How to enhance students’ writing
and presentation skills in History
Fong Ho-nam, Nelson
History Panel Head
STFA Leung Kau Kui College
CDI020140497
20 June 2014
1
What do our students need?
How should I
answer DBQs
more accurately?
How should I get
higher scores in
essay-writing?
How can I digest and
use the subject
vocabulary?
How to apply my
subject knowledge
to tests and exams?
2
What do our students need?
Target students:
S.3 students
Background of students:
 Acquired DBQ
answering skills in S.1
& S.2
 Feel burdened by
substantial volume of
facts in History
 Eager to master
History learning skills
 Feel difficult to
handle 10+ subjects
in S.3
Teacher’s
input
Diverse
learning
tasks
Improvement
in learning
performance
3
Approaches – diversified input & output…
• READ & VIEW – sources as input for each task
• LISTEN – information presented by historical
figures or peers, pronunciation of vocabulary
• WRITE – start writing sensibly and
systematically
• SPEAK – present finished products
4
Approaches – diversified input & output…
Input
Read
Question
Listen
Watch
Investigate
Follow
Process
Think
Discuss
Compare
Combine
Quote
Verify
Remember
Output
Write
Speak
Show stance
Report
Share
Act
Draw a mind map
Record a video
5
Strategies – a new trial in…
• Schematizing the learning process
• Determining the language focus and subject
focus of each lesson
• Setting goals on what to learn in each topic,
language-wise and subject-wise
6
Approaches – diversified tasks…
Subject Focus
Colonial rivalries
Armaments race
Armaments race
Vocab review
WWI - course
WWI - impact
Great Depression
Totalitarianism
WWI vs. WWII
Vocab review
Iron Curtain Speech
Cold War in Asia
20th century
20th century
20th century
Language Focus
Locations & geopolitics
Cause & effect relationship
Definition
Pronunciation
Turning point
Impact
Statistics & trends
Purpose
Similarity & difference
Parts of speech
Historical speech
Views
R
Statement & evidence
Metaphor & meaning
Mini-biography
1
3
1
L
S
W
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2, 4
3
1
2
2
3
1
1
2
2
4
2
2, 4 3, 5
4
2
2
7
Economic & Colonial Rivalries
Subject Focus
To understand Pre-WWI
geopolitics in Europe, Africa &
Asia
- How the locations of Europe
and potential markets in Africa
and Asia shaped the process of
colonization
Language Focus
1. To use prepositions to point
out locations and directions of
movements
2. To write sentences with
WOULD to refer to possible
actions
8
Economic & Colonial Rivalries
INPUT
3: Maps of Africa (Scramble for Colonies)
1880 vs. 1900
2: Map of Europe & Africa with national
profiles
1: World map with oceans & continents
OUTPUT
1: Select suitable prepositions
2: Writing sentences:
Subject + WOULD + Verb
3: Writing sentences – summarizing
colonialism before WWI
9
Armaments Race
Subject Focus
To understand the cause-andeffect relationship between the
following and the armaments
race:
- Relative military strength
between Britain, Germany
and France,
- German desire to raise her
power status, and
- British need to maintain her
naval supremacy
Language Focus
1. To construct a sentence
presenting the definition of a
term
2. To construct a sentence and a
paragraph to illustrate causeand-effect relationships
10
Armaments Race
Definition of the term “armaments race”.
1st Reason for armaments race
2nd Reason for armaments race
3rd Reason for armaments race
Concluding sentence
11
Causes of WWI – Vocab Review
Subject Focus
1. To revise key words related to
the 4 causes of WWI
Language Focus
1. To clarify spelling of words
2. To differentiate words with
related meaning
3. To clarify pronunciation of
words
12
Causes of WWI – Vocab Review
Words related to the 4 causes of WWI
Africa
alliance
ally
army
dreadnought
empire
invasion
markets
nation
nationalism
navy
Pan-Germanism
Pan-Slavism
raw materials
revenge
Suez Canal
supremacy
Words with related meaning
alliance – ally
colonial rivalry – colonial empire
threat - threaten
nationalism – extreme nationalism
armaments
national strength
Pronunciation of words
colonialism
Pan-Germanism
dreadnought
Austria-Hungary
13
Course of WWI – Turning Points
Subject Focus
Language Focus
1. To understand how the
1. To pinpoint a turning point in
following events constitute
one single sentence
turning points in the course of
WWI:
- Italy’s participation in 1915
- Germany’s use of poisonous
2. To write a paragraph to
gases in 1915
illustrate the fundamental
- Britain’s use of tanks in 1916
change brought by a turning
- Russia’s withdrawal in 1917
point
- America’s participation in
1917
14
Course of WWI – Turning Points
TEACHER’S INPUT
STUDENTS’ OUTPUT
Definition of “turning point”
Checklist of evidence
Sample sentences of
“turning point”
Checklist of necessary
elements + best sentence
Maps showing change
“Turning point” in a sentence
Sample paragraphs on
“turning point”
Identifying necessary
elements + best paragraph
Sources in DBQ style
“Turning point” in a paragraph
Sources on 3 other events
during WWI
Task A: Write a sentence
Task B: Write a paragraph
15
Impact of WWI
Subject Focus
To understand impact of WWI
in the following aspects:
- Political
- Economic
- Social
- Cultural
Language Focus
1. To write sentences to illustrate
positive and negative impact
2. To decode excerpts of
historians’ views on impact
16
Impact of WWI
Useful sentence patterns
• A positive/negative impact of X was that it helped/led
to …
• Positively/Negatively speaking, X helped/led to …
• X had a constructive/destructive effect of …
• X brought about the success/failure of …
• X was beneficial/harmful to…
• … was a positive/negative impact of X.
