Kirk 1
Please Stop Laughing at Me… and Pay it Forward
Final Writing Assignment
Our focus for the past few months has been on bullying and how we treat other people. We’ve played some
games, read some articles, read a book and watched a movie dealing with these issues. Your assignment is to
put together all you have learned into one coherent paper.
Jodee Blanco (Please Stop Laughing at Me…) and Trevor McKinney (Pay it Forward) both represent the idea of
helping not only others, but also their community and the world in which we live. You will explain how these two
individuals affected others, their community and their world. You will also research another person who you
think has had a positive influence on change in others, their community and the world (MLK, Rosa Parks, Mother
Teresa, Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela, etc…). Here is a website for you to use for your research:
http://www.biographyonline.net/people/people-who-made-a-difference.html
This will be a formal, five paragraph essay in MLA format. Here’s how it will lay out…
1st paragraph – Introduction. You will give background information (book, movie titles, etc.). You should start
with a general, overall idea that links your three people together. As you work through this paragraph, get
more specific and end with your THESIS STATEMENT.
2nd paragraph – Jodee. This paragraph should focus on Jodee Blanco. It should include and EXPLAIN examples
of how she has positively affected other people, her community and her world.
3rd paragraph – Trevor. This paragraph should focus on Trevor McKinney. It should include and EXPLAIN
examples of how he has positively affected other people, his community and his world.
4th paragraph – the person you research. This paragraph should include and EXPLAIN examples of how he/she
has positively affected other people, his/her community and his/her world. You will have to research this
information, use citations in your paper, and include a Works Cited page (don’t worry, we will go over this
together and I can help you with this).
5th paragraph – Conclusion. This paragraph should start with a general statement that can help tie your three
people together. You should then write ONE summary sentence of EACH of your body paragraphs (for a total
of three summary sentences). Then, you need to end with a few sentences that tie all your ideas together and
answer the question “so what?” Think about questions such as:
♦ Why were these three people important and what impact do they have today?
♦ What do these people teach us about how we treat others?
♦ What is their message?
♦ What is the lesson we are supposed to learn?
Kirk 2
How to set up your paper: (SEE THE SAMPLE MLA FORMAT PAPER THAT I GAVE YOU AS AN EXAMPLE!!!)
o Your name, my name, class and date (in that order) should be in the upper left-hand corner of the page
o DOUBLE SPACE EVERYTHING! To do this, hold down the control button (CTRL in bottom left of keyboard)
and press A. This will highlight everything on your paper. At the top of the screen, look for the arrows
that are going up and down. Click on the link and go to “Double.” This will double space your entire
paper.
o For the title, move the cursor to the center of the paper. Use the link that is 3 places to the left of the link
you just clicked to double space your paper. Even if you don’t know what your title is going to be yet,
please type Title there so that you remember to change it later.
o Title of your paper should not be underlined, italicized, bolded or have “quotation marks”
o Should not be “PSLAM and Pay it Forward Comparison Paper”!!! Should be about ideas that
help tie paper together – helping others, making the world a better place, etc
o Title should also be correctly capitalized – all “big” words but no articles (a, an, the, etc., unless
it is the first word of the title)
o You need a header with the page number at the top of the page. To do this, go to the Insert tab at the
top of the screen. Then, choose the option that says Page Number. Choose the first option that has a
number 1 and a number 2 in the upper right corners. Move the cursor BEFORE the page number, type
your LAST NAME and press the space bar once. You should now have a header at the top and the page
numbers will change as you type more pages. It should look like the Kirk 2 at the top of this page.
INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH
o Tab indent all paragraphs
o Intro paragraph
o Should start with general statement and then narrow down to thesis
o Thesis should be last sentence of intro paragraph
o Movie and book titles should be italicized or underlined. NOT BOTH OR QUOTES
BODY PARAGRAPH #1 – PLEASE STOP LAUGHING AT ME
o The 2nd paragraph should address 3 KEY concepts: How did each person affect
o OTHER PEOPLE? (star)
o THEIR COMMUNITY? (heart)
o THEIR WORLD? (smiley face)
BODY PARAGRAPH #2 – PAY IT FORWARD
o The 3rd paragraph should address 3 KEY concepts: How did each person affect
o OTHER PEOPLE? (star)
o THEIR COMMUNITY? (heart)
o THEIR WORLD? (smiley face)
Kirk 3
BODY PARAGRAPH #3 – PERSON YOU CHOSE
o The 4th paragraph should address 3 KEY concepts: How did each person affect
o OTHER PEOPLE? (star)
o THEIR COMMUNITY? (heart)
o THEIR WORLD? (smiley face)
CONCLUSION
o Use the graphic organizer to help you arrange your information
o Make sure you have at least one summary sentence for EACH of your body paragraphs
o Make sure you end with a big idea – a “So What?” thought
OTHER FORMATTING/EXTRA INFORMATION
♦ There should be NO EXTRA spaces between paragraphs
♦ None of the paper should be bold type
♦ The spell check on the computer should be used
♦ The paper should be in 12 pt. font; Times New Roman or Arial font. ALL OF IT
♦ All names of people from the book and movie should be spelled correctly and include first AND last
names (for those whose last names we know)
♦ Movie and book titles are italicized OR underlined
♦ You may NOT use the pronoun “I” anywhere in your paper. So, don’t use sentences such as “I think
that…”
♦ To find movie quotes, please see www.imdb.com.
