History Essay and Identification examples

I am going to post some identification examples that did for a test. The only thing that was on the test sheet were a bunch of names and then the essay questions.

Identifications (30) points

martin Luther

moderate phase of the french revolution

napoleon Bonaparte

Zollverein

etc. that's what the ID page looked like

the Essay Questions looked like this

Essay Questions (120 points)

1. discuss the political ideologies of two of the following men. include in your answers a discussion of the historical events or movements that influenced each of your choices.

a. john Locke

b. maximilen robespierre

c. karl marx

2. for what reasons did europeans attempt to create empires in africa and asia in the late ninetheenth cnetury and what were some of the consequences of decolonization in the twentieth century

example 1. Martin Luther

Martin Luther was a german monk and theologian who lived in Saxony. In 1517 he posted the Ninety-Five Thesis as a sesponce to the corruption fo the Catholic Church. The Pope was selling a massive amount of indulgences as a way to reaise money for a building project. Martin Luther in his Ninety-Five Thesis spelled out what was wrong wti the church. He also believed in the Justification in the book of John where it states that salvation can be acheived by faith alone. Luther was excommunicated and later moved from the idea of reforming the Catholic chrch to starting his own religion. He implemented several changes that set it apart from the catholic shurch. Clergy were allowed to marry and also he advocated the traslation fot he bible into the vecacular or spoken world. Also he believed that a believer had the ability to understand the bible contrary to the catholic belif that stated only clergy could understand and disipher biblical message.

- ok so this is rough please understand that this is what i wrote in a test and i had to pick 6 ID's and do 3 short answer essays (aka. atleast 1 page long). I got full credit for this ID and this is how the points broke down it was worth 5 points so i should have a minimun of 5 facts on this ID

1. who was martin luther monk and theologian

2. lived in saxony

3. what he is known for the Ninety-five thesis and since this is a history ID i need a year so 1517 is the only i rememberd

4. why he posted this why he is important. spoke out agains the corruption of the church then i explained why the church was corrupt

5. his reasons for attacking the church Book of John Justification of faith which is the termonology for that idea

6. outcome what it led to... led to a seperation from the catholic church and sprung up protistant and other faiths

that is a basic ID the who what when where why and how need to be explained in a basic form. the short answer essays are a mini essay about a page to page and a half depending on how fast you write. i am not going to post one of those just because i am going to post a history essay later. hope this helps on what some of the format to the history test look like and give you an idea as to what professors expect.

Note's Sample

07/20/10 (Date everything this is important in case you have to go back in your notes it makes things easier to find. this also separates the 1st half of a semester aka. midterm from the rest)

The Origins of Western Civilization (Title of the Subject for that day. this ensures that when the time comes around to fill a study guide things are easier to find)

Stone Age (Subtitle is important to separate between concepts covered on the same day. the umbrella is The Origins of Western Civilisation but under that there are going to be other things covered)
Social Expectations:
- relative position of male and female about equal (main ideas of the lecture most likely points on PowerPoint or outline given by instructor)
- life expectancy is about 25 years of age
- relative beginnings of a hierarchy are developed
government positions begin to be established (specific facts that are important)
beginnings of trade also develop

The Neolithic Age
Institutional Changes
-Establishment of permanent settlements
people stop being nomadic

My notes on the computer usually look something like this. I always title everything and put the date on it. It makes it easier for me to keep track of everything. Also when i write my notes i write them in New Times Roman 12pt. This helps me if i need to cut and paste something to a paper i am writing because its in the same format. If the instructor specifically states that something will be on the test i put a double ** Astrix next to it and then change the color to red.
I know there are people that create a different word document for everyday of notes but i just keep it in the same word document file. After my midterm i create a definite separation between the 1st and 2ND half of note taking. the way to separate it is up to you some people like a row of ******** Astrix some people just write it out Part 2 or something like Midterm when you take it with a date and then continue with your regular note taking.

