SSR Mini Essay Instructions The SSR mini essay will have a small introduction (2-3 sentences), three or more welldeveloped body paragraphs that make good use of quotes, and a short conclusion (1-2 sentences). The title for this essay will include the SSR number, the name of the book in italics and capitalized correctly and the pages from and to that you read for this paper. SSR12 / Gone with the Wind / 3-71 The introduction must include the book title (in italics and capitalized correctly), the author’s first and last name and the thesis. You must also include the identifying information for the other piece with which you make connections to the novel or book. The thesis will be the last sentence and will directly address the prompt. The essay will be 1½ to 2 pages in length. There will be an on-going works cited page that will include all of the entries for each essay within an assigned packet (grading period). Use the search bar on ElwoodEducation.com to find instructions about works cited pages. Credit will be given for a minimum of 60 pages read every two weeks, the correct title on the page, the correct essay length and a copy of the extra item that you were asked to bring (article, advertisement, poem, etc.). Credit for an essay that meets the minimum standard will be 5 points. Another 5 points will be awarded for a works cited page that has at least the 2 required pieces for that specific assignment. Save all SSR papers. Make final drafts immediately when you get your paper back, so you will be ready to turn in a packet when the time comes. If you did not write one of these essays,. You have lost 10 points, but you should still submit this essay with the packet. If that essay is the one graded, you are eligible for that entire 50 points even though you missed the 10 points for not submitting the essay initially. Capitalizing Titles: Do not capitalize articles, coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions. The word to as part of an infinitive is lower case. Capitalize the first and last word of a title and subtitle. Use capitol letters appropriately regardless of the print on the book cover. Pagination: Pagination will be presented in the header, which belongs ½ inch from the top of the page against the right margin on every page. The SSR essay will be numbered page 1 and 2 and the works cited page will be page 3. Do not type the header in the body of the document; learn to use the automatic pagination function. GENERAL FORMATING ISSUES: If on your works cited page, you cannot indent the second line of text without also indented the first line, place your curser at the end of the first line and hit the return key. That will separate your two lines from being consider a single unit of text (wrapped text) by your word processor. If your word processor is set for double space, but you get additional space (usually between paragraphs) after using the “enter” key, follow these directions: Click on Format / Click on Paragraph / In the Spacing Section change the Before and After from Auto to 0 pt, / Click Default on the lower left side of the paragraph box to eliminate this from being a recurring problem. To Cite a Book: The typical works cited entry Author’s last name / comma / space / author’s first name / period Book title italicized / period not in italics First year of publication only if there are multiple years / period City where book was published (if there is more than one, list just the first one) / colon Name of publisher / comma Year book was published (or most recent publication year if there are multiple years) / period The word Print / period EXAMPLE: See Albom. Multiple Publication Dates: The original publication date is placed after the book title. The most current date is in its regular position. Disregard any dates between the first and the most recent. EXAMPLE: See Steinbeck. Multiple Authors of the Same Book: Two authors — Smith, Ann, and Debra Jones. Three or more authors — Smith, Ann, et al. Multiple Books by the Same Author: Same-author books will be together on the works cited page in their alpha position. Then the books will be organized alphabetically according to title. Disregard articles when alphabetizing titles. The first entry is standard. Each subsequent entry will have three hyphens followed by a period instead of the author’s name. EXAMPLE: See both Albom entries. GOOD ADVICE: Use Google Docs or send all your papers to yourself in an email (in the body of the email and as an attachment, so you can print at West if you happen to forget your paper at home. If you use Google Docs, hit the “enter” key above the header, to create the requisite ½ inch header margin. ______________________________________________________________________________ Jones 3 Works Cited Albom, Mitch. The Five People You Meet in Heaven. New York: Hyperion, 2003. Print. ---. Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson. New York: Broadway Books, 1997. Print. Steinbeck, John. The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights: From the Winchester Manuscripts of Thomas Malory and Other Sources. 1976. New York: Noonday Press, 1995. Print.