OVERVIEW:

This Cultural Argumentative Research Paper (CARP) requires you to write a researched,

documented, argumentative paper that offers a convincing answer to a compelling question

about a cultural entity (person, place, or concrete thing).

KEY STEPS:

1. RESEARCH QUESTION (& second choice) ............... Due Wednesday, 1/29

a. See guidelines on next page. No students may research the same question.

Value: 10 pts.

2. NOTE CARDS .......................................................... Due Tuesday, 2/18

a. At least 40 neat, legible 3x5 note cards documenting research from:

b. An MLA-format Works Cited page (no Citation Machine!)

Value: 25 pts.

3. THESIS & OUTLINE .............................................. Due Wednesday, 2/26

a. Thesis statement written out in full sentences, making clear your specific answer

to your research question

b. Overview of major support and organization for your argument

c. Brief acknowledgment of counterarguments

d. Include an updated MLA-format Works Cited (no Citation Machine)

Value: 20 pts.

4. ROUGH DRAFT ....................................................... Due Monday, 3/10

a. Include title page, works cited, graded outline, and Turnitin.com receipt b. In-text citations and Works Cited in MLA format—NO CITATIONS? NO CREDIT.

c. Formatted properly (Times New Roman 12, dbl-spc, 1” margins, page numbers)

d. PROOFREAD

Value: 50 pts.

5. FINAL COPY ............................................................... Due Friday, 4/4

a. Same format as rough draft, including a new Turnitin.com receipt

b. Include graded rough draft and completed peer review

Value: 100 pts.

TOTAL: 205 pts.

CULTURAL

ARGUMENTATIVE

RESEARCH PAPER

GUIDELINES:

You should spend the first few days of research choosing the question that you will investigate. Your research question should ask a unique, specific, arguable question about

a person, place, or thing in human culture. For example, you might ask:

What were the most important causes/effects of [EVENT, PHENOMENON, etc.]?

What kind of influence did [EVENT, PHENOMENON, etc.] have on human culture?

What was the key character trait that made [PERSON] unique among his/her fellow

[OCCUPATION]s?

For what should we remember [PERSON]? OR How is [PERSON] misunderstood?

How/why has [PLACE] changed since [ERA, EVENT, etc.]?

Why does [PLACE] matter, even to the people who aren't from there?

Who/what was the most influential [LEADER, CULTURAL FIGURE, ARTWORK,

etc.] of his/her/its time, and why?

Remember that your research question is not a prompt you are answering; it is an open-

ended, inspirational question that will lead you to your specific argument. When you craft your thesis statement, it will probably not look just like your research question. For

example, if your question is, “What

TOPIC RESTRICTIONS:

People

1. Your individual must be prominent. This is no time for introducing fringe figures

to the world. You need sources beyond that one awesome book you own.

2. You may not choose living individuals who are currently active in the roles that

made them famous. (For example, former British Prime Minister Margaret

Thatcher is OK; film director Steven Spielberg is not.)

3. You may not choose Adolf Hitler. He’s too easy.

4. For extremely famous or prominent figures (Lincoln, JFK, MLK, etc.) you should

zero in on a specific period, area, or facet of his or her life rather than attempting

to do justice to an entire life or career in a comparatively brief paper. Places

1. You may not choose Saint Viator High School. Things

1. You may choose trends, but not trivial fads (e.g. Prohibition, not Hula Hoops)

Before choosing a question, determine the following:

Have I found evidence of the availability of books that focus on this topic in detail?

Am I genuinely uncertain about the answer to my question (good!), or is my question

a thinly veiled excuse to spout my preconceived notions about the topic (bad!)?

Am I comfortable researching and writing about this topic for the next nine weeks?

DO I HAVE AN IMMEDIATE SECOND CHOICE IF MY TOPIC IS REJECTED?