My notes usually follow this format regardless of whether i type them or do them by hand. I always title everything and date it. If the instructor by some chance specifically states that something will be on the test this is then written in Red Pen or i underline it in red. I like writing my notes by hand in blue ink. I only ever use pencil for math and i rarely ever use black pen. This is just a personal choice i believe i just don't like seeing notes in black pen. Also pencil might run on you and notes in college are precious!!!! so i just don't do them in pencil just in case. Also i am very careful with highlighter. I am the highlight Queen i go a bit crazy. so i only ever use highlighter when i am filling a study guide i make a small mark along things that are on my study guide. The only reason why i am careful is because i will highlight what I think is important versus what i should highlight!! I only ever use yellow highlighter i don't like pink or blue its too dark for me or green it is also too dark.

I know color coding different parts of note taking work amazing for some people. unfortunately it just becomes to much work for me to keep up because it doesn't work for me. If you find that it does not break your flow to color code things as you take notes then great!! also if it helps you focus on different things and decipher your notes better then great.

Also in the beginning its going to be difficult to find which style writing by hand or typing will work for you. i prefer to do it by hand just because i don't like carting my computer everywhere. therefore for math, English, and other classes i take notes by hand. specially if i don't particularly like the class it gives me something to do and something to focus on. On the other hand for history i always type just because its usually a lot of notes. a lot of things are covered a lot of dates and i don't want to miss anything. i panic when i get behind or can't hear so it just makes it easier on me. this is something to consider when choosing a style. if you find that you can't keep up and your notes have no information then you might consider typing your notes or developing a short hand of some sort.
I did forget to mention that i do all my hand written notes on notebooks. i don't like using loose leaf paper because its loose leaf and its more maintenance to keep track of them and make sure you don't lose pages.

Essay Scoring Guide Letter Grade

"A" essay
Content:
- Complies with all parts of the assignment.
- not only informs the reader, but explains, persuades and enlightens her or him as well.
- develops thoughts by using explanation, example analysis and illustration
- Displays original thinking by:
achieving fresh insight into the topic; placing a well-known idea into a novel context; discovering broad significance for a specific idea or instance; identifying and resolving a contradiction.
- provides accurate and complete documentation for all borrowed material.
- personal examples will not be included. "I" and "you" will not be used.
- The tone will remain academic.
- Quotes used will be relevant and explained.
- There will be very few if any, MLA errors.

Organization:
- Has a recognizable thesis, clearly stated.
- has paragraphs which are organized around recognizable topic sentences
- has paragraphs which relate logical to the thesis
- has effective transitions between paragraphs
- has clearly identifiable introduction and conclusion

Style:
- demonstrates a creative, individual approach to writing
- shows a variety of sentence lengths and sentence openers
- displays accurate and vivid word choices
- uses a variety of sentence patters, such as long, cumulative and periodic sentences.
- uses parallel structures, compound sentences using semicolons and conjunctions which control rhythm pace, and emphasis

Mechanics :
Has no serious errors in grammar, punctuation or spelling

"B" essay
Content:
- complies with all parts of the assignment
- not only informs the reader, but explains, persuades, and enlightens her or him as well.
- attempts to develop thoughts by using explanation, example, analysis, and illustration.
- attempts to display original:
thinking in one or more of the ways listed for the "A" paper: but may do so with less originality and/or less support for ideas.
- Displays no obvious logical fallacies; logic may be more flawed that for "A" paper.
- Provides accurate and complete documentation for all borrowed material.
- Still primarily avoids "I" and "you" but could have one or two "slips"
- the tone remains academic in most parts.
- quotes will be relevant and explained but perhaps not as clearly or frequently
- MLA work cited and in text will be almost all correct, with perhaps an error or two.