• … was a beneficial/harmful effect of X.
• … was a favourable/unfavourable effect of X.
17
Impact of WWI
Think & write
Matching impact with
corresponding details
Positive
impact
Negative
impact
Read, discuss & report
Division of
labour
Read 4 abstracts in
the same aspect
Group
members
take turns
Oral reports
Discussion:
Write 3
sentences
Write 3
sentences
Group
work
Did WWI have more
positive than negative
impact on women? Or
vice versa?
18
Great Depression – History in Numbers
Subject Focus
1. To grasp the magnitude of
impact of the Great
Depression on the U.S.,
Italy and Germany
Language Focus
1. To portray historical
changes by words and
sentences
2. To construct a paragraph
with
- An over-arching
statement
- Statistical evidence
- Descriptive/summative
statement
19
Great Depression – History in Numbers
Step Focus
Sample words / sentence patterns
1
General trend
increase vs. decrease; rise vs. drop/fall;
expand vs. reduce; grow vs. decline
2
Statistical evidence
X increased from 10% in 1920 to 50%
in 1930.
3
Intensity of change
slowly, slightly, sluggishly,
moderately, gradually, steadily,
quickly, swiftly, greatly, rapidly,
sharply, considerably
4
Summary
--20
Totalitarianism –
Purposes of propaganda posters
Subject Focus
To name the political, social
and economic purposes of
propaganda posters under
totalitarian regimes
Language Focus
To construct sentences to
pinpoint the following:
- target audience
- intended message
21
Totalitarianism –
Purposes of propaganda posters
Beginning of
sentence
How the
audience was
approached
• The purpose of • to attract
the propaganda • to encourage
poster was…
• to call upon
• to invite
• The propaganda • to persuade
poster was
• to urge
designed…
• to instruct
• to demand
• The propaganda • to command
poster was
intended …
• The designer
designed the
poster …
Target
audience
Intended message
• citizens
• young
people
• students
• workers
• men
• women
• mothers
• housewives
• intellectuals
• allies
• party
members
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
to believe (that) …
to accept …
to isolate …
to obey …
to trust …
to support …
to show support to …
to report … to the
government
to follow the policy
of …
to reject the idea of …
to vote “yes” on …
to show hatred to …
to spread the idea
of …
22
Outbreak of WWII – a continuation of WWI?
Subject Focus
Language Focus
1. To find out similarities and 1. To construct paragraphs
differences in the
and a complete passage
backgrounds and causes of
showing similarities and
WWI & WWII
differences
2. To facilitate discussion of
the following:
“Was the outbreak of
WWII a continuation of
WWI?”
23
Outbreak of WWII – a continuation of WWI?
6. THREE writing options:
A: similarity OR difference
B: similarity AND difference
C: complete essay
5. Write a paragraph on
difference
4. Write a paragraph on
similarity
3. Finish summary table on
WWI-WWII comparison
2. Label factors on given
timelines
1: Summarize headings and
sub-headings in textbook
24
End of WWII – Vocab Review
Subject Focus
Language Focus
1. To review key words related 1. To distinguish related words
to interwar period and
according to their parts of
WWII, particularly from the
speech
political and military
aspects
2. To clarify common spelling
mistakes
25
End of WWII – Vocab Review
• aggression – aggressor –
aggressive
• appease – appeasement
• conquer – conquest
• declare – declaration
• dictator – dictatorship
• discontent – discontented
• economy – economic
• expand – expansion –
expansionist
• Fascist – Fascism
• invade – invasion
• isolate – isolation –
isolationism
• military - militarist –
militarism
• Nazi – Nazism
• occupy – occupation
• politics – political –
politician
• respond – response –
responsibility
• revenge – revengeful
• social – society
• totalitarian –
totalitarianism
• victor – victory - victorious
26
End of WWII – Vocab Review
Matching words with meaning
(separated according to parts of
speech)
Filling gaps with given words
(similar in meaning but in different
parts of speech)
Identifying common spelling
mistakes
Searching words learnt
27
Iron Curtain Speech
Subject Focus
1. To examine how the
textbook relates the Iron
Curtain Speech with the
beginning of the Cold War
2. To evaluate the validity of
an established historical
interpretation
Language Focus
1. To identify the structure of
a speech
2. To identify orator’s views
and suggestions
3. To grasp the gist of a
speech
4. To determine the relative
importance of a certain
point in the whole speech
28
Iron Curtain Speech
1
6
Assess the
validity of the
textbook’s
narration
5
Read the
textbook’s
narration
4
2
Account for
inaccurate
interpretation
Read the adapted
version of the
WHOLE speech
3
Decode the
adapted speech
29
Cold War in Asia
Subject Focus
To explore how capitalist and
communist countries (esp.
