What Is the
History Department Required to Do?
What Is a
Comparison and Its Alternative Writing?
Why Is the
Good Habits for Evidence Grade a Separate Grade?
B for 2
Accurate Peer Reviews If You Follow All 5 Good Habits for Evidence
B for 2
Accurate Summaries for the Major Comparison - If You Follow All 5 Good Habits
for Evidence
Note to Students: I will be adding examples of how the separate Good Habits for Evidence also improves the grade for writing assignments when you are doing the Unit written exam.Student surveys at the end of Spring 2015 showed that students thought Unit writing would help them succeed so that is now part of the course. |
These statements are from the syllabus, but with definitions added.
1.
Create an
argument through the use of historical evidence.
Merriam Webster Online on the words:
·
argument: “a coherent series of statements leading from a
premise to a conclusion” – In this course, the argument must be based on
evidence from the listed reliable sources.
·
evidence: “something which shows that something else exists or
is true”
2.
Analyze and
interpret primary and secondary sources.
|
Term |
Explanation |
|
Using information gathered directly from
those performing the actions or making the statements. Examples of primary sources include
census data, diaries, film, and interviews. |
|
|
Using information, analysis, and
interpretation based on primary sources.
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3.
Analyze the effects of historical, social, political, economic,
cultural, and global forces on this period of United States history.
The History
Department requires a minimum of 25% of your grade from your writing
assignments. This course has 27% writing, with some informal writing in the
total. Caution: To repeat the
syllabus, given those percentages, doing written work is essential to pass.
Please ask if you do not know why.
In this
course, your assignments are meant to meet those objectives, and
·
To use historical
evidence in small assignments that also reveal how history changes
·
To make it
possible for students to earn a good grade even though they may not have
experience with
·
United States
history
·
Reading and writing
with evidence about real things (History is frequently the first time many
students have to write about real things with evidence.)
Sometimes it is clearest to start with what a
comparison is not. A comparison in this
class is:
·
Not a paraphrase
of each sentence on a page of the required readings and not even a summary of
whatever is on that page
·
Not a formal
English paper with specific requirements for number of quotations and your
personal interpretation of those quotations
·
Not a comparison
of the sets of pages of the required readings
Instead, you answer a very specific question by
examining a period of time, usually the beginning and end of a period of that
time and usually for a specific group. One of the hardest things for students
to understand about history is that what was true at the beginning of a time
period can be amazingly different at the end of it—sometimes for the better and
sometimes for the worse. History changes! If it didn’t, humans could never have
a consequence on the present and future.
What makes history change is something worth noticing
to learn history and also if you want:
·
To survive your present
·
To maintain what
is good in your present
You must answer the specific
question (such as a specific group) but you may examine how history changes in
either of two ways:
·
For a C (but see
below how that can average as a B), as
two factually accurate summaries of the essential facts about the:
o
Earlier period
(usually as in one paragraph)
o
Later period
(usually as in a second paragraph)
·
For a B or an A,
as a factually accurate comparison
(an analysis)where you identify two or
three issues (with each issue usually in one paragraph) that are
significant in both the earlier and later periods
Tip: If you are inexperienced in analysis, on your first
writing assignment try to do two accurate summaries. If you follow all 5 Good
Habits for Evidence, your grade can become a B as shown below.
With both the two summaries
and with the comparison:
·
The writing is
small (under 1 page) and—for some assignments—a half page for a second part of
the work.
·
You are focusing
on what you would teach other students to help them understand how history
changed. If you want to learn
something, try to teach it.
As the syllabus says, the
grades for writing assignments are split in two parts:
|
This course identifies
these 5
Good Habits for Evidence. If you click on the link, you can see that
these habits of working are in your interest. |
The History Department
approved this grading system as a trial method. The rubric and its grading
system have two purposes:
First,
to help students accomplish the objectives that the Department is required to
do:
Second,
to make it possible for all students to earn a decent grade even though some of
them may begin their work in the course with little or no experience with:
·
United States
history
·
Reading and
writing with evidence about real things–such as history and biology and
business
This course measures your
work using the 5 Good Habits for Evidence. The 5 habits are the minimum you
must have to succeed with evidence and critical thinking.
You can make a good grade and
not write a comparison (an analysis). The rubric allows you to make good grade
writing two factually accurate summaries of the time periods. The key to high
points for summaries is being accurate with each of the 5 Good Habits for
Evidence when you write so you earn full points for the separate Good Habits
for Evidence grade, with those points increasing with each Comparison.
This shows a copy of the Tip with each
comparison. To earn these points, you must also do any specific parts of the
assignment, such using primaries or writing the part on personal
responsibility.
Notice that a person earning
a C on the paper can increase those points to a B by following the Good Habits
for Evidence.
|
Tip: If you are concerned about writing a
comparison, consider this approach with this 10-point assignment: ·
Write two
summaries that are factually accurate. The “C” column of the Good Habits for
Evidence rubric shows this qualifies for a C (70%). ·
Be sure you
follow all of the 5 Good Habits for Evidence (no marks in the “D” and “F”
columns of the rubric). This qualifies for 10 points on this Comparison. ·
If you have no
marks in the “D” and “F” columns of the rubric with this 1st Comparison, you
qualify for 20 points extra credit. 7 For writing 2 factually accurate summaries
– 10 points X .7 (C) = 7 if the lowest C and 7.9 if the highest 10 For following the 5 Good Habits for Evidence 17 – a B out of the 20 possible points (17 divided
by 20 = .85 or 85%, a B) Reminder: If
you follow the 5 Good Habits for Evidence on this assignment, you still have those
30 points extra credit for the Good Habits for Evidence Responsibility
Form. |
|
Tip: If you are concerned about writing a
comparison, consider this approach with this 40-point assignment: ·
Write two peer
review forms that are factually accurate and useful to the other student. The
more useful to the student, the higher the grade. ·
Be sure you follow
all of the 5 Good Habits for Evidence and catch most of the students’ marks
in the “D” and “F” columns of the rubric. This qualifies for 20 points on
this Comparison. 14 For writing 2 factually
accurate peer reviews – 20 points X .7 (C) = 14 if the lowest C and more if
very useful 20 For following the 5 Good Habits for Evidence 34– a B out of the 20 possible points (34 divided by
40 = .85 or 85%, a B) Reminder: If
you follow the 5 Good Habits for Evidence on this assignment, you still have those
30 points extra credit for the Good Habits for Evidence Responsibility
Form. |
|
Tip: If you are concerned about writing a
comparison, consider this approach with this 60-point assignment: ·
Write two
summaries that are factually accurate. The “C” column of the Good Habits for
Evidence rubric shows this qualifies for a C (70%). ·
Be sure you follow
all of the 5 Good Habits for Evidence (no marks in the “D” and “F” columns of
the rubric). This qualifies for 20
points on this Comparison. 14 For writing 2 factually
accurate summaries – 60 points X .7 (C) = 42 if the lowest C and 47.9 if the
highest 20 For following the 5 Good Habits for Evidence 34– a B out of the 20 possible points (34 divided by
40 = .85 or 85%, a B) Reminders: ·
You had to do
the Proposal—10 for the proposal and 10 for the Good Habits for Evidence--to
write this comparison, and the feedback on the Proposal should help you
succeed at the writing itself. It is probable that the student would the
highest C on 2 summaries or would have gained skills enough to begin doing
analysis and thus make higher. ·
If you follow
the 5 Good Habits for Evidence on this assignment, you still have those 30 points extra credit for
the Good Habits for Evidence Responsibility Form. |