WRITING A SOCIAL STUDIES ESSAY
* Note: RED = you must learn for our test
Essay: a writing composition on a
particular subject or theme
There are many types of essays, but 3
types dominate social studies classes:
Types of Essays
in Social Studies
1) Expository Essay: a researched
and detailed analysis of a topic. You
mention various views, but you do not
express your own opinion.
2) Persuasive Essay: when you take
a position (or argue) something and
back it up with logic and evidence
you research. The goal to convince
the reader that your position is the
correct one.
3) Research Essay: a kind of a
persuasive essay where you assess
your ideas with respect to someone
else’s.
THIS YEAR, WE ARE FOCUSING ON
THE PERSUASIVE ESSAY
Creating a Thesis
- Almost all assignments, no matter how complicated, can be
reduced to a single question. After you have chosen the
question your essay will answer, compose one complete
sentence that answers your question. THIS IS KNOWN AS
YOUR THESIS OR THESIS STATEMENT – the sentence that
answers the question your essay in answering.
- Each thesis can have as many parts (also called “CLAIMS” or
“SUBTOPICS”) as the writer wishes. However, for no
extremely good reason, it is popular practice in the US to have a
thesis with THREE claims/subtopics.
- A serious writer will research first, and then write a thesis
based on how the evidence swayed his/her opinion.
Example:
Q: What three events led to Rome’s involvement in the Punic
Wars with Carthage?
A: (your thesis statement): Rome and Carthage fought the
Punic Wars as a result of (claim/subtopic #1), (claim/subtopic
#2), and (claim/subtopic #3).
THIS YEAR, WE WILL FOCUS ON MAKING A BROAD
THESIS STATEMENT. INSTEAD OF SOMETHING
EXTREMELY SPECIFIC, YOUR THESIS’
CLAIMS/SUBTOPICS WILL BE ANY 3 OF THE 6 SOCIAL
SCIENCES. THESE 6 FIELDS IN COMBINATION WITH
HISTORY IS WHAT “SOCIAL STUDIES” REFERS TO!
ENLIGHTENING, ISN’T IT? 
So, to use 3 of the 6 social sciences, clearly we must learn what
they are! Go to the next slide to find out…
Geography (full definition):
the science dealing with the
areal differentiation of the
earth's surface, as shown in
the character, arrangement,
and interrelations over the
world of such elements as
climate, elevation, soil,
vegetation, population, land
use, industries, or states,
and of the unit areas formed
by the complex of these
individual elements.
* Cheat Sheet: anything to
do with location, place,
human-environment
interaction, travel, the land,
communication, human
movement, borders of
countries, regions, etc.
Social Science 1/6: Geographic
(from “Geography”)
Anthropology (full
definition): the science
that deals with the
origins, physical and
cultural development,
biological
characteristics, and
social customs and
beliefs of humankind.
* Cheat Sheet: anything
to do with patterns of
human knowledge,
patterns of human
behavior, beliefs,
religion, shared attitudes,
values, customs, how
people act in a society,
etc.
Social Science 2/6: Cultural
(from “Anthropology”)
Political Science (full
definition): a social
science dealing with
political institutions
and with the principles
and conduct of
government.
* Cheat Sheet:
anything to do with
government behavior,
power struggles,
negotiation, war
tactics, etc.
Social Science 3/6: Political
(from “Political Science”)
Economics (full
definition): the science
that deals with the
production,
distribution, and
consumption of goods
and services, or the
material welfare of
humankind.
* Cheat Sheet:
anything to do with
trade, business,
scarcity, resources,
money, different
economic
systems/beliefs, etc.
Social Science 4/6: Economic
(from “Economics”)
Sociology (full
definition): the science or
study of the origin,
development,
organization, and
functioning of human
society; the science of the
fundamental laws of
social relations,
institutions, etc.
* Cheat Sheet: anything
to do with behavior in
groups (from 2 people to
everyone on Earth),
society in general, mass
movements, social class,
social mobility, etc.
Social Science 5/6: Sociological
(from “Sociology”)
Psychology (full
definition): the science
of the mind or of
mental states and
processes, and of
human and/or animal
behavior
* Cheat Sheet:
anything to do with a
single person’s
behavior, perception,
personality,
relationships, emotion,
ways of thinking, etc.
Social Science 6/6: Psychological
(from “Psychology”)
Outline of a Persuasive Essay
- It is not enough to simply write
out sentence after sentence after
your thesis. There has to be a
specific order! This is really
important, because most of your
essays in school through college
will be in this format.
