Name: _________________________________________
RESEARCH PAPER: CP US HISTORY I
Instruction and Grading Sheet
(350 points)
DUE DATES
Outline: No Later than
First Draft: No Later Than
Grade: /50
Grade: /100
Final Draft: No Later Than Grade: /200
Total Score: /350
Background: This report is designed to help the student to gain a wider range of information about American
History and to reinforce the research and writing skills of the students. In the limited amount of time provided for the course, there is not enough time to cover all aspects of the history of our great nation. The topics selected for this report relate to the major themes we will cover throughout the course, and provide an opportunity to learn more about them and their impact on America.
Research Paper Format Checklist : Make sure to check EACH requirement as you write your paper! o Double Spaced o 12 point Times New Roman Font o 1” Margins (top, bottom, left and right) o Title page (Title for the paper, your name, period number, and date) o Page numbers (do not put a page number on the title page) o Minimum 4 full pages
—23 lines per page with a total of 92 lines
* The title page, bibliography, and direct quotes over one line in length are not included in the page
count. A word of advice: DO NOT “shoot for the minimum” number of pages!
* 2 points will be deducted for EACH LINE under 4 full pages o Maximum 8 pages o Sources cited using MLA format (minimum of 4 sources)
* At least 2 of the sources need to be from print media (books, periodicals, googlebooks, etc…)
* Includes in-text citations
* Wikipedia and your textbook CAN NOT be cited as sources for this paper!
SAMPLE TOPICS:
(Choose another topic from the scope of the course (1607-1877) if one of these does not appeal to you.)

Salem Witch Trials

Life in Colonial America

The Battle of Quebec
 Roger’s Rangers

General Braddock’s March

The Boston Tea Party

The Sons of Liberty/Colonial Protests

The Battle of Bunker Hill

The Battle of Saratoga

The Battle of Yorktown

Spies in the American Revolution

The Winter at Valley Forge

The Constitutional Convention

The Whiskey Rebellion
 The Lewis and Clark Expedition

The War of 1812

The Battle of Lake Erie

The Battle of New Orleans

The Trail of Tears/Indian Removal Act

The Battle of the Alamo/Texas Independence

The Oregon Trail

Slavery in America


The Underground Railroad/Abolition

The Kansas-Nebraska Act/Bleeding Kansas

The Battle of First Manassas/Bull Run

The Battle of Antietam

The Battle of Gettysburg
 The Battle of Vicksburg
 Sherman’s March to Sea

Andersonville Prison

Civil War Spies

The 54 th
Massachusetts/African American
Troops in the Civil War

Assassination of Lincoln
 The Early Women’s Rights Movement

The Great Awakening

Changes in Military Technology and Tactics

Reconstruction

The Industrial Revolution in America
Pre-1870

Great American Inventions/Inventors
Pre-1870

Changes in Political Parties Pre-1870

You will earn points for this assignment according to the following rubric:
□ OUTLINE: (50 points total)
□
Introduction Paragraph: (10 points total)
□ Four or more facts for background information (7 points)
□ Thesis Statement with at least 3 subtopics (3 point).
□ Body Paragraph(s) 1 (Thesis Statement Sub-Topic 1): (10 points total)
□ Identify the subtopic for this section (2 points).
□ Five or more facts relating to this subtopic (8 points).
□ Body Paragraph(s) 2 (Thesis Statement Sub-Topic 2): (10 points total)
□ Identify the subtopic for this section (2 points).
□ Five or more facts relating to this subtopic (8 points).
□ Body Paragraph(s) 3 (Thesis Statement Sub-Topic 3): (10 points total)
□ Identify the subtopic for this section (2 points).
□ Five or more facts relating to this subtopic (8 points).
□ Concluding Paragraph: (10 points total)
□ Four or more facts to sum up the main points of the paper. (7 points)
□ Reworded Thesis Statement (3 point).
□ FORMAT (Not following formatting requirements will reduce your grade by up to 40%)
□ Outline is not double spaced: Minus 10 points .
□ No title: Minus 10 points .
□ FIRST DRAFT: (100 points total)
□ Opening: (20 points)
□ Thesis Statement (5 points)
□ Body: (30 points total)
□ Thesis Sub-Topic 1
□ Thesis Sub-Topic 2
□ Thesis Sub-Topic 3
□ Closing: (20 points)
□ Thesis Re-statement (5 points)
□ Properly cite sources using MLA format : (20 points)
□ FORMAT
□ First draft is not double spaced: Minus 15 points .
□ First draft is not 12 point Times New Roman: Minus 10 points .
□ First draft margins are not 1" (top, bottom, left and right): Minus 10 points .
□ No title:
Minus 15 points .
/7
/3
/2
/8
/2
/8
/2
/8
/7
/3
/20
/5
/10
/10
/10
/20
/5
/20
The First Draft (like the Final Draft) will be evaluated in terms of focus, content, organization, style, and convention, as specified by the
PSSA writing standards.

□
FINAL DRAFT: (200 points)
Introduction: (35 points)
Thesis Statement
Well Stated and accurately reflects the research topic
Informs the reader about the subject of the paper
Content
Moves from a general description of the event to more specific
information that is relevant to the topic
Each sentence builds to support the thesis statement
Relevance of this source is explained
Format
Proper format for in-text citations
Proper grammar, spelling, and style for the paper
Body Paragraphs: Each paragraph will be evaluated on the following criteria. (90 Points)
A. Topic Sentence
Well-stated and accurately reflects a subtopic of the thesis
B. Support Information
Relevance, quality, and amount of textual support the sources used
Each piece of information builds upon the thesis subtopic
Minimum of one outside source used per paragraph
C. Communication and Style
Smooth blending of the material into student writing
All ideas are thoroughly developed
Incorporates effective word choice and uses a variety of sentence structures
Provides logical transitions between sentences and paragraphs
D. Paragraph Structure and Formatting
Content
Proper use of grammar, spelling, and mechanics
Proper format for in-text citations
Logical order to the information presented (This is a History paper!)
Concluding Paragraph: (35 points)
P1 P2 P3
/5 /5 /5
/10 /10 /10
/10 /10 /10
/5 /5 /5
All responses are relevant to the thesis
Moves from specific information to more general information
Reminds the reader of the points made and pulls them together
Thesis Reminder
Is the first sentence of the paragraph that reminds the reader of the thesis, but does not repeat the thesis word for word
Format
Proper format for in-text citations
Proper grammar, spelling, and style for the paper
Works Cited Page: (40 points)
Must list and have used a minimum of 4 Different Reliable sources
Two of the sources must be from books or periodicals
Uses MLA format for the works cited page
Sources chosen are relevant to the topic of the report
Final grade for the research paper:
/5
/15
/15
/15
/30
/30
/15
/15
/5
/15
/40
/200