Intellectual Diaries

Good writing is often about letting go of fear and affectation. Affectation itself, beginning with the need to define some sorts of writing as “good” and other sorts as “bad,” is a fearful behavior.

- Stephen King

Intellectual Diary1.Learning to write well requires that you write often. You cannot develop good writing skills by simply listening to a teacher or reading a textbook.

2.The purpose of the Intellectual Diary is to help you improve your writing skills. Approach each assignment as an opportunity to become a better writer.

3.Writing is a good way to discover and clarify your thoughts. Use writing assignments as a tool of self-discovery.

4.Learn to write as naturally as you speak. Rather than trying to choose your words before you write, let words and ideas come to you during the writing assignment.

a. Keep your pen moving during a writing assignment. Each writing assignment is timed. You should not stop writing until you are told to stop by the teacher. Turn off the critic in your head. Don’t let anxiety or perfectionism get in the way of putting ideas on paper.

b. Avoid correcting mistakes while you write. If necessary, you can proofread and revise after you have put your thoughts on paper.

c. If your mind goes blank, write “I don’t know what I think,” or “My mind is blank.” An idea will eventually come to you as long as you keep your pen moving and stay focused on the topic of the writing assignment

Inside Front Cover of ID

The secret to writing well is practice – actual writing experience. In general, the more you write, the better a writer you will become.

- Scott Edelstein

Tips For Writing

1st Page of ID

To Succeed in a History Class

Write well Extension of your thoughts

Think Historically & Analytically

Know a Vast Amount of Historical Information

Analytical Thinking (Not Critical) Make an assertion

Be confident

Defend it with specific, accurate, and relevant information Use your sources and be precise Leave out what is not needed Must have a basis from what you

have studied

Understand counterarguments The truth often lies in the middle

So, what do we do in History…? History requires

patience Piece the information together

Social studies is about analysis NOT ABOUT OPINION Conclusion based on evidence

provided to you

Essential skill is writing well Write often Developed by doing

Thimble Analogy

My job is to increase your capacity to hold more content by teaching you skills to do soWriting Skills

Quickwrites and DBQs

Analytical Skills OPTIC, SOAPS, Quickwrites, Reading Like a

Historian, Questions/Inferences, APPARTS, G-PERSIA, Yes/But, 3-Level Questions

Thinking Skills Thinking maps plus all of the above

Primary Sources

As your skills grow…

SKILLS

SKILLS

SKILLS

SKILLS

SKILLS

SKILLS

…your capacity to hold content grows

Once you reach AP classes at KHS, you will be a bucket overflowing with the skills necessary to succeed on AP Tests, in college and in your future career.

An Overflowing Bucket

CONTENTCONTENT

My job is not to pour!