During the month of May, juniors in 1st and 6th period English III classes will be working on a research paper. Here is a sample of a well-written, MLA-formatted college essay.
Aspen gradebook entries and values are listed here.
I. The first step in writing your research paper is choosing a topic. By Wednesday, May 1 do the following:
A. Complete the brainstorming sheet.
B. Read through the articles and pages at the bottom of this post.*
C. Email Ms. Schmidt at smschmidt1@cps.edu or Mr. Caputi at vlcaputi@cps.edu with your topic. Put Research paper topic in the subject line. Follow the below format for your email. (Don’t number the parts. That is done below for outlining purposes only.)
1. Dear _______,
2. My topic is _______
3. This is interesting to me because …
4. Sincerely,
5. ___________
II. The next step is focusing your topic by asking questions. By Friday, May 3, do the following:
A. Your teacher will reply to your Research paper topic email by telling you to ask as many questions about your topic as possible.
1. Reply to this email with another salutation: Dear ________,
2. Write a list of as many questions as possible.
3. Close your note with Sincerely, and your name.
4. You (or the teacher) will copy your list of questions, plus additions by the teacher, on a shared Google document.
B. One way to generate questions is to begin your search for information on your topic by putting the topic in a search engine. (We will discuss obtaining helpful sources of information next week.)
C. Read the below articles about creating research questions. Make sure you watch the video embedded in the “Writing a Good Research Question” article.**
III. Begin searching for information and keeping track of good sources. Search for information on your topic – and variations of your topic – in a search engine.
A. Open articles that look promising and skim them.
1. Look for information you don’t know and passages you like that you may quote.
2. If the information is helpful, copy the URL to your Google document.
3. Number all your sources on your Google document.
B. Read about this step below.***
IV. Take notes on note cards. See examples and explanations below.****
A. Use one note card per fact or direct quote.
1. If you are copying a direct quote, put it in quotation marks.
a. Expert opinions make good direct quotes for a paper.
b. Eloquently written statements make good direct quotes for your paper.
2. Facts and statistics should be written in bullet points or your own words; don’t quote directly.
B. Note your source by writing its number on the card.
C. The teacher will check your progress
1. Five note cards are due by Wednesday, May 15.
2. Five more note cards will due by Friday, May
V. Develop a thesis that includes your claim about your topic. See information below on writing a claim.*****
VI. Write an outline of your main points.
The outline is the skeleton of what your paper is about. Main ideas from your paper should be in your outline. Use the outline as a means of helping you organize the order in which your information will appear in the final draft.
Example:
Thesis statement: Main idea of the entire paper
I. First main idea
A. First example
1. Detail
a.
b.
2. Detail
B. Second example
1. Detail
2. Detail
II. Second main idea
A. First example
1. Detail
2. Detail
B. Second example
1. Detail
2. Detail
Etc.
Important rules
If you have a Roman numeral I, you must have a Roman numeral II. If you have a capital A, you must have a B. If you have a 1, there must be a 2. Also, you cannot mix phrases and sentences in your outlining. Keep your form consistent.
Roman numeral reminders
There are no keys for Roman numerals. Use the letters on the keyboard for creating Roman numerals.
1 – I (Capital letter i)
2 – II
3 – III
4 – IV
5 – V
6 – VI
7 – VII
8 – VIII
9 – IX
10 – X
******Step Six: Writing an outline
Creating outlines
How to write an outline
*****Step Five: Writing a claim
****Step Four: Taking notes on note cards
Teacher Vision, “Research Paper: Take Notes”
Senior teacher Robin Russo’s explanation: Note Taking Tips
· Keep all notes on the same size cards (4 X 6).
· Write main ideas, significant details, and quotations on your cards along with the page numbers where this information can be found. Also place the number of the related bibliography entry in the upper right-hand corner.
· Use abbreviations and short phrases. Be sure, however, that you can understand these notes when you go to look at them later.
· Place quotation marks around word-for-word quotes. Be sure to indicate the speaker and his/her credentials.
· Use the ellipsis ( . . .) when you leave words out of a quotation. Use brackets around words you add to a quotation:[]
· Look up unfamiliar words in your reading. If you find that a particular word is important, copy its definition onto a note card.
· Give each card a descriptive heading, a word or phrase to highlight the main idea of that note card.
· Avoid writing down information that does not specifically relate to your topic.
· Use only the front side of the card. If you have more than one or two lines on the backside, you probably have too much information for one card.
· Double check statistics, facts and names to make sure you have them correct. Be sure you understand the information you are paraphrasing.
***Step Three: Beginning your research
How to start and complete a research paper
**Step Two: Focusing your topic
Narrowing a Topic and Developing a Research Question
Writing a Good Research Question
*Step One: Choosing a topic
717 Good Research Paper Topics (My Speech Class)
HBCU Research Paper Topics: 50 Ideas To Get Started
Prep Scholar: 113 Great Research Paper Topics
English III Research Paper Brainstorming, 1st and 6th period, April 29, 2019
