Name: ______________________________

English I
Class Period: _________________________

March-April
Write a Research Paper!
In this packet, you will find all of the materials you will need to complete in
order to write an effective research paper. Due to uncertainty regarding lab
schedules and Assessment Sets, all dates are subject to change. However,
late work WILL NOT be accepted unless approved ahead of time.

This paper will be worth a large portion of your grade in my class. YOU
CANNOT PASS MY CLASS WITHOUT WRITING THIS PAPER!

ANY PLAGARISM OR DISHONEST WORK WILL RESULT IN A

FAILING GRADE FOR BOTH THE QUARTER AND THE
SEMESTER.

Research Paper Aims:

Structure:

Tentative Calendar for Research Paper

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
March 14 15 16 17 18
Explanation of Computer Lab: Review Works Review In-Text Thesis
paper. WebQuest on Cited/Bibliographi Citations in MLA Statements!
Internet, search es. Format
Mini-lesson on engine, library, Research day
Internet, search and database
engine, library, research. Packet Check #1
and database Packet pages 9-11
research. Packet pages 3-4 Packet pages 5-8 Packet pages 18-
19
March 21 22 23 24 25

Spring Break Spring Break Spring Break Spring Break Spring Break
(No school) (No school) (No school) (No school) (No school)
Independent work Independent work Independent work Independent work Independent work
time time time time time

1
28 29 30 31 April 1
Computer Lab: Computer Lab: Topic Intros/Conclusions Computer Lab:
Research Day Research Day Sentences/Suppor Begin typing out
t! Write introduction final drafts.
Find sources and Find sources and and conclusion
support for your support for your *Check in for 3 paragraphs. Packet Check #2
topic! topic! main
ideas/supporting Packet pages 22-
Packet pages 12- Packet pages 12- arguments 23
15; 17 15; 17
Packet pages 20-
21
4 5 6 7 8
No Class Time for No Class Time for No Class Time for No Class Time for
Paper! Paper! Paper! Paper! FINAL DRAFT &
PACKET DUE!

What is a research paper?

A research paper is an expanded essay that presents your own interpretation
or evaluation or argument. In the end, this assignment will be 3-5 pages,
double spaced.

How is this different than an essay?

When you write an essay, you use everything that you personally know and
have thought about a subject. When you write a research paper you build
upon what you know about the subject and make a deliberate attempt to
find out what experts know. A research paper involves surveying a field of
knowledge in order to find the best possible information in that field. And
that survey can be orderly and focused, if you know how to approach it.1

“No-No” WORDS FOR FORMAL WRITING

As you write your paper, try to remember NOT to use the following.

Me This paper is about…

I Here is some information
on…
You Don’t you want to read
about…
In this paragraph I will… I hope you enjoyed my
paper…
Let’s read on to find I tried to tell you…
out…
My paper is about… And that was my paper…
My story is about…. The End
Let me tell you about…. We

Remember, in a research paper:

• No feelings or opinions should be expressed (i.e. Annie Oakley was

1
http://www.esc.edu/esconline/across_esc/writerscomplex.nsf/0/ddbc866bc537f67e85256a460066ab2d
 awesome; or, Annie Oakley was the greatest women to ever shoot a
rifle.)
• No pronouns (I, me, you, we, etc.)

How do I make sure I am going to be successful?

Research papers are a lot of work and therefore take a lot of time. It takes
careful thought and consideration, and sometimes “writer’s block” is a real
thing. It’s like a marathon—you need to pace yourself. When you run a
marathon, you set little goals along the way; you can’t sprint all 26.2 miles in
the last hour and hope to win. A research paper is the same way—but I have
helped set the goals for you. Make sure you are keeping up with the
schedule so that you make this into bite-sized and manageable pieces.

Is there anything else I need to know?

