Overview
You wrote 2 essay for me previously if you remember.
Instructions
Write a 750-1000-word essay that examines at least three major parts of your life experience, your family's experiences, and/or your community's experiences and connects them to major issues, events, or ideas in American history since 1865. This essay is an extension of your first two essays. You can focus on the same topics you wrote about previously, however, you are welcome to write about parts of your life and/or parts of American history that you did not include in the first two essays. Use your textbook and any other quality, reliable sources to base your essay on, but the essay must be 100% your own original writing. Do not quote directly from sources. Instead, paraphrase information in your own words. Your paper should include the following:
Introduction - Give a general overview of the topic. End your introduction with a thesis/main idea statement that clearly and specifically connects your story with American history.
Three Main Paragraphs - Each main paragraph should begin by identifying one specific part of your/your family's/your community's experiences and explaining why they were significant. As you describe those experiences, be sure to include as much information and detail as possible that will help make a strong connection to the historical issue/event/idea from the past. Then identify the specific historical issue/event/idea, explain why it was important during that time period, and provide information and details that help connect it to your/your family's/your community's experiences. Each main paragraph should be divided about 50-50 between your story and the historical issue/event/idea.
Conclusion - Restate the main idea of your paper but do not just simply review your main points. Instead, address these questions: What have you learned about the people of the past by connecting their experiences with your story? What do you think we can learn about ourselves, our country, or the world by seeing the connections between the past and the present in our own lives? What other new understandings or insights have you gained by thinking about those connections?
Rubric
Word Count & Depth- 10 points
Grammar & Mechanics- 10 points
Flow & Structure- 20 points
Content & Ideas- 60 points- Exemplary- Ends the introduction with a thesis statement/main idea that strongly connects your/family's/communities' experiences to specific issues/events/ideas in American history. Fully connects and elaborates three specific parts of your life and three specific parts of American history. Accomplished- Introduction includes a thesis statement/main idea. Connects three parts of your life and three parts of American history. Developing- Attempts a thesis statement/main idea. Partially connects parts of your life and parts of American history. Beginning- No obvious thesis statement/main idea. Does not adequately connect your life and American history.