PROBLEM-SOLUTION PAPER WITH RESEARCH ELEMENT
IB AREA OF INTERACTION: Community and Service (helping to solve international or local conflicts)
OBJECTIVES: 2.02, 6.01, 6.02, 3.02
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Write an essay that responds to a problem by proposing a solution that includes relevant details.
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Model an understanding of conventional writing expression by using a variety of sentences correctly, punctuating
them properly, and avoiding fragments and run-ons.
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Utilize the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing).
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Utilize primary and secondary sources for research.
OPTION 1 PROMPT (extra credit for Ms. Dial!): INTERNATIONAL ISSUES (particularly Africa and Asia)
Imagine you are a policy advisor to the president, and you need to brief him on a policy issue related to Africa or Asia. Being the superb knowledge
seeker that you are, you research related facts to the issue, as well as the causes and effects of the issue.
Environmental concerns in developing African nations (i.e., resources leaving the continent)
AIDS
Trans-Saharan slavery
child soldiers (i.e, Somalia)
Genocide (ie., Darfur, Rwanda…)
unstable governments/dictatorships
Child slavery (ie., picking cocoa beans for chocolate)
civil war
Rites of passage
poverty
Famine
Ecological issues
Gender preferences in parts of Asia
Human rights issues (focus topic on a particular issue)
Then you write a letter to the president briefing him on the problem and your recommendation on how to best solve the problem. You understand that
many of the international problems may be hard to solve, but you think about a realistic solution that can be accomplished from here in America –
whether it’s raising awareness in local communities or creating fundraisers that could help aid organizations.
OPTION 2 PROMPT: TEEN TOPICS
Many problems are too close to home! As a teen, you face a huge amount of stress balancing family, friend, and school demands. You can’t tackle
every problem that you and your peers face, but you’d like to make a difference in at least one area. You consider the following teen issues.
President Obama has just created a teen advisory committee to brief him on critical issues facing teens in today’s world, and you have been selected
to serve on this committee. Excited about the opportunity to make a difference in your peers’ lives, you immediately begin researching an issue
you’ve always been passionate about. (Choose from list below.) You find shocking statistics on the problem – and research the causes and effects of
the problem. You write letter to President Obama briefing him on the issue and how you think the problem could be solved. After all, teen problems
are best solved by teens; adults just never ask.
“Mean-girl” syndrome
bullying
Peer pressure
gangs
Anorexia or bulimia
drug abuse
TV/gaming obsession
materialism
Cell-phone or computer dependency
Children’s rights
child labor
Public-school vaccinations
Impact of violence in the media on young people
Another topic proposed by you
impact of divorce
cutting
teen obesity
overscheduled teens
academic pressure
teen runaways
gossip
depression
cliques
Internet harassment/cyberbullying
cutting/merging of schools
teen cosmetic surgery
Influence of lyrics and music videos on teens
Bilingual education
OPTION 3 (extra credit for L.A.): DO THE WRITE THING WRITING CONTEST
The Do the Write Thing Challenge Program is designed to give middle school students an opportunity to examine the impact of youth violence and
drugs on their lives. Students express in writing what they think should be done to change our culture of violence and drugs. The ultimate goal of this
challenge is to help break the cycles of violence in their homes, schools and neighborhoods by encouraging students to make personal commitments
to do something about these problems. The Do the Write Thing Challenge allows students to accept the “challenge” by making a written personal
commitment not to engage in violence and drugs; and by exploring the causes and offering a written solution for youth violence and involvement
with drugs. The students will be asked to write an essay addressing the following questions:
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How has youth violence and drug abuse affected my life?
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What are the causes of violence?
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What can I do about violence?
Hate crimes
Gangs
Bullying
Teen drug abuse
Violence in Charlotte
PROBLEM-SOLUTION PAPER REQUIREMENTS
Length: Two pages double spaced min. if typed; four pages doublespaced min. if handwritten (neatly, of course)
Use MLA format for the header and heading:
Last Name 1
Your Full Name
Teacher’s Name
Language Arts, Period ____
20 Dec. 2010
Title Centered (and in 12-Point Type and No Bold if typed)
The first sentence of the paragraph is indented. The entire essay is double-spaced (and in 12-point type and Times New Roman if typed).
Avoiding Plagiarism:
Paraphrase the source by putting it into your own words. Using a thesaurus to replace a few words is still plagiarism! The sentence structure and
word choice should be different.
If you use the source’s word choice, use quotation marks. Example: According to the book Writing Rocks, “Sensory details make writing come
alive.”
Provide a source for any information that is not common knowledge.
Create MLA Works Cited Page to cite your sources:
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Use the Website www.easybib.com. Use MLA and select the type of source you are citing.
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Three sources min. listed in alphabetical order. Double space all lines and don’t put extra spaces in between sources.
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Left justify the first line of the citation; indent all subsequent lines.
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If there is no author, begin your citation with the title.
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Include the date of access (the date you found your information) in your Internet citations.
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For Internet sources, after the Website’s title, put the copyright date or the date the page was last updated. Then put the date of access (the
date you found the information). Lastly, put the URL address inside carrots: <http://www.urladdress.com>.
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All the sources listed on this page should be used in the paper; this should be evident by looking at the paper’s parenthetical citations.
Last Name 3
Works Cited
Davidson IB Middle School. Personal Survey. 15 March 2010.
Last Name, First Name. Personal Interview. 15 Jan. 2010.
Last Name, First Name of Author. Book Title. Publishing Place: Publisher, 2010.
Last Name, First Name of Author. “Title of a Website Page.” Title of the Whole Website. 2010. 15 Feb.
2010 <http://www.urladdress.org>.
One Direct Quotation Minimum
You must use at least one direct quote in your paper, and you should attribute the source.
Example: According to Discover, “Climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21 st century” (40).
Parenthetical Citations
After you use a direct quote from a source or after you paraphrase your source by putting it into your own words, use parenthetical citations. You
need parenthetical citations for any information that is not common knowledge. If there is an author to your source, follow the paraphrased material
with the author’s last name and the page number in parentheses:
Write your paraphrased sentence in your own words here (Smith 3).
If there is no author (usually for web pages), write the title.
Write your paraphrased material in your own words here (“Title”).
You can also use www.easybib.com to help you with parenthetical citations.