Essential Skills

 

Skill

Synthesis
Description Historical thinking involves the ability to develop understanding of the past by making meaningful and persuasive historical and/or cross-disciplinary connections between a given historical issue and other historical contexts, periods, themes, or disciplines.
Expectations C4—Make connections between a given historical issue and related developments in a different historical context, geographical area, period, or era, including the present.

C5—Make connections between different course themes and/or approaches to history (such as political, economic, social, cultural, or intellectual) for a given historical issue.
Where you prove that you can do this on the exam  The DBQ and Long Essay

How we do this...

Last 3 to 5 sentences of the Long Essay and DBQ

In class we learn this during Socratic Seminar, Lecture, Cornell Notes, and Practice Essays

CORNELL NOTE TAKING SYSTEM : STEPS TO SUCCESS

Set Up the Page

 

WHEN: Beginning of class

Step 1: Set up your page

Ø  Use this card set up your paper like this:

http://www.umfk.edu/images/new/content/trio/cornell_diag.jpg

 

 Note Taking

- Organize  Notes

 

WHEN: During lectures, movies, or while reading

Step 2: Organize Notes on the Right Side of the Cornell Note Line

Ø  Take notes while listen to a lecture, watching a film or reading a textbook

Ø  Listen to and take notes in your own words - paraphrase what is heard; use symbols

Ø  Leave space for future revision by skipping lines between ideas

Ø  Abbreviate words and use different pen colors for separate ideas

 

Note Making

- Review, Revise, Interact

 

WHEN: After class or lesson upon completion of reading, or after movie ends

Step 3: Review, Revise, Interact with Notes

Ø  Use the left column to:

o    Identify main ideas; label with MI:

o    List key vocabulary words; label with V:

o    Write questions you have for your teacher or questions you think might appear on the test; label with Q:

o    Synthesize material by identifying connections to other events, time periods, or concepts; label with S:

o    Explain the significance of material by linking it to AP Themes/Topics (T:), noting if it is a change or continuity (C/C), identifying similar or different to other regions, time periods, theories, or topics (S/D), or explain how it caused or resulted from other topics discussed in class (C/E)

o    Draw pictures to help you understand or remember the concepts

o    Write your reactions, inferences, interests, or opinions of the material in the notes

Note Interacting

- Link Learning

 

WHEN: While studying for quizzes or tests

Step 4: Link Learning to Create a Synthesized Summary

Ø  Review the Essential Question(s), GPS Standard, Material to Master, AP Key Concept or AP Themes for this lesson. These should be the focus of the summary.

Ø  Review notes taken or right, key ideas and questions written on the left side

Ø  Bring together the main ideas to write the summary, be sure it includes answers to the questions on the left side

 

Note Reflecting

- Study Tool

 

WHEN: While preparing for unit tests, finals, essays and AP Exams

Step 5: Use Completed Cornell Notes as a Learning Tool

Ø  Review notes and use as a study tool before major exam or when writing an essay

Ø  Use as a reference tool in Socratic Seminar or class discussion