This guide is for students in Mrs. Kirkpatrick's CP English 10 Class
who are working on the Argument/Synthesis Research Paper.
who are working on the Argument/Synthesis Research Paper.
Your Assignment: Write a 5-6* paragraph, argumentative essay about a topic you are passionate about OR that helps you better understand the current pandemic.
*One of your paragraphs should be a counterargument you can support with a source. Sources: Unlike the recent synthesis essays where the sources were provided, YOU get to find at least four, reliable and credible sources to support your argument. Three of the sources should come from the library’s databases. The fourth source may be one from the internet that you have vetted for credibility. |
Docs you need
Click the picture to make a copy in Google Docs
Topic Survey
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Note sheet
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Outline
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Top Ten Steps Toward a Terrific Research Paper
Step 1: Once you have your topic, refine it to eventually write an arguable RESEARCH QUESTION, and choose a side. Answer your question as a preliminary or working thesis.
Step 2: Learn about the advantages of databases and start taking electronic notes.
CLICK HERE FOR THE DATABASE PASSWORDS. You will need to enter a password to use them at home.
CLICK HERE FOR THE DATABASE PASSWORDS. You will need to enter a password to use them at home.
Databases for your project
- If you know you are a better reader from hard-copies, I encourage you to print articles (if you have a printer at home). If you don’t, you might trying adding an annotation tool to your computer like Scrible. I will try and model this on one of my articles soon.
- You’ll share these notes with Mrs. KP every A day for feedback.
- Be sure to copy and paste citation information for every source for use in your works cited eventually. Check out this video on how to find database citation information.
Step 3: If you decide to use a source outside of the databases, verify the credibility and reliability by answering some questions that require a little critical thinking.
- Is the person that wrote this article an authority on the topic they are discussing?
- If the writer has years of experience, or college degrees in the field being discussed we can presume with reasonable certainty that they are an authority
- If the writer is a student, or has a passing interest in the matter, than they are not an authority. Here is an example. Climate Change Timeline This timeline was made on a website called Timetoast. Most users of this site are students just like you that are posting projects that may or may not contain correct information
- Does the author link to, or cite where they got their information from? If they do not, that can be a bad sign.
- Is the article you have written to factual, or written to be opinion?
- Both are fine to use, you just have to utilize them appropriately
- The articles to watch out for are those that are clearly opinions of the author, but they write them have written in a factual way.
- Is the site you found the information on reliable? Or is there a sponsor or publisher that you know to be reliable
- This can be a little hard to judge these days.
- If your instincts tell you it's not very good, trust your instincts.
- If your instincts tell you it's good, be a little curious and go to the 'About' page, or do a search for the website on Wikipedia.
- If you want more information put it up against the criteria of the CRAAP test.
- Do I have so much doubt I want an expert to look at it?
- Send it to Mr. Whitenack at [email protected], please put in the subject line "Kirkpatirck's class website evaluation"
Step 4: Look for your counterargument source and begin to transfer your sources in Noodletools.
Begin Noodletools
At this point you have to start using Noodletools to store your citations. Provided below are instructions for getting started with Noodletools. 1: Go to my.cherrycreekschools.org and login 1st time logging into NoodleTools? Here's a quick video to help 2: Create your project. Click here for a short tutorial video. 3: Go to the Sources tab Copy and paste the database citations from your enotes into your Noodletools Sources. Here's a video to help demonstrate that (click). 4: Citing websites = a sometimes complicated, sometimes time-consuming process. Click here for a video to help get you what you need to cite a website. |
Step 5: Start the writing process by revising your working thesis. Then, I suggest using a color-coding system to organize your electronic notes.
Step 6: Prepare an outline whereby you cut and paste your electronic notes to start your essay. However, you’ll want to do the hard work of embedding quotes into your own writing later.
Step 7: Write the rest of the essay by writing your claims, introducing your evidence, blending your evidence, and most importantly, analyzing your evidence to support your thesis.
Noodletools: Cite your sources as you write. Noodletools can guide you...
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Step 8: Revise and edit your essay. Use grammarly before sending any version to me, please. Format to look like an MLA research paper.
Step 8: Revise and edit your essay. Use grammarly before sending any version to me, please. Format to look like an MLA research paper.
Noodletools: your works cited page will be done in MLA format automatically
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Step 9: Receive feedback via Peer Review. I’ll be setting this up via turnitin.com. More details will come later about this step.
Step 10: Prepare a Works Cited Page / Check your in-text citations against your Works Cited Page. Ensure that these citations match up before submitting a final paper.
Noodletools: From the sources tab click the Print/Export button at the top. Choose the Print/Export to Google Docs option. Your Works Cited page will open in a new tab. Cut and paste onto the last page of the essay on a page by itself.
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Citation Tools
Noodletools
Noodletools
- Use NoodleTools to help generate and organize citations in MLA format.
- Remember to cite ALL sources!
- For Access:
- Log into your Cherry Creek School account: my.cherrycreekschools.org
- Search for and select the "Noodletools" tile
- Either create an account OR login using "Clever"
Sample Paper for MLA Formatting:
Video Tutorial for formatting your paper in MLA format (including header, heading, etc.)
Video Tutorial for formatting your paper in MLA format (including header, heading, etc.)