While crafting a thesis, consider the following:

Your thesis should be arguable. Others might (and should be able to) disagree about

your answer to the question. (In other words, “_____ was the greatest football team of

all time” is only a viable thesis if you define “greatest” beyond “best win-loss

record.” It should not be possible to answer your question with a Google search.)

If you are having trouble writing a thesis, meet with your teacher before the due date.

JANUARY 2014

20

21

22

23 24 CARP Spice Sales Pitch

27

28

29 Research Question Due

30 31

FEBRUARY 2014

3

4

5 6 7

10

11 12 13 14

17

18 Note Cards Due

19

20

21

24

25

26 Thesis & CARP Skeleton Due

27 28

MARCH 2014

3

4 5 6 7

10 Raw CARP Due

11

12 13 14

17 18 19 20 21

24 25 26

27 28

31 April 1 2 3

4 Grilled CARP Due

FINDING YOUR CARP RECIPE Conducting the Research

Objective: To complete at least 40 neat, legible 3x5 note cards documenting research from at least 5 sources, including 1 book 1 article (preferably a scholarly article, not a TIME cover story) 3 others (Internet, personal interview, etc.). Note: If using an Internet source it must be complex and reliable (see handout “Evaluating Information on the Internet”)—points will be deducted if your instructor deems the source inadequate. The following sources are BANNED: Wikipedia (or anything involving crowd-sourced “wiki” pages), About.com, Answers.yahoo.com, Heroesandkillers.com, all encyclopedias—World Book, Britannica, online, print, etc.—and textbooks of any kind. The goal of this assignment is to move beyond survey sources and into more in-depth treatments of the topic. Instructions: Record any information that contributes towards answering your research question. Since you will eventually create an argument, you should look for a diverse spread of information that will shape your argument to be as well-rounded as possible. Remember to focus on your research question; tangential information that has no bearing on your argument must not be included. Aim for one key fact or quote per note card. All notecards should identify the source, page, and topic. As you take your notes remember to paraphrase the information from your sources. DO NOT COPY THE INFORMATION WORD FOR WORD. Use direct quotes sparingly and only if they contain rhetorical value and significance to your argument. If you use a direct quote, you should note the speaker if it is not the source’s author.

When submitting the note cards, submit a one-page WORKS CITED in proper MLA format, including all sources referenced in the research.

Sample Note Card DUE: ________________________ VALUE: 25 points

SUB-TOPIC (Source Page #) Notes As your stack of

note cards grows, it’s helpful to group them by the type of info they provide.

Carving Your : The Outline

Instructions: The outline must contain the following:

Thesis statement written out in full sentence(s) (needn’t be 3-point) A “Roman numeral” for each paragraph of the paper with a topical title for that

paragraph (to make the purpose of each paragraph clear; these won’t appear in the paper—e.g., Mao’s Social Policies, Disney’s Perfectionism in Theme Park Ventures)

MLA citations for info from notecards (don’t copy entire cards, but include source info) Brief acknowledgment of counterarguments (isolated or recurring) A current version of your Works Cited (updated if need be)

Your CARP emphatically does NOT need to be a five-paragraph essay; assuming that it does will hurt your paper. You do need an engaging introduction and a conclusion that confirms the significance of your findings, but between them you may structure your argument using any arrangement strategy that you see fit. Most importantly, you must understand the purpose of each “section” of your paper, what it contributes to the argument as a whole.

Even a topic that seems easy to organize presents some challenges. If, for example, you have researched the most important effects of [PERSON/PLACE/THING], in what order will you present them? What will allow for the most effective transitions? Do any sections depend on knowledge revealed in another section? What will heighten the impact of your overall argument? Because your claim is debatable, you need to consider the persuasive impact of your organization.

Remember: YOU ARE NOT NECESSARILY DONE RESEARCHING! Create the outline that best serves your topic and answers your research question, even if it reveals that you must now cover an area not originally well represented in your notecards. You still have time before the draft.

