Social Studies the Importance of Term Paper

Writing in the social studies also encourages students to appreciate different kinds of writing. Writing to persuade is different than merely writing to inform. Students learn to identify biases in sources, and to understand that not everything that they read is true. They can also engage in persuasive exercises where they try to change the minds of other people. This forces them to see that there are two sides to every issue. Being able to express controversial points-of-view in a way that is respectful of others fosters a sense of maturity within the students that will help them in later life.

Debating historical issues and understanding how people lived differently a long time ago will also help students comprehend that their way of life is not the only way people have lived, in ages past. Students learn to read primary source documents to understand how people of the past thought about their lives and different political issues.Certain moral positions and rights we take for granted, like the immorality of slavery or the right to vote for women, were questions open to debate, not so long ago. Reading about the way that these questions were approached by Americans of the past helps students appreciate the value of these hard-won rights in the present day. Finally, understanding that no historical event, from the founding of America to the securing of civil rights for all Americans, is inevitable, makes students wish to act as involved citizens to advance ideas they agree with, to shape America in the future into a nation where they are proud to live. Understanding the civic discourse and expressing their views within that common language and the evolving American tradition makes writing and reading critical to the subject of….....