This paper is not optional. It will be impossible to pass my class without
doing the paper. I will make myself available after school for extra help, but
DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. I will NOT feel sorry for you if you
choose to do that. If you ask for help and do your best, I am confident that
you will do a great job!
Brainstorm Your Topic
The goal of this research paper has two parts: 1) to present both sides of a
controversial topic and 2) to choose a side and persuade the reader that
your side is the correct side. Research papers draw heavily on the use of
evidence—your reader won’t care what you’re writing unless you’re
presenting them with ideas and evidence that they can believe. Before we
can start looking for evidence, though, answer the following questions to try
to identify a topic that you will be interested in researching this unit.

There are a lot of controversial topics making headlines today. Each topic
has strong support on opposing sides. Here are some ideas for topics that
you can choose to work with. This is not a complete list, but other topics
must be approved by your teacher ahead of time.

Possible Topics
Affirmative Action Gun Control
Capital Punishment (Death Penalty) Immigration
Censorship Legalization of Marijuana
Child Labor Legal Sentencing Parity
Cloning Organ & Body Donation
Dream Act Patriot Act
Euthanasia & Assisted Suicide Pit Bull Ownership
Flag Burning Racial Profiling
Genetic Engineering (Food) Stem Cell Research
Genetic Engineering (Human) Trying Teens as Adults
Global Warming Welfare

Choose Your Topic! Look back through the ideas we’ve discussed. You
now need to select one topic that you think you could research for a few
weeks and stay interested in it. Choose wisely – this is your only opportunity
to select the topic for your paper. Keep in mind, you want a topic that will
have a wealth of information published about it, both online and in book
form.

The Topic of My Research Paper Is (Write it below!):

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
__
 Research Plan
evidence—your reader won’t care what you’re writing unless you’re
presenting them with ideas and evidence that they can

K W
What I already Know about this topic What I Want to Know about this topic

Now, look back through your “K” column above. You already have some
knowledge about this topic. Where did it come from? How did you gain all of
this knowledge?

Finally, look at your “W” column. You will want to learn the answers to all of
these questions as you complete your research. Where do you think you will
look for the answers to these questions?
Formatting your paper

Formatting the First Page of Your Paper2

• Do not make a title page for your paper.

• In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your
instructor's name, the course, and the date. Again, be sure to use
double-spaced text.
• Double space again and center the title. Do not underline, italicize, or
place your title in quotation marks; write the title in Title Case
(standard capitalization), not in all capital letters.
• Use quotation marks and/or italics when referring to other works in
your title, just as you would in your text: Fear and Loathing in Las
Vegas as Morality Play; Human Weariness in "After Apple Picking"
• Double space between the title and the first line of the text.
• Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last
name, followed by a space with a page number; number all pages
consecutively with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-half inch from
the top and flush with the right margin.

Here is an example first page:

2
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Formatting Everything Else (General Guidelines)

• Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5
x 11-inch paper.
• Double-space the text of your paper, and use size 12pt font and Times
New Roman.
• Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks (unless
otherwise instructed by your instructor).
• Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides.
• Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin.
MLA recommends that you use the Tab key as opposed to pushing the
Space Bar five times.
• Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper
right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right
margin. (Note: Your instructor may ask that you omit the number on
your first page. Always follow your instructor's guidelines.)
• Use italics throughout your essay for the titles of longer works and,
only when absolutely necessary, providing emphasis.

Source Citations
Source Citation Definition:

MLA Definition:

Why it is Important:

An effective source citation needs to give the reader all of the information he
or she would need to find the book, article, or website where you found the
information. Here are a few example citations for your reference:
Citation for a Book:
Format: Author’s last name, author’s first name. Title of book. City of
publication: Publisher, Publication year.
Example: Solon, Tim. A+: How Teaching Made Me Rich and Famous.
Denver: McMiller Publishing, 2007.

For three or fewer authors:

Format: The first given name appears in last name, first name format;
subsequent author names appear in first name last name format.
 Example: Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to
Peer Tutoring. Boston: Allyn, 2000. Print.