Depending on your research question and thesis, you may settle on one of the following “alternative” essay structures, from a blog post by Swarthmore College Professor Timothy Burke. Sample CARP research questions that may fit well with each structure appear below. Simple Compare and Contrast This is often the next step up from the plain five-paragraph essay. I sometimes call it the this-and-that paper. The essay can be written around a block comparison, where the two (or more) things to be compared are discussed separately in longer multi-paragraph sections, or on a point-by-point basis, alternating each paragraph. The key here that makes this structure rise above the purely pedestrian is the conclusion. A compare-and-contrast paper that concludes with an unresolved or rhetorical question about the meaning of the comparison is banal and descriptive, but a paper that concludes with an emphatic resolution of the comparison or contrast can be excellent.

Possible CARP Questions What kind of influence did [EVENT, PHENOMENON, etc.] have on human culture? (comparing and contrasting culture before and after your topic’s arrival)

Chronological A structure that is more precisely fitted to historical writing, where it traces the development of a theme or issue over time. This is also very simple, and often produces a mediocre paper that is purely descriptive and non-analytical, but if it is done well, can be very sophisticated. The key to doing this paper well is picking a theme or issue where tracing its development over time is itself a potent or pointed analytic choice, where pursuing a chronological dimension to an issue repudiates some other way of understanding it. (The reverse, by the way, works equally well, namely, taking an issue that is commonly understood as changing considerably over time and arguing that it actually is quite static.)

Possible CARP Questions What kind of influence did [EVENT, PHENOMENON, etc.] have on human culture? What were the most important causes/effects of [EVENT, PHENOMENON, etc.]? How/why has [PLACE] changed since [ERA, EVENT, etc.]?

Thematic Hard to describe: this is a catch-all term for an essay that isolates a single theme or issue in response to the professor’s initial prompt, and focuses exclusively on it. On a recent assignment, for example, I had one very good paper that took a general prompt about development policies in colonial Africa and zoomed in very tightly on agriculture and gender. The good thematic writer just needs to have enough faith in the heuristic they’re using to isolate a single issue or problem; a thematic essay goes wrong when the theme is very badly chosen or when the writer loses confidence and switches halfway through to something else.

Possible CARP Questions What was the key character trait that made [PERSON] unique among his/her fellow _____s? Why does [PLACE] matter, even to the people who aren't from there? Who/what was the most influential [LEADER, CULTURAL FIGURE, ARTWORK, etc.] of his/her/its time? Why?

Set-’em-Up, Knock-’em-Down When it’s done right, this is just about my favorite kind of short analytic essay, and it is one of the structures well worth learning for its general utility outside of the college environment. In this structure, the writer explores some simplistic or banal assumption or argument for the first part of the paper, carefully bracketed off as a sort of “Let’s suppose that X is true,” where it is clear that the author is just thinking it through. Then halfway through the essay, the writer pulls the rug out, revealing that the initial argument is totally wrong, and substituting some other argument or line of analysis in its place. In the end, the reason I like set-’em-up, knock-’em-down essays is that they are so clearly focused on the purpose of analytic writing, at least in my classes, and that’s persuasion. An essay that is persuasive is an essay that shows a student has command of the material, has taken ownership of it.

Possible CARP Questions For what should we remember [PERSON]? OR How is [PERSON] misunderstood? (NOTE: Don’t spend too much time building up the incorrect view here; just outline it in a paragraph or two and move on to your correct interpretation.)

A Couple of Possible Non-5-¶ Essay Outlines (for conceptual reference only; they shouldn’t look like this)

I. Intro & Thesis

II. Traditional Misconceptions of ____ (more as needed

III. The Real Deal on _____ (as many ¶s as

needed to fully explain all aspects of it)

IV. Conclusion: Why This Matters

I. Intro & Thesis

II. The Way Things Were Before _____

III. Important Aspects of ____ and How They Affected

Things

IV. Other Important Aspects of ____ and Their Effects (as

needed)

V. The Way Things Were After _____

VI. What Else Besides ___ Might Be the Cause?

VII. Conclusion: Why This Matters

NOTE: In this type of essay, counter-argument takes care of itself. But this only suits some topics.

