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

 

Need to rebuild this with the content from the Ayers book on Peace Policy and Dawes Act—the set where I had a class break all of the Good Habits for Evidence. Have to do

1.     Reading one link I have to with old content and an old powerpoint video with that content.

 

2.     The reading content then used to fill the 5 W’s in two columns –this one

 

Trait

Peace Policy

Dawes Severalty

Who?

 

 

What?

 

 

When?

 

 

Where?

 

 

Why?

 

 

How?

 

 

Something unique not covered

 

 

 

3.     From that single chart I can take some existing papers that were OK at B or C plus 1 A level paper build2  different A level papers

 

 

Tips for Doing Any Question (Something brief—equivalent to 1/2 page handwritten—to explain)

Reminder of the goal for 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 Question?

  1. Read with care and for accuracy.

Click the method for reading FOR evidence. If you prefer a face-to-face meeting or a phone conference, let me know. Notes to students: The videos are not public videos at YouTube. They are all things that students repeatedly asked for how to do. This one is on my list for redoing. I will also provide examples of the method applied to content in US History II. If you do not see it soon, a reminder is appreciated.

 

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.

 

  1. Think through 3 to 5 things that your smart cousin would need to know to understand.

    Tips:
    - Always make sure you understand the question. For example, if the question 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. That is one of the reasons that why I give the questions at the beginning of the Unit.
    - Sometimes it helps to jot down more than 5 things and then scratch out the ones that seem less important.

- If you are having trouble thinking of what you need to teach about anything, the old fourth-grade tip of using the Reporter’s Ws can help. 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?

  1. Write the things down that you need to teach, but limit yourself to a word or two for each thing.
    Example: Limit yourself to the number of words that would on a little kid’s palm if the kid had to give a speech using those words as reminders. The kid (my daughter) knew the content, but was scared that she would forget one of the four things or get them out of order.

    Tip: If you need to compare two things to figure them out, combining the brain trick of the Reporter’s Ws with a table can help. To see an example for
    History 1301 and 1302, click on the prior links or scroll to the bottom of this webpage.

 

  1. As you work, add the page numbers where you can find the content for the 3 to 5 things.
    Write nothing else down. No notes.

  2. You may subtract or add to the 3 to 5 things, but let your maximum be 5 worthwhile things you cousin must know and limit the words for those things to what would fit on a little kid’s palm.

  3. Practice aloud. Pretend to teach your cousin.

  4. When you cannot speak without stammering around, that means you do not understand.
    What do you do? Go read that section again.

  5. Do this until it you can explain it aloud in a common sense way—it often takes five practices. By using the list and practicing aloud, you will catch your own errors.
    Cautions:

§  Do not write your speech. Students who write the speech ahead believe their own errors.

§  Close your book before 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 have both these errors:
- Plagiarize or do a “half-copy” version of plagiarism (to use the term in The Bedford Handbook)
- Be factually inaccurate

 

  1. Put your lists in safe place.

  2. Just before the exam, practice again. If necessary, reread the things you cannot say.

 

 

Example of Using the Reporter’s Ws with a Table to Understand More Than One Things

Example for History 1301

All of the rules above about writing only a few words apply to this table. This example shows what you would do if you were asked to examine Calvin’s influence on a colony in New England. You would not type this but just make a sketch on a piece of notebook paper using a pencil with a good eraser (because you are going to erase things a lot).

 

You write a word or two answers for each W in the column for John Calvin. In deciding on a colony in New England, you might try Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay first because they have the most coverage in the textbook on the New England colonies. Using that last row, you also write down a word or two for anything that is unique about the column but is not covered by the Ws.

When you write a word or two answers for Plymouth, you find Plymouth does not show in our textbook much that matches Calvin. You try Massachusetts and you will find much in common.

 

Trait

John Calvin

Plymouth

Massachusetts Bay

Who?

 

 

 

What?

 

 

 

When?

 

 

 

Where?

 

 

 

Why?

 

 

 

How?

 

 

 

Something unique not covered

 

 

 

 

Example for History 1302

All of the rules above about writing only a few words apply to this table. This example shows what you would do if you were asked to examine Grant’s Peace Policy and the Dawes Severalty Act to notice what happens to Native Americans. You would not type this but just make a sketch on a piece of notebook paper using a pencil with a good eraser (because you are going to erase things a lot).

 

You write a word or two answers for each W in the Peace Policy column and then in the Dawes Severalty Act. Using that last row, you also write down a word or two for anything that is unique about the column but is not covered by the Ws.

 

You can tell what is alike and different this way and therefore what you need to teach your smart cousin.

 

Trait

Peace Policy

Dawes Severalty

Who?

 

 

What?

 

 

When?

 

 

Where?

 

 

Why?

 

 

How?

 

 

Something unique not covered

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright C. J. Bibus, Ed.D. 2003-2014

 

 

WCJC Department:

History – Dr. Bibus

Contact Information:

281.239.1577 or bibusc@wcjc.edu  

Last Updated:

2014

WCJC Home:

http://www.wcjc.edu/