Field Trips and Notes - Week 8
Pointer Words and Key Essay Terms One of the secrets of getting good grades on Essay tests is accurately identifying and using the key essay terms. These terms pack a lot of punch in one or two words, so it is important to know what you are supposed to do. Chapter 16 defines these words and analyzes how to use them. However, the University of Victoria gives you a plan of action in Simplified Plan of Action for Common Types of Question Words. This step by step process will provide a good guideline for answering essay questions successfully.

http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/program/hndouts/simple.html
Types of questions from easy to hard and their pointer words Just to give you an idea how college teachers craft questions look at this hierachy of questions. They begin with easy questions on knowledge and comprehension. However, most college essays ask questions on the more difficult levels of application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. This listing is called Bloom's Taxonomy. Here is the list with the skills needed to answer the questions plus the pointer words used for each category.

http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/program/hndouts/bloom.html
Test questions - 6 levels To see how these levels of questions work, look at these sociology exam questions. First you will see a list of vocabulary to help you understand a little something of the topic. Next your will see: Patterns of family organization: six types of questions. Note that the easiest questions are all objective type questions. The essay questions don't begin until level two!

http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/program/hndouts/sociol.html

 

For helpful hints on Answering Essay Questions, stay right here at this same site in Canada.

http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/program/hndouts/essayq.html

 
Doing Well in Essay Exams Now let's visit another site. Preparing for Essay Style Exams is divided into several parts: doing well in essay exams; it's all in the way the question is worded, and essay style practice questions. Again you will have a list and explanation of pointer words and key essay terms. I guess you are finally getting the idea of how important key terms are. Now pay particular attention to the analysis of the three essay practice questions.

http://www.yorku.ca/admin/cdc/lsp/ep/exam5.htm

In the middle of an exam and not sure if you have covered everything, you might need the Checklist for Essay Exams.

http://www.mtsu.edu/~studskl/essay.html

If you have to write essays for history, you might want to check out this hints in How to Write Essays for History.

http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/program/hndouts/Histexam.html

Finally, if you know that you will have essay tests for finals, be sure to study specifically for this kind of test. For hints from the University of Texas, review Preparing for Essays.

http://www.utexas.edu/student/lsc/handouts/1446.html
MacDonald's System for Getting A's on Essay Exams - The Rule of 5 Most students lose chunks of points on essay exams, not because they don't know the material, but because they don't know how to demonstrate that they know the material.

So here is the Rule of 5 for getting an A on an essay exam (provided, of course, that you have studied for it!) I will use the word "sentence" here, which works for short essays, for longer essays change the word "sentence" to "paragraph." The system is the same for both!

1. Rewrite the answer question into your opening sentence for the essay. That way you won't make a mistake of not answering the question or answering only part of it. Put ALL of the major ideas in this first sentence in a nutshell.

2. The second sentence should be a detail or example of your idea.

Hint: It is good to use details

from the textbook, showing that you have read the textbook

from your notes, showing that you went to class, took notes, and studied them

from your own experience, showing that you can apply the concepts in your learning.

Warning: use this last one cautiously and only if you know that your instructor will value your ideas - otherwise give them their own ideas back.

3. The third sentence is another detail or example (choose from the above list)

4. The fourth sentence is another detail or example.

5. Summarize your answer.

NEVER EVER add new stuff here. You will lose MAJOR points. Conclude and stop.
Lucy MacDonald - 11/12/00