American StudiesEnglish III/US History

Semester 1 Research Project

Name:____________________________________________

Project Overview

Contents of Paper:This 7-10 page historical research paper is a requirement for Dual Credit US

History. You may choose from the following topics/themes:1. America’s Foreign policy, 1898-1973.2. Great Depression3. Civil Rights, 1896-present4. Political trends P (Presidential elections, political party influence,)5. Indian relations in the 20th Century6. Cold War7. America’s involvement in World Wars

Written Papero The paper will be at least seven pages, but no more than ten.o The paper is to be formatted in MLA style (see MLA guide)o You will have an introduction and conclusion, and several body paragraphso In addition to the main body of your paper, include a Works Cited page

Documentation and Citationso You must use MLA format for parenthetical citations. Whether you

paraphrase, summarize, or quote, you must cite every source used in your paper.

o If a source is used in the paper, it must also appear on the Works Cited page.

o You must have AT LEAST THREE sources (you will be given these three sources)

o Use a balanced combination of quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing.o We will go over the use of citations and documentation.

Rough Outline Topic Selection:

What are three-six subtopics you found in your reading? (These will become your body paragraphs.)1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

What will be your thesis (clearly and concisely states the paper’s purpose in a single, thought—provoking sentence)?

Body ParagraphsThesis Statement: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Body Paragraph #1 Topic Sentence (main idea of paragraph): __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Evidence (w/source):________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Evidence (w/source):________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Evidence (w/source):________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Transition Sentence:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Body Paragraph #2 Topic Sentence (main idea of paragraph): __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Evidence (w/source):________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Evidence (w/source):________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Evidence (w/source):___________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________Transition Sentence:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Body Paragraph #3 Topic Sentence (main idea of paragraph): __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Evidence (w/source):________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Evidence (w/source):________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Evidence (w/source):________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Transition Sentence:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Body Paragraph #4 Topic Sentence (main idea of paragraph): __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Evidence (w/source):________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Evidence (w/source):________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Evidence (w/source):________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Transition Sentence:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Body Paragraph #5 Topic Sentence (main idea of paragraph): __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Evidence (w/source):________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Evidence (w/source):________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Evidence (w/source):________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Transition Sentence:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Body Paragraph #6 Topic Sentence (main idea of paragraph): __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Evidence (w/source):________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Evidence (w/source):________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Evidence (w/source):________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Transition Sentence:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Body Paragraph #7 Topic Sentence (main idea of paragraph): __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Evidence (w/source):________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Evidence (w/source):________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Evidence (w/source):________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Transition Sentence:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Introduction and ConclusionIntroduction:

Hook: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Bridge:_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Thesis Statement:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Conclusion:Relate back to opener: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thesis Statement (restated):________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________So what? (What is this relevant/important?):_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Quoting/Paraphrasing

When you paraphrase a quotation, you rewrite the passage using your own carefully composed sentences. A paraphrase sticks closely to the original, following it point by point, but you must use your own words and sentence structure.

When you quote a passage, quotation marks must be around any words or phrases that are verbatim (taken directly from the source).

Direct Quote:Cleopatra and Mark Antony. In 41 B.C., Mark Antony invited Cleopatra to Tarsus in Asia Minor (now part of Turkey). Antony was then one of the rulers of Rome, with Gaius Octavian (later called Augustus) and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. Antony had met Cleopatra when she stayed in Rome as Caesar's guest. Antony wanted to rule Rome alone and hoped to obtain financial aid from Cleopatra. Antony and Cleopatra became lovers. In 40 B.C., Cleopatra gave birth to twins, Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene. For political reasons, Antony left Cleopatra and married Octavia, the sister of his co-ruler Octavian (see Octavia). In 37 B.C., Antony abandoned Octavia and resumed his relationship with Cleopatra. In 36 B.C., she had another son by him, Ptolemy Philadelphos.

Paraphrasing WRONG:Antony and Cleopatra became lovers, and in 40 B.C., she gave birth to twins, Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene. Then, Antony left Cleopatra and married Octavia. But in 37 B.C., Antony abandoned Octavia to be with Cleopatra. In 36 B.C., she had another son, Ptolemy Philadelphos (Ritner).

