What to Cite?

    Other then citing your quotes there might be some information in your essay that you will need to cite.  Citing your work is very important in a history essay because it builds trust and credibility with your readers.  Citing states where you got your information from as well as giving credit to the work and research of other writers.

   The biggest question that you need to ask when writing your essay is, "What information do I need to cite?"

     Unfortunately, I do not have a special formula for you to follow when it comes to citing.  What I do have are some examples of when citations are needed as well as why they are needed and examples when citations are not needed.

  Example 1:

    The Mexican-American War was fought between 1846 and 1848 and claimed the lives of over 13,000 American soldiers.  (Class Notes)

     Reason for Citation: specific number of casualties that were listed.

Example 2:

  One opponent of the Mexican-American War was American poet and writer Henry David Thoreau, who believed that the war was morally wrong. (Zinn, "We Take Nothing by Conquest, Thank God, p. 6)

   Reason for Citation: Although Thoreau was not directly quoted, his ideas were mentioned

Example 3:

   Before achieving independence, Texas was once controlled by the Mexican government.

   Why no citation? Nobody's opinion was being referenced or quoted and a specific piece of data is not given.
    

Using Quotes

    Many students writing a history paper or essay find that using a quote brings a great deal to their work.  Directly quoting an author or historical figure can greatly improve your argument and assist you in getting your point across.
     For our essay on the Mexican-American War it is required to have at least one quote for each of the body paragraphs.  These quotes are part of your evidence that you are using to support your claim.  Here is some advice, You should be able to place what ever quote you are using in your own words. In other words do not use a quote that you do not fully understand.  In my opinion I think that the most common mistake students make when trying to use a quote in an essay is failing to properly introduce the quote:
         
          Opponents of the Mexican-American War claimed that the war would help spread slavery. "Slaveholders crossed the Sabine River with their slaves."
 
        Yes, the quote is connected to the idea of the paragraph but we do not know the quote's author or the context (background).

Here is a link to the presentation from today on using quotes in your essay.  Tomorrow is or last day of having the computers in the classroom.  I hope that by tomorrow the following is done for your essay:

   1. Introduction

   2. Two-Three Body Paragraphs

   3. Quotes have been reviewed and given the proper context.

Tonight's H.W.

  Today in class we looked at some different tactics on writing a proper introduction for an essay.  Here is a link to the notes from class. The Rough Draft for your essay is due Friday before we leave for February Vacation.  When you are working on your homework you need to have your Writing in History Shouldn't Be a Mystery handout with you.  Use the pages that offer advice on writing a thesis as well as working on your claims and evidence. For tonight I want you to choose to do one of the following:

   1. Look over Body Paragraph One with Mr. Chute's Checklist and make any needed corrections.    Then work on Body Paragraph Two.

  2.  After looking over Body Paragraph One, write your Introduction Paragraph for the essay.

Body Paragraph 1

 Once you have created your Googledocs document for your Mexican-American War essay I want you to start writing the first body paragraph.  That is the only thing that I want you to focus on, writing the body paragraph.  Do not worry about the Introduction and Thesis we are going to devote class time to that, focus on getting your first claim and evidence down.  That is the H.W. for tonight, finish Paragraph 1
   A good paragraph should have a structure that is easy to follow, for example:

   Background Information
   Claim/Thesis Statement
   Supporting Evidence and Details

   If you follow this format it will make your paragraphs easy to read and give your essay a natural flow.

Before you start your body paragraph I recommend you look at page 4, Social Studies Do's and Don'ts  in your Writing in History Packet.  On this page are some simple pieces of advice that will make a very big difference in your final product.

  On page 6 you will find some advice on how to write a claim and on page 7 is some advice on evidence.

Mr. Chute  has created a form to help with paragraph structures for the essay that you may want to check out.
 

Google Docs

                 
     I hope that you are taking some time to enjoy your Snow Day and the now three day weekend.  We now have one less day to be working on the essay together in class, a day that we can not make up.  I am encouraging you all to be proactive and start the assignment on your own by setting up the essay on google docs.  
     If we had class today we were to spend time on drafting our thesis statements and our opening paragraphs.  You can still do this by using your Writing in History Packet for guidelines and helpful tips.  Here is a link offering advice on how to write a good thesis statement on Youtube.

                                        

For the Mexican-American War Essay we are going to be using googledocs again.
Be sure to sign in to the Wellesley Google Apps website.  Please Note: This is different than your own personal google account.

You will need to use your regular school computer ID and PASSWORD.
Here is the link

Once you have successfully logged in, you need to set up your document and share it with me so I can have access to it.

1. Select DRIVE to see your google docs account.

2. Select CREATE and select "Document".

 

5. A new document will come up and now you need to STOP and immediately rename the document. Click on the name of the document at the top of the page using the following format: 
Period#Word for Name of Assignment_LastName

So, in this case, my dog Thurman Mullady would name his paragraph: Period6MxAmWar_Mullady

6. Your last step is that you need to share the document with me so I can see it. Select Share in the upper right hand corner of the doc. 

7. Type in my last name and select my name from the list. Now, select that I can comment.

8. hit DONE

9. Congrats, you did it!!! Begin writing and enjoy using GOOGLE DOCS!!

For Additional Information click on the link to Mr. Chute's site on how to create a google doc.

  I am going to close this post with a request.  In the beginning of the year, I asked you to get the contact information of some classmates. You have also worked with other students before on the Indian Removal Act.  If you checked the site, please encourage your classmates to check it as well. It will reduce set up time in class and increase the amount of time you will have to work on your essay.

 Thank you,

Mr. M

Snow Day!!

Since we do not have school tomorrow, please check the website tomorrow for some tips on working on your introduction.

Mexican-American War

Overview: In 1846 the United States declared war with Mexico. Like many wars the United States has fought, this war had its strong supporters and its vocal critics. By the end of the war, over 40,000 people from both sides were dead and almost half of the land controlled by Mexico was added to the United States (making the U.S. about ⅓ bigger). This writing assignment requires you to take a stand and answer the following question: Was the United States Justified in Going to War with Mexico?

There are two options for your essay:

    Option 1: An Essay with 3 Body Paragraphs (Claims) that will be supported with 2 pieces of evidence. Three quotes are needed for this essay.

   Option 2: An Essay with 2 Body Paragraphs (Claims) that will be supported with 3 pieces of evidence.  Two quotes are needed for this essay.

To be successful for this essay you will need to be focused, be willing to challenge yourself, be able to ask questions when you need some assistance, be open to coming in before or staying after school if you think it will help you, and to plan ahead so that you get everything completed that is needed for you to do your best work.

  In order to have a well thought out essay you should take advantage of the following sources:

  Your Primary Source Packett
  Your Bucket  Lists
  The Howard Zinn Reading
  The Notes from Class
  The Mexican-American War Documentary

Being a good historical writer will reacquire you to use multiple sources in presenting your information. This will create a balanced paper that will offer a better chance of proving your thesis.

   Here is a basic timeline for the essay but these dates are subject to change.

Friday, February 8th: Tree Maps Completed

Tuesday, February 12th: Body Paragraphs are Completed

Wednesday, February 13th: Rough Draft of Essay Completed and brought to Class

Monday, February 18th: Final Document is Shared on Google Docs with Mr. Mullady