Writing Tips with Ms. Masters & Ms. Gogarty Imperialism Research Essay DO NOW: Elect ONE person at your table to collect your Plagiarism HW. 1
Tips on Essay Writing STEP 1: Determine what type of paper you are writing 2
Is your paper: Analytical- paper breaks down an issue or idea into parts, evaluates the issue, and presents a break down to the audience Expository- paper explains something Argumentative- paper justifies a claim with specific evidence (opinion-based) 3
Helpful Research Collection Strategies Re-read Close read/ talk-to-the-text Take notes Create categories Find cause/effect relationships Seek out facts Define new vocabulary Charts, diagrams, maps Draft & revise 4
STEP 2: Begin Research & Collect Supporting Evidence Why Use Textual Evidence in Your Paper? 5
About Providing Excellent Evidence character names or factual research materials places/setting or location/geography specific occurrences textual evidence facts, facts, facts! proves engagement and understanding supports thesis, not opinion 6
Textual Evidence Requirement: At least 3 pieces of textual evidence (actual words from the text) to support your opinion of your main points Each must include: a statement of fact + the page # 7
Original Fact from Research Source- By 1521, Tenochtitlan had fallen, the conquest of the Aztec Empire was complete, and Cortes had literally become a king by his own hand. Incorporating Evidence into Essay- As stated in Conquistadors article, By 1521, Tenochtitlan had fallen, the conquest of the Aztec Empire was complete, and Cortes had literally become a king by his own hand (2). OR Through research it can be concluded that by 1521, Tenochtitlan had fallen, the conquest of the Aztec Empire was complete, and Cortes had literally become a king by his own hand ( Conquistadors 2). 8
Let s take a look at the assignment for our first essay. What evidence could we collect at this time based on the summer reading? 9
STEP 3: Determine Main Points Let s narrow down the research through summarizing & paraphrasing 10
Summarizing to briefly state main points to give the short version uses your own words 11
Paraphrasing to retell in your own words to reword, rephrase 12
When summarizing & paraphrasing NEW information you must... cite your sources correctly use MLA format with author s last name (if given) and the page # With author s name: Your paraphrased fact in your own words (Ward 2). Without author s name: Your paraphrased fact in your own words ( European exploration 3). 13
Avoiding Plagiarism cite your sources reword without using the same words the original author uses main ideas come through, but the wording is your own use direct, correctly cited textual evidence 14
STEP 4: Draft a Thesis Statement Why use a thesis statement in your paper? 15
Thesis Statements do... address the point of your paper appear at the END of the first paragraph state something a little strange creates an argument that builds from one point to the next, giving the paper direction 16
Never Ever Do These! Thesis Statements do NOT... Never Ever Do These! appear as the first sentence of the paper start with In this paper, I will talk about/address... NEVER EVER EVER 17
Never Ever Do This!...and one more thing Never Ever Do This! Never use the first person point of view ( I ) when writing a formal research-based or position essay. NEVER EVER EVER 18
Honors Example: Throughout history European Imperialism spread due to,, and. CONSIDER the following... mercantilism (economic) - Industrial Revolution required countries to colonize and create new markets spread of religious values (religious) - Christianity social superiority (social) - Western v. Native Lifestyles empire construction (political) - more expansion, more land, more power 19
Magical Thesis Statement sometimes comes in handy... By looking at, we can see, which most do not see; this is important because. 20
STEP 5: Create an Outline Use an outline format to organize your thoughts. 21
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REMEMBER to... USE A GRABBER SENTENCE...and TRANSITION WORDS (see handout on transition words) 23
Transition Words Maintain the flow of thought They can be placed: at the beginning of a sentence at the end of a sentence within the sentence 24
When Organizing Paragraphs... Topic sentences to begin each new paragraph Textual evidence to support your statements Last body paragraph contains your strongest point 25
Topic Sentences: usually begin with a transition word are the first sentence of each body paragraph introduce the topic of the paragraph in a clear, concise way ( mini thesis ) reveal details and main ideas of the paragraph 26
When writing & citing sources: Remember Titles of books are either underlined or italicized The House on Mango Street or The House on Mango Street Articles and shorter works are in quotation marks European Exploration 27
When typing the paper... Remember: double space entire document use 12 point font 1 inch margins your last name and page # appear on top right corner of each page (in header box) use proper heading format 28
MLA Paper Format Example Student Last Name page# Student First + Last Name Gogarty/Masters Humanities 9 Honors - periods # 15 Sept 2014 Title Introductory paragraph... Grabber Sentence... Throughout history, specifically in Latin America,... Support... Support... Support... Support... Support... Thesis Statement. 29