The Method to be Accurate and Fast

A Method for Reading and Understanding Things Well Enough That You Can Write Simply and Accurately

Tips for Doing Any Writing in This Course

One of the most powerful ways to learn something is to try to teach it. If you follow the Good Habits for Evidence and if you try to understand what happened so you can teach it as simply but as accurately as you can, you will have something worth writing. If you then write in a common sense way as though you were teaching your cousin history that he or she needed to understand, you will succeed in these assignments.

What Do You Do for Each Comparison Topic?

Read with care and for accuracy.

Click the method for reading FOR evidence. You will find is a simple PowerPoint Video that talks you through the basic method for reading. If you prefer a face-to-face meeting or a phone conference, let me know.

Tips:

The method above tells you how to label what you are reading as you read and how to use those labels to self-test to be sure you understand.
It also includes a link that shows why you should not take notes in a notebook while you read.

Click here for the Quiz tips to help reading and the reading pages for the Good Habits for Evidence examples (those on the Peace Policy and the Dawes Act).

Using the pages you have read using the method above, write down what you need to teach using the Reporter’s Ws . Honorable reporters are expected to cover at least these things:

§ Who?

§ What?

§ When? (for this class, not a specific date but a period of time)

§ Where?

§ Why?

§ and sometimes How?

Be sure you:

§ Write down the specific page number where you can find a specific fact you place in the chart or, if all facts in a cell in the chart are from one page, place the page number after the last fact.

§ Do not write down quotations at this stage. Instead, if you think you might want to quote a phrase, place 1 or 2 words of the possible quotation in “” as a reminder to yourself a) that you may want to quote something and b) that those are not your words.

§ Line things up so you can see changes. To see what this means, click here for the example of the 5 Ws chart for the Good Habits for Evidence examples (those on the Peace Policy and the Dawes Act). With very complex information such as with the Peace Policy and the Dawes Act, you may need to make a preliminary handwritten chart to make sure you have figured out what you have observed.

§ Limit yourself to a word or two for each thing. Refer to things in the book; don’t copy what is in the book.

Tip:
- Always make sure you understand the Comparison Topic. For example, if the Comparison Topic is about a region, a type of worker, or any category, always check that you have the right one. If you do not find that in the resources for the course, then ask..

Tentatively identify about 3 things you plan to discuss in your comparison. You can mark them on your 5Ws chart with a big checkmark (or an arrow or a number of the paragraph you plan or something that works for you).
Keep working from the 5Ws chart. You can use the same 5Ws chart for steps 4 through 8.

Using your 5 Ws chart, practice aloud as though you were teaching your smart cousin the 3 things you plan to compare.
When you cannot speak without stammering around, that means you do not understand.
What do you do? Go read that section again—and you can find the page quickly because the page number is on the 5 Ws chart.
Do this until it you can explain the 3 things aloud in a common sense way—it often takes five practices. By using the 5Ws chart and practicing aloud, you will catch your own errors in understanding and notice when you need to add or remove a fact.
Caution: Do not write your paper yet. Students who write before they have practiced several times believe their own errors.

Now, you say your comparison aloud one last time, typing as you speak. (Think of it as dictating to yourself.)

§ If you want to quote a phrase that you identified, open the book and quote it exactly. To avoid errors in quoting, use the brain trick in this link.

§ Keep your book closed as you write. If you must check on something, open it briefly but close it again before you write a word.

Why? If you have your book open when you write or you took extensive notes (see the tip with step 1), in almost all cases you will make both these errors:
- Plagiarize or do a “half-copy” version of plagiarism (to use the term in The Bedford Handbook)
- Be factually inaccurate

When you have finished typing your paper, upload your comparison to Turnitin in Blackboard so that it can check your paper for both language errors and possible plagiarism. Ask if you need help.
Double check your work and carefully make any corrections:

§ Read your paper syllable by syllable—ideally in a funny accent that will force you to pay attention.

§ Check your paper against each of the instructions for the assignment. Did you do everything?

§ Run spellcheck and grammar check with your paper, but do not make corrections automatically.

§ Check your citations: some people benefit by using this tactile method to make sure their citations are correct.

If you can wait 24 hours, check your paper again.

WCJC Department:	History – Dr. Bibus
Contact Information:	281.239.1577 or bibusc@wcjc.edu
Last Updated:	2015
WCJC Home:	http://www.wcjc.edu/