Patriot Research Project
English 8
DefinitionA Patriot is someone who:
1). Strives to meet the American ideals of freedom, equality and justice for all
2) Makes sacrifices for the good of the country
3) Improves the country in a meaningful way
Project Overview – Choose one of the individuals from the list below and using the
Patriot Project Page on the SMS library website as a guide, find two sources on your
person so that you may research their life and achievements. Then, write a five paragraph
research essay in which you discuss whether or not your individual meets the definition
of a patriot as written above. Use specific examples from your research to support and
discuss whether or not they meet each component of the definition.
The List- Choose one of the following people:
Bradley Manning
Bill McKibben
Pat Tillman
Cindy Sheehan
Erin Brockovich
Harvey Milk
Paul Newman
Lois Gibbs
Katie Redford
Mother Jones
Essay Guidelines
Your essay needs to contain the following paragraphs:
I. Introduction-. Start with an attention grabber and then introduce your individual.
Provide a brief summary of major life achievements and then introduce the concept of
patriotism. Finally, transition into thesis statement that ties your individual to the three
components of what it means to be a patriot.
II. Body One- Explain, using quotes and support from your research, how your person
worked to meet one or all of the ideals of freedom, equality and justice.
III. Body Two- Explain, using quotes and support, how your person made personal
sacrifices for the greater good of the country.
IV. Body Three- Explain, using quotes and support, how the work of your individual
improved the country in some meaningful way.
V. Conclusion- Summarize the major accomplishments of your individual and review
the ways in which they meet the definition of patriotism. End with thoughts about how
the country has changed because of the person or how it would be different without their
work.
Grading
You will be graded on the following:
Ideas (30pts) –You have researched your individual thoroughly. The information you
present in your essay is accurate and the support you use is relevant to your overall
argument that he/she is a patriot.
Organization (30pts)- Your essay has a clear introduction, body and conclusion. You
integrate quotes and support in a logical way. You put quotes in context and after using
them, explain their significance. You transition well between ideas.
Bibliography (15pts)- Attached to your essay, you have included a bibliography in the
proper format. The sources are listed in alphabetical order (by author) and they are
correctly cited.
Mechanics (25pts)- Your essay displays correct spelling, capitalization and use of
punctuation. You have cited quotes within the essay properly (author name, page
number).