Research Paper

"I do much better as a goddess, she said, since my secretarial skills have always been limited"

6th Grade Research Paper Requirements: TBA

7th Grade Research Paper Requirements

Topic: Event

1. Required Sources:

3 books

3 periodicals/ internet sources

one of the following:  notes from a documentary, TV special or news report, pamphlet, brochure, personal or recorded interview

2.  Bibliography Cards

3.  100 Note cards

4.  Parenthetical Documentation- MUST use a citation for EVERY fact used in the paper that was learned during your research.  Minimum 20.

8th Grade Research Paper Requirements

Topic: A culture

1. Required Sources:

3 books

3 periodicals/ internet sources

one of the following:  notes from a documentary, TV special or news report, pamphlet, brochure, personal or recorded interview

2.  Bibliography Cards

3.  120 Note cards

4.  Parenthetical Documentation- MUST use a citation for EVERY fact used in the paper that was learned during your research.  Minimum 25

Ex: Topic- Oklahoma City Bombing

Thesis: The bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, OK, was one of the worst examples of domestic terroism our country has ever seen.

Research Paper Rubric

Bibliography Cards:  100 points/ ________

Note cards:  100 points/  ________

Rough Draft:  100 points/  ________

Outline: 100 points/ _________

Works Cited Page: 20 points/  _________

Final Draft: 150 points/__________

RESEARCH SKILLS:

• Used class time wisely-  1 2 3 4 5
• Used variety of sources- 1 2 3 4 5
• Use of paraphrasing-  _______/10
• Use of parenthetical documentation- _______/10

COMPOSITION SKILLS:

• Followed the outline-  __________/10
• Main points were clearly demonstrated through examples and explanations- __________/10
• Details were in sequential or chronological order- 1 2 3 4 5
• Used transitions between each new idea or topic – 1 2 3 4 5
• Paper supported the thesis- _______/1o

MECHANICS:

• Sentence structure- __________/10
• Spelling- 1 2 3 4 5
• Punctuation- 1 2 3 4 5
• Grammar usage- 1 2 3 4 5

FORMAT:

• Title Page- 1 2 3 4 5
• Report Cover- 1 2 3 4 5
• Font- Times New Roman 12 pt. - 0 5
• Thesis statement- 1 2 3 4 5
• Outline- 1 2 3 4 5
• Page header- 1 2 3 4 5
• Re-submission of note cards- 1 2 3 4 5
• Works cited page- __________/2o

Comments:

Writing an Introduction:

Interesting facts, quotes or statistics always make for a good topic sentence. Then include some GENERAL background information on your topic- two or three sentences. THE LAST SENTENCE OF YOUR INTRODUCTION SHOULD BE YOUR THESIS STATEMENT!

Helpful hints for writing a conclusion:

Do not simply restate your thesis statement! Instead, summarize the main idea of your paper, provide your opinion on your topic, and challenge the reader to change their opinion, take action, or convince them you are right! BUT- do all of this WITHOUT SAYING "YOU, I, OUR, WE, MY..."!

Topic Ideas (7th grade)

Hurricane Katrina

Columbine

Meadowlands Massacre

Assassination of JFK/ MLK/ John Lennon

First Olympics

Tsunami

9/11

Waco

Scottsboro Boys Trial

Oklahoma City Bombing

Russian terrorist attack

Central 9 (Little Rock 9)

Stock Market Crash

D-Day

Pearl Harbor

Hiroshima

Rodney King race riots

Challenger Space Shuttle Explosion

Columbia Space Shuttle Explosion

Iran Contra hearings

Watergate

Iran hostage crisis

Miracle on Ice- 1984 Hockey team wins gold

Munich '72 games

Nancy Kerrigan/ Tonya Harding Olympic scandal

USA for Africa- music fundraising

Berlin Wall

Woodstock

McCarthy hearings/ Red Trials

Nuremberg Trials

Krystallnacht

Invasion of Normandy

Blitzkreig

Charles Lindbergh's solo flight

Man on the moon

Climbing Mount Everest

North Pole Expedition