General Outline Format I. Intro

a. Thesis II. Body 1: Topic

a. Claim i. Support 1

ii. Support 2 (etc.) III. Body II: Topic

a. Claim i. Support 1

ii. Support 2 (etc.) IV. Body III: Topic

a. Claim i. Support 1

ii. Support 2 (etc.) [More Body ¶s as needed] V. Counter-Argument

a. Claim i. Support

ii. Refutation VI. Conclusion

Marinating your carp MLA Formatting Rules and Guidelines

NOTE: If you have any questions regarding any part of MLA formatting, refer to the Online Writing Lab at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02.

In-Text Citations In-text citations are parenthetical and follow the “author page” format: The source information required in a parenthetical citation depends (1.) upon

the source medium (e.g. print, Web, DVD) and (2.) upon the source’s entry on the Works Cited (bibliography) page.

Any source information that you provide in-text must correspond to the source information on the Works Cited page. More specifically, the signal word or phrase you provide to your readers in-text must be the first thing that appears on the left-hand margin of the corresponding entry in the Works Cited list.

o If your Works Cited entry begins with “Disney, Walt” and your source was page 23, your in-text citation for that source should read (Disney 23).

o If your Works Cited entry begins with a title (e.g. “Why Chicago Needs the Olympics”) and there is no credited author, use a shortened form of the title in the citation: (“Why Chicago Needs”) Be sure to use quotes or italics as needed.

The author's name may appear either in the sentence itself (for a quote) or in parentheses following the information, but the page number(s) should always appear in parentheses, not in the text of your sentence.

o Disney claims that the “inimitable handmade elegance” of two-dimensional animation makes it a superior art form to computer animation (23).

o One argument for the superiority of two-dimensional animation is its old-fashioned, organic appearance (Disney 23). NOTE: When citing an e-book, cite as specifically as you can in-text (ch.

3), but do not cite the e-book’s equivalent of page numbers (45%, etc.).

Works Cited Be sure to use a hanging indent to emphasize the signal word from your in-

text citations. The first line of text should not be indented, but the second line and every subsequent line should be indented one half-inch. If you have set up your hanging indent properly, the Microsoft Word ruler will look something like this:

Your Works Cited entries should follow this general format, but alphabetized. o If source is a book…

Disney, Walt. How to Not Really Get Cryogenically Frozen When You Die. New York: Disney Editions. 1966. Print.

o If source is a periodical article… Brubaker, Bill. "Everyone suddenly realizes CHEEZ-ITs are awesome." Washington Post, 24 May 2013: 24. Print.

o If source is a database article… Smith, Tom. “Really Cool Article.” Awesome Quarterly 50.1 (2009): 123- 234. E-library. Web. 4 Nov 2009.

o If source is a web article… (this is the basic format; for variations, see OWL) Rider, Flynn. “Untangling Titles: How to Retitle Your Rapunzel Movie in the

Desperate Hope of Appealing to Teenage Boys.” Animated Views. Animated Views, 8 Oct 2010. Web. 15 Oct 2010.

NOTE: You should provide the Web address at the end: <link> o Other Media Formats—Consult the OWL link above.

Publisher = whoever is credited with the copyright on the page (if none“n.p.”)

Date Accessed: Different from publication date (which is listed first; if none”n.d.”)

Name of site (if diff. from article title)

Title Page Format

“When Somebody Loved Me”:

The Disturbing Psychological Effects of Toy Abandonment

Looting a Thousand Worlds:

Nathaniel Flint’s High-Tech Pirating Secret

An Imperfect World:

Emperor Kuzco and the Dangers of Absolutist Self-Obsession

Milo Thatch Mrs. Sikora/Mr. Paolelli

AP Language & Composition 4 April 2014

A FURTHER WORD Include page numbers. MLA format requires them in the header in the upper-right corner, preceded by your last name. (e.g. “Paolelli 4”) You should also include an MLA header on the first page of your actual paper.

