Honors English – Sophomore Research Project
The Holocaust
Step 1: Choose a topic and a partner. Using the provided list of topics, choose your top choices on what to research.
Find someone who shares your topic interests. During the official topic-assignment period, tell Mrs. Punke the
top choice of your partnership that hasn’t already been taken by another group.
Step 2: Determine your five subtopics. Within the main topic you are researching, find five subtopics that will help you
categorize and focus your research. For example, if your main topic is “Kristallnacht,” your five subtopics could
be “the causes,” “the plan,” “details of the event,” “personal stories from the night,” and “the long-term effects.”
Your five subtopics could also be big questions you want to answer about your topic (not yes/no/one-wordanswer-type questions): “Why did Kristallnacht take place?” “How was it organized?” “What did the perpetrators
do?” “How did it affect Jewish individuals?” and “What long-term effects did it have on Berlin?” The scope of this
project demands that you limit your research to five subtopics avoid going over the page limit.
Step 3: Find and cite your sources. For this project, I would like you to find a minimum of 5 sources. At least 2 of these 5
must be primary sources and at least 2 must be secondary sources. You may determine yourself whether you’d
like the 5th source to be primary or secondary. You may consult more than 5 sources if you wish, but every
source you use in your research must be properly cited in MLA format. Your paper must include a Works Cited
page in MLA format. Purdue OWL has a nice example: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/12/. If
you’d like, you can try using the automated bibliography generator, easybib.com, but you need to make sure that
you set it to MLA format and you double-check what it provides you against a reliable MLA citation guide (like
Purdue OWL’s guide).
Step 4: Take notes and organize them into an outline. We will go over the process during class.
Step 5: Write your essay. You have two choices:
Choice A: Write a conventional research paper between 2 and 4 pages in length. Use an adapted
version of the typical 5 paragraph essay (it becomes 7 paragraphs): an opening paragraph in which you employ an
attention getter, a thesis, and a preview of subtopics; 5 body paragraphs (instead of 3), one about each subtopic;
and a conclusion that summarizes your points and refocuses your thesis using the audience’s new knowledge.
Every time you utilize information you gained by reading one of your sources, use an in-text citation that refers to
the source on your Works Cited page. Again, Purdue’s OWL has a great explanation of in-text citations:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02/. Include a Works Cited page at the end of your paper. The
Works Cited page does not count toward the page limit of 2-4 pages. Neither does the title page, if you choose to
include one.
Choice B: Take on the role of a person in your research. Through this person, tell the tale of your
research topic in either a first person or a third person close/limited Point of View. You still must find a way to
incorporate all your information you took notes on about your 5 subtopics, but do so through a creative,
narrative style. For example, the fact I found in a source on Kristallnacht, “The rubble of ruined synagogues had
to be cleared by the Jewish community,” becomes “We sifted through the ashes, the piles of smoldering brick,
eyes desperately seeking anything salvageable, any token we might remember our synagogue by or rebuild it
with (“Kristallnacht”).” You still need to use in-text citations to indicate when you’re using information you found
from one of your sources. It is still very important to demonstrate your research skills in this creative version of a
research paper because research standards are what I am assessing (Your narrative standards were assessed on
your Hero’s Journey narratives). This essay has the same length requirement – 2-4 pages – and must include a
Works Cited page (which does not count as one of the 2-4 required pages of essay). If you decide to include a
title page, this also does not count toward the page limit.
Step 6: Create a presentation for the class. Your presentation should be at least 3 minutes long and include at least one
visual aid. Possible ideas:
 A PowerPoint giving an overview of your topic, including pictures and animated slides. The PowerPoint and
explanation must be long enough to meet the 3 minute minimum time limit.
 Work(s) of art inspired by your topic – a sculpture, painting, or series of drawings – with an explanation of
how the art symbolizes your topic and the main details you learned.
 A tri-fold display board that includes pictures with captions and explains your topic as if it were a museum
display.
 A brief documentary you create about your topic using Windows Live Movie Maker or any other software
you’re already proficient with. If you do this option, the presentation could be a taped voiceover that you
create as part of the documentary.
Step 7: Earn a grade. Points will be assigned as follows:
Category
Essay meets length requirement
The opening hooks the reader and
orients them with a clear thesis and
preview of points
The body paragraphs present
researched information in an organized
manner
A
B
Minor
problems: 17
C
Moderate
problems: 15
D
Major
problems: 12
Perfect: 20
Minor
problems: 17
Moderate
problems: 15
Major
problems: 12
Not done: 0
Perfect: 30
Minor
problems: 26
Moderate
problems: 22
Major
problems: 18
Not done: 0
Minor
problems: 8
Minor
problems: 17
Minor
problems: 8
Minor
problems: 8
Minor
problems: 17
Minor
problems: 8
Minor
problems: 17
Moderate
problems: 7
Moderate
problems: 15
Moderate
problems: 7
Moderate
problems: 7
Moderate
problems: 15
Moderate
problems: 7
Moderate
problems: 15
Major
problems: 6
Major
problems: 12
Major
problems: 6
Major
problems: 6
Major
problems: 12
Major
problems: 6
Major
problems: 12
Perfect: 10
Minor
problems: 8
Moderate
problems: 7
Major
problems: 6
Not done: 0
Perfect: 20
Minor
problems: 17
Moderate
problems: 15
Major
problems: 12
Not done: 0
Perfect: 20
In-text citations are correct
Perfect: 10
The conclusion resolves the essay in a
satisfying manner
Perfect: 20
Essay’s style and tone are appropriate
Perfect: 10
Essay’s grammar, conventions, and
formatting are correct
Works Cited Page – formatted,
punctuated, alphabetized correctly
Source requirements are met
The presentation meets length
requirements 20pts
The presentation demonstrates good
speaking strategies: eye-contact,
volume control, no fidgeting, etc. 10pts
The visual aide shows effort,
thoughtfulness, and creativity 20pts
Total (out of 200)
Perfect: 10
Perfect: 20
Perfect: 10
Perfect: 20
F
Not done: 0
Not done: 0
Not done: 0
Not done: 0
Not done: 0
Not done: 0
Not done: 0
Not done: 0