length of the proposal including bibliography should be half a page.
Your proposal needs:
1. A rudimentary thesis statement
2. A half-page summary of your topic’s importance in history.
3. At least two books for sources.
RESEARCH ESSAY EVALUATION
Name:___________________________
Grade:______
MECHANICS
Excellent
Good
Average
Below
Average
Problematic
Excellent
Good
Average
Below
Average
Problematic
Average
Below
Average
Problematic
Spelling / grammar / usage
Footnote & bibliographical format
Page length
STYLE & RESEARCH
Quality of prose
Quantity of sources
Quality of sources
Effective use & interpretation of sources
Cue Cards/research
THESIS, ARGUMENT & ORGANIZATION
Excellent
Good
Valid thesis, present and clearly defined
Introduction
Conclusion/epilogue
Main points used to support thesis
Main points used to analyze, not just to narrate
Paragraphs are well-organized; transitions clear
COMMENTS
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Essay Planning Sheet
Paragraph One—The Introduction
1. General statement about the topic and/or necessary background information
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. Sentence narrowing the focus toward the thesis
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. State your main idea/thesis in the final sentence
Thesis: ________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
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Paragraph Two (First Argument)
Topic Sentence: __________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Example details or Reason details:
a) _______________________________________________________________
b) _______________________________________________________________
c) _______________________________________________________________
d) _______________________________________________________________
Paragraph Three (Second Argument)
Topic Sentence: __________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Example details or Reason details:
a) _______________________________________________________________
b) _______________________________________________________________
c) _______________________________________________________________
d) _______________________________________________________________
Paragraph Four (Third Argument)
Topic Sentence: __________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Example details or Reason details:
a) _______________________________________________________________
b) _______________________________________________________________
c) _______________________________________________________________
d) _______________________________________________________________
Paragraph Five—The Conclusion
1. Summation of your arguments_________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. Provide a closing sentence that makes a final impression on the reader.
________________________________________________________________________
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Social 9: Possible Essay Questions
1. The Influence of Geography on History
2. Achievements of Ancient Empires
3. When cultures collide
4. Ancient world religions
5. Hammurabi’s code of laws
6. The evolution of writing
7. The evolution of agriculture
8. Development of weaponry
9. The Greeks and the modern west
10. The development of democracy
11. The rise of Rome
12. The fall of Rome
13. Stonehenge
14. Slavery
15. History of marriage
16. The history of art
17. The change from hunter-gatherer to agricultural
18. Disease
19. Human sacrifice
20. The development of architecture
21. The development of philosophy
22. The Egyptians—How did they get so big?
23. The Mayans? Where did they go?
24. The development of time
25. The importance of domesticated animals
26. How an ancient civilization influenced the present
27. Is there a geographical reason for the development of civilizations?
28. How does democracy today differ from the Greeks?
29. Explain the influence of the Hebrews, the Greeks and the Romans on early
Christianity
30. The advantages of cyclical/linear time
31. Choose a question you would like to research and answer…