Writing
Within our Student Resources folder, there is a specific Writing folder.
Skill development we will review in class:
Short Answer Questions explained, and SAQ sample (comparing historians' interpretations) - question and answer for a model; click here for other examples from the College Board
LEQ/DBQ template in case you need some structure
LEQ/DBQ standards and instructions for highlighting
LEQ rubric & DBQ rubric for our class
Contextualization & Thesis Writing (link to our handout)
And here is Albert.io's Guide to Contextualization (& difference between Contextualization and Historical Context)
DBQ Guidance from the College Board with samples of all the skills, and a sample DBQ paragraph coded to help you see evidence and analysis/reasoning skills
See also the videos by Heimler's History to the right.
College Board Writing Prompts and Scoring Guidelines page
specific link to the 2018 Unit 6/7 DBQs' Scoring Guidelines and the DBQ on foreign policy from that page (to make it easier for you to see samples during Unit 6/7)
Citation Guidelines (Chicago Style, the standard for history classes) - includes footnotes, bibliography and how to annotate a bibliography
For our Research assignments, you are required to use American National Biography on our Library's Subscription Services (if accessing from home, use the "passwords" link at the bottom-right of this page)
Additional resources to help you gain confidence in writing:
Purdue's OWL guides - start at General Writing, and use the Mechanics, Grammar and Punctuation resources to practice your skills
Comma Rules from Purdue Online Writing Lab
abbreviations guidelines from Ashford University
Ms. Antonakos' OLD Essay Writing Guidelines (including overall preparation methods, reaching analysis-level writing, thesis types, what to put in an introduction, writing complex sentences, rubrics)
On the Oxford Comma.PNGVideo Above explains the difference between simply describing the document and supporting the argument in response to the prompt. Video Below is the whole DBQ process. Starting at 4mins in, it explains HAPP analysis (=sourcing).
Essay Contests
ADL First Amendment Essay Contest - spring deadline annually in June; or fall deadline in September ($5000 prize) - open only to grades 9-11
WWII Museum Essay Contest - Due near the end of December each year, but they only accept the first 500 submissions! (1st prize = $1000)
American Foreign Service Association Essay Contest - Due either in March or April - please check the website! (1st prize $2500) - (see also the US Institute of Peace site for more information)
Bennington College Young Writers Contest in Poetry, Fiction & Non-fiction - Due Nov. 1 each year
EngineerGirl Writing Contest: This one comes and goes. Check the website.
Ayn Rand Foundation Essay Contest (on The Fountainhead or Atlas Shrugged) - Due in April (top prize is $10,000)
JFK Library Profiles in Courage Essay Contest - opens annually in September and is due in early January each year (top prize is $10,000)
Sons of the American Revolution Essay Contest - "local application deadline dates may vary, so interested applicants should reach out to their local SAR member listed" on this website
Facing History Student Essay Contest - check this website in case they update; last known contest in 2018
Gilder-Lehrman ended their student essay contest in 2019, but you can search to see if they reinstate it.
National Society of Colonial Dames Congressional Student Essay Contest - look for info each year in the fall, Dec. 1 deadline (prize = a week in Washington, D.C., for an all-expenses paid seminar)
Adlai Stevenson Center on Democracy students opinions on public policy ($250 for winning essays) https://www.stevensoncenterondemocracy.org/students/index.html - due March or April of each year