1. Definition of Terms

2. Test Review Hints

3. Writing Paragraphs

4. Posting Discussion Web Comments

5. Writing Link Reports

Definition of terms.

Both your homework and your tests often call on you to write a definition of various "terms". These are usually events, people, places, ideas, trends, laws, court cases, or periods that have special significance to history.

You must answer each "term" with at least two pieces of information--what is it; and why is it important.

Another approach is to provide answers according to the 5 W rule--who, what, why, when, and where. Who, what, and why are the most important.

As in most things historical, quantity is not nearly as important as quality. Practice writing a brief, concise definition that  directly identifies the most crucial importance of the term.

Some student samples and comments follow:

Bartolomeu Dias
"Portuguese explorer who rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1488."
This is only a fair definition. Note that who and what items are well done.

Why is he important? What happened as a result of this trip?

Suggestion:

"Portuguese explorer who stimulated desire to trade with India by rounding the Cape of Good Hope in 1488."

The italics note what Dias did and why it was important.

James I
"King of England in the early 1600's who granted approval to a private venture that brought the first white settlers to the Chesapeake. Namesake of Jamestown."

This definition is good--King of England....granted--tell me facts.
First white settlers...&...Namesake identifies his importance.

Anne Hutchinson
"A great leader in the cause of religious toleration in America and the advancement of women in society. Banished as a religious dissenter. Challenged the traditional subordinate role of women in Puritan society by expressing her religious ideas. Believed outward works were no indication of one's inward state of salvation."

As a term for your homework this is OK, in fact it is well done. However, you should be sure to stick to the facts, especially on tests. Many professional historians would not see her as a "leader" for toleration since toleration was a novel concept at the time. For a test you might want to eliminate the first sentence--or better yet label it as your opinion!

Iroquois
"large northeast indian tribe or nation"

You can use fragmented sentences--especially if you are in a hurry in an exam. But this term definition just barely has "what" covered and says nothing about the importance of the Iroquois. Check out page 99-100 in your text and you'll get some hints. I would be looking for notes that such large tribes as the Iroquois were able to resist whites for some time, or that they provided stiff resistance since they formed a confederacy. This definition would get only partial credit on a test or on homework. Furthermore it would be of no help in homework when you looked back over it to study for the test.

joint stock company
"invested money in pirating against the spanish (sic)"

This one is incorrect.

Test Review Hints.

When you get a list of review items these are hints about the factual areas that will be covered by the exam. Complete all your reading ahead of time then concentrate on this list. Re-read the text and re-study your notes regarding each item. Do not just look up the word or phrase in the index.
Read about each "hint" within its historical context—ask if you understand the general temper of that period? Ask what is really important about the hint—is it a major cause? a major outcome? a new type of law? a significant first?
Once you take the test be prepared for multiple choice questions. When you answer multiple choice questions remember—

most questions boil down to a choice between two—concentrate on those

your first "hunch" is usually good—don’t change a lot of answers unless you feel confident

if you are unsure, note that question, finish the exam and come back to those you need to reconsider

budget your time, it is usually better to finish the entire test, than to beat up on yourself for just a few questions.

be cautious when you get an "except" question. Read the question carefully. Re-state it if necessary.

follow directions about using pencils, erasing, etc. –not doing so could lower your grade.

Writing paragraphs for exams.

Many questions in history exams ask you for basic factual information describing an event, period or particular issue. Such questions are really asking you to show your basic factual command of the period. They are asking you to tell a factual story using historical examples. Let’s assume we are addressing the following question—

 

Describe what it must have been like to live and work in the Lowell, Massachusetts textile mills around the 1830s.
Typical question asking you to describe
 

Assuming you have read the information about the mills from the text, you should vividly remember much of it. The text has an entire section about the mills, a map of the town, and some graphical information as well.
You must quickly determine several things—how much to write, what to write, and how to organize what you write. The directions call for a paragraph—not an essay—so stick to that. Be sure you know what a descriptive paragraph is.   Paragraphs describing something usually have an opening sentence with a general description, followed by 3-4 sentences which give vivid, interesting, or more detailed examples. At the end of the paragraph there is usually a concluding sentence. This sentence summarizes (not repeats) or offers personal opinion. Immediately jot down a word-outline. It might look like this---

mills,
girls
spinning cloth,
1st fact.

long hours, by the "bells" (another example)

lived in dorms

recruited

low wages

You can now begin to write.
 

Sample Web Discussion Comment.

The following is a lengthy but excellent comment by a student--show your knowledge and opinion, and you do not have to write this much.

I agree totally with XXXX. I think the Americans knew they couldn't continue with the tyrannies imposed by Britain, however, I also think they were surprised that they actually WON the war for independence. I don't mean that they weren’t trying, just that there was no clear-cut single-minded ideal or leadership. Yes, there was the Continental Congress, but each colony still remained independent of the Congress and only sent representatives. The Congress had no POWER to enforce the requests or demands for each colony to provide troops or anything else they so declared. Look at the number of colonists within each colony that remained loyal to Britain because they didn't 'trust,' nor have faith in the 'hotheads' that were declaring independence. There were many great leaders (i.e., Washington, Franklin, Adams, Jefferson), but at the time, many of the colonists didn’t accept or acknowledge this leadership. The real test or next test (after passing the ‘would they fight’ test) was could they, as XXXX says, ‘remain "independent" amongst themselves’; could they agree on what was independence and how they would implement it in America? Yes, we know now, but then, there was still a lot of internal revolution to address and overcome before a truly united country would emerge (and technically that takes us into the 19th or even 20th century!). Especially when you start interpreting the issue of "life liberty and the pursuit of happiness, for all men" as pointed out in the "Declaration of Independence." Obviously at the time, women, Indians, African Americans and slaves were not considered ‘men’ or even ‘man’ in the sense of human with rights, merely chattel or savages. Sooner or later (and as we all know MUCH later) these issues would surface and if you look at it that way, I guess the internal revolution is still very much alive!

Sample Link Report entry.

Source: Yahoo search
Keyword = Kings Mountain South Carolina

Common Name: The Battle at Kings Mountain

Page Title: Material related mostly to The Battle at Kings Mountain

URL: www.shelby.net/jr/kmnmp/km.htm

Author/Sponsor: Comments, additions, and/or corrections may be addressed to John Robertson Revised 3/26/99 7:10AM

Summary: This site is basically a list of links to sites that detail information about the Battle of Cowpens and the Battle of Kings Mountain. I first found this site when I was searching for additional information regarding Kings Mountain since it was on the terms list and there was very little in our text book. The site has a list of National Park Service links related to the Revolutionary War, battle re-enactment information, battle commanders (with history and biographies), absentee Generals, public television specials and books and a host of links to other Revolutionary War information.

The above example is above average to good. However, the summary is too narrow and general to be helpful. A sentence or two should be added to "describe" the content covered in this site. Then add at least one comment judging this site from your knowledge gained in the course so far--i.e., does this site provide more or less information than the text; is this information contradictory?

Send me any suggestions!