Ancient Civilizations
Biography End of the Year Project
Mr. Lenihan/Mrs. Leavitt
Objective: The purpose of this project is to see history through the lens of one individual in Ancient
History. You will practice the skills of finding and interpreting different and various sources in
historical context. Your final project will include the following elements:
Task: You will choose a person who had a significant impact on the world. You will research this
person’s life as well as the time in which they lived, focusing on their unique contributions. You will
write a 4-5 page paper that illuminates the person’s life and contributions as well as the context or time
period in which they lived. You will also create a PhotoStory presentation that you will present to the
class during the final exam period. The paper will be due on Monday, June 13 and the scheduled final
exam period for this class is Wednesday, June 22.
Minimum of Five (5) Sources required
All sources must come from the Yorktown Library and Online Databases (be sure to pay
attention to the overview given about GALE – a great online resource for this project)
Research Paper
You are not aiming for a comprehensive biography, but rather a selective approach that will allow you
to bring your subject to life. Your insights and analysis should be set in historical context.
**Introductory Paragraph
The introduction should be designed to attract the reader's attention and give an idea of the essay's
focus.
 Attention grabber:
o Startling information-must be true and verifiable. Follow it with a sentence or two of
elaboration.
o Anecdote – illustrates a point-short, relevant
o Quote – relevant
 Background information to provide context
A few sentences explaining the civilization and its significance in general terms can lead the
reader gently to your thesis. Each sentence should become gradually more specific, until you
reach your thesis.
 Finish the paragraph with your thesis statement. Your thesis be clear, have three factors, and
takes a stand.
** Body Paragraphs
 Information about the civilization or culture of your person
 Time period, geography, politics, religion, economy
 What were the problems of the day?
 What successes had come before?
OVER →
**Body Paragraphs
 Basic biographical information
 Challenges and accomplishments of her/his life
 Person’s impact on civilization
 What was this person’s impact on history and/or culture (THIS NEEDS TO BE VERY
STRONG!!! ) This is where most of your in text citations will be because you need
evidence for your claims.
**Conclusion
 In a few strong sentences, summarize your paper.
 Provide closure and perspective for the reader.
 Restate your main points.
 Restate your introduction in other words and answer the question, “So What?”- What is
important about what you have written? What should the reader think or do as a result of
reading your essay?
 Another anecdote might be appropriate or you might refer back to the one you used in your
intro.
**Works Cited: All sources including images must be properly documented in MLA format. We will
go over this in class before the paper is due.
Research Notes and Works Cited page
 You must turn in 4 hand written or typed notes from at least 2 sources on Wednesday, June 8.
Also due that day is your works cited page of sources you are using (in MLA format).
 These notes must include page #s indicating where information or a quote comes from.
 These will be collected, graded and returned to you by Friday, June 10.
Paper Requirements:

All papers must be typed, double-spaced, 4-5 pages in length, using a 12-point size font (Arial
or Times New Roman ONLY) with standard 1” margins (many computers are set at 1.25”
margins so you must reset it). You must also include page numbers at the bottom of each page
and they should be centered.

You must use at least 5 sources. You cannot use Wikipedia as a source. Other acceptable
sources would include materials from GALE, journals and encyclopedias (print or online).
Don’t rely or rely too much on just one or two sources.

You must have a cover page with the title of your paper, your name, the course, class period
and teacher’s name. The cover page does not count as part of the required length of the paper.
Pictures are acceptable to include on your cover page.

Papers must include proper citations in each paragraph and a works cited page. Follow the
MLA style. Failure to include any in text citations will result in a significant grade reduction
and possibly a grade of zero if it is determined that you plagiarized. All sources must be cited
at least once in your paper—you cannot just have citations from one or two sources. You
should have approximately 10-20 in text citations.