For four or more authors:

If there are more than three authors, you may choose to list only the first
author followed by the phrase et al. (Latin for "and others") in place of the
subsequent authors' names, or you may list all the authors in the order in
which their names appear on the title page. (Note that there is a period after
“al” in “et al.” Also note that there is never a period after the “et” in “et al.”).

Example: Wysocki, Anne Frances, et al. Writing New Media: Theory and
Applications for Expanding the Teaching of Composition. Logan, UT:
Utah State UP, 2004. Print.

Citation for a Magazine Article:

Format: Author’s last name, author’s first name. “Title of Article.”
Magazine name Date of publication: page numbers.
Example: Miller, Rudolph. “Jazz isn’t Just for Dirty Hippies.” Newsweek
May 3, 1975: 4-18.

Citation for a Website:

Format: Author’s last name, author’s first name. “Title of page.” Name
of website. Online. Date accessed. Web address.
Example: Claus, Santa. “List of Good Boys and Girls.” Santa’s Electronic
Workshop. Online. November 22, 2003.
http://www.santa.org/lists/2003good.html.

Guided Practice
Instructions: The parts of the following source citations are mixed up, out of
order, and have been put together incorrectly. Rewrite them correctly.

Book: Haunted. Doubleday Publishers. 2006. Chuck Palahniuk. New

York.
Correction:__________________________________________________________________
__
_____________________________________________________________________________
Magazine: 26-29. “How to Go to College – Free!” October 6, 2002. Hannah
Arendt. US News and World Report.
Correction:__________________________________________________________________
__
_____________________________________________________________________________
Website: http://www.wikipedia.com/calico.htm. April 29, 2006. Author
Unknown. “Calico Cats.” Online.
Correction:__________________________________________________________________
__
 Independent Practice
Instructions: Below, a messy student who wasn’t very well organized took
down information from a bunch of sources she wants to use in her paper.
Your mission is to make sense of the information and to put together a
properly formatted MLA source citation for each of these sources.

1. I found this really great website with tons of information on the subject of my
research paper, Michael Jordan. The site was called “His Airness” and I really liked
the “Michael Jordan: A Biography” page. The author was Phil Jackson… he said
something about being Jordan’s coach…? Anyway. I found it yesterday – March
15th, 2007 – and if I want to go back that page was at
http://www.mj.com/jordan/biograhy.html .

Source Citation:

My teacher handed me this book that’ll really help with my research project. The
2.
book was titled, The Human Condition and it was written by Hannah Arendt. The
book was published by Schocken Books in 1999… that publishing company is
located in New York City.

Source Citation:

I was reading Newsweek magazine at the gym the other day and there was this
3. really interesting article about Barak Obama called “America’s New Hope?” I think
it was on pages 20-23. It was written by Anna Quindlen and it was in the March 5th
edition of the magazine.

Source Citation:
In-Text Citations

In-text citation Definition:

In-text Citations for Print Sources with Known Author

For Print sources like books, magazines, scholarly journal articles, and
newspapers, provide a signal word or phrase (usually the author’s last name)
and a page number. If you provide the signal word/phrase in the sentence,
you do not need to include it in the parenthetical citation.

Human beings have been described by Kenneth Burke as "symbol-

using animals" (3). Human beings have been described as "symbol-

using animals" (Burke 3).

*Notice that the citation goes outside the quotation marks for a direct quote! It is also

at the end of the sentence where a reference to the source is made.

These examples must correspond to an entry that begins with Burke, which

will be the first thing that appears on the left-hand margin of an entry in the

Works Cited:

• Burke, Kenneth. Language as Symbolic Action: Essays on Life,

Literature, and Method. Berkeley: U of California P, 1966. Print.

*If multiple sentences reference the source, the citation comes at the end of the multiple

sentences. However, you must have a citation immediately following a direct quote from a

source.

