Writing the Grade 10 History Essay



Writing the Grade 10 History Essay

The goal of a history essay is to present an arguable opinion about an issue & convince the reader that your opinion is valid and worth reading. It would also help if you convinced your reader that your opinion is correct. Your job is to take one side of an argument and persuade your audience that you have well-founded knowledge of the topic being presented. A good history paper suggests to the reader that you are not only well-informed about the topic, but also that your o-pinion about the topic is right!

Organizing the Essay

1. Introduction ( There are three parts to a successful introduction:

a. Immediately engage the reader in your topic & provide some background information (2 or 3 sentences)

b. Assert your THESIS – choose your words with care!

c. Provide a BLUEPRINT or outline of the arguments to follow in the body of the essay. You should have 3-5 arguments here.

“This can be demonstrated through an examination of a, b, c, and d.”

2. Your Arguments ( One paragraph per argument. Each paragraph should look like this:

a. Assert your argument

b. Provide supporting evidence for your argument.

3. Conclusion ( This is one of the MOST IMPORTANT parts of your paper. Your conclusion is the last thing the reader will remember about your paper, so it should be STRONG.

a. Restate your argument. This might involve a simple re-wording of your thesis or a direct re-stating of it.

b. Summarize the main points you have used throughout your paper to back up your thesis.

REMEMBER:

This is a formal essay. This means you should pay attention to the following details…

• No first person pronouns (Ex: I think, we, you, etc…)

• No questions (Ex: What kind of person would do such a thing?)

• Maintain consistent verb tense - past tense

• Proofread extensively for spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.

• Print out your final draft. Read it. Then re-read it. Make corrections – it is not going to be perfect the first time through.

• Give your proofread draft to someone else to read – friend, parent, teacher, whomever. Listen to their suggestions and then make MORE CORRECTIONS.

It is unlikely anything you write will be perfect the first time. Get used to writing and re-writing your papers. Your skills as a writer will only improve.

|Achievement Criteria |Level 1 |Level 2 |Level 3 |Level 4 | |

|Application: | | | | | |

|-a clear thesis statement | | | | | |

|-arguments developed and organized logically |8 |9-10 |11 |12-15 | |

|-use of supporting research, evidence, and examples |limited |some |moderate |throrough |/15 |

|-introduction and conclusion follow arguments | | | | | |

|presented | | | | | |

|Communication: | | | | | |

|-effective writing (points are well-developed) |5 |6 |7 |8-10 | |

|-proper references and bibliography |limited |some |moderate |thorough |/10 |

|-spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence structure | | | | | |

|conventions are observed | | | | | |

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