Develop THESIS statement Remember, a THESIS statement tells the reader specifically what will be covered in the written paper. You will learn how to write a thesis statement together in class. From this point forward, after you have gathered your research and prepared all of your note cards, you will need to ensure everything connects to your thesis statement. Ultimately, everything that you write should connect to your THESIS statement. Step 1: Research Paper

The IB Outline (MLA Outline Template) Student Name Mrs. Van Fleet Honors 9, Period X XX Month 2013 Paper Title Introduction: Thesis: Write the actual one sentence thesis statement. Body Paragraphs: I. Complete sentence expressing a main idea to support the thesis. A. For all capital letters, put a phrase representing what you will offer as proof from your research to support the main idea. 1. Phrase of specific support/details/examples/statistics 2. Commentary B II. Another main idea to support the thesis. Each body paragraph must have a main idea. You will have as many roman numerals as you have body paragraphs. A B III. Remember to continue on in this same format for the remainder of your body paragraphs. A B Conclusion: Write a sentence explaining what contribution this belief system can make to the world as a whole.

INTRODUCTION : HOOK – Your Attention Grabber Brief discussion/explanation of topic Thesis Statement clearly stating opinion or point of view on topic How will we write this paper once we’ve finished researching and gathering our sources?

BODY PARAGRAPHS (each sub-topic will be 2 paragraphs): Explanation of Sub-Topic # 1 Supporting Evidence (supporting evidence may require the use of more than one paragraph to explain a sub-topic) Explanation of Sub-Topic # 2 Supporting Evidence (supporting evidence may require the use of more than one paragraph to explain a sub-topic) Explanation of Sub-Topic # 3 Supporting Evidence (supporting evidence may require the use of more than one paragraph to explain a sub-topic) How will we write this paper once we’ve finished researching and gathering our sources?

Incorporate the Information Signal and introduce The information (summary, paraphrase, quotation) Interpret: explain and connect

To introduce research, use a descriptive verb, followed by a comma. Avoid using says unless the words were originally spoken aloud, for instance, during an interview. Examples: Smith states, "This book is terrific" (102). Smith remarks, "... Smith writes, "... Smith notes, "... Smith comments, "... Smith observes, "... Smith concludes, "... Smith reports, "... Smith maintains, "... Smith adds, "... According to the author,... Based on his research,

If your lead-in to the quotation ends in that or as, don't follow it with a comma. The first letter of the quotation should be lower case. Examples: Smith points out that "millions of students would like to burn this book" (53). Smith argues that "... Smith emphasizes that "... Smith interprets the hand washing in MacBeth as "an attempt at absolution" (106). Smith describes the novel as "a celebration of human experience" (233).

MLA (Modern Language Association) Style formatting is often used in various humanities disciplines. What is MLA?

There are three ways to incorporate information. SummaryPut only the main ideas from a source into your own words using as few words as possible. ParaphrasePut a short passage into your own words, sentence structure, and style without changing the author’s original meaning. QuotationCopy the source material word for word without changing anything. The Information

A signal phrase is made up of certain information. Signal & Introduce Author’s name Title of the source Alerts the reader as to why you chose to include this information. “But” suggests a contrast between the previous and next idea.

Within the text MLA uses parenthetical citations: The format of parenthetical citations depends on the medium (e.g. Print, Web, DVD, etc.) Parenthetical citations also depend on the source’s entry in the Works Cited page The signal word in the text is the first thing in the corresponding Works Cited entry In-Text Citations: the Basics

In-text Example: Corresponding Works Cited Entry: Author-Page Style Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads. London: Oxford UP, Print. Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (263). Romantic poetry is characterized by the “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (Wordsworth 263). Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).

Print Source with Author For the following Print Source Burke, Kenneth. Language as Symbolic Action: Essays on Life, Literature, and Method. Berkeley: U of California P, Print. If the essay provides a signal word or phrase—usually the author’s last name—the citation does not need to also include that information. Example: Humans have been described by Kenneth Burke as “symbol using animals” (3). VS. Humans have been described as “symbol-using animals” (Burke 3).

In-text Example, citing a work with no known author: We 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). With Unknown Author

Corresponding Works Cited Entry: “The Impact of Global Warming in North America.” Global Warming: Early Signs Web. 23 Mar With Unknown Author

Work by Multiple Authors In-text Examples: Smith, Yang, and Moore argue that tougher gun control is not needed in the United States (76). The authors state “Tighter gun control in the United States erodes Second Amendment rights” (Smith, Yang, and Moore 76). Jones et al. counter Smith, Yang, and Moore's argument, noting that the current spike in American gun violence compels law makers to adjust gun laws (4). Other In-Text Citations 2

Formatting Short Quotations In-text Quotation Examples: According to some, dreams express “profound aspects of personality” (Foulkes 184), though others disagree. According to Foulkes's study, dreams may express “profound aspects of personality” (184). Is it possible that dreams may express “profound aspects of personality” (Foulkes 184)? Cullen concludes, “Of all the things that happened there / That's all I remember” (11-12).