Paraphrasing RIGHT ( with quotes):

In 40 B.C., Cleopatra had twins – Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Serene. The twins were the children of Antony after he and Cleopatra “became lovers.” Due to “political reasons,” Antony married Octavia, leaving Cleopatra. However, he went back to her in 37 B.C. Cleopatra gave birth to their son, Ptolemy Philadelphos in 36 B.C (Ritner).

Direct quotation:Robert E. Lee (1807-70) served as a military officer in the U.S. Army, a West Point commandant and the legendary general of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War (1861-65). In June 1861, Lee assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia, which he would lead for the rest of the war. Lee and his army achieved great success during the Peninsula Campaign and at Second Bull Run (Mansassas) and Fredericksburg, with his greatest victory coming in the bloody Battle of Chancellorsville. In the spring of 1863, Lee invaded the North, only to be defeated at the Battle of Gettysburg. With Confederate defeat a near certainty, Lee continued on, battling Union General Ulysses S. Grant in a series of clashes in Virginia in 1864-65 before finally surrendering what was left of his army in April 1865. Lee has been praised by many for his tactical brilliance, and remains a revered figure in the American South.

Paraphrase: Robert E. Lee was born in 1807 and died in 1870. He is most famous for his role as the “legendary general of the Cofederate Army” during the United States’ Civil War, which was fought from 1861-1865. Although he was a successful general overall, he lost the Battle of Gettysburg, which made him the losing general, in the end. He was forced to “surrend[er] what was left of his army in April 1865.” He is seen as a very smart general, and “remains a revered figure in the American South.”

Direct Quotation:Nearly 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans in Southern states still inhabited a starkly unequal world of disenfranchisement, segregation and various forms of oppression, including race-inspired violence. “Jim Crow” laws at the local and state levels barred them from classrooms and bathrooms, from theaters and train cars, from juries and legislatures. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the “separate but equal” doctrine that formed the basis for state-sanctioned discrimination, drawing national and international attention to African Americans’ plight. In the turbulent decade and a half that followed, civil rights activists used nonviolent protest and civil disobedience to bring about change, and the federal government made legislative headway with initiatives such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968. Many leaders from within the African American community and beyond rose to prominence during the Civil Rights era, including Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Andrew Goodman and others. They risked—and sometimes lost—their lives in the name of freedom and equality.

Paraphrase:In the 1960s, African-Americans were still greatly discriminated against, even though it had been decades since Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Because of Jim Crow laws, black people had to endure separate restrooms, seating areas in restaurants, swimming pools, and other public places.

However, in 1954, with a decision by the Supreme Court, these “separate but equal” spaces were deemed unconstitutional. In the years following, “legislative headway” was made for blacks’ rights with laws “such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968.” Many African American leaders, including Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and others put their lives on the line “in the name of freedom and equality.”

Direct quotation: In 1857, Clemens became an apprentice steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River. The following year, while employed on a boat called the Pennsylvania, he got his younger brother, Henry, a job aboard the vessel. Samuel Clemens worked on the Pennsylvania until early June. Then, on June 13, disaster struck when the Pennsylvania, traveling near Memphis, experienced a deadly boiler explosion; among those who perished as a result was 19-year-old Henry. Samuel Clemens was devastated by the incident but got his pilot’s license in 1859. He worked on steamboats until the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, when commercial traffic along the Mississippi was halted. Clemens’ pen name, Mark Twain, comes from a term signifying two fathoms (12 feet), a safe depth of water for steamboats.

Paraphrase:

Direct quotation:With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, women and men alike eagerly volunteered to fight for the cause. In the Northern states, women organized ladies’ aid societies to supply the Union troops with

everything they needed, from food (they baked and canned and planted fruit and vegetable gardens for the soldiers) to clothing (they sewed and laundered uniforms, knitted socks and gloves, mended blankets and embroidered quilts and pillowcases) to cash (they organized door-to-door fundraising campaigns, county fairs and performances of all kinds to raise money for medical supplies and other necessities).

Paraphrase:

Example of rewriting text and giving credit with in-text citations

Pasted Text From “Lower Merion schools hit with new webcam spying suit,” By: Martin, John P. Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA). 06/09/2011.

June 08--Eight months after the Lower Merion School District thought it had settled the furor over secret monitoring of students' laptops, the district faces a new legal battle on the issue.

On Monday, a 2009 graduate of Harriton High School sued the school district, claiming it violated his civil rights by capturing nearly 8,000 webcam photos and screen-shots from his laptop between September 2008 and March 2009.The plaintiff, Joshua Levin, claims he was "shocked, humiliated and severely emotionally distressed" after viewing the images last summer.