Catchy phrase that sums up your paper

Identify Topic

Title that hints at the paper’s main arguments

Drafting Your CARP

1. Let Your Sources Speak…

The research paper is an opportunity to organize and present the work of other authors in order to make an original argument. That means you can’t just say anything yourself; you have to back everything up with information from sources. Every paragraph should revolve around a central claim supported by researched facts. Direct quotes should be not just cited, but attributed in the text to their source (“According to Levin…”) Anything that uses the exact words of a source should be in quotation marks and cited. No exceptions.

2. …Without Shoving You Aside

Avoid the temptation to simply switch into extended direct quotes from your sources. Limit direct quotes to those that have some rhetorical significance—an inimitable bit of diction, for example, or the primary-source words of an individual relevant to your topic (letter, speech, public statement, etc.). When you do quote directly, attribute the quote to its source in the text (“According to…), not just in the citation. Long quotes should be single-spaced, “block” indented (0.5” left and right), set apart from the main text by a skipped line before and after, and should not use quotation marks.

3. Step Up to the Counter-Argument

A valid counter-argument is a moment in your paper when you consider an argument or arguments running opposite to your thesis. It is a time for considering AND refuting alternatives to your claim, not a time to list random negatives about your paper’s subject.

THESIS: Perfectionism and restlessness were the keys to Walt Disney’s success. BAD COUNTER: Some have accused Walt Disney of anti-Semitism. GOOD COUNTER: Disney actually succeeded by making ruthless and timely business deals to cut competitors out of the markets he sought to dominate.

4. Transitions

A good paper’s body paragraphs cannot be switched around—that is, the paper is composed not of randomly sequenced illustrations of the thesis’s argument, but of an inevitable series of interlocking arguments that build to a convincing climax. At the junctions between your body paragraphs—i.e., the end of one or the start of the next—demonstrate the link between the two topics (e.g. end of a paragraph about Walt Disney’s innovations in the early days of television, when the next paragraph will discuss his forays into theme parks: “All along, though, Disney’s popular television show had a not-so-secret ulterior motive, which was to publicize the next outlet for his innovative impulses: Disneyland.”)

5. Introductions: Beyond the Grabber

A college-level paper does not rely on cutesy rhetorical questions and “Imagine if” statements to draw in the reader. It assumes a certain level of sophistication on the part of the reader, and opens with something captivating and compelling, but professional. One way to arrive at an effective opening is to brainstorm patterns of development that pertain to your topic and open with exemplification, an anecdote, a point of contrast, etc. Once you have hooked the reader, you can then provide any necessary contextual information required to make your thesis clear.

REMEMBER: ROUGH DRAFTS and FINAL COPIES must be submitted with proper in-text citations, works cited, and Turnitin.com receipt. They WILL NOT BE GRADED and will be considered late until properly completed.

Sikora/Paolelli 1

• Thesis Statement

– Be sure you articulately convey the response to your research question—without having to state what the question is.

– Don’t wed yourself to the exact words used in your thesis. If you’re developing an idea, rephrase it occasionally to keep the paper interesting (“her ability to act decisively,” “her swift decision-making,” etc.)

• Citations are mandatory! – Note format: no commas, inside of periods and outside of quotes

• “You need citations, says I” (Paolelli 359). – First word/phrase of bibliography entry is your signal phrase – No author? Italicize or quote the title of the work in the citation, as in the bibliography

• Metadiscourse (= Transitions and Signal Phrases) – Between sections: connect points to ones made in previous ¶s (“His disastrous

economic management might have cost him the presidency, if not for his tremendous ability to persuade the public of his policies’ merits.”)

– Within sections: “His plan for distributing goods was poorly conceived. He showed the same ineptitude in his management of the workers’ strike.” Subtly show the relationships among ideas. (similar, equal, likewise, moreover, etc.)

