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What’s on This
Webpage:
Preventions
for Each Item in the Evidence Checklist/Rubric
This table shows the Feedback Letters in the left column. The Feedback Letters are also a link that will take you to the specific section of the Evidence Checklist/Rubric in the syllabus.
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Feedback Letter |
How to Work to Prevent the Problem With Links If You
Want Them |
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NS = Fact is Not
from an approved Source |
Read the
right stuff—the right time and the right place and the right person or type
of persons--for the question: 1.
Turn to the
pages that I identified for you to read. If I did not specify pages to read,
use your index to locate the content. If you still cannot find the pages, ask
for help. (Distance learning classes also have ways to ask questions in the
Discussion tool.) 2.
Do not let yourself open other sources.
Do not tell yourself the fib that you
are just checking the Internet to make something clearer to yourself. Do not
let bad data in a good mind. Read to
understand (to figure out, not just repeat mindlessly) the evidence that the
author is providing you: 1.
If you have no
method that works for you, try the method
for preparing to write a practical essay to read and determine possible things you will cover.
(It you also need an example on a brain trick for reading, you will find one in that link.) 2.
Always double
check to be sure your brain is not
assuming. Use only the facts you
found in the source. If you remember something being true, do not use it until you carefully verify
it in the required source. If you cannot find it to verify it, ask me for
help in finding it or do not say it. |
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QP = Quotation
includes Plagiarized text |
Before you
worry about quoting something, click here to see
the basics of facts and: § citations (how you show exactly where the
reader can find the fact) § quotation marks (how you show who owns what words) Then do the
preventions with: § NS (read required sources carefully and figure things
out) § NT (select specific facts to reveal the truth) Once you are
sure you want to quote (to use the author’s exact words), then use the brain
trick in QC. |
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QC = Quotation is Changed from the source. |
The rules for showing what you have taken out (…) of
the author’s words or put in ([ ]) are complex and for most of us they are
not worth learning. This trick
lets you be accurate but avoid learning those rules: 1.
Choose 3 to 6
words to quote and change nothing (not an ing
or an ed, not a comma, nothing)
between the first and the last word. 2.
Put a “ before the first word and a ” after the last word. 3.
Place those
words with the “”within your sentences. 4.
If something
sounds awkward about your sentences, then change your own words—the only words you
have a right to change. |
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NT = Fact is Not
True. It is not verifiable using
the probable page in the source. |
Do the preventions
with NS (read required sources carefully and figure things out) |
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1.
First,
concentrate on the question. What is the prof (or the boss) asking for? Click here for
the goal of all writing in this course. Caution:
In this course, I provide all essay questions ahead of time for two reasons: § So you have
a chance to know what you need to
read § So you can
ask a question if you do not
understand my question 2.
Second, do two
things at the beginning and end of your reading: § Before you
start to read, stop and
be sure what you are reading is appropriate for that question. (Once you
start writing, you will not catch your error.) Examples: Do not use information about New England to answer a
question about the South or information about ranchers to answer a question
about farmers. § Before you
stop reading, look to see
if some other things happened or if some things changed. 3.
Third, when you
read, observe carefully and constantly. § Notice words that reveal limitations of a fact. Examples: § Notice the sentences (and sometimes pages) before and
after what you are reading. Example:
A truth that requires three sentences can be a falsehood if you only notice
one of those sentences. Caution: You are not summarizing or paraphrasing a
section of words. You are figuring things out so you can briefly answer a
question in a common sense way. Just because some fact is in that section of words does not mean it belongs in
your answer. If the fact does not
apply to the question, do not bring it up or you will look like you misread
or miswrote (wrote without thinking). |
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W? = Where
is the specific page where this is supported in our textbook? |
1.
You do not
have to cite pages when you write your essays that end a Unit. On the other hand, if I cannot
recognize your facts as being from our textbook or from my resources in the
course, I will ask you name the specific page where the facts came from. 2.
