European History Research Paper



Name____________________________________ Period______

H US History Elshakhs

United States History Research Paper

You will be writing a persuasive research paper related to the research questions that you were assigned for the debate. However, this time you may choose your position on the issue. You may find that after doing more research, you might change your mind on how you feel about the topic. Once you have used the evidence to support your thesis, you must also develop a concession argument, which will counter your thesis. The point of the concession paragraph is to show that you have considered alternative arguments and have an effective response to counter them.

Paper Requirements:

• Double Spaced, 12 Font/Times New Roman, 1 inch margins

• 5 pages minimum, 6 pages maximum (There will be a 10% penalty for each page less than 5 full pages.)

• Title Page: Title, name, course, date and teacher name

• Concession Statement/Argument

• Submit the paper to in addition to giving me a hard copy by the due date. All papers will be considered incomplete until they are submitted to .

• Works Cited in (MLA Format)

• In-text Citations (MLA Format)

• Source Requirements: 10 sources (One source must be a book that is devoted entirely to your topic. Another source must be a primary source. Please see me if you are unsure whether you have sources that qualify.)

Schedule and Due Dates

Thesis Paragraph Friday, April 19

Rough Draft (Must include works cited and in-text citations) Monday, April 29

Final Paper (hard copy and electronic copy submitted to ) Friday, May 10

Creating an Introductory Paragraph

Any good introductory paragraph has three parts: a Grabber, Background Information and a Thesis Statement/Essay Map.

Grabber

The introductory paragraph should begin with a sentence that grabs the reader’s attention and interest. A grabber sentence may be a (n):

Quote

Startling statement

Question

Statement of general interest

Anecdote (a brief story)

Statistics

Definition

2. Background Information

Some information to identify what your paper is about, such as a broad description of your topic and its significance. This is your framework within which you will make your argument.

Thesis Statement/Essay Map

A good thesis is a one or two sentence statement that takes a position about an issue or an event. It is a debatable statement of opinion; a concise and specific statement of your argument. A thesis statement will often answer the question “So what? Who Cares? Why is this important?”

The essay map follows your thesis statement and states the major reasons (3) for your argument. Each reason will be expanded to create the body of your paper. The essay map is a summary of your evidence or logic.

How to develop a thesis statement/essay map:

• Do some preliminary reading about your topic. You cannot develop a thesis unless you know something about the topic.

• Your thesis should answer your research question.

• Try this pre-thesis/essay map activity to help develop your thesis. Complete the following statements:

a. Dear Reader: I want to convince you that…

b. The main reasons why you should believe me are…

c. You should care about my thesis because…

Rough Draft Peer Edit Rubric

Name on Paper: Name of Peer Editor:

Basic Format______________________________________________________________

Is the essay typed, double-spaced, 12 point Times Font? Y N

Is the essay divided into six sections including Y N

Intro., Supp. #1, Supp. #2, Supp. #3, Concession, and Conclusion with

no extra spaces between paragraphs? Y N

Is the paper 5 pages in length? Y N

Introduction_______________________________________________________________

Does it contain an effective grabber? Y N

Does it provide a concise background/framework for the thesis? Y N

Does it contain an effective thesis statement that takes a clear position? Y N

Does it contain an essay map that states the major supporting arguments? Y N

Support #1________________________________________________________________

Does support # 1 reflect the essay map’s organization? Y N

Does the first support contain specific and persuasive information to

back up reason #1? Y N

Is the first support fully developed? Y N

Support #2________________________________________________________________

Does support # 2 reflect the essay map’s organization? Y N

Does the second support contain specific and persuasive information to

back up reason #2? Y N

Is the second support fully developed? Y N

Support #3________________________________________________________________

Does support # 3 reflect the essay map’s organization? Y N

Does the third support contain specific and persuasive information to

back up reason #3? Y N

Is the third support fully developed? Y N

Concession Paragraph______________________________________________________

Is the concession paragraph at least 5 sentences in length? Y N

Does the concession consider and dismiss an opposing argument? Y N

Conclusion________________________________________________________________

Is the conclusion paragraph at least 5 sentences in length? Y N

Does the conclusion sum up the main points of the argument in an

effective way? Y N

Citations__________________________________________________________________

The essay contains correctly cited quotes and paraphrases. Y N

The quotes help make the author’s points. Y N

The Bibliography page is in the correct format. Y N

Details___________________________________________________________________

There are little to no spelling mistakes. Y N

There are little to no punctuation mistakes. Y N

There are little to no grammar mistakes. Y N

The same verb tense is maintained throughout. Y N

There are at least 3 different arguments to support the thesis. Y N

The writing style makes for an easily understandable paper. Y N

Form_____________________________________________________________________

Circle the words I, me, mine, you, your, we, our, ours, and us if they appear anywhere in the draft other than inside quoted passages. Direct the author to ELIMINATE THEM!

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