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Writing Workshop Reporting Historical Research Feature Menu Assignment Prewriting Choose and Narrow a Topic Ask Research Questions Find Answers to Research Questions Record and Organize Information Analyze Your Information Write a Thesis Statement Develop an Outline Documenting Sources Practice and Apply Reporting Historical Research Assignment: Write a 1,500-word report investigating a historical event that intrigues you. What interesting historical fact or event can you remember about the place where you live? Is this a true fact or event? How can you find out? Verifying historical facts and events is the job of a historical researcher. Being a historical researcher is a bit like being a detective—except that no one goes to jail. [End of Section] Reporting Historical Research Prewriting: Choose and Narrow a Topic What do I need to consider when choosing a historical event to research? • What historical event do I find interesting? the American Civil War • Can I find a variety of sources? Yes. It is an important historical event that has been widely documented from varying points of view. • Can I cover the Civil War in 1,500 words? No Reporting Historical Research Prewriting: Choose and Narrow a Topic How can I narrow down my topic? Do some preliminary research on the Civil War. • events Gettysburg fall of Atlanta Gettysburg too broad; Atlanta’s fall too narrow • armaments Minié ball machine gun • people Grant Sherman Lee both topics too narrow Grant and Lee too broad; Sherman’s March to the Sea, a good topic [End of Section] Reporting Historical Research Prewriting: Ask Research Questions State your research questions clearly in order to focus your search for sources. • Who was William Tecumseh Sherman, and what occurred on his March to the Sea? Sherman was a Union general. His troops destroyed Southern railways, industries, crops, and livestock. • When and where did this event take place? From November to December of 1864, troops marched from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia. Reporting Historical Research Prewriting: Ask Research Questions • Why did General Sherman use such a destructive strategy? Sherman believed that in order to win the war, the Union had to strike at the South’s economic resources. • How did Sherman change the Union army’s tactics during the Civil War? Sherman called for total war—the destruction of the South’s army and the South’s economy. Reporting Historical Research Prewriting: Ask Research Questions • How was Sherman’s March portrayed at the time it occurred? From the Union perspective, it was a strategy that would help bring the war to an end. The people in the South felt as if they were “going to be wiped off the earth.” • How is Sherman’s March portrayed now? a strategy that left deep and bitter scars on the nation’s psyche [End of Section] Reporting Historical Research Prewriting: Find Answers to Research Questions Choose a balance of primary sources and secondary sources. • Primary source—firsthand, original information letters autobiographies speeches works of literature and art historical documents interviews created by someone who participated in or witnessed the event Reporting Historical Research Prewriting: Find Answers to Research Questions Choose a balance of primary sources and secondary sources. • Secondary source—information derived from or about primary sources reference books documentaries history books biographies interviews with historians Sherman’s March: A Documentary Reporting Historical Research Prewriting: Find Answers to Research Questions Identify each source as either primary or secondary. a lecture about Sherman’s March given by a professor _________ a play based on the journal of one of Sherman’s soldiers _________ the diaries of a woman living in Atlanta during Sherman’s March _________ a portrait of Sherman _________ Reporting Historical Research Prewriting: Find Answers to Research Questions Don’t assume that all sources are reliable. • Reliable sources are usually published by major universities and well-known publishing companies. Watch for bias, faulty or selective memory, and emotional argument in primary and secondary sources. • Internet sources are usually reliable if they are produced by an educational, government, or professional institution. Reporting Historical Research Prewriting: Find Answers to Research Questions Make sure your sources cover all relevant perspectives. General Sherman Northerners Southerners Sherman’s March Sherman’s troops Southern slaves Covering many perspectives helps prevent bias in your research essay. Reporting Historical Research Prewriting: Find Answers to Research Questions Here are some sources that could be used to answer research questions about Sherman’s March to the Sea: Primary sources: General Sherman’s memoirs, drawings and photographs of the destroyed cities, firsthand accounts in journals and letters Secondary sources: books by historians on Sherman’s March, documentaries about the destruction of the South, interview with Civil War historian at local college See your textbook for a chart showing all information sources available to you. [End of Section] Reporting Historical Research Prewriting: Record and Organize Information Write complete and accurate information about all the sources you consult. • Use a separate notecard or computer file for each source. • Describe the information. • Estimate the value of the source. • Record publishing information exactly as you want it in your Works Cited list. (See your textbook for specific examples.) [End of Section] Reporting Historical Research Prewriting: Analyze Your Information Use the 4R test to analyze and evaluate your sources of information. • Is the source relevant? • Is the source reliable? • Is the source recent or up-to-date? • Is the source representative of a valid point of view? [End of Section] Reporting Historical Research Prewriting: Write a Thesis Statement So, what’s your point? Write a thesis statement in which you state your topic and your general conclusion about it. Northerners, General Sherman, Southerners, and slaves had powerful reasons for their different perspectives on Sherman’s March, and the historical record supports them all. [End of Section] Reporting Historical Research Prewriting: Develop an Outline An outline will ensure that your ideas flow in a logical progression and have adequate support. I. Introduction A. Overview of research B. Thesis statement II. The view from the North A. Military importance 1. Grant’s chief of staff’s view 2. Newspapers’ views a. New York Times b. Atlanta Tribune B. Conduct of troops Basic rules for outlining major divisions of your paper secondary divisions supporting examples specific details Reporting Historical Research Prewriting: Develop an Outline If the draft for your research paper isn’t working, you may need to rework the outline. Ask yourself these questions: • Does each major topic support your thesis statement? • Are the major topics in a logical order? • Are the secondary points in a logical order, and do they support the major points? [End of Section] Reporting Historical Research Prewriting: Documenting Sources Documenting a paper means identifying the sources you use in your paper. Documentation ensures that you do not plagiarize, or take as your own, someone else’s work. Plagiarizing is a form of cheating. how to document sources See the guidelines in your textbook. what to document The following exercise will help you decide what to document. Reporting Historical Research Prewriting: Documenting Sources What items should I document? YES NO “If [Southerners] raise a howl against my barbarity and cruelty, I will answer that war is war, and not popularity-seeking.” Document each direct quotation. YES NO Sherman’s determination matched General Grant’s. Document any original theory or opinion that is not your own, even if not directly quoted. Reporting Historical Research Prewriting: Documenting Sources What items should I document? YES NO YES NO According to a research study, one out of four respondents felt . . . Document data from surveys, research studies, and interviews. During the march, twenty-four of Sherman’s officers were wounded. Document unusual, little-known facts or questionable “facts.” Reporting Historical Research Prewriting: Documenting Sources What items should I document? YES NO William Tecumseh Sherman was a general in the Union army who led a march through Georgia during the Civil War. You do not need to document information that appears in several sources or in standard reference books, such as the fact stated above. When in doubt, document. [End of Section] Reporting Historical Research Prewriting: Practice and Apply Plan your historical research paper. Remember that accurate records of your research will make writing and documenting your report easier. [End of Section] The End