If you follow the method provided with NS, you
will have your reminders for what content you plan to cover and the page number where you can
find that content. When you are
figuring out the content and planning what you will write, double check
to be sure: § The facts that you write in your own words are in the
source. § The facts that are in the author’s words are
unchanged between the opening quotation mark (“) and the closing one (“”) For some
people, touching the fact in the source and in your list of what you plan to
cover helps them. This visual might help. If you decide to do the alternative third
assignment which does require citations, I will provide instructions for you. |
The submission of a paper with words from an author without quotation marks can be the professor's evidence that you plagiarized. Some may not notice, but some may call it plagiarism. Some professors may label your work as “half-copy” plagiarism (term from The Bedford Handbook, page 692) if you:
What are the rules for citation and use of quotation marks? The rules vary depending upon whether you are writing a fact from the source in your own words or if you are writing a fact in the author’s words (you are quoting):
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What
Kind of Fact Are You Using |
Do
You Need Citation (Page # etc.)? |
Do
You Need Quotation Marks (“”)? |
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A fact in your own words |
Yes—although I do not require that in the Blackboard’s tiny box for essays |
No |
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A fact in the author’s words |
Yes |
Yes |
With something
that people talk about in many ways, sometimes it helps to state what is not
the goal. With writing in this course, you are not summarizing or
paraphrasing the textbook. You do not, therefore, need to repeat every
fact or word in the textbook. You are also not showing your personal
writing style while stating your feelings or your opinions.
Instead, in this
course, the goal of all writing assignments is for you to do activities that
help you learn the history of our nation. One of the most powerful ways to
learn something is to try to teach it. You will succeed in these assignments if
you do these things:
§ If you read carefully and work to understand what
happened and ask if you need help.
§ If you figure out what essential facts that you
would teach your cousin.
§ If you figure how you could organize those facts as
simply and as accurately as you can.
§ If you write in a common sense way as though you are
teaching your cousin history that he or she needs to understand.
Because the goal
of writing is to help you learn our nation’s history and the priority is for
you to be accurate, I grade your writing by comparing what you wrote side by
side with the facts in the textbook. With essays submitted, I use a method that
lets me quickly identify all of the submissions where the students wrote on the
same question.
1. I download those submissions, print them, and place
side by side:
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§
On the left, the
textbook opened to the probable section or sections students should have
used. §
On the right,
the submissions of students’ papers on that question. |
2. I use the Evidence Checklist/Rubric and its 2-letter
abbreviations for feedback (shown below) and grade each student’s submissions
one by one.
3. If there are multiple possible questions, I then
repeat the steps above with the next question.
With the two
essays for the Unit exams, I grade one of the questions using the method above.
Unless I find problems such as factual errors in that essay, I grade the other
one without the textbook side by side with your paper—a quicker method.
I use the Evidence
Checklist/Rubric to grade on common standards
(accepted rules or models) for academics and for jobs that depend on evidence.
The word evidence emphasizes that you
must have proof for what you say—some
fact from our approved source that anyone using that source can see for himself
or herself. The word checklist means
a list of steps or things necessary for success (such as a pilot’s checklist
for takeoff). The word rubric usually
means a way to give feedback (such as
confirmation of success, guidance for improvement, or corrections) that is
useful but quick for instructors and students.
The term checklist/rubric indicates this is both
a checklist (on the left) for success with evidence and a way to give feedback
(on the right) about your use of evidence as a 2-letter abbreviation. Each
checklist item begins with an informal statement of a common standard. Beneath
that are our specific requirements, identified with the underlined phrase In
this course.
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Do each of the things on the checklist below or you
may see the letters on the right as Feedback on your paper. |
Feedback Letters |
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1. |
For your
source of facts, you use only
sources your professor (or boss) accepts as reliable. In this
course, the only sources are the textbook chosen
by the History Department and the sources provided at our Course Website. Do not use Internet websites, another textbook, or any other
source—including your own memory. |
NS = Fact is Not
from an approved Source |
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2. |
You must
follow common standards to reveal to your reader who created the words and/or
found the facts you are using in your writing. This is a requirement in
courses and in some jobs. In this
course, you may: § Either write facts in your own words § Or you may use exact sentences or phrases from the
textbook placed within quotation marks according to the specific rules for
quotation marks (“”) to reveal ownership that are covered in The Bedford Handbook In this
course, you may not copy an author’s phrases without
quotation marks. You also may not replace
a few words in an author’s sentence. Both are what The Bedford Handbook calls “half-copy” plagiarism (page 692). |
QP = Quotation
includes Plagiarized text |
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3. |
You must
follow common standards to reveal any changes you made to the author’s words.