REWRITTEN and CITED:

In June of 2008, Joshua Levin sued his school district for capturing over 8,000 webcam photos from his borrowed laptop.  He claims he was “shocked” and “humiliated” after seeing the images last summer (Martin).

Pasted Text from “Picture This: No school should have webcams in students' homes Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA). 04/23/2010.

Apr. 23--Last November, an assistant principal at a suburban Philadelphia high school confronted a student with a photo that allegedly showed him engaged in an illegal act in his home.

The student disputed the accusation that he was popping pills. He was eating candy in the photo, he insisted.

Still, the photo was "evidence" of something fishy, all right. The school had surreptitiously taken 400 pictures of the student by using the remote webcam on his laptop. Harriton High School sophomore Blake Robbins then sued the Lower Merion School District for invasion of privacy.

Since then, families have learned that tracking software was installed in all 2,300 school-issued laptops and that the webcams could be activated remotely. The cameras were turned on 146 times during two school years. An astounding 56,000 images were captured by dozens of laptops.

REWRITTEN and CITED:

After viewing photos from the webcam of a school-issued laptop, a principal at a Philadelphia high school accused a student of engaging in illegal activity.  Accused of popping pills, the student claimed he was eating candy in the photo instead.  This triggered the community’s suspicion that their school district was using the webcams to peek into student’s homes.  Over 50,000 images were captured by dozens of laptops. Since then, community members have been suing the school district for invasion of privacy (“Picture This”).

MLA Format

All typed academic work produced for this class should be in MLA format. Please reference Purdue OWL with any questions! You may use the search function for quick results!

Example:Your Last Name 1

Name Page # intop right

Teacher Name corner

Class

12 January 2015 Notice theformat of 12 pt. font for title.the date! Title No italics/bold face

Tab This is my hook. It is a really lovely hook. Now I am proving background information for my topic

and/or introducing the text that I will be analyzing. This background information is relevant to my thesis

statement. I am getting the reader ready for my compelling and amazing thesis statement. While writing a

real paper, I would never include such gratuitous use of the word “I”. Here comes my thesis statement:

Claim + Reason.

Tab This is my next paragraph. Do you notice the spacing between the introductory paragraph and this

one? I started this paragraph with a topic sentence (supporting claim) that links directly to my thesis.

General Rules for Style:

o 12 pt. Font (Times New Roman) o Double-Spaceo Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides.o Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin. (Tab once)

o Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin.

o Use italics throughout your essay for the titles of longer works. The titles of books will always be in Italics. The title of poems/articles/smaller works will be in quotations. Book “Poem”

In-Text Citations (From Purdue OWL)

In MLA style, referring to the works of others in your text is done by using what is known as parenthetical citation. This method involves placing relevant source information in parentheses after a quote or a paraphrase.

General Guidelines 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) page.

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

Print Source with known Author“Yes: I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world” (Wilde 112).

Notice: The period goes AFTER the citation. I always remember this by saying: My thought is not complete until I credit the author. Also note that you just write 112 and not “pg. 112”. Instead of “Oscar Wilde”, just write Wilde.

No problem! The citation would look like this: “Quote” (Moore, Smith, and Yang 76).

In this case, the citation would look like: “Quote” (Marx 77-78).

Print Source with No Known AuthorWe see so many global warming hotspots in North America likely because this region has "more readily accessible climatic data and more comprehensive programs to monitor and study environmental change" ("Impact of Global Warming" 6).

When a source has no known author, use a shortened title of the work instead of an author name. Place the title in quotation marks if it's a short work (such as an article) or italicize it if it's a longer work (e.g. plays, books, television shows, entire Web sites) and provide a page number

General Guidelines:*Ensure that the reader can easily identify on Works Cited.*Start with the same first word as the original.

Website: For electronic and Internet sources follow the following guidelines:

Include in the text the first item that appears in the Work Cited entry that corresponds to the citation (e.g. author name, article name, website name, film name).

You do not need to give page numbers based on your Web browser’s print preview function. Unless you must list the Web site name in the signal phrase in order to get the reader to the

appropriate entry, do not include URLs in-text. Only provide partial URLs such as when the name of the site includes, for example, a domain name, like CNN.com opposed to writing out http://www.cnn.com.