Sample Works Cited Page: Works Cited Page: The Basics

The End MLA 7 th Edition Formatting Style Guide Brought to you in cooperation with the Purdue Online Writing Lab

CONCLUSION Rephrased Thesis Statement Briefly discuss main points (sub-topics) again Think Big Picture – Attention Grabbing Statement. Leave the reader with a thought- provoking sentence or question for closure. How will we write this paper once we’ve finished researching and gathering our sources?

Interpretation (Explain & Connect) Information isn't meaningful by itself. It is the writer’s job to make the information meaningful by interpreting it for the reader: to explain the significance of the information, to connect it to other ideas in the paper, and to tell the reader why they should care about it. Here are some ways to do that: Explain the information in your own words to clarify what it means to your argument or ideas. Analyze the information--agree, disagree, agree with a difference Point out to your reader why this information should be meaningful to them. Connect the information to an idea you already stated earlier in your paper. If the information is supporting an idea you've written, tell the reader what that connection is. If the information disagrees with your point of view, tell the reader why you disagree.

Incorporate Information: Summary Use summary when you want to include just the main ideas from a source. Summary is the most common way to incorporate sources into your own writing. You might summarize the main ideas of an entire article or chapter in a few sentences or short paragraph. Be concise: use as few words as possible. Put only the main ideas from a source into your own words.

Incorporate Information: Summary When you ask most people to list the popular kids in high school, they probably fill the list with athletes, cheerleaders, and other extroverted types. It is the introverted academic achievers who get overlooked. But according to Susan Cain, in Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, mainstream American culture celebrates extroverts, making them more familiar and popular than introverts (182-3). As with anything, we tend to forget, or even worse, to fear things we aren’t familiar with or don’t understand, and American families feel threatened by introverts or cultures that place value on introversion.

Incorporate Information: Paraphrase Use paraphrase when you want to use most or all of the information from a short passage from a source. Change the language and style of a text to make the information of the source more useful to you. Use paraphrase when you want to include WHAT the original author said, but not HOW they said it. Use paraphrase to make information fit better into your writing style or to clarify what the original author said for your readers.

Incorporate Information: Paraphrase As with anything, we tend to forget, or even worse, to fear things we aren’t familiar with or don’t understand, and American families feel threatened by introverts or cultures that place value on introversion. For example, many white American families are moving away from Cupertino because they are afraid that their children won’t be able to compete academically with the determined, high-achieving Asian- American students in Cupertino’s schools (Cain 182). When people feel threatened, they get defensive and try to get away from the threat, but pulling children out of really great schools just because you are afraid of failure seems like a terrible idea.

Incorporate Information: Quotation Use quotation when you want to include exactly what a source says without making any style, word, or other changes. Quotations are exact copies. Quotations should only be used when everything the writer said is important to your paper, or when changing the writer's style or language makes it less significant to your own writing. Use quotation when you want to include WHAT the original author said exactly HOW they said it.

Incorporate Information: Quotation Cain believes that it is an introversion-valuing culture in Cupertino that fosters these successes because the students are proud of “having a lousy football team” (183), and as Chris, one Korean-American student, puts it, “‘the really smart people usually have a lot of friends, because they can help people out with their work’” (Cain 183). Perhaps if white American families can learn to value quiet, introverted people as much as jocks or cheerleaders, then we can change mainstream American culture to be more accepting of introversion. And if we can do that, then the next generation of graduates will remember more of those quiet academic achievers from high school because they will all have the chance to be them.

Review When you ask most people to list the popular kids in high school, they probably fill the list with athletes, cheerleaders, and other extroverted types. It is the introverted academic achievers who get overlooked. But according to Susan Cain, in Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, mainstream American culture celebrates extroverts, making them more familiar and popular than introverts (182-3). As with anything, we tend to forget, or even worse, to fear things we aren’t familiar with or don’t understand, and American families feel threatened by introverts or cultures that place value on introversion. For example, many white American families are moving away from Cupertino because they are afraid that their children won’t be able to compete academically with the determined, high-achieving Asian-American students in Cupertino’s schools (Cain 182). When people feel threatened, they get defensive and try to get away from the threat, but pulling children out of really great schools just because you are afraid of failure seems like a terrible idea. Cain believes that it is an introversion-valuing culture in Cupertino that fosters these successes because the students are proud of “having a lousy football team” (183), and as Chris, one Korean-American student, puts it, “‘the really smart people usually have a lot of friends, because they can help people out with their work’” (Cain 183). Perhaps if white American families can learn to value quiet, introverted people as much as jocks or cheerleaders, then we can change mainstream American culture to be more accepting of introversion. And if we can do that, then the next generation of graduates will remember more of those quiet academic achievers from high school because they will all have the chance to be them. SUMMARY PARAPHRASE QUOTATION