Research Paper
ELA 10
Getting Started
The topic of your paper will be an
analysis of the style of an American
poet and how specific elements of
his/her style can be seen in at least
two-three of his/her poems.
You may select from the list of poets
provided.
AMERICAN POETS
-
Maya Angelou
Gwendolyn Brooks
Lucille Clifton
E.E Cummings
Robert Frost
Langston Hughes
James Johnson
Louis L’Amour
Henry W. Longfellow
Edgar L. Masters
Marianne Moore
Sylvia Plath
Edwin Arlington Robinson
Anne Sexton
Sara Teasdale
John Updike
Robert Warren
Phillis Wheatley
-
Elizabeth Bishop
Jim Carroll
Billy Collins
Gerald Early
Nikki Giovanni
Randall Jarrell
Thomas Johnson
Walton A. Litz
Robert Lowell
Edna Millay
Ogden Nash
Edgar A. Poe
Carl Sandburg
Gary Soto
Wallace Stevens
Alice Walker
William Williams
Paul Lawrence Dunbar
“Because I could not stop for Death-”
~ Emily Dickinson
Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.
We slowly drove – He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility –
We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess – in the Ring –
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –
We passed the Setting Sun –
“Because I could not stop for Death-”
Continued…
~ Emily Dickinson
Or rather – He passed us –
The Dews drew quivering and chill –
For only Gossamer, my Gown –
My Tippet – only Tulle –
We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground –
The Roof was scarcely visible –
The Cornice – in the Ground –
Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity –
Paper Requirements
• A minimum of 4 pages of content is required.
• A separate works cited page listing your
resources is required.
• All papers MUST be submitted to turnitin.com
on or before the final due date.
**Papers NOT turned in to the turn-It-In.com
web page will not be able to be graded. **
Sources
• All sources must be approved books,
databases, or websites.
• Wikipedia is NOT A VALID SOURCE and your
internet sources must be from the High
School Pathfinder located on the school
library web page.
• You must use at least four sources to
complete your research.
Format
• This paper will be written according to strict
MLA format.
• The final paper must be at least four pages, typed,
double spaced, Times New Roman, with one inch
margins.
• You will also need a works cited page.
We will go over all the details as we work on the research paper.
Please keep all papers that are handed out concerning the
assignment in your research envelope. Envelopes, papers, notes,
handouts etc. must come to class with you every day. You will
get explanations for each stage of the process. They are all
important and necessary to complete your paper successfully.
Grading
• The FINAL DRAFT of the paper itself will be worth two test
grades!
• The stages of the process (source cards, outline, note
cards, thesis statement, rough draft etc.) will count as quiz
or homework grades in Genesis.
• Due dates will be determined for each stage of the process.
• We will remind you about them over the course of the
assignment.
•
Since this is a long term project, please note the following
guidelines:
• Any part of the process that is handed in late (that does not
include the final paper) will lose ten points per day that it is
late.
• The final paper will lose twenty points per day that it is late.
• If you have a problem with any due date, you must see us
BEFORE the due date. Computer problems, printer & ink
problems, school activities, trips, and absences will not be
excuses for lateness.
Plagiarism
• Plagiarism will result in a grade of
ZERO for any assignment resulting
from work that is not your own
• If you plagiarize any of your
Research Paper and try to pass it
off as your own we WILL FIND
OUT!!!!!!
Source Cards
Guidelines For Source Cards
• 4 Source Cards are required (Label them A, B, C and D)
• Include a Capital Letter in the Upper Right Hand Corner
of each card (Ex. 1st Source Card will be “A”, 2nd Source
Card will be “B”, 3rd Source Card will be “C”, and 4th
Source Card will be “D”)
• Copy down the source information exactly as it will
appear on the works cited page
• Write your name on the bottom left of the note card
Source Cards Format
A
Last Name, First Name. Title. City:
Publisher, Date.
****** YOU MUST INDENT******
Your Name
Source Card Example
A
Wilson, John. The People and Place of The
Harlem Renaissance. New York:
Westinghouse, 1998.
****** YOU MUST INDENT******
Your Name
Source Card Example
B
Liston, Julie. The Life and Times of Poe.
Chicago: Chelsea House, 1998.
****** YOU MUST INDENT******
Your Name
What is wrong with the Source
Card below???
Julie Liston. The Life and Times of Poe.
Chicago: Chelsea House, 1998
Tom Jones
What is wrong with the Source
Card below???
A
Julie Liston. The Life and Times of Poe.
Philadelphia, Pa.: Chelsea House.
Edgar Allen Poe
Note Cards
• Notes should be in your own words
• Use a different card for each idea- but have
2-3 facts per card
• If you choose to write a quote make sure to use
quotation marks – no more than 3
• Use proper note card format – see next slide
Note Card Format
• Place the matching Source Card’s Letter
(Ex. “A”) plus the number in the Upper
Right Hand Corner (Ex. “A1”, “A2”, “A3”,
etc…)
• Write a topic for the note card in the top left
Examples – Author’s Life, Poem
• Place the Page Number (if it’s a print
source) in the bottom right corner
• Place your name at the bottom left of the
note card
Note card Format
3 or 4 throughout the entire
paper – come up with these first;
it will steer your research
Topic
Source Letter Card #
Notes:
2-3 facts per card
A, B, C, or D and
card number
Use quotations marks
3 quotes – at the most
Paraphrase / Summary / Quote
Your Name
Pg #
You will need this
for the citation
within the paper;
If you do not have
a pg # write n/a
Sample Note Cards
Author’s Life
A1
In her later years, Emily Dickinson
increasingly withdrew from public
life.
