Mrs. Ruland's Social Studies Page
Cues for Quality Writing
COMPARE - to note the similarities and/or differences
hint - When comparing two cultures, be sure
to include examples from both.
DESCRIBE - to give an account of something; to convey
an image or impression in words
hint - When describing, carefully select words that will
paint a clear picture
DEVELOP - to make know; reveal; to bring to a more effective
state; to cause to grow or expand
example - Develop one of the steps in the experiment
by describing it in greater detail
DISCUSS - to argue, debate, talk over
example - Discuss the importance of the invention on
farming
EVALUATE - to examine something in order to judge its value
hint - Make sure that you define your criteria for judging and then remember to actually judge
EXPLAIN - to make plain or clear; to make known in detail;
to make clear the cause or reason
hint - Make sure your response answers the question why,
using the word because
EXPLORE - to look into closely; to examine; to search
for; search out
hint - When exploring, your response should include what
you discovered
INVESTIGATE - to search or inquire into; examine in
detail
example - Read the three newspaper articles to investigate
the reasons for the election results
JUSTIFY - to show a satisfactory reason for something
done
example - Use examples from the text to justify
your response
PREDICT - to foretell the future
hint - Predictions are always based on what you already
know from the text
SUMMARIZE - to state a short version of a longer work;
to make a brief statement of main points
hint - To summarize, reduce the length to only a few
sentences
Last updated August 6, 2007
© Marcella Ruland 1998-2008, All rights reserved
