Research Paper
REQUIREMENTS
- Length (double-spaced, not including the Works Cited page):
- English 9 = 1.5-2 pages
- Honors English 9 = 2-3 pages
- English 10 = 2.5-4 pages
- Three to five reliable sources, one of which must be considered a "print" source (an actual book, a PDF, or an online newspaper/magazine/journal)
- English 9: You need THREE sources.
- Honors English 9: You need FOUR sources, and one of them must be a survey that you conduct.
- English 10: You need FIVE sources, and one of them must be an interview with an adult who works for USD490.
- MLA style (using the Purdue OWL) with Works Cited and parenthetical citations
NOTECARDS
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Each card needs three things:
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- Minimum number:
- English 9 = 15
- Honors English 9 = 20
- English 10 = 25
- English 9 = 15
- One answer (fact, quote, statistic, or anecdote) per card
- Feel free to use colored pens, highlighters, shapes, etc., if they help you organize your thoughts.
MLA FORMAT
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Click each image below for a larger version or for more information.
First page
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All-in-One Poster
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IN-TEXT CITATIONS
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If there's no author, give the title.
If there's no title, give the URL.
- A period or comma goes after the citation. - If you put the citation in the sentence, you don't need parentheses, unless there's a page number. |
Click to enlarge.
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Important: The citation must be the SAME THING that's on the first line of the Works Cited entry.
Click here for some more examples.
WORKS CITED
Several websites will do it for you:
MyBib [This is the easiest one, but it sometimes doesn't find the author, so you'll need to type it in manually.]
Scribbr [This one is also easy, and it keeps a list of all the ones you've done.]
EasyBib [Scroll down on the page to find it, and then follow several steps to complete it.]
Citation Machine [This one is similar to EasyBib, but it also has examples of how to create citations manually, e.g., if there are two authors, etc.]
Here's the format for the whole page:
MyBib [This is the easiest one, but it sometimes doesn't find the author, so you'll need to type it in manually.]
Scribbr [This one is also easy, and it keeps a list of all the ones you've done.]
EasyBib [Scroll down on the page to find it, and then follow several steps to complete it.]
Citation Machine [This one is similar to EasyBib, but it also has examples of how to create citations manually, e.g., if there are two authors, etc.]
Here's the format for the whole page:
INTRODUCTION
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Introduction (▼ = broad to narrow)
The Thesis Statement must be your should statement and your two reasons, like these:
How to write the FIRST sentence (QQSS): Don't do ALL of these; just pick ONE to begin your introduction.
Here's a sample introduction: No one should have to live in constant fear. What kind of life would that be, to always be looking over your shoulder and wondering if someone is about to harm or even kill you? Schools, especially, are places where people shouldn't have to wonder whether today is the day they're going to die. But with school shootings becoming more and more common, that kind of fear is also becoming prevalent among students. Many people believe that giving certain teachers guns would help, and that makes sense, as long as it's done correctly. Teachers with special training should be allowed to carry guns at school because it would reduce students' anxiety and deter possible intruders. Here's the first sentence of each following paragraph: [Body paragraph #1] First, trained teachers should be able to carry guns because it could reduce students' anxiety. [Body paragraph #2] A second reason teachers with training should carry guns at school is to deter possible intruders. [Counter-argument] On the other side of this argument, some people believe that having any gun inside a school building is just inviting trouble. [Conclusion] So, in order to help prevent intruders and to alleviate anxiety among students, schools should begin allowing teachers with specialized training to carry a gun while on the job. |
CONCLUSION
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Conclusion (▲ = narrow to broad)
Here's a sample conclusion: So, in order to help prevent intruders and alleviate anxiety among students, schools should begin allowing teachers with specialized training to carry a gun while on the job. Of course, no one ever intended for society to get to this point; in a perfect world, children could go to school and know that they were completely insulated from any chance of harm. But that's unfortunately not the state of today's world. Gun control laws have proven ineffective at stopping bad people from obtaining guns, and as long as these criminals see schools as easy targets, they will continue to endanger the lives of innocent children. It's time to begin allowing the good guys to carry weapons and protect those who can't protect themselves. BTW, I don't necessarily agree with this. It's just an example. :-) |
Peer-EDITING & Proofreading
- For these first three columns, I won't show you what's wrong when I proofread your paper; I'll just circle it and let you figure it out.
- For peer-editing, you will lose points if you don't catch these on the other person's paper.
- For peer-editing, you will lose points if you don't catch these on the other person's paper.
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For these other common mistakes, I will show you how to correct it.
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PRINTING on two sides
AFTER you make sure the formatting is right and AFTER you correct any errors you can find, then print the paper. You'll get extra credit if you print on BOTH sides of the paper. Here's how:
Pages & Google Docs
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Microsoft Word
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Grading
The point values are all on the Google doc rubric, and here's the progression:
- I'll grade your first draft paragraphs individually, and those grades can't be changed.
- I'll grade the rough draft as a whole, hopefully after you've filled in any missing content.
- Your "content" grade is complete at this point.
- You still have a chance to make corrections to the grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
- Your "content" grade is complete at this point.
- I'll then proofread the final copy and give you back some points if you made those corrections.
Schedule
These dates might change a little, but this is my tentative plan.
OUTLINE
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Here's the basic outline:
Think of the entire paper as PAST-PRESENT-FUTURE:
Vertical Divider
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Optional Rebuttal:
If you want to, you may include a paragraph telling what's wrong with the counter-argument, or you could put a few lines of rebuttal actually within the counter-argument paragraph instead. Here's a sample rebuttal as a separate paragraph: As to the argument about it being the mother’s body, that’s simply not true. The baby has different DNA, different chromosomes (if it’s a boy), and often a different blood type. Every cell in your body has the same DNA, whether it’s in your nose, heart, brain, or big toe. No cell in your body has different DNA. Period. Also, when a person has surgery, they’re sometimes connected to an external breathing apparatus, and sometimes their blood is even pumped out of their body, through a machine, and then back into their body. No one says that person is part of that breathing machine! But that’s what you’re saying if you think a baby is part of his/her mother’s body just because they’re connected and sharing oxygen, nutrients, etc. It’s scientifically not accurate to say that the baby is part of his/her mother’s body. |
Paragraph structure
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The body (reason) paragraphs should follow this basic pattern:
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Click to enlarge
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