Name: Early American History Date: Period: Ms. McFarland Early American History - Research Paper ASSIGNMENT: For the next 8 weeks, you will be responsible for writing a 6-8 page formal research paper in MLA style. This will be a long process, but it will be broken down into smaller, manageable steps. PLEASE NOTE: Because this is a formal research paper, every assignment (except your topic, thesis, and notes) must be in MLA format. This means they must be typed. If this is an issue, please let me know now. BASIC MLA RULES: - Times New Roman, size 12 font, double spaced, 1-inch margins, proper heading, proper header (top left corner - LastName #), no block quotes, no pictures, graphs, or images RESEARCH STEPS, DUE DATES, and POINT VALUES: Research Step Due Date Point Value Topic Wednesday, March 12 1 points Thesis Friday, March 14 2 points Notes Check #1 Friday, March 28 2 points Annotated Bibliography Friday, March 28 2 points Notes Check #2 Wednesday, April 2 2 points Outline Friday, April 4 2 points Partial Rough Draft Wednesday, April 16 3 points Preliminary Works Cited Wednesday, April 16 2 points Final Paper and Works Cited Monday, May 2 points All assignments will be posted on the class website at: tmcfarlandncahs.weebly.com go to Early American History 1 & 4 tab, at left Click on Sophomore Research Paper Page, at right Google.Docs Email Address: tmcfarland.ncahs@gmail.com
ASSIGNMENTS BREAKDOWN TOPIC: Due Wednesday, March 12 Library Days: Monday, March 1 & Tuesday, March 11 Y ou must receive approval for your topic. Y ou may pick a topic that falls under the broad subject of: - Early American History - this means ANY THING that happened in what becomes the United States up to the year 1877 THESIS: Due Friday, March 14 Library Days: Wednesday, March 12, Thursday, March 13, & Friday, March 14 Y our thesis statement needs to answer a question about the issue you would like to explore. Y our job is to figure out a specific issue that you would like to research and write about. A good thesis statement will usually have the following four qualities: - gives an opinion on a subject with which reasonable people could disagree - deals with a subject that can be adequately discussed given the nature of the assignment - expresses one main idea - asserts your conclusions about a subject NOTES CHECK #1: Due Friday, March 28 Library Days: Monday, March 24 & Tuesday, March 2 At the first notes check, you should have 2 total pages (handwritten or typed) of notes on your subject. Be sure to use a variety of sources, research different topics that will help you to draft your essay. and keep track of your sources. Keep in mind: on your final works cited page, you must have a book source, a database source, and a primary source. ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY: Due Friday, March 28 Library Days: Monday, March 24 & Tuesday, March 2 For your annotated bibliography, you should have a working bibliography of eight (8) sources in MLA format. Y ou will add and delete sources as you continue to conduct research and determine which sources will be most helpful to your essay writing. Basic Guidelines: After citing the source in MLA format, you will write for each source a short statement (2-3 sentences) that describes the source and how it will help you in the research process. NOTES CHECK #2: Due Wednesday, April 2 Library Day: Monday, March 31 At the second notes check, you should have 4 total pages (handwritten or typed) of notes on your subject. Be sure to use a variety of sources, research different topics that will help you to draft your essay. and keep track of your sources. Keep in mind: on your final works cited page, you must have a book source, a database source, and a primary source.
OUTLINE: Due Friday, April 4 Library Day: Monday, March 31 An outline is a general plan of the material that is to be presented in a paper. The outline shows the order of the various topics, the relative importance of each, and the relationship between the various parts. It is much easier to write a clear, organized, and well-written essay if it is organized and planned. In order to make sure that you can keep your thoughts organized, you will complete an outline for your research paper. Y our outline will clearly set up your essay and help you as you write your paper. PARTIAL ROUGH DRAFT: Due Wednesday, April 16 Library Days: Monday, April 7 & Tuesday, April 8 - your partial rough draft must: - be 3 pages minimum - contain in-text citations - be edited and proofread - follow MLA format - cite at least 3 sources - Keep in mind - your final paper needs to have: - at least 1 book source, 1 database source, 1 primary source PRELIMINARY WORKS CITED: Due Wednesday, April 16 Library Days: Monday, April 7 & Tuesday, April 8 A Works Cited page only includes the sources to which you specifically refer in your paper. As you write your rough drafts and work on your final version, be sure to include on your works cited page sources that you are directing citing in your essay. This means you must also cut out sources which you do not directly cite or reference. FINAL PAPER and WORKS CITED: Due Monday, May - your final paper must: - be turned in with a hard copy - be 6-8 pages in length - + Works Cited Page - properly use in-text citations - be thoroughly edited and proofread - follow MLA format - cite at least sources - at least 1 book source, 1 database source, 1 primary source
A QUICK NOTE ON SOURCES: Y ou should use credible, academic sources for your research. While Wikipedia is a great place to start your research and find a topic, it should not be used for any serious research. Books, university websites, scholarly articles, and databases are all great and appropriate sources for this formal assignment. Do not waste your time on ask.com. If you have any concerns about the credibility of a website, ask for help. A FINAL WORD ON PLAGIARISM: Pla gia rism: the act of using another person's words or ideas without giving credit to that person (Merriam-Webster.com) Do not plagiarize. Do not copy and paste. Do not paraphrase without giving credit to the original author of the material. Do not use quotes without properly citing them. When in doubt, cite the source. Any ideas or analyses that are not your own must be cited with both an in-text citation AND a corresponding entry on your works cited page. FORMATTING YOUR FIRST PAGE: Student 1 Maggie Student Ms. McFarland Early American History May 214 Mapping the Unknown: European Anxieties The European world s long lasting interactions with the New World began in 1492 with Christopher Columbus s expedition to America. The European nations continued to explore and exploit this new land during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries as they settled, hunted, and established a variety of other ties linking Europe to America.
FINAL RESEARCH PAPER RUBRIC: Thesis 1 points Clear and specific thesis guides the paper. 1 Direct thesis, a little vague or broad. 7-9 Functional thesis, but v ery general or too factual. 4-6 Non-thesis. Too vague, open, or factual. - 3 Body - Supporting Evidence 3 points Supporting details are relev ant, well-used, and ex plained. 26-3 Details are relev ant and supportiv e, but may not be fully explained or well introduced. 18-2 Supporting evidence is used, but is not introduced or ex plained, and may not relate. 1-17 A few examples jammed into the paper. No ex planations given. Very unsupported. - 9 Conclusion 1 points Conclusion ties back to thesis, and leaves the audience thinking. 1 Conclusion ties back to the thesis, but is generically written. 8 Conclusion relates to the thesis only loosely. Audience left hanging. No conclusion. Paper just stops. Spelling and Grammar 1 points Perfect. 1 A couple mistakes, but no major errors. 8 Mistakes throughout essay. Errors interfere with reading - writer did not proofread essay. Formatting and Length 1 points Perfect. 1 One big mistake, or half a page short. 9 Two major mistakes, or a full page short. MLA format not recognizable in the paper, and/or more than a page short. In-Text Citations and Works Cited 2 points (Note the absence of both will result in a failing grade ov erall) Perfect formatting in both in-text and works cited. Appropriate number of sources used (five total; 1 book, 1 primary source, 1 database). 2 Perfect formatting in both in-text and Works Cited. One to two sources short on works cited, or missing one required source category. 2 Problems with formatting, either with in-tex t citations or works cited. Only one to two sources used. 12 There are no in-tex t citations in the paper and/or the works cited is blatantly incorrect. There are no in-tex t citations and no works cited. - Total: / 1