- There are 5 paragraphs in an
essay with 3 subtopics/claims.
(There is always 1 paragraph for
the introduction, and on paragraph
for the conclusion. The number of
subtopics in the thesis statement
are added to this for the total
number of paragraphs).
The Outline of a Persuasive Essay (with 3 subtopics/claims)
I. Introduction
a)
Attention grabber (first sentence to grab reader’s attention)
b)
Background (in our case a quick historical background)
c)
The overall question that your thesis statement will answer
d)
Thesis Statement (in our case with 3 claims/subtopics)
e)
Hook (sentence about 1st claim/subtopic to set up next paragraph)
II. Body Paragraph #1
a)
Many sentences supporting your first subtopic/claim.
b)
Hook (sentence that links this subtopic/claim to the body paragraph #2’s subtopic/claim
- It is a good rule of thumb to state your evidence or reasoning first, then explain why it is important second.
- You may have as much or as little evidence here, but as a rule of thumb 3 pieces of evidence to state and explain is typical.
III. Body Paragraph #2
a)
Many sentences supporting your second subtopic/claim.
b)
Hook (sentence that links this subtopic/claim to the body paragraph #2’s subtopic/claim
Follow the guidelines written above
IV. Body Paragraph #3
a)
Many sentences supporting your third subtopic/claim.
b)
Hook (sentence that links this subtopic/claim to the body paragraph #2’s subtopic/claim
Follow the guidelines written above
V. Conclusion
a)
A restatement of the thesis
b)
Your final opinion on your position (note: never bring new evidence into this paragraph)
c)
A final sentence or two designed to give your reader a sense of perspective of the whole thing
Primary vs. Secondary Resources
For our purposes, there are 2 types of resources you can use as evidence in your essay:
Primary Resource (Drake, Nelson): direct records from the period or by the people
who are the subject of the historian’s study. They may be a document in print (i.e. letter,
diary, speech, official correspondence, newspaper or magazine article); an image (i.e.
photograph, painting, political cartoon, map, chart, graph); broadcast media (i.e. movie
or television show clip, radio broadcast); or an artifact (i.e. tool, apparatus).
Secondary Resource (Drake, Nelson): books, essays, and articles historians write that
are accounts of a period or a topic after an event has taken place. They offer a
narrative of the subject studied by the historian. It is possible for a secondary resource
to become a primary resource (i.e. a history textbook from the 1920s is a primary
resource when studying textbooks in the 1920s).
How to Cite Evidence (Quick Version!!)
- In your essay, you must do 2 things regarding the evidence you use. First, you must CITE each piece of information you use WITHIN the essay. Second, you must create a
separate WORKS CITED PAGE (similar to a bibliography) that will be attached to the end of your essay.
Review:
1) CITE each resource you use. You do not cite anything that is “common knowledge” (for example: the US won World War II), but you must cite everything else. If you do
not, this is illegal and known as plagiarism.
2) The works cited page must be in alphabetical order. The format below must be followed exactly.
Book:
In the Works Cited page format:
Author Last Name, Author First Name. Book Title. Publication Location: Publisher, Publication Year.
Example:
Parsley, Reed. Sugar Ships. San Francisco, USA: Green Tiger Press, 1990.
As a citation within the essay:
(Author Last Name page number).
Example:
Self-directing and self-correcting books help students learn how to follow directions (McGee 1).
- IMPORTANT: in ALL citations, use “quotation marks” if you are quoting the a person or source word for word. Summarizing (or paraphrasing) does not need quotation
marks but still needs a citation at the end of the sentence.
Internet
In the Works Cited page format:
Author Last Name, Author First Name. "Article or Page Title." Site Name. Institution or organization affiliated with the site. <URL>.
As a citation within the essay:
(Website root name).
Example: In 2009, Australia’s per capita income was $40,000 (cia.gov).
- Include in the text the first item that appears in the Work Cited entry that corresponds to the citation (e.g. author name, article name, website name, film name).
- Cite the root URL, not the entire source. For example, use (cia.gov), instead of (www.cia.gov/worldfactbook/austr).
- Websites that are acceptable are news sites, university sites (end with .edu), reputable organization sites (end with .org), and some government sites (end with .gov).
- Sites like Wikipedia, ask.com, etc. are NOT acceptable , but in some cases you can verify something these sites say elsewhere. Be careful with this !!
For more specific information about citing all other resources, visit http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/