Example: According writer Andrew Walton, the Sierra Stallion basketball

program has historically been one of the best in the state. They have won

several state championships. Besides that, they are consistently one of the
top two teams in their conference (47).

Example: One writer went so far as to call the Sierra Stallion basketball team

“the best the Pike’s Peak region has ever seen” (Walton 47). They have won

several state titles and are consistently one of the top teams in their

conference (Walton 47).

In-text Citations for Print Sources with No Known Author

When a source has no known author, use a shortened title of the work
instead of an author name. Place the title in quotation marks if it's a short
work (e.g. articles) or italicize it if it's a longer work (e.g. plays, books,
television shows, entire websites) and provide a page number.

We see so many global warming hotspots in North America likely

because this region has “more readily accessible climatic data and

more comprehensive programs to monitor and study environmental

change . . . ” (“Impact of Global Warming” 6).

For a source with three or fewer authors, list the authors' last
names in the text or in the parenthetical citation:

Smith, Yang, and Moore argue that tougher gun control is not needed in the
United States (76).

The authors state "Tighter gun control in the United States erodes Second
Amendment rights" (Smith, Yang, and Moore 76).

Citing Non-Print or Sources from the Internet

Sometimes writers are confused with how to craft parenthetical citations for
electronic sources because of the absence of page numbers. You will not
need a paragraph or page number for these types of citations. For electronic
and Internet sources follow the following guidelines:

• Include in the text the first item that appears in the Work Cited entry
that corresponds to the citation (e.g. author name, article name,
website name, film name).
• You do not need to give paragraph numbers or page numbers based
 on your Web browser’s print preview function.
• Unless you must list the website name in the signal phrase in order to
get the reader to the appropriate entry, do not include URLs in-text.
Only provide partial URLs such as when the name of the site includes,
for example, a domain name, like CNN.com or Forbes.com as opposed
to writing out http://www.cnn.com or http://www.forbes.com.

Examples:

Author is listed (*the author’s name is Alan Smith)

Genetically-enhanced beef can potentially cause cancer in 9th graders

(Smith).

No author (*No author was listed, but the article did have a title)

Genetically-enhanced beef can potentially cause cancer in 9th graders (“Beef

= Cancer for Freshmen”).

No author and no article title (*No author was listed and the
information did not have a title; the website was
http//:www.theonion.com/beef_death_painful_excruciating_death43)

Genetically-enhanced beef can potentially cause cancer in 9th graders

(theonion.com).

Practice

Circle the choice in each pair that uses MLA citations correctly.

1a. In "Death and Justice," Edward Koch, former mayor of New York City,
argues that "life is
precious, and . . . the death penalty helps to affirm this fact (857)."

1b. In "Death and Justice," Edward Koch, former mayor of New York City,
argues that "life is
precious, and . . . the death penalty helps to affirm this fact" (857).

2a. One study revealed that "by 1991 two-thirds (66.7%) of all mothers with
children under
eighteen were in the labor force" (107).

2b. One study revealed that "by 1991 two-thirds (66.7%) of all mothers with
children under
eighteen were in the labor force" (Etzioni 107).

3a. "Arguing about whether nontraditional families deserve pity or tolerance

is a little like the
medieval debate about left-handedness as a mark of the devil" (Kingsolver
168).

3b. “Arguing about whether nontraditional families deserve pity or tolerance

is a little like the medieval debate about left-handedness as a mark of the
devil" (168 Kingsolver).

4a. “School lunch is important for health, happiness, and a good education”
(Freel 235).

4b. “School lunch is important for health, happiness, and a good education.”
(Freel 235)

5a. "There is a Chinese word for the female, which is slave,” writes Maxine
Hong Kingston
(191). "Break the women with their own tongues!" (191). She means that
since women had no
other word to use to refer to themselves than one meaning slave, they
eventually lost any sense of
dignity and independence they might once have had.

