World History, Grades 9-12

4.1 Writing for Social Studies

WRITING FOR SOCIAL STUDIESrequires you to describe an idea, a situation, or an

event. Often, you will be asked to take a stand on a particular issue or to make a spe-

cific point. To successfully describe an event or make a point, your writing needs to

be clear, concise, and accurate. When you write reports or term papers, you will also

need to create a bibliography of your sources; and you need to evaluate how reliable

those sources are.

Understanding the Skill

STRATEGY: ORGANIZE INFORMATION AND WRITE CLEARLY.The following passage

describes the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte. Notice how the strategies below

helped the writer explain the historical importance of Napoleon’s power.

STRATEGY: USE STANDARD FORMATS WHEN MAKING CITATIONS.Use standard

formats when citing books, magazines, newspapers, electronic media, and other

sources. The following examples will help you to interpret and create bibliographies.

Applying the Skill

WRITE YOUR OWN RESPONSE.Turn to Chapter 23, Section 4, “Napoleon’s Empire

Collapses.” Read the section and use the strategies above to write your answer to

question 6 on page 671.

Find three or four different sources on the Internet or in the library relating to

Napoleon’s fall. Create a short bibliography and use standard formats for each type

of source. Be sure to interpret, or evaluate, how reliable your sources are.

R30 SKILLBUILDERHANDBOOK

Section 4:Creating Presentations

Focus on your topic. Be sure

that you clearly state the main idea

of your piece so that your readers

know what you intend to say.

Collect and organize your

facts. Collect accurate information

about your topic to support the

main idea you are trying to make.

Use your information to build a

logical case to prove your point

To express your ideas clearly,

use standard grammar, spell-

ing, sentence structure, and

punctuation when writing for social studies. Proofread your

work to make sure it is well organized and grammatically correct.

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The Rise and Fall of Napoleon, 1799—1814

The power that Napoleon used to bring order to France after the Revolution ultimately proved to

be his undoing. Under his command, the troops drove out members of the legislature in 1799 and

helped Napoleon seize control of France. As emperor of France, he stabilized the country’s

economy. He even created a code of laws. However, Napoleon wanted to control all of Europe. But

he made mistakes that cost him his empire. He established a blockade in 1806 to prevent trade

between Great Britain and other Europeans nations. But smugglers, aided by the British, managed to

get cargo through. He angered Spain by replacing the country’s king with his own brother. In 1812,

Napoleon also invaded Russia by using many troops who were not French and who felt little loyalty

to him. Eventually, all the main powers of Europe joined forces and defeated Napoleon in the spring

of 1814.

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Video

Newspaper

Magazine

Online database

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Fire and Ice. Prod. HistoryAlive Videocassette. BBC Video, 1998.

Gutierrez, Andrew R. “Memorial for Scott at Antarctic.” Los Angeles Times 8 January 2001: 14A.

Hansen, Ron. “The Race for the South Pole.” Smithsonian Institute 28 June 1999: 112.

“Scott’s Run for the South Pole.” Facts on File. Online. Internet. 28 February 2000.

Solomon, Susan. The Coldest March: Scott’s Fatal Antarctic Expedition. New Haven, CT:

Yale UP, 2001.

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