PLEASE make sure you are using valid internet sources. When in doubt, check with me!

Long Quotations:

Correct: “Quote from Online Source” (Author Last Name).

Correct: “Quote from Online Source” (“Article Title”).

Correct: “Quote from Online Source” (Website Name).

Correct: “Quote from OnlineSource” (Shortened URL).

When quoting four lines or more, indent every line you are quoting by one inch and do not use quotes.

The use of nuclear weapons in today’s society is strikingly alarming. Though the United

States is the only country to employ it in the past, they are at the same time the country that condemns its use the most. While this may seem hypocritical, is it the most proper action for the United States to make as the global leader. (Taparia 9).

Works Cited

"Romeo and Juliet" The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. Michael Kennedy and Joyce

Kennedy. Oxford University Press, 2007. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University

Press. Sentinel High School. 19 April 2015.

Seidel, Michael. "Romeo and Juliet." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2011. Web. 19 Apr.

2011.

Zeff, Dan. "West Side Story." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2011. Web. 19 Apr. 2011.

Research Paper Rubric                      

Please note:

Alphabetical order Times New Roman, 12 point font Hanging Indent (use ruler - .5”) Doubled spaced “Works Cited” at the top, NOT italicized or

underlined

Category Exceeds Standard Meets Standard Nearly Meets Standard

Does Not Meet Standard

Score

CitationsWorks Cited Page /In-text Citations

No errors in MLA formatting .Cites all data obtained from other sources.3 + sources, including those provided.

Few errors in MLA formatting.Cites all  data obtained from other sources.3 sources, including those provided.

Citation style is inconsistentCites some data obtained from other sources.sources.Uses 2 sources

Does not cite sources or fewer than 2 sources.

/10

Thesis statement

Clearly and concisely states the paper’s purpose in a single, thought—provoking sentence.

Clearly states the paper’s purpose in a single sentence.

States the paper’s purpose in a single sentence.

Thesis is incomplete, unfocused or absent. /

5

Introduction

The introduction is engaging, states the main topic and creates a focus for the paper.

The introduction states the main topic and creates a focus for the paper.

The introduction states the main topic.

There is no clear introductionor main topic.

/5

Organization

Transitions

Writer demonstrates logicalsequencing of ideas through well-developed paragraphs. Transitions show how paragraphs work together.

Paragraph developmentpresent but not perfected.Logical organization. Transitions sometimes show how paragraphs work together.

Organization of ideas not fully developed. Transitions used, butcould connect any paragraph to any other paragraph (next…another point… etc.).

No evidence of structure ororganization. Transitions not used.

/15

Development / Content

5  pagesFully understands the topic.In-depth discussion and elaboration in all sectionsResearched concepts are integrated with the writer’s own insights.Claims are fully supported with evidence, i.e. details, examples, anecdotes, statistics, etc.

4 pagesUnderstands the topic.In-depth discussion and elaboration in some sectionsIncludes a few of the writer’s own insights.Most claims are supported with evidence, i.e. details, examples, anecdotes, statistics, etc.

3  pagesAuthor has some or an obviously biased understanding of the topic.Discussion is superficialSome claims are supported with evidence, i.e. details, examples, anecdotes, statistics, etc.

Less than 3 pagesAuthor shows limited understanding of topicClaims are insufficiently supported.

/40

ConclusionThe conclusion is engaging and

The conclusion is effective.

The conclusion merely restates the

Incomplete, unfocused, or absent.

effective.  Reflects on implication of thesis.  Provides sense of completion.

Reflects on implication of thesis.

thesis or repeats the introduction.

/5

Language, conventions, clarity & tone

Very few or no mistakes in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Few mistakes in grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.

Some mistakes in grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.

Considerable mistakes in grammar, spelling, capitalization and punctuation.

/10

Sentence Structure

Varies sentence structure. Very few or no fragments, comma splices, or run-ons.Communicates ideas with a high degree of clarity and effectiveness.

Varies sentence structure. Few fragments, comma splices, or run-ons.Communicates ideas with considerable clarity and effectiveness.

Does not vary sentence structure. Some fragments, comma splices, or run-ons.Communicates ideas with some clarity and effectiveness.

Considerable fragments, comma splices, or run-ons.Communicates ideas with limited clarity and effectiveness.

/10

Total:_________/100

Comments: