Writing to Inform and Explain Developing a Research Paper
Why Write? Every time an author writes he or she has a purpose Express and Reflect Inform and Explain Evaluate and Judge Inquire and Explore Analyze and Interpret Take a Stand/Propose a Solution
Step 1: Developing a Thesis Thesis Statement: the sentence that states the essay s purpose Provides justification to the essay Prevents an assertion sufficiently limited to find support in the essay It is the central argument around which the essay revolves
Step 1: Thesis Writing A good thesis: Expresses the main idea Answers or sets up the So What Question Says something meaningful and answers an interpretive question Presents an arguable statement which can be supported with sustained evidence
Step 1: Thesis Writing There are 3 types of thesis statements: Static Dynamic Integrated
Step 1: Thesis Writing Static Unchanging, still, inactive General and somewhat vague Ex: Twain uses humor in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for many reasons.
Step 1: Thesis Writing Dynamic Lively, active, growing, developing Adds how or why Ex: Twain uses humor in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to accomplish his goal.
Step 1: Thesis Writing Integrated Brings together processes or functions that are normally separate, made up of aspects that work well together Offers connection to the real world Ex: Twain uses humor in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to lampoon Southern society in order to reevaluate society s beliefs.
Practice: Identifying Types of Thesis Statements With your face partner, determine whether or not the following thesis statement is static, dynamic, or integrated. Provide 1-2 sentences of justification for your choice: Harper Lee explains the true meaning of courage in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird by having many characters face challenges throughout the novel.
Practice: Identifying Types of Thesis Statements With your face partner, determine whether or not the following thesis statement is static, dynamic, or integrated. Provide 1-2 sentences of justification for your choice: Harper Lee explains the true meaning of courage in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
Practice: Identifying Types of Thesis Statements With your face partner, determine whether or not the following thesis statement is static, dynamic, or integrated. Provide 1-2 sentences of justification for your choice: Harper Lee educates readers about the importance of courage in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird by creating situations in which characters are forced to go against societal norms.
Step 2: Body Paragraphs The body of your essay includes information that connects back to your thesis. For our essay, we will follow the CLEAR Paragraph structure: Claim Lead-in Evidence Analysis Relevance
Step 2: Body Paragraphs Claim This is your topic sentence Much like your thesis drives the essay, your claim should drive the paragraph A strong claim is dynamic and addresses a specific point about the topic
Step 2: Body Paragraphs Lead in The lead in introduces background information about the claim, and ultimately sets up the evidence. The lead in can be paraphrased or summarized information from your research, however you still need to cite any time you paraphrase or summarize.
Step 2: Body Paragraphs Paraphrasing The act of putting a passage from source material into your own words. A paraphrase must also be attributed to the original source. Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly. Summarizing The act of putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). Once again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material.
Step 2: Body Paragraphs Evidence The evidence you use should be a quote from one of your sources. Quotations must be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the source. They must match the source document word for word and must be attributed to the original author.
Step 2: Body Paragraphs Analysis The analysis portion of your paragraph is breaking down the evidence for the reader. Things to consider: What is the author saying? What does the evidence show?
Step 2: Body Paragraphs Relevance The relevance portion of your paragraph should answer the So What Question. Why does the evidence you ve provided connect back to your thesis? What real world implications can be taken away?
Practice: Deconstructing Body Paragraphs Read through the sample body paragraph from the essay Every Little Girl Wants to Be a Princess, Right? Look for elements of the CLEAR paragraph structure. Underline the Claim [Bracket] the Lead-in Circle the Evidence Highlight the Analysis Put *asterisks* around the Relevance
Journal #2 Free write about your overall topic for your paper (the topic that your group as a whole researched). Based on your research, what have you learned about your topic and why is it important for other people to be informed about your topic? What will other people gain from having read your research paper and how it will it impact their lives?
Step 3: Intro and Concluding Paragraphs Introduction Hook/Opener Quote, question, fact General Overview Introduce Research Topic/Question Thesis statement
Step 3: Intro and Conclusion Examples of Hooks and Openers Provide a What If Scenario Provide a fact from your research Provide a quote from your research Ask a rhetorical question Provide information about a historical event
Step 3: Intro and Conclusion Conclusion Restate thesis Summarize main findings Explain Significance Your final chance to answer that So What Question
Overall Essay General Specific General
Step 5: MLA Format, Citations, and Works Cited Format Refer to Handout In-text Citations Works Cited Refer to Handout
Step 5: MLA Format, Citations, Works Cited In-text Citations If you know the author: Provide a signal word or phrase along with the author s last name and a page number Ex: According to Author X. (3) If you don t know the author: Provide the name of the title of the source and page number in parenthesis at the end of the quote Ex: ( Title of Article 3) If citing a website: Provide a signal phrase that includes the name of the website, not the entire URL Ex: CNN.com, Forbes.com, etc. No paragraph or page numbers are necessary
Step 5: MLA Format, Citations, Works Cited Works Cited The works cited is the last page of your essay, note it is on it s own separate page, not listed after your conclusion It is titled Works Cited, no bold or italics Double space all citations, but do not skip entries between lines in a single citation. If a citation goes past one line indent by one tab Entries appear in alphabetical order Use Easybib.com to help you make your citations, then copy and paste to your Works Cited