Putting Together the First Exam

1
Putting Together the First Exam

• How to Select Themes and Topics in order to
  construct a successful exam

2
Criteria for Theme Selection

• Focus on Key Themes Covered for Time Period
  1877-1900
• Chapter Subjects
• Ch. 16 Industrialization and Urbanization
• Ch. 17 Integration of the Wes
• Ch. 18 Politics in the Late 19th Century
• What themes to choose?
• Private Enterprise, Cultural Change, Regional
  Differentiation, Role of Government,
  Multiculturalism, Empire, Cultural Outsiders,
  Ecological Change

3
Criteria for Theme Selection

• Focus on Key Themes Covered for Time Period
  1877-1900
• Chapter Subjects-Theme Combinations
• Industrialization (Private Enterprise,
  Multiculturalism) and Urbanization (Regional
  Differentiation, Multiculturalism, cultural
  change, Ecological change)
• Ch. 17 The West (Regional Differentiation,
  Multiculturalism, Private Enterprise, Role of
  Government, Ecological change)
• Ch. 18 Politics in the Late 19th Century (Role
  of Government, Multiculturalism, Cultural Change,
  Regional Differentiation, Empire, Outsiders,
  Ecological Change)
• What Story do you want to tell?

4
Criteria for Topic Selection

• Topics should be comprehensive, meaning they
  should cover the period under study
• Topics should be drawn from more than one chapter
• Topics should reflect a broad understanding of
  the theme

5
Topics and Themes

• If Multiculturalism What story are you telling?
• Topic 1 Reconstruction Political and
  Constitutional
• Topic 2 Reconstruction Social and Economic
• Topic 3 Ethnic Ancestry of the First
  Industrial Elite
• Topic 4 Immigrants, minorities and the new
  work hierarchy
• Topic 5 Native Americans and the Loss of
  Sovereignty
• Topic 6 The Native-American Boarding School
  Experience
• Topic 7 Internal Colonialism Thesis The Case
  of the Mexican Americans
• Topic 8 The Arrival of Immigrants in the US,
  and the Movement of Immigrants to the Cities
• Topic 9 Scientific Racism
• Topic 10 Segregation as Public Policy
• Topic 11 Patterns of Racial Disenfranchisement
• Topic 12 Patriarchy and Gender Roles in Late
  19th century America
• Topic 13 Immigrants and the Labor Movement
• Topic 14 The Treatment and Status of Peoples
  Colonized by the US

6
Topics and Themes

• If Multiculturalism What story are you telling?
• Topic 1 Reconstruction Political and
  Constitutional
• Topic 2 Reconstruction Social and Economic
• Topic 3 Ethnic Ancestry of the First
  Industrial Elite
• Topic 4 Immigrants, minorities and the new
  work hierarchy
• Topic 5 Native Americans and the Loss of
  Sovereignty
• Topic 6 The Native-American Boarding School
  Experience
• Topic 7 Internal Colonialism Thesis The Case
  of the Mexican Americans
• Topic 8 The Arrival of Immigrants in the US,
  and the Movement of Immigrants to the Cities
• Topic 9 Scientific Racism
• Topic 10 Segregation as Public Policy
• Topic 11 Patterns of Racial Disenfranchisement
• Topic 12 Patriarchy and Gender Roles in Late
  19th century America
• Topic 13 Immigrants and the Labor Movement
• Topic 14 The Treatment and Status of Peoples
  Colonized by the US

7
Topics and Themes

• What is your second theme? What topics?
• What story are you telling by
• Adding a second theme and three topics?
• combining the second set of themes and topics
  with the first set?

8
Structure of the Essay

• Seven Paragraphs
• Introduction
• Integration of Themes
• Identification of Topics
• Six Topic Paragraphs
• Topic sentence
• Topic development

9
Criteria for Grading the Exam

• Comprehensive
• Accurate
• Clarity
• Insightful
• Imaginative

10
Conclusion

• Questions?
• Good Luck!