Long Essay 101

1. Long Essay 101 AP US HISTORY

2. Format of Long Essays • The Long Essay is your standard essay • Typically, many students use the 5 paragraph essay template • However, do not feel confined to that! You may write as many or as few paragraphs as you need to fully answer the prompt • You will need to write a strong thesis statement in your intro paragraph • Though a conclusion is the cherry-on-top, it is not necessary as long as you have proven your thesis throughout your essay • I only say this because some students spend so much time writing the bulk of their essay & don’t get to the conclusion. • If you run out of time, do not worry about not finishing – worry more about fully answering the question throughout the body of your essay

3. History Essay Writing Tips • Always think of your reader • Use black ink only • Do not use contractions • Write in the 3rd person • First person = I, we, our, us, me, mine, my • Second person = you, your • Write in the past tense • You may mark out mistakes. BUT… • Do not try to be cute • Use STANDARD ENGLISH! • Use correct historical terms • i.e. “normalcy” is not a standard English word, but it is a historical term • Facts are names, dates, people, events, places, things

4. Terms Often Used in AP Essay Questions • Assess the validity of… • To estimate, to appraise the value of • Analyze the… • Separate into parts or principles and examine each part • Compare and/or… • How much alike • Contrast the… • How much different • Criticize the… • Make judgments as to merit and faults • Degree to which… • One step or stage in a progression • Define the… • Say what something is; give its meaning

5. Terms Often Used in AP Essay Questions • Discuss the… • Talk about; write about; consider or examine • Describe the… • What does it look like; create a mental picture • Extent: To what extent… • The range over which something goes; how far • Evaluate the… • Assess or judge the worth of • Explain the… • To make plain, comprehensible, make clear by detail • Illustrate… • Explain or make clear by using examples

6. Terms Often Used in AP Essay Questions • Justify… • Use evidence to prove something is right, wrong, or just • Prove… • Establish the truth of something by providing factual evidence • Reasons for… • The motives for actions or inaction • Relative importance of… • Having pertinence; connected to • Valid or validity… • How sound, how well-grounded, how good is the stated premise

7. Before You Begin to Write: • Carefully read the question to make sure you understand what it is asking you to do. • Pay careful attention to the TASK WORDS in the question • Look closely at the CHRONOLOGY (time periods) of the question • Many students write great essays that unfortunately don’t answer the question that was asked! You must discuss those time periods, locations, and topics that apply to the question and only those! • EXCEPTION: The Synthesis point may be earned by connecting the topic to another historical period. • Take a few minutes to review what you already know about the question and develop a thesis statement • Write a brief outline of your essay before you begin to write

8. The Introduction • This is where you make your first impression on the reader. Therefore, it is important that you have a strong introduction that defines your thesis and your argument. • Your essay should be clearly organized around a thesis statement. • The thesis should clearly respond to the question, without directly repeating it • Should represent your own original interpretation or analysis of the information • Should make a clear argument • Does not need to be the first sentence of your introduction and, in fact, provides better essay organization if it is the last sentence in your introduction.

9. The Introduction • Define important terms (i.e. humanism, secular, absolutism) to demonstrate that you understand the question and the essay topics. • Provide a concise statement (no more than 1 sentence) that places the essay topic in its historical context • Clearly identify the supporting arguments that you will use in your essay. Again, make sure you are responding to all parts of the question • After reading your introduction, your reader should know exactly what your argument is (your thesis) and how you are going to prove it (your supporting arguments) – sometimes called a “preview”

10. Other Tips • Be sure to write with “voice” in your essay. • In other words, pretend that you have some authority on the subject. Make sure to take a stand in your answer and not be wishy-washy. • Be sure that your essay includes historical facts to prove your thesis. • However, “data dumping” will not gain you any extra points and can result in a lowering of your score. It also runs the risk of you including incorrect data which would hurt your overall score. • Avoid broad survey questions. • They appear easy because you know a lot of information about them. However, they are often the most challenging because of the breadth required to answer them effectively. Writing a provable thesis can pose real problems for these types of questions • Content is critical, but so is your presentation • Be attentive to grammar, syntax, spelling, penmanship, etc. A well-written essay is much easier to understand than a poorly written essay

11. Long Essay • Write down the prompt on a clean sheet of paper. • 2014 Long Essay: • Evaluate the extent to which trans-Atlantic interactions from 1600 to 1763 contributed to maintaining continuity as well as fostering change in labor systems in the British North American colonies. • Your essay will be due FRIDAY OCT. 3rd