October 2014
English 3A – Raimondo (Research Assignment)
You will be writing a 4-6-page research paper centered on Steinbeck’s
novel, The Grapes of Wrath. You will pick one of the below topics to
complete your assignment
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
The Dust Bowl
The Experience of the Migrant Worker
California as the “Promised Land”
Government Implementations During the 1930s
Arts of the Dust Bowl (Literature/Photography/Film/Music)
Steinbeck’s influence on the American Canon
For your topic, you will be asked to complete the following guidelines:
 4-6 pages in length (does not include cover page or references
page)
 7-10 MLA formatted note cards (follow sample)
 Outline of paper (follow sample)
 7-10 sources (at least two scholarly essays/articles)
 *Your sources will be a mix of information about your topic
and about how the novel ties in with your topic*
 MLA-formatted Works Cited page at the end of the paper and
parenthetical citations in the body of the essay. Please see
information in the library to guide you. (see Pathfinder)
YOUR TASK: Please title “Introduction,” “Part One,” “Part Two,”
“Part Three” and “Part Four” and organize your essay with these
titles!
 Part One (Introduction): Create one clear and direct claim about
your research topic in the introduction and set up what your essay
will include. Your thesis should answer the following question:
What is significant about: (choose one)
o The Dust Bowl?
o The Experience of the Migrant Worker?
o California as the “Promised Land?”
o Government changes in the 1930s?
o The influence of the arts in the 1930s?
o Steinbeck’s influence on the American Canon?
Part One (the introduction) should be no more than one
paragraph
 Part Two: Discuss specifically how/why your topic is an important
one to know in your studying and analysis of American Life during
this time period. Be specific – use details from your sources to
provide a real sense of what makes your topic noteworthy. This


part of the paper will be where the majority of your sources will be
used.
Part Three: Discuss how Steinbeck’s novel specifically approaches
this subject. In this part of the paper, you will likely be using a
critical essay that will acknowledge how the novel itself deals with
this particular topic. If you choose the last topic, you are going to
talk about Steinbeck’s influence on the American Canon in the
whole essay, but focus on The Grapes of Wrath in this section.
Part Four (Conclusion): Tie your ideas into a cohesive conclusion.
Be sure to return to the original big question and consider how the
literary and historical examples you explained help to support your
overall claim. In your conclusion, you are encouraged to add the
first-person and include a brief reflection about the research
process as a whole, as well as the information you learned.
Research Assignment – Time line for period 7
Step 1: Choose topic (Day 1 in Media Center)
Step 2: Collect Sources – Library Visits (10/6 and 10/7 – 5 or 10/7 and
10/8 – 4) to collect sources, review the school website and databases,
and review MLA-style citations. At this point, you should have at least
five sources and a working Works Cited page. (See previous page about
the types of sources you need)
Draft of Works Cited page: due on turnitin anytime on Thursday,
10/9
Step 3: Create Thesis and working outline for paper (see sample)
Thesis/outline: due on turnitin anytime on Wednesday, 10/15.
Step 4: note sheets (see sample)
Note Cards: due in class on Friday, 10/17
Step 5: Essay. Due: Friday, 10/24. Please submit to turnitin.com.
NOTE: IN ORDER FOR THE ESSAY TO RECEIVE CREDIT, IT MUST BE
UPLOADED TO TURNITIN. Work must include:
 MLA style with headings and parenthetical citations (see samples)
 Entire Essay
 Works Cited page
Please be sure to refer to the Media Center sheet and the Pathfinder
on the school website for additional information, sources by subject,
citation generators, and parenthetical citations. It is very helpful!