From a practical point of view, argumentation is at the heart of the free response section of the AP exam. This can be particularly difficult with younger students who are taking their first AP history class. Properly organizing and planning essays can help our students to write more effectively and score higher on the exam

This blog post is a lesson that I do in class the week before the AP exam to remind students how to plan, think, and organize essays regardless of the historical reasoning process being assessed.  

Connection to Course Framework and Standards Addressed:

Historical Thinking Skills: Claims and Evidence in Sources and Argumentation

Reasoning Processes: Comparison, Continuity and Change, Causation,

Learning Objective:

1. Review and have students organize three essays based oAn prompts that reflect each of the reasoning processes assessed on the AP exam.

Class Time: 2 class periods (45–50 minute periods)

Overview: This lesson is focused on reminding students how to organize the LEQ while focusing on reviewing relevant content.

Lesson Plan

OVERVIEW (5 minutes):

• I start by reviewing with the students the three historical reasoning processes (causation, continuity and change over time, and comparison) and having them identify the reasoning process for previous questions since 2019 that have been on the AP European History exam (which can be found on AP Classroom and/or AP Central)
  • We also do a brief overview of how to organize the essays based on the reasoning process (see below).
  • Since 2019 all AP European history essay prompts have started with “Evaluate the most significant (similarity/difference, change, or cause/effect)...

ESSAY ORGANIZATION REVIEW (10 minutes):

1. Introduction

• Contextualization: Contextualize the prompt to other events during the same time period that are relevant to the prompt.
• Thesis —statement of belief that answers the prompt. It can be one sentence or contiguous multiple sentences. Be sure to use the wording of the prompt.

II-IV. Body Paragraph Structure (number of body paragraphs will vary…2 body paragraphs is perfectly acceptable if you’re using multiple pieces of evidence).

• Topic Sentence that directly links to thesis and/or prompt
• Evidence: Relevant facts—at least two specific examples that substantiate your topic sentence in each paragraph. It is good if you can connect and/or compare the pieces of evidence.
• Concluding/Summative Sentence (directly link to thesis and/or prompt)

1. Conclusion

• Restatement of Thesis
• Connect to another theme in history?????

STUDENTS COLLABORATE (45 minutes–15 minutes for each prompt.):

• Students will have this time to work in groups and plan an essay for each of the following prompts. This also helps us to review basic content and I advise you to create prompts from topics that you’ve not already reviewed. You can also use prompts from AP Classroom/AP Central that have been on the released exams since 2019.  
  • For time purposes, students only have to write a quick thesis and plan the Body of the Paper based on that thesis.
• Essay Prompts
  • Comparison: Evaluate the most difference between the Russian Revolution of 1905 and the Russian October Revolution of 1917.
  • Causation: Evaluate the most significant cause of the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century.
  • Continuity and Change over Time: Evaluate the most significant change in women’s experiences during the twentieth century.
• I have each group complete this on a shared google doc that I use as a visual during the Discussion/Reflection

DISCUSSION/REFLECTION (30 minutes-10 minutes for each prompt):

• Whole Class Discussion going over the student responses on their planning
  • We’ll discuss the pros/cons of each approach

POSSIBLE RESPONSES BELOW IN RED

• Note that the number of body paragraphs and the content within vary based on the prompt. Responses do not need to be formulaic and I like these prompts b/c they elicit different essay organization.
• Comparison: Evaluate the most similarity between the Russian Revolution of 1905 and the Russian Revolution of 1917.

Thesis: The most significant similarity between the Russian Revolution of 1905 and the Russian Revolution of 1917 is that both revolutions were triggered by food crises that were a result of war.

BP 1 supports thesis: The effects of the Russo-Japanese War on the homefront compared with the effects of World War I on the homefront and how they triggered revolution

BP 2 supports thesis: Compare other similar causes to both revolutions (for example, Nicholas II was a weak leader, the peasants wanted/needed land reform, Russia was still an agrarian nation despite some attempts at industry)

BP 3 presents a counter argument: Despite the similarities the revolutions had different outcomes ...the 1905 revolution led to the creation of a Duma with the tsar’s power intact while the 1917 revolution led to the end of the Romanov dynasty and the beginning of Communist rule in Russia.

• Causation: Evaluate the most significant cause of the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century.

Thesis: The most significant cause of the Protestant Reformation were church abuses, most notably the sale of indulgences

BP 1 supports thesis: Discusses the sale of indulgences, simony, nepotism, and clerical immorality as the leading cause of the Reformation

BP 2 presents a counter argument: Discusses other significant causes, possible the economic/political benefits to princes/kings if they left the Catholic Church. Evidence could include the German princes and Henry VIII of England.

From a practical point of view, argumentation is at the heart of the free response section of the AP exam. This can be particularly difficult with younger students who are taking their first AP history class. Properly organizing and planning essays can help our students to write more effectively and score higher on the exam

This blog post is a lesson that I do in class the week before the AP exam to remind students how to plan, think, and organize essays regardless of the historical reasoning process being assessed.  

Connection to Course Framework and Standards Addressed:

Historical Thinking Skills: Claims and Evidence in Sources and Argumentation

Reasoning Processes: Comparison, Continuity and Change, Causation,

Learning Objective:

1. Review and have students organize three essays based oAn prompts that reflect each of the reasoning processes assessed on the AP exam.

Class Time: 2 class periods (45–50 minute periods)

Overview: This lesson is focused on reminding students how to organize the LEQ while focusing on reviewing relevant content.

