Honors Literature and Composition 136 Research Essay
Explanation: After choosing one of the following short stories, you will read, research, and
write a three to four page formal essay with a works cited highlighting ONE literary element
found in the story and why the element is significant to the story. This essay will be a
combination of your thoughts about the element’s use in the story mixed with research for
support. A total of four sources must be used, one of which will be the short story. A topic,
thesis statement, outline, sources, source cards, note cards, outline, rough draft with Works
Cited, and final draft with Works Cited will be turned in. Be aware of the specific deadlines for
each piece. I will NOT accept the next part if the previous piece is not turned in. Completing a
research paper is a PROCESS, and we will do it in stages.
Topics may only be used twice per class period, so sign up quickly!
“The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras
“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” – James
County” – Mark Twain
Thurber
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” – Washington
“The Looking Glass” – Anton Checkov
Irving
“I Stand Here Ironing” – Tillie Olsen
“The Tell-Tale Heart” – Edgar Allen Poe
“The Shawl” – Cynthia Ozick
“Bartleby the Scrivner” – Herman Melville
“Hills Like White Elephants”- Ernest
“The Lottery” – Shirley Jackson
Hemingway
“Thank you, M’am” – Langston Hughes
“A Good Man is Hard to Find”- Flannery
“The Fly” – Katherine Mansfield
O’Connor
“Winesburg, Ohio” – Sherwood Anderson
“The Use of Force”- W.C. Williams
“The Yellow Wallpaper” – Charlotte Perkins
“The Swimmer”- John Cheever
Gilman
“Araby”- James Joyce
“A&P” – John Updike
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You
“Good Country People” – Flannery O’Connor
Been?”- Joyce Carol Oats
“Everyday Use” – Alice Walker
“To Build a Fire”- Jack London
“Signs and Symbols” – Vladimir Nabokov
“Sonny’s Blues”- James Baldwin
“The Snows of Kilimanjaro” – Ernest
“The Minister’s Black Veil”- Nathaniel
Hemingway
Hawthorne
“A Sound of Thunder” – Ray Bradbury
Expectations:
TopicWrite the title of the story and the literary element you have chosen on a note card. This note card
will be turned in. Keep it once it is returned to you.
Thesis StatementYou will turn in a preliminary thesis statement once you have your topic approved. This will help
guide your planning and writing. This must be approved before proceeding. If it is not approved,
we will work on finding new sources and further defining your thesis statement. THIS
STATEMENT WILL PROBABLY CHANGE ONCE YOU BEGIN RESEARCHING MORE AND WRITING.
THAT IS COMPLETELY FINE; IT SHOULD EVOLVE.
Preliminary OutlineOnce thesis statement is approved, you will need to type an outline for your essay. This needs to
follow MLA formatting and guidelines given in class. This must be approved before proceeding.
Again, this will probably change and be added to as you research and gather more information
about your topic.
Sources*The first source will be the short story. You will need to find the story printed in an anthology or
online and make sure you have a printed version or photocopy of it.
*The other two to three sources must be literary criticism of the story, detailing the use of the
literary element you have chosen. These sources can be from the library, online, or in books (ask if
it is something you are not sure of). You must have a printed version or a photocopy of the
entire source, including the information needed to cite it correctly in a Works Cited. Do not
use generic sources, such as websites ending in dot com. Implement good judgment when choosing
sources so they are well rounded. Sources MUST BE approved before using them. Sources then
need to be annotated before proceeding.
Source CardsOnce the sources are approved, you will transfer the MLA citation of the source to a note card.
Label each note card with a 1, 2, 3 or 4, which will then be the source number you will use on your
note cards. These sources must be approved before proceeding. (We will discuss other options
besides source cards in class.) You should then annotate your sources before compiling notes.
Note CardsOnce source cards are approved, you will write a minimum ten note cards per source (you can
have more). Note cards should include the source card number, note card number, and subject.
These cards must be approved before proceeding. (We will discuss other options besides note
cards in class.)
Rough DraftOnce the note cards complete, you will begin working on a rough draft. The rough draft must be in
MLA format and follow guidelines given in class. When turning in the rough draft, it must also
include a works cited in correct MLA format. These items must be approved before proceeding.
Final DraftOnce everything has been approved, you will work on your final draft and Works Cited. It will be
turned in inside a folder, including printed sources, rough outline, and rough draft with Works
Cited. It will also include a newly printed outline.
FOLDER (with two pockets- full name and hour on the FRONT)
LEFT POCKET= previously checked preliminary outline, rough draft with Works Cited, four
annotated sources, source cards, note cards (in a Ziploc bag)
RIGHT POCKET= final outline with final draft and final Works Cited
Breakdown:
Form with parent signature (5 pts.)- REQUIRED
Topic, including short story and element (5 pts.)
Thesis statement (5 pts.)
Preliminary Outline (10 pts.)
Four printed and annotated sources (15 pts. each)
Four source cards: (5 pts. each)
Note cards: (1 pt. each= 30 total)
Typed rough draft with Works Cited (25 pts.)
Final draft with outline and Works Cited (100 pts.)
200 pts. Total
Timeline:(subjecttochangebutwillbenotedinlessonplans)
ITEM
DUEDATE
Formwithparentsignature(5pts.)-REQUIRED
Shortstorychoicealsoduethisday
LiteraryTermbeinganalyzed(5pts.)
Monday,March13,2017
Thesisstatement(5pts.)
Friday,March17,2017
Fourprintedandannotatedsources(15pts.each)
Foursourcecards(5pts.each)
PreliminaryOutline(10pts.)
Tuesday,March21,2017
Notecards:(1pt.each)
Monday,March27,2017
TypedroughdraftwithWorksCited(25pts.)
Wednesday,March29,2017
FinaldraftwithoutlineandWorksCited(100pts.)
Tuesday,April4,2017
Thursday,March16,2017
Thursday,March23,2017
ENGLISH 136 (2017)
Research Essay Rubric
Student’s Name ___________________________________
*Format
__________ Typed, 12-point, Times New Roman font, double spaced, 1-in margins, proper heading, clever/relevant
title, length of 3-4 full pages (10)
*Research Paper (on RIGHT side)
__________ Outline that follows the essay (5)
__________ Effective introduction with strong/underlined thesis statement (7.5)
__________ Content and Support/Elaboration (25)
^Focus/justification of thesis/topic and organization/coherence
^Relevance of information/insight
^Support-- meaningful use of research to make a strong connection to the literary text
^Purposeful information (nothing irrelevant) and variety (balance)
^Effective integration/transitions (fluency)
__________ MLA format/in-text citations (15)
__________ Effective conclusion (7.5)
__________ Overall mechanics/grammar/style/spelling/word choice (15)
__________ Works Cited page—used sources in MLA format (15)
*Additional Pieces in Folder (in this order, on LEFT side)
__________ Process Pieces <preliminary outline, rough draft (source cards, note cards asked for later) – 2
points each if not in folder
__________ At least four fully annotated sources (one is the short story) – 2 points each if not placed in folder
TOTAL POINTS: _______________ / 100
**Papers will only be accepted ONE day late for 50% credit—NO EXCEPTIONS!
Ihavereadandunderstoodtheresearchmaterialsanddates:
StudentName_________________________________________Hour_________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
StudentSignature ParentSignature