5b. "There is a Chinese word for the female, which is slave,” writes Maxine
Hong Kingston.
"Break the women with their own tongues!" She means that since women
had no other word to
use to refer to themselves than one meaning slave, they eventually lost any
sense of dignity and
independence they might once have had (191).
Research for your Paper

We’ll be focusing on internet research during this unit just because, as

technology advances, actual physical libraries are becoming less and less
important. If you need information odds are that it’s just a click away on the
internet. That being said, if you find good print resources (i.e. books,
newspapers, magazines, etc.), please do not hesitate to use them!
In order to carry out your research, start by going to www.google.com and
entering the term you want to explore in the box located in the middle of the
screen. For example, if I was doing my research paper on John Elway, I’d put
“John Elway” in this box. If I wanted to get something more specific, I’d go
back up to the search box and add more terms – for example, “John Elway
passing and touchdown statistics.”
Over the next few days you will be responsible for finding at least four
“solid” sources – websites that provide valuable and reliable information
about the topic you’re exploring. You will print out or keep track of the four
pages that you think are the best at helping you make your point. You will
also complete an “Internet Source Sheet” for each of these pages, to remind
yourself of where and when you found this information and how you think it
can help you write your paper.
 Internet Source #1
Name of website:
_______________________________________________________________
Name of page or story:
___________________________________________________________
Web address:
___________________________________________________________________

Author of this page or story:

_______________________________________________________
Date I found this webpage:
________________________________________________________
Helpful information I got from this webpage
• _______________________________________________________________________
_
• _______________________________________________________________________
_
• _______________________________________________________________________
_
How I could use this page in my paper:
_______________________________________________

Internet Source #2
Name of website:
_______________________________________________________________
Name of page or story:
___________________________________________________________
Web address:
___________________________________________________________________
Author of this page or story:
_______________________________________________________
Date I found this webpage:
________________________________________________________
Helpful information I got from this webpage
• _______________________________________________________________________
_
• _______________________________________________________________________
_
• _______________________________________________________________________
_
How I could use this page in my paper:
_______________________________________________

Internet Source #3
Name of website:
_______________________________________________________________
Name of page or story:
___________________________________________________________
Web address:
___________________________________________________________________

Author of this page or story:

_______________________________________________________
Date I found this webpage:
________________________________________________________
Helpful information I got from this webpage
• _______________________________________________________________________
 _
• _______________________________________________________________________
_
• _______________________________________________________________________
_
How I could use this page in my paper:
_______________________________________________

Internet Source #4
Name of website:
_______________________________________________________________
Name of page or story:
___________________________________________________________
Web address:
___________________________________________________________________

Author of this page or story:

_______________________________________________________
Date I found this webpage:
________________________________________________________
Helpful information I got from this webpage
• _______________________________________________________________________
_
• _______________________________________________________________________
_
• _______________________________________________________________________
_
How I could use this page in my paper:
_______________________________________________
 Internet Source #5
Name of website:
_______________________________________________________________
Name of page or story:
___________________________________________________________
Web address:
___________________________________________________________________

Author of this page or story:

_______________________________________________________
Date I found this webpage:
________________________________________________________
Helpful information I got from this webpage
• _______________________________________________________________________
_
• _______________________________________________________________________
_
• _______________________________________________________________________
_
How I could use this page in my paper:
_______________________________________________

Reliability of Sources

Reliability Definition:

Credibility Definition:
Remember, we had five questions to help us determine if a source is
reliable and credible. They were:
1) Up-to-date—is it current?
2) Accuracy—is it correct?
3) Authority—who wrote it?
4) Bias—Are there opinions? Is it fair?
5) Is the source reliable?

Practice
Instructions: Your job is to determine whether the following sources are
reliable. Remember: reliability is all about whether you can believe the
evidence and the claims the source is making. Does the information they’re
presenting to you make sense?