o Search for the movie title
o Scroll down to find the link to “Quotes”
o Search through the quotes to find one that is appropriate for your paragraph
♦ Works Cited should be on separate paper, attached behind essay
Kirk 4
Introductory Paragraph
Use the graphic organizer below to fill in the details for your first paragraph.
Hook – get reader’s attention – tell a story, use statistics, use a quote, etc.
General information about topic(s)
Introduce PSLAM (full title and author)
Introduce movie (title and actor(s))
Introduce person you chose
Thesis statement
Kirk 5
Body Paragraph 1 – Please Stop Laughing at Me
Use the boxes to organize your information for your paragraph. You need to find at least ONE quote to
support your ideas in this paragraph.
Person Jodee had
positive impact on
What happened? Describe the event.
What was the result of the event? Why
did this have a positive impact?
Page #
ONE Direct quote from text
How does quote show Jodee’s impact on
person/community/world?
1
2
3
Kirk 6
Communities Jodee
had positive impact on
What happened? Describe the event.
What was the result of the event? Why
did this have a positive impact?
What happened? Describe the event.
What was the result of the event? Why
did this have a positive impact?
1
2
World Jodee had
positive impact on
1
Kirk 7
Body Paragraph 2 – Pay it Forward
Use the boxes to organize your information for your paragraph. You need to find at least ONE quote to
support your ideas in this paragraph.
Person Trevor had
positive impact on
What happened? Describe the event.
What was the result of the event? Why
did this have a positive impact?
Page #
ONE Direct quote from text
How does quote show Jodee’s impact on
person/community/world?
1
2
3
Kirk 8
Communities Trevor
had positive impact on
What happened? Describe the event.
What was the result of the event? Why
did this have a positive impact?
What happened? Describe the event.
What was the result of the event? Why
did this have a positive impact?
1
2
World Trevor had
positive impact on
1
Kirk 9
Body Paragraph 3 – Person You Chose
Use the boxes to organize your information for your paragraph. You need to find at least ONE quote to
support your ideas in this paragraph.
Person that Person
You Chose had
positive impact on
What happened? Describe the event.
What was the result of the event? Why
did this have a positive impact?
Page #
ONE Direct quote from text
How does quote show Jodee’s impact on
person/community/world?
1
2
3
Kirk 10
Communities that
Person You Chose had
positive impact on
What happened? Describe the event.
What was the result of the event? Why
did this have a positive impact?
What happened? Describe the event.
What was the result of the event? Why
did this have a positive impact?
1
2
World that Person You
Chose had positive
impact on
1
Kirk 11
Conclusion Paragraph
Use the graphic organizer below to fill in the details for your first paragraph.
General summary
Summary of PSLAM-body
paragraph #1
Summary of movie-body
paragraph #2
Summary of person you
chose-body paragraph #3
So What? Tie
all your ideas
together
Kirk 12
Works Cited
Cast List – Pay it Forward
Reporter = Chris Chandler (Jay Mohr)
Teacher = Eugene Simonet (Kevin Spacey)
Guy who gives car/has asthmatic daughter =
Mr. Thorsen (Gary Werntz)
Mom = Arlene McKinney (Helen Hunt)
Main character =
Trevor McKinney (Haley Joel Osment)
Dad = Ricky McKinney (Jon Bon Jovi)
Kirk 13
Homeless man = Jerry (Jim Caviezel)
Woman on Bridge = (Colleen Flynn)
Grandma = Grace (Angie Dickinson)
Trevor’s friend (always bullied) = Adam (Marc
Donato)
Guy at hospital/thief = Sidney Parker (David
Ramsey)
Mom’s friend = Bonnie (Kathleen Wilhoite)
Kirk 14
Here is a quick reference sheet you may use to complete your Works Cited page.
Obviously, I can’t
put all the formats on this handout. If you need help citing something other than what I have listed here,
PLEASE either email me, check a style manual (I have some in my room), or look for it online (you should be
able to find it if you google “modern language association”). YOU MUST COMPLETE THIS PART CORRECTLY
IN ORDER TO RECEIVE CREDIT. YOU WILL ALSO BE IN DANGER OF PLAGIARISM IF YOU DO NOT CITE YOUR
SOURCES CORRECTLY! Please ask me for help if you need it!! 
For a book with one author:
Last name of author, First name of author Middle Initial (if provided). Title of book. City of publication:
Publisher, Year of publication.
