Sample Readings Report for Arkansas History On-Line

This is an example of a readings report turned in by a student.   I have made some additions and suggestions which are in brackets and highlighted.  Note the DESIGNATED sections.   The personal reflections and question sections are very weak, but you can get a general idea as to what you are expected to turn in. [As a first paper, I rated this a "B" to "B-" Paper]

Name __________________________  Date ____________________ Time Sent ______________

(1) Citation:  Arkansas Times: A History of Arkansas, 20th Anniversary Collection, Arkansas Writers' Project, 1994, Lancaster, Bob, et. al., Topic 1: “Into the Wilderness”, Text pp. 19-22. [Very Good]

(2)  Question(s):  What affect did De Soto have on Arkansas and its inhabitants?  [Why were De Soto's explorations an important development in Arkansas history? Other Questions?]

(3)  Summary:  Hernando De Soto from Spain set out to discover a new world and more specifically treasures like the ones that had been taken from South America and Central America. His journey began in Florida and made its way west to Arkansas. He roamed almost aimlessly, causing havoc where ever he went. However he suffered hardships along the way because supplies were low. Disease took its toll on the exploration and De Soto lost many men and actually lost his own life as well. He never achieved the goal he set out to discover, great riches. [Fair. Some other important points could have been added.]

(4)  Answer:  De Soto had a profound affect on Arkansas and its inhabitants unfortunately in a negative way.  His motive was to steal gold and not to discover a new land. He pillaged and slaughtered those in his way (Indians). He lost many men and in the end he found no gold or treasure at all. This seemed to be a pretty bad beginning for Arkansas, the exploration made no progress [Not correct. It WAS a discovery, not unlike many others by the various European explorers on the North American continent. No European had ever been here before. It was progress and may have inspired others in the race to discover the new world.]or even aimed for civilized advancement. [Additional answers to other questions raised would be added here.]

(5)  Relevance to understanding Arkansas history: It is crucial to understanding Arkansas’ history to learn about the happenings in the early years, specifically from 1500 to the early 1800’s. It is also interesting [Why was it interesting?] to discover the personalities of those who found Arkansas first; and where the razorbacks came from. I would never have guessed from a Spanish explorer hundreds of years ago!  [The Spanish were here first, but unlike other Southwestern states their influence has not been very important. Did these explorations influence (or not) other explorations? How does his explorations compare to later explorations?]
(6) Personal reflections:  I enjoyed this non-traditional text because it is especially easy to read, which a tremendous plus is for a ‘dyslexic math person’. I have a feeling the future years will be more detailed and have more fluency, I did actually find myself wanting to hear more of the events or happenings with each reading. [Very, very  weak section.  This could have lowered the grade to a "C+" from a "B" or "B-".  What about "specific" reflections ON the article and author? How do you feel about what De Soto did or failed to do? Why did the Europeans not think they were "murdering" Indians? If you THINK long and hard about it, this "first" in Arkansas history poses many other reflections too.]