NHD Research Paper Project, Step #4 Outline to Rough Draft NHD Research Paper Project, Step #4

Here’s how I wrote the introduction to a research essay on William Bartram. Botanist

I read about William Bartram in the New Georgia Encyclopedia.

And I found the report he wrote in 1791 about his travels in Georgia And I found the report he wrote in 1791 about his travels in Georgia. What kind of source is this?

And I started to develop my thesis statement. First try: William Bartram was a famous naturalist. Duh. Second try: The famous naturalist William Bartram explored parts of Georgia no other botanist had seen. Stone cold fact. But not a thesis statement. Then I noticed something when I was reading. William Bartram was traveling in Georgia while the American Revolution was going on. He doesn’t seem to mention the war much at all. Why not? I have an idea.

I had an idea that turned into my thesis statement. William Bartram was brought up as a Quaker. Quakers are pacifists. They do not believe that fighting a war is a good way to settle their problems. Maybe William Bartram did not pay attention to the American Revolution because he did not think the war was significant in his life.

That’s how I figured out my thesis statement: William Bartram explored Georgia during the time of the American Revolution but he did not record any examples of that conflict because he was a Quaker who avoided violence and war.

I found sources for my paper and took notes. (Lots of notes I found sources for my paper and took notes. (Lots of notes!) And then I made an outline. Introduction a. Opening Sentence: general statement on the topic In 1791, William Bartram published a book about his travels to Georgia that people still read today. b. Background Sentence: provide background information to introduce the reader to the subject/topic Bartram traveled to Georgia to study the animals and plants that were native to the youngest of the British colonies. c. Narrowing Sentence: narrow the topic from broad to specific He also wrote detailed descriptions of the Native Americans who lived there at a time when conflicts were growing between them and British colonists. d. Thesis: argument to be proven using historical facts William Bartram explored Georgia during the years of the American Revolution but he was not concerned with it because he was a Quaker who avoided violence and war.

Now it’s time to turn my outline into a first, or rough, draft of my paper. It’s not as scary as these two alligators that William Bartram sketched in Florida!

Step One: Remove the Roman numerals and the letters in front of each sentence Introduction a. Opening Sentence: general statement on the topic In 1791, William Bartram published a book about his travels to Georgia that people still read today. b. Background Sentence: provide background information to introduce the reader to the subject/topic Bartram traveled to Georgia to study the animals and plants that were native to the youngest of the British colonies. c. Narrowing Sentence: narrow the topic from broad to specific He also wrote detailed descriptions of the Native Americans who lived there at a time when conflicts were growing between them and British colonists. d. Thesis: argument to be proven using historical facts William Bartram explored Georgia during the time of the American Revolution but he did not record any examples of that conflict because he was a Quaker who avoided violence and war.

Step Two: turn these sentences from my outline into a paragraph In 1791, William Bartram published a book about his travels to Georgia that people still read today. Bartram traveled to Georgia to study the animals and plants that were native to the youngest of the British colonies. He also gave very detailed descriptions of the Native Americans who lived in the Southeastern colonies. William Bartram explored Georgia during the years of the American Revolution but he was not concerned with it because he was a Quaker who avoided violence and war.

I look for places where there could be transitional words and phrases to make good connections: In 1791, William Bartram published a book about his travels to Georgia that people still read today. Bartram traveled to Georgia to study the animals and plants that were native to the youngest of the British colonies. Even though it was not part of his original goal, he also gave very detailed descriptions of the Native Americans who lived in the Southeastern colonies. One important event that happened during his travels does not appear in his book however . William Bartram explored Georgia during the time of the American Revolution but he was not concerned with it because he was a Quaker who avoided violence and war.

Are there any places where I can add some information to make the paragraph better? In 1791 William Bartram wrote a book about his travels in Georgia that people still read today. Many people knew nothing about Georgia then since it was the youngest of the British colonies. Bartram traveled to Georgia to report back on the animals and plants that he found there.  Even though it was not part of his job, he also gave very detailed descriptions of the Native Americans who lived in the Southeastern colonies. One important event that happened during his travels does not seem to be described in his book however. William Bartram explored Georgia during the time of the American Revolution but he was not concerned with it because he was a Quaker who avoided violence and war.

Rough draft: Introduction In 1791 William Bartram wrote a book about his travels in Georgia that people still read today. Many people knew nothing about Georgia then since it was the youngest of the British colonies. Bartram traveled to Georgia to report back on the animals and plants that he found there.  Even though it was not part of his job, he also gave very detailed descriptions of the Native Americans who lived in the Southeastern colonies. One important event that happened during his travels does not seem to be described in his book however. William Bartram explored Georgia during the time of the American Revolution but he was not concerned with it because he was a Quaker who avoided violence and war.

Repeat this process with each of the sections of your outline. Introduction Body Paragraph 1 Body Paragraph 2 Body Paragraph 3 Conclusion DON’T FORGET: SAVE YOUR ROUGH DRAFT!

A draft is not supposed to be perfect A draft is not supposed to be perfect! That’s why we call it a ‘rough draft”.

Read over each paragraph. Does each paragraph have a thesis sentence? Does every sentence in the paragraph support the thesis sentence? Maybe you need to move a sentence to a place where it makes more sense.

Tip: Read each paragraph out loud. Does it sound okay? Do I need to move sentences around? Does this paragraph lead into the next one?

What if I find something new? Incorporate it! Add new details to you paper. It will be more interesting!

How am I going to work that into my paper? Add your new information to a paragraph that includes evidence that is related. Write a new paragraph!

Illustrations: All the images are drawings by William Bartram. Source: Georgia Historical Society