CHC 2D1 – Grade 10 Academic Canadian History: Argumentative Research Term Paper (15%) &
Course Culminating Project (10%)
Term Paper
You will be required to complete an extensive Research
Based Argumentative Essay that you will have close to 4
months to complete. As part of your essay, you will be
required to complete a Process Package in order to ensure
that you remain on track over the course of the writing
process before handing in the final product in at the end of
the semester. Your final essay will be expected to be in the
neighbourhood of 4-6 pages of written text, complete with
references and in-text citations to your research. Essays that
fail to provide ANY references will receive a mark of zero in
the appropriate sections (see Final Essay Evaluation
Rubric). REMEMBER, the aim of your essay is to provide
an opinion on a subject and be able to support that opinion with facts from your research. You are
NOT being asked to merely provide a narrative of past events or to write a biography on a Canadian
individual! Students will be required to select a topic from one of the options provided and complete ALL
aspects of the Process Package including a Teacher-Student Conference (Please review individual
evaluation rubrics for each stage of the Process Package). Each portion of the Process Package is
weighted heavier than the last, with the Final Essay being worth the most. All students will be required to
submit TWO copies of their essay – ONE HARD COPY directly to their in-class teacher, and ONE
ELECTRONIC COPY that will be submitted via the internet on a website called Turnitin.com.
Selecting your Research Topic
Go through each of the topics and conduct some preliminary research regarding the issue which is of most
interest to you. Be sure to select something that you are interested in or want to know about so that you
can ensure that your research is meaningful and purposeful. Each topic has some suggested focus points
listed to help you get started and give your essay some direction. DO NOT LIMIT YOUR RESEARCH TO
ONLY THE POSSIBLE TALKING POINTS LISTED!!!!! Only one student per topic, so be sure to select
your topic as soon as possible in order to avoid disappointment!
The Process Package
Throughout the semester, you will have to complete several components before the final writing of your
essay. Over the course of the term, you will be responsible for completing the following parts of the
writing process. Detailed descriptions of each section along with ALL due dates and the Evaluation
Rubrics with the criteria you will be graded on for each section are readily available on the class website:
TERM ESSAY TOPIC SELECTION and THESIS PROPOSAL
Use the template provided to explain which topic you have selected. You must do some preliminary
research on your topic and be able to explain why you chose this particular subject. Come up with a
potential thesis for your essay. You will notice that the Essay Topic is broad in scope. It will be up to you
to be able to create a thesis that you will be required to build your research essay around. (*SEE the
accompanying document on “How to Write a Thesis”). Each topic has Possible Talking Points that you can
use to help focus what you are going to discuss in the body of your essay as well as Sample Guiding
Questions that will give you an idea of some of the issues surrounding your topic. Be sure to select a topic
that you are interested in!
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
You will be responsible for conducting intensive, in-depth research before beginning the writing process
of your term essay. List the sources you consulted using proper APA format and provide a brief
explanation of how each of those sources will be utilized in the writing of your final product. Consult the
assignment guide for how to use proper APA format. A library seminar on how to conduct ACADEMIC
research for your term paper will be scheduled during the semester where you will get the opportunity to
learn how to use Academic search engines such as EBSCO as well as other library resources.
ROUGH NOTES, ESSAY SKELETON AND TEACHER-STUDENT CONFERENCE
Use your research from the sources you collected to create rough notes to write your essay. Use the Essay
Skeleton Template provided to organize your thoughts and to create an outline of what you plan to discuss
in the body of your essay. Be sure to bring both your Rough Notes and your completed Essay Skeleton to
your Teacher-Student Conference and make certain that you are prepared to discuss the direction of your
essay with your teacher.
ROUGH DRAFT AND PEER EDITING
At this stage, your rough draft complete with in-text citations, should be complete. Bring it in to class on
the scheduled date in order to have it peer evaluated by your classmates.
FINAL ESSAY
Complete your final draft by using the following guidelines…
Expectations for your Final Essay:
- 4-6 pages of text (not including title page or your
bibliography/Works Cited page)
- Essay must be word processed (hand written
essays will not be accepted)
- Double-spaced.
- Double-sided.
- APA format
- Size 12 size font using only Times New Roman,
Arial or Verdana
- 1 inch margins.
- All pages numbered in top right hand corner of
page.
- Works Cited page provided at the end of the
essay with ALL sources used and referenced
throughout body of essay listed in alphabetical
order.
- You must include a Title Page at the beginning of your essay that follows APA format guidelines. It
must include a header on the top left hand side of the page that includes the title of your essay.
Also, your name, date, course code, and teacher’s name should be centred on the page.