Milwaukee-montessori.org



Title: What Caused World War I? Genre: Historical Expository EssayGoal: This week, students will continue their study of the World War I by writing a thesis paper on the cause of the war, including introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The ability to masterfully write a thesis paper prepares students for high school and beyond. The thesis paper is the bone and sinews of academic instruction in the humanities, and it also models logical thinking, improving students’ ability to think critically. Furthermore, while everyone can agree about the events that led to the start of World War I, coming to an agreement on its cause is a different matter entirely, giving students recourse for much historical investigation. In this essay, students will also practice using transitional words, such as therefore, although, and so forth. Transitions are key to fluent writing, and mastery of the expository form. A hand out is provided to aid students in this task. Description: Students will write an entire thesis paper, including introduction, three body paragraphs, a conclusion, using transition words, on the cause of World War I.In-class, read the followingThis week, you will continue your study of World War I and the expository essay as a form by writing a thesis paper. This paper must exactly follow the format of the genre, use transitional words, and answer the question, “What caused World War I?” Remember, a cause is different than asking what triggered World War I. If you were to say, “The assassination of Franz Ferdinand,” I would ask, “Why?” It is that why you must answer in your essay. To prove the point, here is a delightful video on some basic theories about the causes of World War I: help create a theory of a cause, you should use your notes and the articles I have pulled up on KidsDiscover. Remember, the thesis paper is the form you will write the most over the next eight years in high school and college, so it’s important to become adroit at the genre. To remind you, a thesis paper is a five paragraph paper consisting of an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. To refresh your memory of the exact pattern of the form, please turn to the Thesis Paper Review sheet.To help you in your research, I have chosen a number of resources from EBSCO and the internet to give you a place to start. You will now have twenty minutes to create a thesis, and complete one argument, evidence, and reasoning on the Body Paragraphs Graphic Organizer. [Students work, and teacher circulates to help.]Now, show a partner your graphic organizer. Partners, you are looking to see whether or not the logic of the arguments makes sense, whether or not the evidence proves the argument, and if the reasoning suitably explains the evidence. Remember, you can take ideas from other students, but you can’t copy them word for word. When you each believe the other’s graphic organizer is logical and well-thought out, call me over to check your graphic organizers.[Students work.]Your graphic organizer is due tomorrow, at 7:45 AM. Once I have okayed your graphic organizer, you may begin work on your first draft. When that is finished, read it aloud to a peer, and complete the checklists as always. Your final draft is due Thursday at 7:45 AM. Have a nice day!Writer Self-Evaluation ChecklistsTo make your writing the best it can possibly be, you must complete the following checklists after writing your rough draft, but before giving your work to a peer reader and writing your final draft. THESE CHECKLISTS ARE PASS/FAIL. ONE MISSING ELEMENT WILL RESULT IN A ZERO.Format ChecklistDouble-spacedIn 12-point, Times New Roman font I restated my thesis at the beginning and end of every body paragraph, at the end of the introduction, and beginning of my conclusionMy body paragraphs follow this pattern:Restatement of thesisArgument supporting thesisEvidence proving argumentReasoning explaining evidence, and how it proves your argumentRestatement of thesisMy ProofreadingThere are no spelling errors. I used capital letters at the beginning of sentences, for proper nouns, for names, cities, countriesI used end punctuation.I checked tenses, and do not use future and past tense in the same sentence.A transition is used in every paragraphMy IntroductionIntroduced my topicCreated interest in the readerProvided necessary background informationIdentified my main ideaPreviewed the rest of my essayMy ConclusionRestated the main idea of the essaySummarized the essayLeft the reader with an interesting final impressionMy Signature: ____________________________________________________________Peer Listener and Reader Evaluation ChecklistAfter revising your own work with the above checklist, you will print out a copy and read it to a peer. Your peer will then evaluate your work with the following checklist. A transition is used in each paragraphThere are no spelling errorsThe writer uses capital letters at the beginning of sentences, for proper nouns, for names, cities, countriesAll punctuation is used correctlyI checked tenses so that the writer does not use future and past tense in the same sentenceThe Introduction:Introduced the topicCreated interest in the readerProvided necessary background informationIdentified the main ideaPreviewed the rest of the essayThree Body Paragraphs:Restatement of thesisArgument supporting thesisEvidence proving argumentReasoning explaining evidence, and how it proves your argumentRestatement of thesisConclusion:Restated the main idea of the essaySummarized the essayLeft the reader with an interesting final impressionPeer Reader Signature: ______________________________________________________Thesis Paper Body Paragraphs Graphic OrganizerYou will use this graphic organizer to outline body paragraphs for your thesis paper. Thesis: Write your thesis below.Arguments: First, you will create three arguments to support your thesis. Remember, an argument is like a “little thesis.” It supports your thesis like a leg supports a table. An example argument would be: “Music effects different people differently.”Create three arguments to support your thesis.1. 2. 3. Evidence: Evidence proves your argument is correct. Evidence is best when it is from research, or is something a person witnessed directly. Using the resources provided, find evidence to support your arguments. If you can’t find a strong piece of evidence, perhaps you should change your argument. Search the text to find three pieces of evidence to support your arguments.1. 2. 3. Reasoning: Remember, reasoning is your chance to explain things to your reader. You should explain your evidence, and then how your evidence links to your thesis. Your reasoning may be the longest section of the paragraph. Remember, don’t leave your reader confused!1. 2. 3. Thesis Paper ReviewWhat follows is the exact requirements of every part of your thesis paper. This must be followed exactly, as high school English teachers will often grade students simply on obedience, and you need to be prepared for that. Remember, a thesis paper is always written in the third person!IntroductionYour introduction should: Introduce your topicCreate interestProvide necessary background informationIdentify your main ideaPreview the rest of your essayEnd with your thesis sentence.Body ParagraphsThere are three body paragraphs in a thesis paper. Each body paragraph must contain, in the following order:Restatement of thesisArgument supporting thesisEvidence proving argumentReasoning explaining evidence, and how it proves your argumentRestatement of thesisConclusionYour conclusion should: Restate your thesis statementSummarize the essayLeave the reader with an interesting final impressionResources for World War I Thesis PaperOnline ResourcesA debate on the topic: materials for the debate: theories on who started the war: of the war from the Canadian point of view: review of how the war started: ResourcesA theory that Balkan diplomacy was the cause of the war: between our time and pre-World War I: ideas about why the war was fought: look at causes 100 years after the war’s start: of the cause: entry on the war: ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download