Ms. Kincaid
December 2015
Honors English 6
Expository Essay - Research Report
Your assignment is to write a 5-paragraphResearchReport on the life, development, and influence of an important person. You may write about someone living or dead that you admire. Your subject may be a politician, artist, athlete, scientist, inventor, religious leader, etc. No matter who it is, your subject must have a biography published in book form that explores his or her life.
—Your essay must begin with an introductory paragraph that includes a focusedassertion/thesis. Overall, you will be writing about how your subject became such an important, influential, and inspiring person, as well as the events and people who inspired and helped her/him on her/his path.
—Your three body paragraphs must all begin with a relevant topic sentence that expands on and presents specific evidence for your assertion/thesis. Each paragraph will discuss only one aspect of your subject. Each paragraph should highlight an essential characteristic or trait of your subject and the evidence of this trait through the actions and choices your subject has made in his or her life.
—In each body paragraph, the topic sentence is followed by specific evidence that consists of quotations or paraphrases from your research. This evidence is properly cited. You must include at least 2 citations per body paragraph, and at least one must be a direct quote. The other can be a paraphrase or a direct quote. Your evidence is then followed by your own explanation on exactly how the evidence supports your assertion/thesis.
—Your concluding paragraph must summarize the points you have made and restate your assertion/thesis in new words. It should also explain why you chose this person and why you are inspired by him or her.
—Your essay must include a Works Cited page with properly formatted citations. You must have at least one book source and one web source. You may have additional sources of either type. Parenthetical citations that cite the author and page number must also be included within the text of your essay.
Your essay will be graded on how well you follow the above criteria. Therefore, use this assignment sheet as a checklist to ensure you have included all the necessary elements.
Over Winter Break, you should choose the person you want to research and write about, as well as select at least one book on your subject. Choose someone you admire and want to learn more about. Your person must have at least one published paper book written about them. You will also need to find at least one reliable web source. You should begin to read your book and take notes on character traits and evidence, following the template on the back. When we return in January, we will all read about and write a 5-paragraph essay on Lincoln together, which will serve as the template for your own Research Report.