Example: The guy down on the street corner tells you that aliens are
everywhere.
Is this claim reliable? Explain your answer.
___________________________________

1. Your doctor tells you that eating fatty junk food like Flamin’ Hot
Cheetoes can cause heart disease and other health problems when
you are an adult.
Is this claim reliable? Explain your answer.
_________________________________________

2. Your mother tells you that there are 55 states in the United States.
Is this claim reliable? Explain your answer.
_________________________________________

3. Raymond tells you a touchdown is worth 6 points in football.

Is this claim reliable? Explain your answer.
 _________________________________________

4. Mr. Solon tells you that there are 210 degrees in every triangle.
Is this claim reliable? Explain your answer.
_________________________________________

5. A bus driver is giving you advice on the busses you can take to get
from Sierra to Harrison High School in 10 minutes. Is he credible?
Explain your answer.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
__
6. The guy selling you a new cell phone is trying to get you to buy the
fanciest one they sell. He says it is a better value than the others.
Is he credible? Explain your answer.

7. A lawyer tells you that you’ve been unfairly fired and that, if you filed a
lawsuit, you could get your old job back. Is he credible? Explain
your answer.

8. The used car saleswoman tells you that the Escalade you’re looking at
is totally safe and is a great value. It certainly hasn’t been in any
car crashes and you’d better buy it fast because someone else was
looking at it pretty hard about an hour ago. Is she credible? Explain
your answer.
 Evaluate Reliability and Credibility of Sources
Instructions: Today, your job is to go back, review, and evaluate the
reliability and credibility of the evidence you found for your research paper.
As a reminder, we worked on reliability and credibility on pages 8-9. You will
be asked to rate the reliability and credibility of the websites you want to
use. Do these ratings on a scale of 1-5, with 1 meaning “I don’t trust this
person or evidence at all” and 5 meaning “If I had to bet my life on this being
true, I would.”

Reliability Explanation Credibilit Explanation

Rating (1- y Rating
5) (1-5)
Name of Source
#1

Name of Source
#2

Name of Source
#3

Name of Source
#4

Name of Source
#5
Look back through the sources you just analyzed. Put stars by the three
most trustworthy sources you found. These will be the three sources you
use in your research paper. Spend the rest of your time today going back
through these sources and underlining the passages that you’d like to use in
your paper.
 Thesis Statements & Topic Sentences3
Topic Sentence Definition:

Example:

Thesis Definition:
Statement

Example:

Thesis Statements

A thesis statement is the basic stand that an author takes, the opinion that
s/he expresses, and the major point that s/he wishes to make about his
subject. It contains the controlling idea of the essay, and therefore, gives the
direction and the unity to all the separate elements of the writing. The
purpose of the essay is to convince the reader that the thesis is indeed a
valid one.

1. The first step in writing an effective thesis statement involves the

focusing, limiting, or narrowing of the topic. The scope of the thesis will
depend on length, purpose, audience, occasion, and knowledge (see
handout—Narrowing the topic)
2. Each thesis will (a) state the subject clearly and specifically so that it
can be broken into parts; (b) take a stand or attitude about the subject;
and (c) provide the direction by indicating, implicitly or explicitly, the
order in which the essay will develop the points.
3. The controlling idea in the thesis is a word, phrase, or clause that
states the opinion, attitude, or stand that the writer takes about the
subject; it provides the angle from which the writer wishes to approach
his subject.
4. The thesis is always a single declarative statement:

A thesis is not a title

Poor
The Decline of Baseball
:
Bett Baseball, once a national pastime and even an addiction, has
er: lost its popularity because of the new interest in more violent
sports.
Poor Homes and Schools.
:
3
http://www.rrcc.edu/writing/topic-thesis.html
 Bett If parents want better education for their children, they must
er: be willing to commit their time to working with the schools.

A thesis is not an announcement of the subject

Poor I want to share some thoughts with you about our space
: program.
Bett Since the space program has yet to provide the American
er: people with any substantial, practical returns, it is a waste of
money and should be dissolved.

