It’s Friday!

1. It’s Friday! • Get out your note packet and articles. Get out some paper. If you aren’t done, you will have TONS of homework this weekend. • You will have homework anyway with your outline. The outline power point will be on my website. You will need it. • Today we will be working on your outline. This must be done on Monday to get on a computer Tuesday. • On Monday, I will collect your Works Cited Sheet, your completed note packet and your outline. Those who still need a grade for the works cited page must turn it in perfectly formatted on Monday. After Monday, it is a zero in the formative category and you still have to do it anyway to get on a computer.

2. Outlining your Research paper

3. Requirements • On this outline, you will be organizing your information and writing your thesis and topic sentences. • You must fill in every section of the outline in order to be allowed onto a computer to start actually writing your paper. • Our first computer day will be Tuesday, Nov. 13th. You will only have 4 computer days to write your paper. If you miss one of them, you will have a lot of work to catch up on.  • The more carefully you fill out this outline, the easier it will be for you to actually write your paper. 

4. Introduction: only 1 paragraph long (5-7 sentences MAX). • With a dramatic incident • By telling a story – an anecdote • By setting the scene • With a question or problem • With unusual facts and figures • With a quotation/epigram • With a definition • Whichever method you decide to use, make sure the attention-getter is relevant to the topic of your paper and not distracting.

5. Thesis Sentence: This MUST be the last sentence of your intro paragraph. You must include both sides of the argumentand it must make sense as a complete sentence! You ARE NOT taking a side in the thesis statement. This is NOT a position paper. Pick 1 of the following thesis statements and fill it in with your topic. • Although some people believe______________________because_____________, others think_______________ because______________________. • While some people believe __________________________ should be legal/ allowed because ___________________others believe ______________ should be against the law because _________________. 3. While some people believe __________________________ others believe ______________. 4. In order to understand the topic of ______________ people need to understand the arguments for and against _________________. 5. Although some people believe _____________________, other people believe ______________.

6. Although some people believe______________________because_____________, others think_______________ because______________________. • While some people believe __________________________ should be legal/ allowed because ___________________others believe ______________ should be against the law because _________________. 3. While some people believe __________________________ others believe ______________. 4. In order to understand the topic of ______________ people need to understand the arguments for and against _________________. 5. Although some people believe _____________________, other people believe ______________. Examples 1 and 2 are a little more complex as thesis statements go because they include one of the main arguments which will be developed in the paper.

7. Although some people believe______________________because_____________, others think_______________ because______________________. • While some people believe __________________________ should be legal/ allowed because ___________________others believe ______________ should be against the law because _________________. 3. While some people believe __________________________ others believe ______________. 4. In order to understand the topic of ______________ people need to understand the arguments for and against _________________. 5. Although some people believe _____________________, other people believe ______________. Examples 3-5 are a little more basic and to-the-point. They do not include arguments you will make in your paper.

8. EXAMPLES: Feel free to alter these statements to fit your topic. However, remember it needs to make sense and present BOTH sides. • Although some people believe abortion should be legal because a woman should have the right to choose, others think abortion should be illegal because it takes a human life. • While some people believe abortion should be legal/ allowed because a woman has the right to choose, others believe abortion should be against the law because it takes a human life. 3. While some people believe abortion should be legal others believe abortion should be illegal . 4. In order to understand the topic of abortion people need to understand the arguments for and against abortion. 5. Although some people believe abortion should be legal, other people believe abortion should be illegal.

9. Thesis • First you will write a “3” thesis. Later, if you want, you can revise it into a “4” thesis. • Your “3” thesis will follow the format listed the previous slides. • Other words you can use to begin your thesis: • In spite of… • Despite… • Even though… • While… • Use the biggest or most convincing argument each side has. • Example: In spite of the fact that many people believe women should have the right to choose, many in the government maintain that abortions should only be in the case of rape or incest, narrowly defining the choice a woman can make.

10. Body Paragraphs • Now that you have your thesis sentence, you will write your topic sentences and figure out what information you want to include in each body paragraph. • You will have 4 topic sentences because you will have 4 body paragraphs (if some are getting too long once you begin writing, we can talk about splitting them up at that time). • You will have one body paragraph about each subtopic: Body paragraph 1: The history and background of your issue Body paragraph 2: The current status of your issue Body paragraph 3: The Pro side of your issue (arguments for it) Body paragraph 4: The Con side of your issue (arguments against it)

11. Examples These are examples. Feel free to use any of these and change as needed. You must have a topic sentence for EACH subtopic. You should make use of transition words. .

12. Subtopic 1: Background • Before examining any arguments about this issue, it is important to know the history of this topic. • In order to better understand this topic, it is necessary to first examine the background of this topic. • Before looking at either side, it is necessary to understand the roots of this issue. • To understand why this topic is such a hot topic, it’s important to look back at its history. • Understanding the history and background of this issue will clarify why people feel the way they do.

13. Subtopic 2: Current Status • So after examining the history of this hot button issue, it is important to review the current status of this topic. • Secondly, understanding the current status of this topic is important to making an informed decision. • Looking at the current status of this topic or issue in Minnesota, helps to understand what else is happening in the country. • Looking at the current status of this topic in other parts of the country helps inform how the issue will impact Minnesotans. • Before looking at the arguments for and against this topic, it is important to understand the current status of this issue.

14. Subtopic 3: Pro-side • After understanding the history and current status of this topic, those in favor of _______ believe ________. • If you think you have a better idea for a pro-side topic sentence, write it out and show it to me!  Otherwise, fill this in and go with it. Don’t reinvent the wheel. I want you to write your paper instead of fixating on changing things up.

15. Subtopic 4: con-side • While some people believe ________ should be legal, others believe ____________ should be against the law because _____________. • If you think you have a better idea for a con-side topic sentence, write it out and show it to me!  Otherwise, fill this in and go with it. Don’t reinvent the wheel. I want you to write your paper instead of fixating on changing things up.

16. Conclusion: • A good conclusion will wrap up the paper in ONE paragraph. • It will summarize the main points of your paper. • Now that you know this information, so what? What does this mean for you in now or in the future? • Why should people know this information? • Tie back to the introduction some how.

17. The Rest of the Outline: • Now, you will reorganize your information. • Instead of separating it by source, you will now separate it by subtopic. • You will have some decisions to make: • Do I have enough information for each subtopic? • What is the BEST information I have for each subtopic?

18. Which pieces of information do I want to use from this note sheet?

28. ?

30. ?

32. Your turn! • Go through your information and pick the best pieces. • Put them in the right spots on your outline. • You might have more than 4 pieces of information for one subtopic. That’s okay. Attach a piece of paper and label it clearly with the subtopic. • Your outline is due by the beginning of the hour on Monday, November 12. I will collect these and give feedback on thesis and topic sentences.

33. To get on a computer • These things MUST BE COMPLETED to get on a computer: • A perfectly formatted Works Ctied page • A completed notes packet • A completed outline. • To qualify for a REDO on this paper, a complete research paper must be turned in FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16. ABSENCES DON’T GET THIS CHANCE. This is the ONE AND ONLY redo chance. I will score it, and give you 3 things to fix on it. I will give it back to you to fix and turn in by NOVEMBER 21. • FINAL RESEARCH PAPERS ARE DUE WEDNESDAY, NOVMBER 21 WHETHER YOU ARE HERE OR NOT. • Without this paper, you will fail this class.