• Quotations – No epigraph quotes! Integrate all quotes into the text of the paper. – Use when and only when the paper could benefit from a historical figure’s exact words,

rather than merely the information they convey • “At his death, even his enemies agreed that his policies were just.” Then quote

a relevant enemy admitting that his policies were just.

• Formatting/Conventions – Stay in third person! Not “our country” “the US” – Numbers between one and ninety-nine are written out; 100 and up, use #s – If you’re using which correctly, it will usually be preceded by a comma. (“She subdued

the peasants’ rebellion, which had threatened her power.” See fig. 1) – Officeholders’ titles are only capitalized when used as part of their name. (“After

President Bush won the 2004 presidential election, his presidency continued for another four years.”)

– Page number should appear in the header, right-aligned, after your last name (Click View Header and Footer in Word 2003 [InsertHeader in Word 2007/10], then press TAB to line up the cursor at the tab stop on the right. Type your name, and then insert the page number. Word 2007/10: Click InsertHeader)

– Avoid: • Generalizations and vagueness (things, a lot, kind of, very, the people) • Avoid using so as an “infinite modifier”; it sounds juvenile and imprecise.

(“Martin Luther King was so eloquent.” So eloquent that…what?) • Clichéd modifiers such as “Firstly,” “secondly,” and any form of “conclude” • Absolutes (always/never) and fawning (“flawless, impeccable, perfect”) • Typos of any kind—spell-check and the writing lab exist; use them!

Fig. 1

Cleaning your CARP

Name_____________________ Per.___ Total Score: _____ / 50

Excellent Good Fair Poor Argumentation 15-14 – Synthesizes sources

to offer a substantial, logical, arguable thesis supported by specific, cited, factual evidence; acknowledges and refutes counterargument; multiple proofs per point; claims relate to thesis

13-11 – Synthesizes most sources; argument at times unclear, inadequately cited or supported; counter-argument insufficiently addressed or not refuted; multiple proofs per point; claims not always explicitly related back to thesis

10-8 – Sources are mostly summarized; thesis unclear or not arguable; padded with irrelevant support; counterargument tangential or irrelevant; insufficient proofs for claims; uncited info; claims do not explicitly relate back to thesis

7-0 – Sources are always summarized; does not offer an arguable proposition; full of vagueness and generalities; blatant factual inaccuracies; counter-argument not addressed; 1 proof; claims irrelevant to thesis

Organization 8– Strong topic sentences; organization and transitions carry the reader through the paper; ¶s build logically; intro and conclusion offer compelling context.

7-6 – Organization and transitions are mostly clear and effective; ¶ sequence is mostly logical; intro and conclusion are well-structured and easy to follow.

5-4 – Unclear topic sentences; repetitive and unfocused; ¶s are randomly ordered with few effective transitions; intro and conclusion are underdeveloped

3-0 – Paper lacks discernible organization; ¶s are ordered randomly or illogically; intro and conclusion are undeveloped and merely repeat information.

Voice 8 – Voice is engaging, esp. in intro and conclusion, and manipulates diction and syntax proficiently

7-6 – Effective manipulation of diction and syntax, with some wordiness or awkward phrasing

5-4 – Awkward or unclear phrasing, poor or boring word choice, redundancy, wordiness, abstractions

3-0 – Incoherent phrasing; distractingly awkward or careless writing

Conventions 7 – Proficient use of grammar, spelling, and punctuation; no distracting errors; 3rd person; consistent tense

6-5 – Effective use of grammar, spelling, and punctuation; a few errors, none distracting

4 – Noticeable errors in grammar, spelling, and/or punctuation

3-0 –Frequent distracting errors in grammar, spelling, and/or punctuation. Peer-review draft is turned in without revision (0).