A thesis is not a statement of absolute fact

Poor
William Shakespeare wrote King Lear.
:
Bett King Lear exemplifies the finest development of
er: Shakespeare's dramatic talent.

A good thesis is restricted:

It limits the subject to a manageable amount
Poor
People are too selfish.
:
Bett
Rush hour traffic exemplifies human behavior at its worst.
er:
Poor
Crime must be stopped.
:
Bett To stop the alarming rise in the number of violent crimes
er: committed every year, our courts must hand out tougher
sentences.

A good thesis is unified:

It should express one major idea about one subject
Poor Detective stories are not a high form of literature, but people
: have always been fascinated by them and many fine writers
have experimented with them.
Bett
Detective stories appeal to the basic human desire for thrills.
er:

A good thesis is specific

Poor
The new Denver Art Museum is impressive.
:
Bett
The new Denver Art Museum is a monument to human folly.
er:
Poor
Hemingway's war stories are very good.
:
Bett
Hemingway's war stories helped to create a new prose style.
er:

Topic Sentences
The topic sentence and the thesis are analogous. In other words, the topic
sentence is to the paragraph what the thesis is to the entire essay, chapter,
or book. While the thesis gives unity to the essay, the topic sentence gives
unity to the paragraph by developing one major point suggested in the
controlling idea of the thesis. Like the thesis, the topic sentence is integral to
the organization of the essay. Each paragraph should have a topic sentence.

1. It contains the dominating idea that the paragraph will develop.

2. It normally appears as the first sentence in each paragraph.
3. The controlling idea of the topic sentence is the essential descriptive or
judgmental or argumentative part of the sentence and falls in the predicate
of the sentence
4. The topic sentence, like the thesis, is also focused.
5. It is never a prediction nor a question, but rather a single declarative
statement.

Independent Practice
Instructions: Now, go back to the topic you chose to write about on the
bottom of page 3. Write a thesis statement about this topic. What do you
want to help your reader understand by writing this research paper?
My Thesis Statement: ______________________________________________________
 Main Ideas to Support your Thesis
Instructions: This is where writing papers can get really messy. Sure, you
know what you’re going to be writing about. You even have a pretty good
idea about what you want to say. Now, you want to take that big idea – your
topic – and break it down into bite-sized pieces your reader can understand.
This will give your paper structure and will make it more interesting for your
reader—this is where you are developing your topic sentences!
Example: Thesis: John Elway was the greatest Denver Broncos quarterback
of all time
Main Idea 1: First of all, John Elway won back-to-back Super
Bowls.
Main Idea 2: Secondly, John Elway is the reason the team is so
successful today.
Main Idea 3: Finally, Elway’s statistics are so good that no
other quarterback in the Broncos’ history can compete with
them.
Now, give it a shot on your own! Try to come up with different main ideas
that you could use to support the following thesis.
Thesis: School lunches at Sierra High School need to be improved.
Main Idea 1:
_______________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Main Idea 2:
_______________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________
Main Idea 3:
_______________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Finally! The moment you’ve been waiting for. Come up with three ideas you
can break down your thesis sentence into. You want these to be bite-sized
pieces of the topic you’ll be exploring. Focus on three different things that
can prove the point you’re trying to make to your reader.
My Thesis:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_
Main Idea 1:
_____________________________________________________________
Main Idea 2:
_____________________________________________________________
Main Idea 3:
_____________________________________________________________
 Select and Analyze Evidence

My Thesis:
______________________________________________________________________

An Analysis Refresher:
**Focus point: How does your quote prove that your topic sentence is true?**
Analysis Sentence #1: Explanation of Quote
*Start with “(Author’s name) suggests that…”

Analysis Sentence #2: Elaboration + Relation Back to Topic Sentence

*Use key words from topic sentence, explain the meaning of the quote and
how it supports one side.

