Ms. Laura Leidahl--English Department--The 7th Grade Research Paper

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The 7^th Grade

Research Paper

For this year’s research assignment, you will become an expert on one topic of your choosing. You will conduct research and take what you have learned throughout the coming weeks to write a research paper on your topic.

Timeline and Grading:

TASK	DUE DATE	Graded As…
Determine my topic and research questions	Tuesday, April 8th	4th Quarter Classwork
Declare my thesis statement	Wednesday, April 9th	4th Quarter Classwork
Submit 6 notecards on Noodletools **9 for honors	Every day from Wednesday, April 9th-Friday, April 11th	4th Quarter Classwork
Finalize all notecards on Noodletools and submit works cited page	Monday, April 21st	4th Quarter Quiz
Finalize your MLA outline on Noodletools	Wednesday, April 23rd	4th Quarter Classwork
Hand in my final paper, works cited,  and rubric	Friday, April 25th	4th Quarter Major Assignment
**Dates are subject to change

Your task is as follows:

1. Pick from a very broad category of topics. The following is a list of some topics. If something else interests you, just run it by me for approval!

Animal Experimentation

Natural Disasters

Bullying

Capital Punishment

Child Labor

Cloning

Pollution

Standardized Tests

Social Media

Video Game Violence

Racism

Fracking

Modern Wars (Sudanese Civil War)

          Right to Bear Arms
          Freedom of Speech

2. Come up with 3 research questions about the topic you choose. In other words, what do you want to know about that topic?
3. Research those specific questions. We will be in the library for three days. You should find at least 4 good sources. Only one of these may be a traditional encyclopedia, like World Book or Encyclopedia Britannica, and can be in print or on the computer. Please make sure you have a variety of sources (print or digital), such as books, videos, encyclopedias, magazines, newspapers, reputable websites, et cetera. Two sources must be from the library’s Virtual Reference Collection.
4. You will be required to create a works cited page on Noodletools, listing everything you’re using as research. As you research, write note cards for your paper. You will need to have a minimum of 6 note cards on Noodletools. This must be completed by Monday, April 21^st. Your note cards and works cited will count as a quiz grade.
5. Together, we will be organizing your thoughts in an MLA-style outline on Noodletools. This must be done by Wednesday, April 23rd.  Your outline will count as a class work grade.
6. Turn your outline into your research paper.
7. The final copy of your paper will be due Friday, April 25^th. The paper should be typed, double-spaced, size 12 font, Times New Roman. Your final research paper will count as a fourth quarter major assignment grade.

A note on absences / lateness to school the day the paper is due.

You have been told well in advance when the paper is due. Even if you are absent, you MUST have someone trustworthy deliver the paper on that day. If you are late to school and miss my class, you must make sure I get the paper that day. If you are planning on leaving school early the day the paper is due, you must give me the paper before you leave. If a dire emergency leaves you unable to complete the paper or deliver it to me the day it’s due, you must include a handwritten note from home explaining the reason for its lateness.

A reminder on the 7^th grade English lateness policy

If the research paper is late, you will lose ten points for each day it’s late, up to three days. Your parent or guardian will be contacted if you fail to hand it in by Thursday, May 1st. If the paper is not in by Monday, May 5th, it is a flat 65 if it is handed in. If the paper is never handed in, it’s a zero.

A note on plagiarism

Plagiarism is essentially “idea-stealing”. It is taking credit for information that is not your own original idea. While research is all about getting information from other sources, you avoid plagiarism by giving credit to the source of information. There are two ways to do this:

·         Directly quote the author. Use quotation marks around his/her own words, and mention whose words these are.

·         Put the information in your own words. You still must give credit to the author for the information! Use parenthetical (in-text) citations to do this.

Plagiarism is taken very seriously in our school, and we will spend more time in this unit learning how to avoid plagiarizing a paper. If part or all of your research paper is plagiarized, the dean and your parent / guardian must be notified. You will be required to redo the assignment, and a 65 would be the highest grade obtainable. Save yourself the trouble— showcase your own unique ideas, and give credit where credit is due!