1. TKAM quiz/books out for annotation check

2. Sit in groups of 4 based upon your research question.

3. Together compare :A. breakdown what you are researchingB. your notes and annotationsC. Real life examples to incorporate into your

essay

Monday, March 16

NOTECARDS: THE FUTURE CITED FACTS OF YOUR RESEARCH PAPER

• You will list the source number for each card in the upper right hand corner and the subtopic title on the top left hand corner of the card (you should have three subtopics already chosen)

• On each card you will list one quote and/or paraphrase on one subtopic from one source and the page number (if it applies)—CLARIFY DIRECT QUOTES BY USING QUOTATION MARKS!

• Make sure that your facts and the subtopics you will explore are as specific as possible!!

• You will need to provide at least 30 facts collectively from your resources—You may not end up using all of these facts, but they will provide you with a strong basis for outlining your ideas and focusing the information within each paragraph.

• Remember : specific information to fulfill your written requirement.

A SAMPLE NOTE CARD FOR A BOOK: (A PARAPHRASE)

Topic and Source number Subtopic For Fact Page number for fact (for books) Fact (Use quotation marks only for direct quotes) Your name

Elizabeth I—Childhood 1 p. 2 Because King Henry never officially divorced his previous wife, Catherine of Aragon, his marriage to Elizabeth’s mother, Anne Boleyn, was not official either. Beaver Cleaver

A SAMPLE NOTE CARD FOR A DATABASE ARTICLE: (A DIRECT QUOTE)

Topic and Source number Subtopic For Fact No page number for fact (for database article) Fact (Use quotation marks only for direct quotes) Your name

Warfare—Soldiers 2 “All adult male subjects of a kingdom were eligible for military service. However, armies consisted largely of people from two groups in society—the aristocrats who managed the war and the lower classes who fought it.” Beaver Cleaver

THESIS STATEMENT

A process of establishing a claim and then proving it with logical reasoning, examples, and research. The thesis statement is a guideline, a unifying element, for every research paper.

Do not “telegraph” a thesis. Avoid using a first-person phrase such as “I am going to prove” or “I hope to show.”

A strong thesis statement usually answers two questions: How? Why?

tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.

is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.

directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself.

makes a claim that others might dispute.

is usually a single sentence in your first paragraph that presents your argument to the reader.

The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

The process for a college student working on a research paper in the 1960s was very different from the process used by most of today’s college students.

So what? Why would a reader want to continue? How are the research processes different? This is a weak thesis statement.

Because of advances in technology, today’s college student has many more resources for research papers than students had in the 1960s.

This statement is an improvement over Example 1 because it at least provides a reason for the differences: “advances in technology.”

Because of the advent of the Internet and other electronic sources, the research process utilized by today’s college students for papers differs greatly from that of students in the 1960s.This thesis statement provides more detail than the other examples and presents an argument that can be supported with specific supporting arguments: “the Internet and other electronic sources.”