Here’s an example –
Appleby, Joyce. Telling the Truth about History. New York: Norton, 1994.
For a website: You CAN NOT simply put www.something.com!!!!
Last name of author, First name of author (if known – it’s usually at the bottom of the web page). Title of the
site. Date of publication or the latest update. Name of any institution or organization associated with
the site The date of access. The URL in angle brackets.
Here’s an example –
Bowman, Laurel. Classical Myth: The Ancient Sources. 24 June 1999. Dept. of Greek and Roman Studies, U of
Victoria. 7 Mar. 2000. <http://www.uvic.ca/grs/bowman/myth>.
For a film or movie:
Short forms may be used, e.g. dir. (directed by), narr. (narrated by), perf. (performers), prod. (produced
by), writ. (written by). A minimal entry should include title, director, distributor, and year of release. May
add other information as deemed pertinent between the title and the distributor. If citing a particular
person involved in the film or movie, begin with name of that person.
Last name of director/actor, First name of director/actor. Title of movie. Any source tied to the movie (book,
short story, etc). Distributor, Year of release.
Here are some examples:
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Dir. Tim Burton. Based on book by Roald Dahl.
Perf. Johnny Depp. Warner, 2005.
Depp, Johnny, perf. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Dir. Tim Burton. Based on book
by Roald Dahl. Warner, 2005.
Burton, Tim, dir. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Based on book by Roald Dahl. Perf.
Johnny Depp. Warner, 2005.
Kirk 15
Please Stop Laughing at Me and Pay it Forward Essay
Student:_____________________________
A
Excellent
B
Good Job
Solid attention
grabber. Mentions all
topics/people.
Smooth transition.
Well structured thesis
statement.
Attention grabber
could be better,
weak transition,
thesis is fairly clear.
General references
to people/topics.
Clear topic sentence.
Development of
influence on 3
people, 2
communities and 1
world contains
specific examples.
Quote for support
used and formatted
correctly.
Topic Sentence is
there. Development
of influence on 3
people, 2
communities and 1
world contains
general examples.
Quote for support
used and formatted
correctly.
______/100
C
Average
D/F
Weak
Areas for Improvement
Introduction
Intro Para/thesis
Body Para. 1
Book
Body Para. 2
Movie
Body Para. 3
Person you chose
Conclusion
MLA Format (Works
Cited and In-text
Citations)
Clear topic sentence.
Development of
influence on 3
people, 2
communities and 1
world contains
specific examples.
Quote for support
used and formatted
correctly.
Clear topic sentence.
Development of
influence on 3
people, 2
communities and 1
world contains
specific examples.
Quote for support
used and formatted
correctly.
Topic Sentence is
there. Development
of influence on 3
people, 2
communities and 1
world contains
general examples.
Quote for support
used and formatted
correctly.
Topic Sentence is
there. Development
of influence on 3
people, 2
communities and 1
world contains
general examples.
Quote for support
used and formatted
correctly.
Attempt at getting
attention, abrupt
transition, unclear
topics/people, or a
hint of a weakly
worded thesis.
No attempt at
getting attention, and
thesis is weak or not
there.
Spelling
Critical Analysis
Development of Ideas
Conclusion
Spelling
Weak topic sentence.
Missing no more
than one example
for 3 people, 2
communities or 1
world. Quote for
support is not used or
formatted correctly.
No topic sentence.
Missing several
examples for 3
people, 2
communities, or 1
world. Quote is
missing or misused.
Grammar
Sentence Structure
Voice
Organization and Flow
Incorporating Quotes
Parenthetical Citations
Weak topic sentence.
Missing no more
than one example
for 3 people, 2
communities or 1
world. Quote for
support is not used or
formatted correctly.
MLA format
No topic sentence.
Missing several
examples for 3
people, 2
communities, or 1
world. Quote is
missing or misused.
Works Cited Format
Automatic Deductions
No title
No works cited page
Weak topic sentence.
Missing no more
than one example
for 3 people, 2
communities or 1
world. Quote for
support is not used or
formatted correctly.
No topic sentence.
Missing several
examples for 3
people, 2
communities, or 1
world. Quote is
missing or misused.
Multiple errors in MLA
format
Use of first or second
person
Quotations not introduced
Summarizes body
paragraphs and
thesis. Effectively
answers “so what”?
Summarizes some
body paragraphs,
states thesis exactly.
“So what” is implied,
but not stated.
Summarizes only 1
body paragraph,
struggles with thesis.
No closing idea (so
what).
Does not summarize
body paragraphs,
restate thesis, nor
contain closing idea
(so what).
No errors.
One error.
Two errors.
Three errors or more.
Only minor errors.
Quite a few errors some might hinder
understanding.
Significant errors that
interfere with
understanding.
No parenthetical citations
Less than five paragraphs
Late paper
Plagiarism (No credit for
Grammar
Punctuation
Selection of Evidence
No errors.
assignment)