This may not be just a punctuation error. You may be misleading your reader
about the evidence. In this
course, if you use another’s words, you must be sure either not to change
them or—if you change them—to follow the specific rules in The Bedford Handbook to reveal those
changes to the reader. |
QC = Quotation
is Changed from the source. |
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4. |
You must use
reliable sources to verify what you write—to confirm its accuracy. In this
course, if you
cannot verify the fact, do not
write it and do not assume that
the source agrees with you. If you are certain something is true and you
cannot find it clearly in our sources, ask me for help. § If a question is about something specific (such as a
time, type of person, or region), verify that the source is about that
specific thing. § If the source covers facts about two or more sides or
positions, do not include only one side as though the other did not occur. |
NT = Fact is Not
True. It is not verifiable using
the probable page in the source. |
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5. |
With most written work for professors (or
bosses), if asked, you must be able to state exactly where (a specific
page) in the source that each fact
came from—whether you wrote the words or the author did. With many college
assignments, you must provide citations and use a specific standard (such as MLA, APA, or the Chicago Manual
of Style). In this
course with most written assignments, you do not
need to provide citations (the specific page number from our textbook) unless
I cannot recognize where the fact came from. If you ask to do
the more challenging alternative assignment instead of the essays for Unit 3,
then you must cite according to the instructions. |
W? = Where
is the specific page where this is supported in our textbook? |
In the module for the History Changes Essay, you will also find brief
tips on reading for evidence and writing with evidence (including preventing
problems with quotations). If you would also like a personal conference, I am
glad to help you.
With all written assignments, you write briefly and within the maximum
length listed for the assignment and according
to the Evidence Checklist/Rubric and the Goal for Written Assignments (both on
the prior page).
§ You
know all of the possible questions before you write, but you do not know which
question(s) Blackboard will display for you.
§ You
must write on the question(s) displayed. The reason for listing the
questions and providing ways to locate what you need in the textbook is for
you to read and prepare ahead of time for all possible questions.
History Changes Essay, a 10-point assignment: You know the questions ahead. It is brief—you
write about the amount you would write by hand on a ½ sheet of Xerox paper. You
must write only on the question you received.
After the date listed in the Course Schedule, you can click on the
History Changes Essay. You can see not only the list of all possible questions but
also aids to help you. You see a table comparing the content to help you see
changes over time (also provided as a handout) and you know the specific parts
of the textbook for each column in the table.
The History Changes Essay is meant to
introduce you to several things:
§ Content
that is part of Unit 1 and essential to understanding the remaining Units in
the course and our history as a whole
§ Content
as a way to examine how and why events change over time—something key to being
accurate in writing about history and to noticing how human beings’ actions or
lack of action can alter their futures.
§ How
grading works in this course and what
is frequently expected in courses and jobs that require evidence
§ How
you work with evidence, with reading,
and with writing
Because some students have an “aha moment” when they do this essay and follow
the feedback instructions, this is the assignment where you can receive up to
10 extra points (100% extra credit) for following the instructions with the
feedback I provide on your History Changes Essay. This means full credit for
this assignment no matter what your initial grade.
Caution: You must do the History Changes Essay to see the essay part of the
three Unit exams.
Essay Part of the Exams That End Unit 1, 2, and 3,
with 2 essays, each at 25 Points: You can take an exam
only one time. You know the questions
ahead. Each question should be brief—for each one, you write about the amount
you would write by hand on a ½ sheet of Xerox paper. The questions work in this
way:
§ At the beginning of a Unit,
you see at the top of the Unit a link to all possible essay questions, with the
possible questions grouped for the first essay question and for the second one.
§ On the day of your Unit
exam, Blackboard displays 2 of the possible questions in the group for the
first essay and 2 for the second essay. You write one essay for each group.
Alternative Assignment for Unit 3’s Essays (1-page
typed essay at 50 points): You
may choose to write a more challenging writing assignment, a comparison,
instead of writing the essays for Unit 3. It is requires citation and is graded
on formal language and organization. If you want more information
on this alternative, contact me.
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Copyright C. J. Bibus,
Ed.D. 2003-2013 |
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2013 |
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