those in Asia) expressed their
views about each other
through propaganda posters
Language Focus
To construct sentences &
paragraphs to identify &
explain views
30
Cold War in Asia
 Source A shows that the cartoonist’s view is pro-…/anti…
 Source A shows the cartoonist’s view
about …(something)…is positive/negative
 Source A shows the cartoonist’s view that …(a
sentence)…
 As shown in Source A, the cartoonist thought
that …(sentence)…
 As shown in Source B, the cartoonist believed
that …(sentence)…
 According to Source C, the cartoonist doubted/suspected
that …(sentence)…
31
The International War Crimes Tribunal
Subject Focus
Language Focus
1. To understand the
1. To construct factual
meaning of war crime in
statements pinpointing
20th-century history
actions
2. To realize how the war
2. To enlist evidence for
guilt of defeated countries
claims and draft statement
has been handled
of criminal charges
3. To prepare a historical
verdict proclaiming the
guilt of an accused
32
The International War Crimes Tribunal
1. Read basic info
about Tokyo Trial/
Nuremberg Trial
2. Discuss major
issues at stake in
the trial(s)
5. Draft statement
of charges/
defense
6. Role play –
7. Jurors’ vote
judges,
prosecutors,
defense lawyers
3. Role
selection/
allocation
4. Draw a mind map
to arrange charges/
defensive strategies
8. Verdict
33
20th-century anti-war songs
Subject Focus
Language Focus
1. To understand how people 1. To identify metaphors of
in the past viewed matters
war and peace
of war and peace
2. To understand how
2. To identify views from
popular culture
lyrics
represented global political
development
34
20th-century anti-war songs
 Where have all the flowers gone (Pete Seeger)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSFhzlGstbw
 Imagine (John Lennon)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwUGSYDKUxU
 Blowin’ in the Wind (Bob Dylan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsjiSfAmEeo
 Billy Don’t Be a Hero (Paper Lace)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QmHnwNO5sA
35
20th-century anti-war songs
1. Listen to the 2. Jot down key 3. Combine the 4. Compare the
words in lyrics fragments into a outcome with
song twice
authentic lyrics
complete song
5. Discuss the
6. Think why
gist of the song lyricist saw the
war(s) that way
7. Present your
findings to the
whole class
36
Mini-biography – Person of the Century
• A year-round mini-research project
• Historical figures in S.3 syllabus:
37
Mini-biography – Person of the Century
Subject Focus
Language Focus
1. To identify changes caused by
special actions/speeches of a
historical figure
1. To identify Essential elements
to be included in a minibiography
2. To discern continuities
between the past and the
present regarding the
influence of a historical figure
2. To realize guiding questions
for writing each paragraph of a
mini-biography
3. To write a paragraph showing
the impact of a person on his
era and contemporary world
4. To write a paragraph reflecting
people’s comments on a
historical figure
38
Mini-biography – Person of the Century
Input:
Read sample text
Further input:
Students’ research on
historical figure
Process (1):
Deconstruct the structure
of the given text
Process (2):
Define the content of
each part of the text
Output:
Students’ text (250-350 words)
39
Mini-biography – Person of the Century
Further products…
In-class presentation
Public display in
school canteen
Video recording &
online sharing
40
Multiple pathways…
Pre-class input
In-class process
In-class output
Post-class output
Online reading
Group discussion
Group sharing
Online quiz
Video viewing
Cartoon drawing
Presentation
Extended writing
Songs/poems
listening
Virtual museum
visit
Today in history
Posting written
work online
Photo hunt
News analysis
Drama acting
Audio recording
Guided reading
Song broadcast
Mind map
Video recording
Short writing
Event/photo
sequencing
Poem reading
Virtual museum
production
Interview
End-of-story
re-writing
Dictogloss
Excursion
Blank filling
Online survey
Short writing
41
Progress till now…
•
•
•
•
An ongoing project
Need larger diversity of input
Still a large reservoir of ideas available
HK History (1941-1997) to be programmed
42
Book Recommendation
Types of learning activities:
Verbal/Linguistic
Rickey Millwood, Adventures
Through World History!, San
Clemente: Kagan, 2008.
Logical/Mathematical
Visual/Spatial
Musical/Rhythmic
Bodily/Kinesthetic
Naturalist
Interpersonal
Intrapersonal
43