Formatting 7 –Works Cited and in-text citations in correct MLA format; direct quotes are profound; 2+ citations per ¶; headers present; 1-inch margins, all 12-pt. TNR

6-5 – Works Cited and in-text citations in correct MLA format; direct quotes are mediocre; 2 citations per ¶; missing headers, 1” margins, and/or correct font

4 – Works Cited and/or citations formatted incorrectly; direct quotes unnecessary; <2 citations/ ¶; <5 or iffy sources, issues with header, margin, or font

3-0 – Most or all formatting is incorrectly completed; few in-text citations; no Works Cited.

Essentials 5 – Title page is present and correctly formatted; graded outline and Turnitin receipt are included

4 – Title page is present but incorrectly formatted; graded outline and Turnitin receipt are included

3 – one of the three criteria is missing

2-0 – two or more of the criteria are missing

Seasoned carp RUBRIC

Name_____________________ Per.___ Total Score: _____ / 100

Excellent Good Fair Poor Argumentation 25-23 – Synthesizes sources

to offer a logical, arguable, substantial thesis supported by cited, factual specific proof; includes and refutes counter-argument; multiple proofs per point; claims relate to thesis

22-20 – Synthesizes most sources; argument at times unclear or insufficiently supported; counter-argument insufficiently addressed or not refuted; multiple proofs per point; claims not always explicitly related to thesis

19-13 – Sources are mostly summarized; thesis unclear or not arguable; counterargument tangential or irrelevant; insufficient proofs for claims or many generalities

12-0 – Sources are always summarized; does not offer an arguable proposition; full of vagueness; blatant factual inaccuracies; counter-argument not addressed; 1 proof; claims irrelevant to thesis

Organization 15-14 – Strong topic sentences; organization and transitions carry the reader through the paper; ¶s build logically; sentences flow; intro and conclusion offer compelling context.

13-12 – Organization and transitions are mostly clear and effective; ¶ sequence is mostly logical; intro and conclusion are well-structured and easy to follow.

11-10 – Unclear topic sentences; repetitive and unfocused; ¶s randomly ordered with few effective transitions or not cohesive; intro and conclusion are underdeveloped

9-0 – Paper lacks discernible organization; ¶s or sentences ordered randomly or illogically; intro and conclusion are undeveloped and merely repeat information.

Voice 15-14 – Voice is engaging, esp. in intro and conclusion, and manipulates diction and syntax proficiently

13-12 – Effective manipulation of diction and syntax

11-10 – Awkward phrasing, poor or boring word choice, redundancy

9-0 – Incoherent phrasing; distracting errors

Conventions 15-14 – Proficient use of grammar, spelling, and punctuation; no distracting errors; 3rd person; consistent tense

13-12 – Effective use of grammar, spelling, and punctuation; a few errors, none distracting

11-10 – Noticeable errors in grammar, spelling, and/or punctuation

9-0 –Frequent distracting errors in grammar, spelling, and/or punctuation

Formatting 15-14 – Works Cited and in-text citations in correct MLA format; direct quotes are profound; 2+ citations per ¶; page #s present & correct; 1-inch margins, 12-pt. TNR

13-12 – Works Cited and in-text citations in correct MLA format; direct quotes are mediocre; 2 citations per ¶; missing page #s, 1-inch margins, and/or correct font

11-10 – Works Cited and/or citations formatted incorrectly; direct quotes unnecessary; <2 citations/ ¶; <5 sources, missing headers, margins, or font

9-0 – Most or all formatting is incorrectly completed; few in-text citations; no Works Cited .

Essentials

10 – Correct title page and graded draft included

9-8 – Title page present but incorrect; graded draft incl’d

7-6 – One of the three criteria is missing

5-0 – Two or more of the criteria are missing

Revision 5 – Paper shows evidence of thoughtful, artful revision effort (or none needed)

4 – Revisions are present, but incomplete.

3-2 – Revisions are slapdash, perfunctory, or grossly incomplete

1-0 – Little to no evidence of revision

grilled carp RUBRIC