Your Name
P.17
Sample Note Cards
Poem
B1
Emily Dickinson personifies death as
a gentleman in her poem “Because
I could not stop for Death.”
Your Name
P. 51
Can You Find The Mistakes?
A1
Author’s Life
In her later years, Emily Dickinson increasingly
withdrew from public life.
Emily Dickinson
P.17
Thesis Statement
• What is a Thesis Statement?
• A thesis statement is a single declarative
sentence that states what you want your
readers to know, believe, or understand
after having read your essay.
• A thesis statement is a single sentence.
• The thesis statement is the main point you
want to make.
• The Thesis Statement is the last sentence
in the first paragraph.
• The Thesis Statement is what you are
trying to “prove” in your paper.
Tips for Writing a Thesis
The thesis statement declares the main purpose of the entire
paper. It should answer the questions: "What is my opinion on
subject X? What am I going to illustrate or define or argue in
this paper?“
Poor Thesis Statement:
• States a fact only
• Expresses personal
opinion only
• Generalizes the entire
topic
• Written as a question
• Uses first person
• Appears as the first
sentence of the intro
Good Thesis Statement:
• Is a declarative
sentence
• Contains a judgment
• May compare or
contrast
• May focus on a cause or
effect
• May propose a solution
or problem
• Appears at the end of
the intro
Thesis Statement
Sample Thesis Statement:
Emily Dickinson’s life influenced her
works as seen in “Because I could
not stop for Death.”
The Thesis Statement is what you
are trying to “prove” in your paper.
Citations Within Paper
• Every fact needs a citation: Either a summary, paraphrase, or quote –
all need citations
• The citation gives credit to where credit is due, otherwise it is
considered plagiarism
• Your sentence with the facts (author’s last name & page
number where you found the information).
Examples:
• Shakespeare is considered one of the most amazing playwrights
of his time (Miller 10).
• Ben Johnson said that, “Shakespeare is not of an age, but for all
time” (Miller 23-24).
Guidelines for Citations
Use if you know the following:
• Name of the Author:
(Author’s Last Name and Page #)
Ex. (Smith 10)
• Name of Publication (No Author):
(Shorten Title and Page #)
Ex. (“Poets” 17)
Outline
• This is used to organize your note taking
process
• Think of your paper in sections – you need
to figure out how many sections your paper
will have and what each section will cover
• Each section has a heading and each
heading has sub categories
http://prezi.com/gkbr9b0ftovu/outlining/
Sample Outline- this is how your
document should look!!!
Take Notes!
Jenna Davis
Mrs. Davis
ELA 9 Adv.
March 2014
Snicker Bars and Food Addiction
Thesis:
I. Introduction
A. Hook
B. Intro info
C. Thesis
D. Transitional Sentence
This is what your
outline should look like!
II. Subtopic 1 (one aspect of your teen condition)
A. Main idea of first body paragraph
1. detail fact (citation).
2. detail fact (citation).
3. detail fact ( citation).
B. Main idea of first body paragraph
1. detail fact (citation).
2. detail fact (citation).
III. Subtopic 2 (the second aspect of your teen issue)
A. Main idea of first body paragraph
1. detail fact (citation).
2. detail fact (citation).
3. detail fact ( citation).
B. Main idea of first body paragraph
1. detail fact (citation).
2. detail fact (citation).
This is what your
outline should look like!
V. Conclusion
A. Restate major points
B. Restate thesis
C. Try to establish what you have proven in a bigger picture
Works Cited Page
• Alphabetize by the author’s last name.
• If the author is unknown, alphabetize by
the title.
• Double-space the entire list of works cited.
• Use a hanging indent for each entry.
Works Cited Page
1" margin
Works Cited
Spartan Publishing, 2013.
Landis, Nichole. How to Train for a 5K.Philadelphia:
Random House Publishers, 2014.
1" margin
1" margin
Davis, Jennifer. Girl Scout Cookies Rock.New York:
Works Cited Page Example
Works Cited
Bestoff, Len. “Cell Phone Use Increases Risk of Accidents, but Users
Willing to Take the Risk.” WRAL Online. 11 Nov. 1999. 12 Jan.
2001http://wral-tv.com/news/wral/1999/1110-talking-driving.
Farmers Insurance Group. “New Survey Shows Drivers Have Had ‘Close Calls’ with
Cell Phone Users.” Farmers Insurance Group.
8 May 2000. 12 Jan. 2001
http://www.farmersinsurance.com/news_cellphones.html.
Haughney, Christine. “Taking Phones out of Driver’s Hands.” Washington Post. 5
Nov. 2000: A8.
Smith, John. Cell Phones and Driving. New York: Princeton House, 2000.
Walton, Susan. Why are Cell Phones Dangerous to use While Driving? Chicago:
Random House Publishing, 2004.
http://prezi.com/bfsmhtthmnf_/mla
-formatting/
Peer Edit
1.
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3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Is there an attention getter?
Underline the thesis
Does the intro provide an overview?
Are there transitions?
Does the paper seem like a report?
Circle any contractions
Circle any “I” – “me” – “my”
Check for basic sentence structure errors
Does the conclusion start with “In conclusion” : bad!
Does the conclusion wrap up loose ends?
Are the citations in the correct format?
Is the paper in MLA format? (12, TNR, DS, H, H, T, WC)