First Unit Goals

 Take out a piece of paper

 Label it “Unit 1 Goals”
 Write 3 goals for yourself
 At least 1 has to be academic
 These are YOUR goals, not your parents’
 Write a short paragraph explaining how
you can accomplish them
Argumentation

Taught through a legal example

What are the steps?

 Quick Brainstorm: What steps do people

have to go through in a legal matter from
filing of the police report to the closing
arguments of the trial?

 Example: Police must collect evidence from

the crime scene.
The Steps

 Identify the problem

 Collect evidence; research
 Analyze the evidence to reach a conclusion
(thesis)
 Organize the evidence and analysis in a way
that convinces others of your thesis
 Present your argument
Identify the problem

 Mr. A reported that his 2007, yellow H3 was

stolen out of the parking lot at Venice Beach,
CA
 The car was new and did not have plates yet
Collect Evidence; Research

 Belinda, a resident of Venice Beach who had

no car before, was seen driving a yellow H3
with no plates the afternoon of the theft
 Carl, a self-identified environmental activist
who has launched a campaign against gas-
guzzling SUVs, was seen at Venice within
hours of the theft
Collect Evidence; Research

 Darlene, Mr. A’s ex who feels she was short-

changed in their bitter divorce, was heard
threatening to “take what was hers” after she
heard Mr. A bought an expensive new H3.
 Evan, Mr. A and Darlene’s son, made a large
deposit into his checking account the day
after the theft on a check from a woman
named Belinda
Collect Evidence; Research
 Belinda pulled over in a yellow H3 with matching
VIN to Mr. A’s sales receipt
 Fingerprints found inside the car: Mr. A, Belinda,
Evan; Fingerprints found on handle and windshield:
Mr. A, Belinda, Carl, Darlene, Evan
 Mr. A had the car washed the morning before he
went to the beach
 Mr. A’s beach bag, containing his street clothes, was
found in the back of the car with nothing missing
Who stole the car?

1-2 people focus on the case

1 person focus on HOW your group
answers the question (what steps they
go through)
Who Stole the Car?
 Evan stole the car at Darlene’s request and sold it to Belinda
 We know this because…
Evidence
Belinda pulled over in a yellow
H3 with matching VIN to Mr. A’s
sales receipt
Fingerprints found inside the
car: Mr. A, Belinda, and Evan
Evan made a large deposit into
his checking account the day
after the theft on a check from a
woman named Belinda
Darlene was heard threatening
to “take what was hers” after
she heard Mr. A bought an
expensive new H3.
Analysis
This shows that the car Belinda was
 driving was indeed Mr. A’s
This proves that Evan was inside
 the car, and since Belinda’s prints
are already accounted for, he must
have taken it
This implies that Evan must have
 sold the car to Belinda
This demonstrates Darlene’s motive
 for putting her son up to stealing the
car
The steps you took to answer
this question are the same you
should use to write an
academic essay.
So what were those steps again?
Steps Your Group Took in Solving the
Case
 Given a problem
 Given evidence
 Analyzed the evidence to see what
conclusions you could draw & throw out
useless information
 Organized it into a …
 Thesis: Who stole the car
 Evidence: Facts from the case
 Analysis: Description of how the facts show your
conclusion is correct
Steps You Will Take to Write a Historical
Essay
 Find the problem (Usually given a problem)
 Find evidence
 This means research the problem and the time period to
find facts that help you with the problem
 Analyze the evidence to see what conclusions you
can draw and throw out useless information
 Organize it into an essay
 Thesis: Your answer to the problem
 Evidence: Facts from the time period
 Analysis: Description of how the facts show your
conclusion is correct
 Proofread
Historical Example: Motivations for
Colonization
 Find the problem (Usually given a problem)
 Why did the English colonize the New World?

 Find evidence
 Plymouth: Religious freedom

 Jamestown: Gold (and then profit from tobacco)

 Pennsylvania: Religious freedom

 Carolinas: Profit from tobacco

 Analyze the evidence to see what conclusions you can draw and
throw out useless information
 Organize it into an essay
 Thesis: The English colonists came to America

predominantly to pursue commercial success and secure

religious freedom.
 Evidence: Facts from the time period (see above)

 Analysis: Description of how the facts show your conclusion

is correct
But this is all review. What
next steps should your writing
take to make it stronger?
Revising and Tightening Your Argument

 Stronger arguments will show why OTHER

conclusions are not correct
 The car theft example: Carl did not steal the car
because, even though he had a motive, his prints
were not found inside the car
 Historical example: English colonists did NOT
colonize the New World for the purposes of artistic
advancement because any works of art they
created were in the English style of painting. They
did not create a new school of art upon
colonization.
How to Write a Historical Essay / Make
an Academic Argument in Another Form
 Find the problem (Usually given a  Presentation Formats
problem)  Writing
 Find evidence  Debate
 This means research the problem and the  Presentation
time period to find facts that help you with  Speech
the problem  Lecture
 Analyze the evidence to see what  Music
conclusions you can draw and throw out  Artistic presentation
useless information
 Organize it into a presentation
 Thesis: Your answer to the problem
 Evidence: Facts from the time period
 Analysis: Description of how the facts show
your conclusion is correct
 Revise and Tighten Argument
 Throw out any unnecessary words and
sentences
 Argue why the other side is NOT right
 Double check your logic
 Proofread
 Spelling and Grammar
 Formatting