Analysis
A QUOTE from Analysis
Copy your MAIN Sentence 2 –
my evidence that Sentence 1 –
IDEAS from page Elaboration
supports this Explanation
7 Relate quote back
main idea “In this quote…:”
to main idea
Main Idea #1

Main Idea #2

Main Idea #3
 Introduction Paragraphs
Instructions: Your introduction paragraph is where you grab your reader’s
attention and tell them what your paper will be about. Get them interested
in what you have to say! Without a good introduction, it is likely that your
read will just set your paper down without reading the whole thing.

An introduction paragraph contains the following three parts:

Hook Grab your reader’s attention and get them interested in what you’re
writing about.
Thesis Write the thesis of the paper. Tell the reader what this paper will
make them believe.
Previe In one sentence, preview the main points you will be making
w throughout your paper.

Here’s an example of an effective introduction paragraph:

Hook Over 11 million innocent people taken to camps and systematically
murdered. 5% of the entire world’s population killed. Sound like
science fiction? It actually happened in the not so distant past.
Thesis World War II was one of the most devastating conflicts in the history
of humanity.
Previe World War II had terrible impacts on the world because of the evils
w of the Holocaust, the economic outcomes of the war, and the long-
term implications between countries in Europe.

Practice
Instructions: Fill in the blank boxes to complete the introductory paragraph
for this research paper.
Hook

Thesis The Colorado Rockies have been a very successful baseball team.
Previe
w

Write Your Introduction!

Hook

Thesis
Previe
w

Conclusion Paragraphs
Instructions: The purpose of a conclusion paragraph is exactly that – to tie up
all of your loose ends and bring your paper to a solid ending. A conclusion
paragraph contains the two following parts:

Go Use a transition word/phrase, then revisit your thesis statement and

Back! three main reasons (topic sentences)
Closin
End your persuasive essay with a hook (something interesting!). Tell
g
your reader exactly what you want them to feel, think, or do!
Hook

Here’s an example of an effective conclusion paragraph:

In the end, this paper has shown that World War II was one of the
Go most devastating conflicts in the history of humanity by explaining
Back! the Holocaust, showing how the war started, and exploring the impact
the war had on the rest of the world.
Closin Though 62 million deaths seem unthinkable, it is important to
g remember that this really happened and that we need to keep it from
Hook happening again in the future.

Practice
Instructions: Fill in the blank boxes to complete the conclusion paragraph for
this research paper. Go back and use the main points you came up with
when writing your introduction on page 15!
Ultimately, this paper has shown that the Colorado Rockies have
been a very successful baseball team because…
Go
Back!

Closing
Hook

Write Your Conclusion!

Go
Back!

Closing
Hook

Possible Outline for your Final Draft

I. Introduction (1 paragraph)
II. Introduce the topic (1-2 paragraphs)
III.Compare and contrast the two sides of the topic (2-6
paragraphs)
IV. Persuade the reader to your opinion on the topic (3-5
paragraphs)
V. Conclusion (1 paragraph)

In total, the paper must be 3-5 pages. Following this format would
give you 8-15 paragraphs. Remember to be detailed and use your
research!

How Will My Paper Be Graded?

The paper is worth 200 points total. Before you turn it in, make sure you are
checking this rubric to ensure you are aligned for a good grade.

_________ 100 points—Content/Unifying Elements—A strong thesis is

supported by research and organization. This will be graded
based on the Harrison D2 writing rubric.

_________ 40 points—Packet Completion—The packet is completed on

time at check points along the way.

_________ 40 points—Research/Sources—Sources are relevant,

accurate, and reliable. Student uses the sources appropriately to
support his/her arguments.

_________ 30 points—Conventions/Copy Editing—This will be based

upon the Harrison D2 writing rubric; writing is nearly error free
 with appropriate grammar use and conventions rules.

_________ TOTAL SCORE OUT OF 210 POINTS

* A replacement packet means a loss of 10 points from the final grade. Do

NOT lose your packet!

FINAL DRAFT IS DUE

_______________________!!!