Introduction to Social Studies Skills

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Introduction toSocial Studies Skills

• Writing an Essay

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Thinking Model
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In History

• A Claim THESIS STATEMENT 1st
• Explain Reasons why Body
• EVIDENCE Citations within

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Primary vs Secondary Sources
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Primary Sources

• Historical documents, written accounts by
  firsthand witnesses, or objects that have
  survived from the past
• Advantages of
• Immediate picture of event
• Reveals info not found elsewhere
• Not an interpretation after the fact

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Primary Sources, cont

• Disadvantages
• Difficult to read
• One point of view w/ no explanation
• May be biased, one-sided, and emotional

• Examples
• Letters
• Government Documents
• Oral accounts
• Diaries
• Maps
• Photographs
• Artwork
• Artifacts
• Coins, Stamps
• Poems
• Court records
• Data
• Experiments

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Secondary Sources

• Accounts of past events created by people some
  time after those events happened.
• They are interpretations or an analysis of a
  historical event.

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Secondary Sources, cont

• Advantages
• Can study people, events from times, places w/o
  having to be there
• Publishers of books and articles usually have
  more education and experience
• Disadvantages
• Difficult to id relevant sources
• Inhibits creativity

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Secondary Sources, cont

• Examples
• Books
• Journal articles
• NP articles
• Encyclopedias
• Biographies
• Dictionary
• Social Studies Textbook

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Citing Sources in MLA Style

• When you take ideas, paraphrases, or quotes from
  a source, you MUST tell IN YOUR PAPER the source
  of this information.
• Common knowledge does not need to be cited.
• PLAGARISM !

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Example of when to use

• According to a U.S. Senate staff member,
  legislation on Capitol Hill is often surrounded
  by a fog of politics (Light, 11).
• Bob is a member of the area Chamber of Commerce
  and owns a small business call Bobs Brick
  (document C).

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Works CitedFound at the end of the essay / paper

• 3 areas of info Author, Title, and Publication
  info
• Separate page at end
• Works Cited is the title, centered
• Double-spaced
• Alphabetical order by last names
• Second line of entries is indented

Last name, first. Title. City Publishing
company, year.
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Sample

• Works Cited
• Light, Paul C. Forging Legislation. New York
  Norton, 1992.
• Smith, Darcy. Politics. Newsweek 14 Aug.
  2007 23-27.

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Assignment

• In the front of the room is a collection of items
  related to Mrs. Verbeten.
• Analyze the items.
• After you have conducted careful analysis, make 2
  claims about Mrs. Verbeten.
• Explain your claims.
• Provide evidence (a citation) to support your
  claims.
• Final product should be TWO paragraphs
• Main idea claim
• Explanation body
• Evidence citations

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Review

• Primary or Secondary?

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1. Map
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2. Textbook
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3. Encyclopedia
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5. Family Scrapbook
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6. Dont Bet Against Meby Deanna Favre
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7. Richard M. Nixonby Ralph Bennet
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8. Interview
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9. Websters Dictionary
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10. Photo album
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Thesis Statements
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Definition

• One or two sentence condensation of the argument
  or analysis of the argument you are going to make
  in the paper.

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Why do we use them?

• test your ideas
• better organize and develop your argument
• provide your reader with a guide

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How do you come up with one?

• Brainstorm
• Narrow
• Take a position
• Use specific language
• Make an assertion

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A Good Statement Usually Does the Following

• Takes on a subject that others could disagree
• Deals with a topic that can be addressed in the
  assignment
• Expresses one main idea
• States your conclusions about a subject
• NEVER uses I, me, or you

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Strong or Weak?

• There are negative and positive aspects to the
  banana herb supplement.

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Strong or Weak?

• While most American families would view divorce
  and re-marriage as a threat to the traditional
  family, many families, like my own, believe these
  marriages help reinforce kinship ties in an
  extended family.

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Strong or Weak?

• Companies need to exploit the marketing
  potential of the internet, and web pages can
  provide advertising and customer support.

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Strong or Weak?

• Hunger persists in Appalachia because jobs are
  scarce and farming in the fertile soil is rarely
  profitable.