How to Write the LEQ: Development of Civilizations
This assignment will help you to understand how the AP LEQ Essay works as well as help you to begin to prepare for the essay we will be writing in class next week.
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First of all... IMPORTANT INFO! I am giving you guys a short 6 question quiz on TUESDAY that will be on the same topics as your Unit 1 Test. However, I will still give you guys a review sheet to make sure you feel fully prepared. It will be in the form of a Google Form (just like this!) and I will post it to PupilPath and my website TODAY Saturday 9/5 so please keep your eyes open for it. It won't be due officially until Tuesday but it's always good to get a head start!
Ok now moving on...
First Name *
Last Name *
Period You Have History *
If I asked you, "What factors led to X?", which of the following historical thinking skills do you think I am asking you to use? *
0 points
Ok so to start, I just want to get you thinking about some important parts of this essay's topic. You don't have to write a whole paragraph in response, but please write more than one word. One or two sentences would be fine. We're looking at how civilizations developed in general, a topic you should know pretty well at this point. *
Remember, SOCIAL has to do with society, population, family, jobs, class, levels of equality, all that, TECHNOLOGICAL has to do with anything humans create, not just machines, but any invention or innovation, even simple. ENVIRONMENTAL has to do with nature, natural resources, and geography.
Describe one SOCIAL factor that led to the development of complex civilizations. *
Describe one TECHNOLOGICAL factor that led to the development of complex civilizations. *
Describe one ENVIRONMENTAL factor that led to the development of complex civilizations. *
Which type of factor do you think played the most major and significant role? *
There is no right answer! It's just about your opinion... for now...
Hey guess what? THIS is the prompt for your essay (below)! I'm telling you now! So nice, right? (The prompt means the thing they give you and you have to write your essay based on it.)
Different social, technological, and environmental factors led to the development of complex civilizations in the period before 600 B.C.E.

Develop an argument that evaluates how one or more factors led to the development of complex civilizations in this time period.
Does that prompt sound familiar? *
So basically you just low key started planning your essay!
I wanted to familiarize you with the prompt and the topic a bit first so that, when you watch the videos, it wouldn't be totally random and you would have something to connect it to. Ok now you can watch the videos and learn how to write this essay.
How to Write a Long Essay Question
[1:00-2:00] For our purposes in class, there will just be the one essay question with no other choices so we can all practice and learn together. However, on the actual AP exam, Mr Heimler mentioned that they let you pick one question from... how many choices? *
1 point
[2:00-3:00] Is there such a thing as laughter in the world? *
1 point
[2:00-3:00] They now let you pick which of the three historical thinking skills you think makes the most sense to frame your essay, rather than just telling you like they used to. But that doesn't mean they all work well. Generally, one historical thinking skill would make more sense than the other two. So take another look at your essay prompt (below) and decide: which historical thinking skill works best for this question? *
Different social, technological, and environmental factors led to the development of complex civilizations in the period before 600 B.C.E. Develop an argument that evaluates how one or more factors led to the development of complex civilizations in this time period.
1 point
[2:30-3:30] What is the time from (chronological scope) of your essay prompt (again below)? Whatever it is, you can only write (in your body paragraphs at least) about things from that time period. *
Different social, technological, and environmental factors led to the development of complex civilizations in the period before 600 B.C.E. Develop an argument that evaluates how one or more factors led to the development of complex civilizations in this time period.
1 point
[3:30-4:30] For a thesis statement to be a valid thesis statement, it needs to be *
1 point
[3:30-4:30] In the John Irish formula (which I like and want to start using this year) of "X. However A and B. Therefore, Y.", what does each letter stand for? *
4 points
Counter-Argument
Point Supporting Your Position
Your Position
X
A
B
Y
[4:15-4:45] Since we don't take US and that thesis was confusing, here's one that might be more relatable... "Having a no phones in class policy can help to create a more focused and orderly environment for learning by eliminating a major potential distraction (X). However, a total ban on phones in the classroom prevents students from being able to use a powerful and useful piece of technology for learning purposes, requiring schools to invest thousands of dollars in separate devices like laptops and tablets to do the same things a phone can do (A), as well as stifling the creativity of teachers in lesson planning by closing the door to exploring new avenues of student engagement through technology (B). Therefore, while the the no phones policy is not without benefits, it ultimately causes more harm than good by standing in the way of technological innovation in education (Y)." Did that help? *
HERE IS THE RUBRIC! Click the link below to check out the rubric so you can see what he's talking about.
https://mrcaseyhistory.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/ap-leq-rubric-and-skills.pdf
Contextualization
Basically, this paragraph comes before your thesis, and its purpose is to kind of set the stage and catch the reader up on what they need to know so that they can understand the rest of the essay. You know how on shows it's like "Previously, on THE FLASH..." and then they recap? That's providing CONTEXT for the episode you're about to watch. So contextualization does the same thing for your essay.
[5:30-6:30] Which of the follow statements about your CONTEXTUALIZATION paragraph is false? *
1 point
[6:00-7:00] For EVIDENCE, you can get the first point for including relevant examples of evidence, but you get the SECOND point only if you *
1 point
[7:00-8:00] For ANALYSIS & REASONING, you get a first point for just writing an essay that follows the structure of either comparison, causation, or CCOT (make sure to stick to it the whole time and be obvious about it). However, you can a SECOND point (the toughest one!) by *
1 point
Ok that was pretty good, but he missed a couple of important thing, so here's another video, but instead of watching the whole thing, I'll pick out the important points with the time stamps.
Of course, you can watch the rest if you want extra help! He makes a pretty good argument for ignoring most of the rubric. If that sounds interesting, check out the whole thing.
How to Write the LEQ!
[5:30-6:30] Which of the following is true of your thesis statement? *
1 point
[8:00-8:30] A lot of people use the conclusion to summarize the main points of the essay. According to Mr Morgan (and I agree wholeheartedly), this is ____________ way to use your conclusion. *
1 point
[8:30-9:00] What should you use the conclusion to do, according to Mr Morgan? *
Personally, I think there are other good uses related to this but not exactly this, so we'll discuss this more in class.
A copy of your responses will be emailed to the address you provided.
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