What Is the History Department Required to Do?  1

What Is a Comparison and Its Alternative Writing?  1

Why Is the Good Habits for Evidence Grade a Separate Grade?  2

How Can the Separate Grade of Good Habits for Evidence Help You Earn a Good Grade Whether You Do a Comparison or the Alternative Writing?  2

How Many Points Could You Make for 2 Accurate Summaries As Long as You Follow All 5 Good Habits for Evidence?  3

B for 2 Accurate Summaries for the Introductory Comparison - If You Follow All 5 Good Habits for Evidence  3

B for 2 Accurate Peer Reviews If You Follow All 5 Good Habits for Evidence  3

B for 2 Accurate Summaries for the Major Comparison - If You Follow All 5 Good Habits for Evidence  3

 

Note to Students: I will be adding examples of how the separate Good Habits for Evidence also improves the grade for writing assignments when you are doing the Unit written exam.

Student surveys at the end of Spring 2015 showed that students thought Unit writing would help them succeed so that is now part of the course.

 

 

What Is the History Department Required to Do?

These statements are from the syllabus, but with definitions added.

1.    Create an argument through the use of historical evidence.
Merriam Webster Online on the words:

·         argument: “a coherent series of statements leading from a premise to a conclusion” – In this course, the argument must be based on evidence from the listed reliable sources.

·         evidence: “something which shows that something else exists or is true”

2.    Analyze and interpret primary and secondary sources.

Term

Explanation

sources, primary

Using information gathered directly from those performing the actions or making the statements.

 

Examples of primary sources include census data, diaries, film, and interviews.

sources, secondary

Using information, analysis, and interpretation based on primary sources.


Examples of secondary sources include historians’ analysis and history textbooks. (Because textbooks rely on secondary sources, sometimes textbooks are called tertiary sources. If you want to know more about tertiary sources, see
http://www.lib.umd.edu/tl/guides/primary-sources )

 

3.    Analyze the effects of historical, social, political, economic, cultural, and global forces on this period of United States history.

 

The History Department requires a minimum of 25% of your grade from your writing assignments. This course has 27% writing, with some informal writing in the total. Caution:  To repeat the syllabus, given those percentages, doing written work is essential to pass. Please ask if you do not know why.

 

In this course, your assignments are meant to meet those objectives, and

·         To use historical evidence in small assignments that also reveal how history changes

·         To make it possible for students to earn a good grade even though they may not have experience with

·         United States history

·         Reading and writing with evidence about real things (History is frequently the first time many students have to write about real things with evidence.)

What Is a Comparison and Its Alternative Writing?

Sometimes it is clearest to start with what a comparison is not. A comparison in this class is:

·         Not a paraphrase of each sentence on a page of the required readings and not even a summary of whatever is on that page

·         Not a formal English paper with specific requirements for number of quotations and your personal interpretation of those quotations

·         Not a comparison of the sets of pages of the required readings

 

Instead, you answer a very specific question by examining a period of time, usually the beginning and end of a period of that time and usually for a specific group. One of the hardest things for students to understand about history is that what was true at the beginning of a time period can be amazingly different at the end of it—sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. History changes! If it didn’t, humans could never have a consequence on the present and future.

 

What makes history change is something worth noticing to learn history and also if you want:

·         To survive your present

·         To maintain what is good in your present

 

You must answer the specific question (such as a specific group) but you may examine how history changes in either of two ways:

·         For a C (but see below how that can average as a B), as two factually accurate summaries of the essential facts about the:

o    Earlier period (usually as in one paragraph)

o    Later period (usually as in a second paragraph)

·         For a B or an A, as a factually accurate comparison (an analysis)where you identify two or three issues (with each issue usually in one paragraph) that are significant in both the earlier and later periods

Tip: If you are inexperienced in analysis, on your first writing assignment try to do two accurate summaries. If you follow all 5 Good Habits for Evidence, your grade can become a B as shown below.

 

With both the two summaries and with the comparison:

·         The writing is small (under 1 page) and—for some assignments—a half page for a second part of the work.

·         You are focusing on what you would teach other students to help them understand how history changed. If you want to learn something, try to teach it. 

Why Is the Good Habits for Evidence Grade a Separate Grade?

As the syllabus says, the grades for writing assignments are split in two parts:

This course identifies these 5 Good Habits for Evidence. If you click on the link, you can see that these habits of working are in your interest.

