11-6 English Research Paper
This is probably the most important and largest writing assignment you will do as an English student during your high school career at WHS. You can do it! Topics will be gathered from preliminary research over political issues of 2013 - 2014.
Supplies you will need:
• Flash drive or drop box account or your own online organizational access
• A separate folder/binder section for research documents
• Highlighters
• Note cards
Objectives:
• Complete preliminary research over a few of the topics to see which one most interests you.
• Finalize and research ONE current, valuable issue of personal interest
• Read through multiple sources to get reputable and consistent information
• Gather significant information for parenthetical documentation and create a works cited list
• Construct a well-stated thesis that can be supported throughout
• Discuss and compose the topic and thesis significance with analysis in a 6-8 page research paper
(typed, Times New Roman double-spaced)
• Revise and edit; revise and edit; revise and edit; revise and edit…
• Gather reputable and varied sources
* Your paper must include many, various facts with parenthetical documentation/in-text citations and a works cited page. Any paper that is missing these will receive a grade of zero for plagiarism. (See student handbook and 11-6 syllabus for more information on plagiarism.)
* You must have 6+ sources for your paper. At least TWO need to be from databases, books, interviews, magazines, or newspapers rather than solely Internet sources. You may not use Wikipedia as a source.
*You will be graded on the 6+1 Writing Traits with some weighing more heavily than others. You will also receive process points for each step, so stay on top of these dates and steps. The final rubric for the entire assessment will be handed out soon.
Step One: Focus the topic; narrow your topic from general to specific. (Do not focus on the ocean—focus on the tide on one beach). Please see me if you need additional help. This will help you immensely when gathering sources and information—you will know what you are looking for!
Step Two: Information gathering (6 sources and 25+ notes/facts/ cards or graphic organizer notecards)
Once you peruse your topic and sources, nail down between 6-8 reliable and reputable sources. Print only what you need from the source; you will see we do not need to waste paper printing every article from each source. For the most part, you can read from your computer and focus on the facts that are relevant to your issue and write them down as you go. You should paraphrase when doing this except when you find a direct quote that you might want to use in your paper. In that case write it word-for-word on the card and put quotes around it. For each source you use make a note card of all of the information you need about the source: Title, article title, author, pages, publisher, date, volume, edition, etc. Please see the works cited handouts for ALL the information you will need. Label these note cards with letters from the alphabet, A-F. There must be at least 6 of these cards.
Example:
AThe Roaring 20s
David, Bob. Dell Publishing, New York
1997. Web. / B
Prohibition
Smith, Chuck.
Random House, Los Angeles. 2002. Print.
For note taking, write one fact on a card, on a line, or in a text box. At the top, write the letter of the source where you got the information. Include a page # whenever possible. You should have anywhere from two to eight notes/facts per source, depending on the relevance. Make sure that you are responsibly paraphrasing and summarizing (see pages 1279 – 1280 in your textbook).
Example:
A-2The Charleston was a popular dance. Page 12.
B-1
An amendment to the Constitution prohibited the buying and selling of alcohol.
A-1
Flappers cut their hair short and wore short dresses. Page 12.
Step Three: Compile a Works Cited Page using all of your sources. This must be done accurately (see handbook), double spaced, and alphabetized.
Step Four: Use the note cards to write an outline of your paper. Plug in card numbers where you will include those facts. A suggested outline format will be given during that time. This is your blueprint for your draft and is very important.
Step Five: Use the outline to write a rough draft. Remember to cite your sources within; these are parenthetical/in-text citations.
Step Six: Peer edit, self edit, submit to turnitin.com – several times.
Step Seven: Implement changes; make revisions; correct errors – several times. Make sure EVERTHING THAT IS NOT COMMON KNOWLEDGE IS CITED! Make sure the source of EVERY CITATION is LISTED ON THE WORKS CITED PAGE.
Step Eight: Turn in the final draft of your paper. The final draft should be clear of errors, polished, typed and double spaced with in-text citations, and should include your works cited page in the correct (MLA) format. This will be worth 200 points!
Final Step: CELEBRATE!! THE LARGEST ESSAY OF YOUR ENGLISH CAREER AT WHS IS DONE!