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Thinking and Writing Activity to Prepare for Test - Link to Copy of Assignment
Three Big Ideas in Writing
1. Good writing is about making it easier for the reader to understand the information being presented. It is not about making the writer look smart. Writing well involves following standard writing conventions, writing in direct active voice sentences and using common words.
2. Good writing is organized with a clear point, supported with evidence that is explained. It is not an "information dump" that forces the reader to make sense of the information.
3. The process of writing is really a thinking process that involves organizing ideas and supporting the ideas with relevant facts. The actual process of writing happens after the thinking process.
Structure of an Answer
An answer is effective if it presents information in an organized way that makes it easier for the reader to understand the information being presented.
A good answer begins with a topic sentence (thesis) that answers the prompt by stating the idea that explains the answer.
The answer then presents factual evidence and reasoning that explains how the evidence supports the idea in the topic sentence (thesis).
This structure makes it easier for the reader to understand the information because the topic sentence tells the reader core idea in the answer and prepares the reader for the factual evidence and reasoning in the paragraph.
Ideas Depend on Facts
Ideas are proven or disproven by facts. The reality is that many wrong ideas are believable because they "sound right." This is the reason that facts are necessary to make any good argument. If there are no facts that support an idea, then the idea is wrong.
Some facts are better than other facts. When supporting an idea it is important to use the facts that best support the argument. This involves thinking about what the fact will have to do in supporting the idea. It is important to recognize the form of the idea and then choose the facts accordingly.
Potential Test Essay Questions for Thinking and Writing Activity
Question - The three events of the formation of the National Assembly, the storming of the Bastille and the Declaration of the Rights of Man, together represent the start of the French Revolution because together they created a distinct break with the past that could not be undone. With that in mind, which of the three events was the tipping point that made the revolution inevitable?
Question - The French Revolution began with the ideals of the Enlightenment shown in “Declaration of the Rights of Man” yet ended in the violence of the Reign of Terror. At what point and for what reason did the French Revolution turn away from the ideals of the Enlightenment and toward violence and repression?
Question - Napoleon Bonaparte, Louis Philippe and Louis Napoleon (Napoleon III) were all emperors, yet they all set the stage for France to become a stable democracy in the Third Republic. Which of these three leaders contributed the most to the development of stable democracy in France?
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