Writing the Grade 10 History Essay

The goal of a history essay is to present an arguable opinion about an issue & convince
the reader that your opinion is valid and worth reading. It would also help if you
convinced your reader that your opinion is correct. Your job is to take one side of an
argument and persuade your audience that you have well-founded knowledge of the topic
being presented. A good history paper suggests to the reader that you are not only well-
informed about the topic, but also that your o-pinion about the topic is right!

Organizing the Essay

1. Introduction  There are three parts to a successful introduction:

a. Immediately engage the reader in your topic & provide some background
information (2 or 3 sentences)
b. Assert your THESIS – choose your words with care!
c. Provide a BLUEPRINT or outline of the arguments to follow in the body
of the essay. You should have 3-5 arguments here.
“This can be demonstrated through an examination of a, b, c, and d.”

<The introduction is your own work. As the author of the essay, it is YOUR
responsibility to introduce the argument so it is best to avoid quotes from
other authors here.>

2. Your Arguments  One paragraph per argument. Each paragraph should look
like this:
a. Assert your argument
b. Provide supporting evidence for your argument.

<One major argument per paragraph. If you have 3 arguments, you will
do this step 3 times. If you have 5 arguments, you will do this step 5
times.>

3. Conclusion  This is one of the MOST IMPORTANT parts of your paper. Your
conclusion is the last thing the reader will remember about your paper, so it
should be STRONG.
a. Restate your argument. This might involve a simple re-wording of your
thesis or a direct re-stating of it.
b. Summarize the main points you have used throughout your paper to back
up your thesis.
REMEMBER:
This is a formal essay. This means you should pay attention to the following
details…
 No first person pronouns (Ex: I think, we, you, etc…)
 No questions (Ex: What kind of person would do such a thing?)
 Maintain consistent verb tense - past tense
 Proofread extensively for spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.
 Print out your final draft. Read it. Then re-read it. Make corrections – it is not
going to be perfect the first time through.
 Give your proofread draft to someone else to read – friend, parent, teacher,
whomever. Listen to their suggestions and then make MORE CORRECTIONS.

It is unlikely anything you write will be perfect the first time. Get used to writing and
re-writing your papers. Your skills as a writer will only improve.

Achievement Criteria Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4

Application:
-a clear thesis statement
-arguments developed and organized 8 9-10 11 12-15
logically limited some moderate throrough
-use of supporting research, evidence, and
examples
/15
-introduction and conclusion follow
arguments presented
Communication:
-effective writing (points are well- 5 6 7 8-10
developed) limited some moderate thorough
-proper references and bibliography /10
-spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence
structure conventions are observed