FOCUSED THESIS EXPOSITORY ESSAY HOW-TO

STEP ONE: CHOOSE TOPIC Create an essential research question that reflects a career, social, economic, or lifestyle issue EXAMPLES: Female CEOs What are the most important jobs of the future Marriage equality Does pop music/TV influence youth or the other way around Central Valley economics Poverty in the US Immigration law reform Influence of social networking sites Anything you can think of!

NARROW DOWN YOUR IDEA TO A SPECIFIC QUESTION STEP ONE: CHOOSE TOPIC THEN YOU MUST NARROW DOWN YOUR IDEA TO A SPECIFIC QUESTION (SEE NEXT SLIDE)

STEP TWO: CHOOSE TOPIC SAMPLE THESIS TOPICS: How can a modern farmer promote and use sustainable agriculture methods in citrus farming? What are the benefits of “hands-on” learning in the contemporary high school classroom? What challenges face the availability of water for farmers in the Central Valley? What new technology is being used in the welding industry? What types of health dangers associated with the tattoo industry?

STEP ONE: CHOOSE TOPIC A NOTE FOR THOSE DOING LEVEL 4— You will choose a topic related to your main study. You can choose to have this research thesis fit any of the 7 modes that you are required to write, but it may be easiest to choose Definition or Argument/Persuasion.

STEP TWO: RESEARCH Research this issue and find AT LEAST 3 relevant sources to support your position. The sources must be CREDIBLE, which means no Wikipedia or random .com sites. Suggestions on next page----

STEP TWO: RESEARCH Some Suggested Research Options: http://www.academicjournals.org/journals.htm has a list of open-source journals that don’t cost money to download articles http://scholar.google.com/ will filter out most unreliable resources Check your local library for access to JSTOR. This is the BEST journal searching resource, but it costs money, so you may not get access until college. But remember the name!

STEP TWO: RESEARCH Search terms – Don’t Forget: Make a list of key terms, and combinations of key terms, that you can search to find reliable articles for your topic Searching the same topic in many different ways, with different key terms, can yield very different results. So change it up (and keep a list of combinations you’ve already tried, so you don’t waste time searching the same thing twice).

STEP THREE: WRITE Write an expository research essay that reflects your position on the essential research question and provides researched evidence to support it. KEEP IN MIND: “Expository” can mean any of the 7 rhetorical modes. In this case, the easiest modes in which to write your thesis paper are: Argumentative Definition Compare/Contrast Cause/Effect Choose whichever of these modes works best for the focus you want your topic to take. See me if you need help choosing.

STEP THREE: WRITE See the “rhetorical modes” section of lhsenglish.com Or msskinner.weebly.com  12A  rhetorical modes For help on how to structure your paper, based on which mode you’ve chosen. You may also refer to the “Rhetorical Modes” board in C3 for sample essays in each mode.

STEP THREE: WRITE As you write, you must cite your sources in MLA format (Last Name Page#) – before period Example: Some believe that, “the economy is in shambles” (Bard 23). You must also have a Works Cited at the end of your paper, with all sources properly credited. Example: Bard, Joseph. “The State of Our Economy.” Time 20 Nov. 2010: 70- 71. Print. MLA is the #1 required research format in both universities and the workplace. Without it, you are plagiarizing, which can cost you your job or your place in a school. So learn it, and learn it now!

STEP THREE: WRITE FOR HELP WITH MLA FORMAT: Easybib.com: provides a good indicator of how to cite, and it will create citations for you if you type in your information PURDUE OWL: best website for MLA style guide questions; includes samples and FAQ for both in-text citation and Works Cited MLA Sample: has what it sounds like it has MLA Format.org: basic, how-to info for MLA Citation Creation: will help you create proper format for works cited

STEP THREE: WRITE REQUIREMENTS 3 page minimum Typed, double-spaced, 12-point font, Times New Roman MLA parenthetical citations Works Cited page in MLA format Must have a relevant, stylistic title (NOT JUST “THESIS ESSAY”!)

STEP FOUR: REVISE Read your essay out loud to yourself to check for errors. Make sure: you have a strong thesis all paragraphs connect to your thesis all paragraphs have a topic sentence you have corrected spelling and error mistakes you have not plagiarized: all words without quotation marks are your own all paraphrases and quotations have been properly cited