Organization:
- has recognizable thesis, clearly stated
- has paragraphs which are organized around recognizable topic sentences
- has paragraphs which relate logically to the thesis
- has transitions between paragraphs
- has an introduction and conclusion

Style:
- shows a variety of sentence lengths and sentence openers.
- displays accurate and interesting word choices.
- uses a variety of sentence patters, as listed for the "A" paper, but perhaps not as frequently

Mechanics:
has no more than one serious error in grammar, punctuation or spelling

"C" essay
Content:
- complies with the main parts of the assignment
- finds significance in the topic beyond the writer's own individual response to it
- does not merely describe or provide basic information on the topic. Provides some analysis, detail or generalization
- provides accurate and complete documentation for all borrowed material.
- Might use "I" or "you" and personal examples
- overall is academic might have less of a formal tone
- quotes will be relevant and explained but not as fully
- MLA will be passing; there are a few errors but nothing major

Organization:
- Has a recognizable thesis, clearly stated
- Has paragraphs which relate logically to the thesis in most cases.
- has transitions between most paragraphs.
- has recognizable beginning, middle and end.

Mechanics:
- has no more than three serious errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation
- clearly indicates the ability to write correct simple, compound, and complex sentences

* I received this hand out from an English teacher

Strategies for proof reading your paper

1. Go away from your paper for a while after you have finished writing it. Come back later to proofread it with a fresh mind. It is much easier to spot errors when you distance yourself from the actual writing

2. Read each sentence out loud. This forces you to slow down and pay attention to each word and phrase. Sometimes you will realize you have spoken something (a word, a word ending, a pause where punctuation is needed, etc.) that you did not write, but should have

3. Have someone else read your paper out loud to you. In this way you will find out what you really wrote, including any errors that you missed in your own writing.

4. Start proofreading the last sentence in you paper and work you way sentence by sentence to the beginning. This helps you to distance yourself from the content of the paper so that you can focus more completely on spotting errors.

5. Cover the paper with a piece of paper; slowly move the paper down to reveal one line at a time. This helps you to focus on the words that are actually on the paper and make it easier to spot errors.

6. Focus on commonly made serious errors. The most common serious errors that students tend to make are run-ons, fragments, verb form errors and verb agreement errors, try to look specifically for errors in those four areas.

7. Learn the types of errors you tend to make and focus on those. You can learn about the types of errors you make from teachers' comments on you paper or in conference with the *lab staff. analyze your most common error types and look for them when you proofread.

8. Try to distinguish between sentences you know are correctly written, sentences you think are correctly written and sentences you're completely unsure about. When you think you have followed rules correctly you can often double check by looking up the rules in a handbook. if you are really unsure about the correctness of a sentence, that is a great time to ask a *lab staff person for help.

*I was given these handouts by an English teacher I had for English 1A
* Also when lab staff is talked about on this hand out. It is talking about the English Labs that are available in the library. Most schools have an English Lab time where students can attend and get help in English.

english stuff

Essay Scoring Guide for English

Superior 6: An "A" essay demonstrates superior use of writing mechanics and presentation of content. It will:
- show a command of language and style
- demonstrate a clear sencse of essay form, paragraphing and transitions
- suport a thesis with specific and convincing evidence
- be nearly free of error

Above Average 5; A "B" essay demonstrates clear competence in writing mechanics and presenation of content. It will:
- demonstrate a sense of essay form, paragraphing and transitions
- be generally well organized adn well developed although it offers fewer details or examples than an "A" paper
- Offer some explanation or illustrations of key ideas
- demonstrate sentence control in grammar adn punctuation with few errors
- display fundemental mastery of language

Average 4: A "C" essay demonstrates general competence in writing mechanics and the presentation of content. It will:
- provide an adequate thesis, organization and development with some appropriate examples
- demonstrate a basic knowledge of sentence structure without an overwhelming number of errors
- address the topic adequately, although perhaps not completely
- demonstrate adequate mastery of the language

Approaching Competence 3: A "D"essay is flawed in writing mechanics and/or the presentation of content. It will:
- respond to the topic, but in generalizations, not providing adequate or appropriate detail and specifics, neglecting part of the writing task
- be underdeveloped or disorganized
- display patters or an accumulation of major errors in usage, punctuation or grammar
- display limited or inappropriate word choice

Limited Competence 2-1: An "F" essay shows a lack of writing competence. It will:
- fail to respond to the question, or do so in a way that is hard to understand
- offer almost no detail or relevant specifics
- contain serious and frequent errors in usage and sentence structure
- Be difficult to understand