 

The History Department approved this grading system as a trial method. The rubric and its grading system have two purposes:

First, to help students accomplish the objectives that the Department is required to do:

 

Second, to make it possible for all students to earn a decent grade even though some of them may begin their work in the course with little or no experience with:

·         United States history

·         Reading and writing with evidence about real things–such as history and biology and business

 

This course measures your work using the 5 Good Habits for Evidence. The 5 habits are the minimum you must have to succeed with evidence and critical thinking.

How Can the Separate Grade of Good Habits for Evidence Help You Earn a Good Grade Whether You Do a Comparison or the Alternative Writing?

You can make a good grade and not write a comparison (an analysis). The rubric allows you to make good grade writing two factually accurate summaries of the time periods. The key to high points for summaries is being accurate with each of the 5 Good Habits for Evidence when you write so you earn full points for the separate Good Habits for Evidence grade, with those points increasing with each Comparison.

How Many Points Could You Make for 2 Accurate Summaries As Long as You Follow All 5 Good Habits for Evidence?

This shows a copy of the Tip with each comparison. To earn these points, you must also do any specific parts of the assignment, such using primaries or writing the part on personal responsibility.

 

Notice that a person earning a C on the paper can increase those points to a B by following the Good Habits for Evidence.

B for 2 Accurate Summaries for the Introductory Comparison - If You Follow All 5 Good Habits for Evidence

Tip:  If you are concerned about writing a comparison, consider this approach with this 10-point assignment:

·         Write two summaries that are factually accurate. The “C” column of the Good Habits for Evidence rubric shows this qualifies for a C (70%).

·         Be sure you follow all of the 5 Good Habits for Evidence (no marks in the “D” and “F” columns of the rubric). This qualifies for 10 points on this Comparison.

·         If you have no marks in the “D” and “F” columns of the rubric with this 1st Comparison, you qualify for 20 points extra credit.

 

 7 For writing 2 factually accurate summaries – 10 points X .7 (C) = 7 if the lowest C and 7.9 if the highest

10 For following the 5 Good Habits for Evidence

17 – a B out of the 20 possible points (17 divided by 20 = .85 or 85%, a B)

 

Reminder: If you follow the 5 Good Habits for Evidence on this assignment, you still have those 30 points extra credit for the Good Habits for Evidence Responsibility Form.

B for 2 Accurate Peer Reviews If You Follow All 5 Good Habits for Evidence

Tip:  If you are concerned about writing a comparison, consider this approach with this 40-point assignment:

·         Write two peer review forms that are factually accurate and useful to the other student. The more useful to the student, the higher the grade.

·         Be sure you follow all of the 5 Good Habits for Evidence and catch most of the students’ marks in the “D” and “F” columns of the rubric. This qualifies for 20 points on this Comparison.

 

14 For writing 2 factually accurate peer reviews – 20 points X .7 (C) = 14 if the lowest C and more if very useful

20 For following the 5 Good Habits for Evidence

34– a B out of the 20 possible points (34 divided by 40 = .85 or 85%, a B)

 

Reminder: If you follow the 5 Good Habits for Evidence on this assignment, you still have those 30 points extra credit for the Good Habits for Evidence Responsibility Form.

B for 2 Accurate Summaries for the Major Comparison - If You Follow All 5 Good Habits for Evidence

Tip:  If you are concerned about writing a comparison, consider this approach with this 60-point assignment:

·         Write two summaries that are factually accurate. The “C” column of the Good Habits for Evidence rubric shows this qualifies for a C (70%).

·         Be sure you follow all of the 5 Good Habits for Evidence (no marks in the “D” and “F” columns of the rubric). This qualifies for 20 points on this Comparison.

 

14 For writing 2 factually accurate summaries – 60 points X .7 (C) = 42 if the lowest C and 47.9 if the highest

20 For following the 5 Good Habits for Evidence

34– a B out of the 20 possible points (34 divided by 40 = .85 or 85%, a B)

 

Reminders:

·         You had to do the Proposal—10 for the proposal and 10 for the Good Habits for Evidence--to write this comparison, and the feedback on the Proposal should help you succeed at the writing itself. It is probable that the student would the highest C on 2 summaries or would have gained skills enough to begin doing analysis and thus make higher.

·         If you follow the 5 Good Habits for Evidence on this assignment, you still have those 30 points extra credit for the Good Habits for Evidence Responsibility Form.

 

Copyright C. J. Bibus, Ed.D. 2003-2015

 

WCJC Department:

History – Dr. Bibus

Contact Information:

281.239.1577 or bibusc@wcjc.edu

Last Updated:

2015

WCJC Home:

http://www.wcjc.edu/