Lesson Plan

OVERVIEW (5 minutes):

• I start by reviewing with the students the three historical reasoning processes (causation, continuity and change over time, and comparison) and having them identify the reasoning process for previous questions since 2019 that have been on the AP European History exam (which can be found on AP Classroom and/or AP Central)
  • We also do a brief overview of how to organize the essays based on the reasoning process (see below).
  • Since 2019 all AP European history essay prompts have started with “Evaluate the most significant (similarity/difference, change, or cause/effect)...

ESSAY ORGANIZATION REVIEW (10 minutes):

1. Introduction

• Contextualization: Contextualize the prompt to other events during the same time period that are relevant to the prompt.
• Thesis —statement of belief that answers the prompt. It can be one sentence or contiguous multiple sentences. Be sure to use the wording of the prompt.

II-IV. Body Paragraph Structure (number of body paragraphs will vary…2 body paragraphs is perfectly acceptable if you’re using multiple pieces of evidence).

• Topic Sentence that directly links to thesis and/or prompt
• Evidence: Relevant facts—at least two specific examples that substantiate your topic sentence in each paragraph. It is good if you can connect and/or compare the pieces of evidence.
• Concluding/Summative Sentence (directly link to thesis and/or prompt)

1. Conclusion

• Restatement of Thesis
• Connect to another theme in history?????

STUDENTS COLLABORATE (45 minutes–15 minutes for each prompt.):

• Students will have this time to work in groups and plan an essay for each of the following prompts. This also helps us to review basic content and I advise you to create prompts from topics that you’ve not already reviewed. You can also use prompts from AP Classroom/AP Central that have been on the released exams since 2019.  
  • For time purposes, students only have to write a quick thesis and plan the Body of the Paper based on that thesis.
• Essay Prompts
  • Comparison: Evaluate the most difference between the Russian Revolution of 1905 and the Russian October Revolution of 1917.
  • Causation: Evaluate the most significant cause of the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century.
  • Continuity and Change over Time: Evaluate the most significant change in women’s experiences during the twentieth century.
• I have each group complete this on a shared google doc that I use as a visual during the Discussion/Reflection

DISCUSSION/REFLECTION (30 minutes-10 minutes for each prompt):

• Whole Class Discussion going over the student responses on their planning
  • We’ll discuss the pros/cons of each approach

POSSIBLE RESPONSES BELOW IN RED

• Note that the number of body paragraphs and the content within vary based on the prompt. Responses do not need to be formulaic and I like these prompts b/c they elicit different essay organization.
• Comparison: Evaluate the most similarity between the Russian Revolution of 1905 and the Russian Revolution of 1917.

Thesis: The most significant similarity between the Russian Revolution of 1905 and the Russian Revolution of 1917 is that both revolutions were triggered by food crises that were a result of war.

BP 1 supports thesis: The effects of the Russo-Japanese War on the homefront compared with the effects of World War I on the homefront and how they triggered revolution

BP 2 supports thesis: Compare other similar causes to both revolutions (for example, Nicholas II was a weak leader, the peasants wanted/needed land reform, Russia was still an agrarian nation despite some attempts at industry)

BP 3 presents a counter argument: Despite the similarities the revolutions had different outcomes ...the 1905 revolution led to the creation of a Duma with the tsar’s power intact while the 1917 revolution led to the end of the Romanov dynasty and the beginning of Communist rule in Russia.

• Causation: Evaluate the most significant cause of the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century.

Thesis: The most significant cause of the Protestant Reformation were church abuses, most notably the sale of indulgences

BP 1 supports thesis: Discusses the sale of indulgences, simony, nepotism, and clerical immorality as the leading cause of the Reformation

BP 2 presents a counter argument: Discusses other significant causes, possible the economic/political benefits to princes/kings if they left the Catholic Church. Evidence could include the German princes and Henry VIII of England.

• Continuity and Change over Time: Evaluate the most significant change in women’s experiences during the twentieth century.

Thesis: The most significant change in women’s experiences during the twentieth century was in politics as women gained the right to vote at the beginning of the century and held high offices by the end of the century.

BP 1 supports the thesis + discusses both changes and continuities: Discusses the changes in politics starting with voting rights after WWI and the fact that many women served in high offices by the end of the century including Margaret Thatcher in Great Britain.  

• BP 1 also explores continuities discussing that despite the advances mentioned above, MT was the only female head of state during the twentieth century and the vast majority of officeholders were male.

BP 2 presents a counter argument that also discusses changes and continuities: Discusses how women have had more advances in the workplace. Evidence could include women as CEOs, increased average salaries for women, and a higher percentage of women in the workforce.  

• BP2 also explores continuities discussing that despite the advances mentioned above, women on average still make less than men and there are more male CEOs than female CEOs

• Continuity and Change over Time: Evaluate the most significant change in women’s experiences during the twentieth century.

Thesis: The most significant change in women’s experiences during the twentieth century was in politics as women gained the right to vote at the beginning of the century and held high offices by the end of the century.

BP 1 supports the thesis + discusses both changes and continuities: Discusses the changes in politics starting with voting rights after WWI and the fact that many women served in high offices by the end of the century including Margaret Thatcher in Great Britain.  

• BP 1 also explores continuities discussing that despite the advances mentioned above, MT was the only female head of state during the twentieth century and the vast majority of officeholders were male.

BP 2 presents a counter argument that also discusses changes and continuities: Discusses how women have had more advances in the workplace. Evidence could include women as CEOs, increased average salaries for women, and a higher percentage of women in the workforce.  

• BP2 also explores continuities discussing that despite the advances mentioned above, women on average still make less than men and there are more male CEOs than female CEOs