Writing Tips
with Ms. Masters & Ms. Gogarty
Imperialism Research Essay
DO NOW:
Elect ONE person at your table
to collect your Plagiarism HW.
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Tips on Essay Writing
STEP 1:
Determine what type of
paper you are writing
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Is your paper:
Analytical- paper breaks down an issue
or idea into parts, evaluates the issue, and
presents a break down to the audience
Expository- paper explains something
Argumentative- paper justifies a claim
with specific evidence (opinion-based)
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Helpful Research
Collection Strategies
• Re-read
• Close read/“talk-to-the-text”
• Take notes
• Create categories
• Find cause/effect relationships
• Seek out facts
• Define new vocabulary
• Charts, diagrams, maps
• Draft & revise
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STEP 2:
Begin Research
&
Collect Supporting Evidence
Why Use Textual Evidence
in Your Paper?
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About Providing
Excellent Evidence
• character names or factual research materials
• places/setting or location/geography
• specific occurrences
• textual evidence
• facts, facts, facts!
• proves engagement and understanding
• supports thesis, not opinion
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Textual Evidence Requirement:
At least 3 pieces of textual evidence
•(actual
words from the text) to
support your opinion of your main
points
• Each must include:
a statement of fact + the page #
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Original Fact from Research SourceBy 1521, Tenochtitlan had fallen, the conquest of
the Aztec Empire was complete, and Cortes
had literally become a king by his own hand.
Incorporating Evidence into EssayAs stated in “Conquistadors” article, “By 1521,
Tenochtitlan had fallen, the conquest of the Aztec
Empire was complete, and Cortes had literally
become a king by his own hand” (2).
OR
Through research it can be concluded that “by
1521, Tenochtitlan had fallen, the conquest of the
Aztec Empire was complete, and Cortes had
literally become a king by his own
hand” (“Conquistadors” 2).
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Let’s take a look at
the assignment for
our first essay.
What evidence could we
collect at this time based
on the summer reading?
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STEP 3:
Determine Main Points
Let’s narrow down the
research through
summarizing &
paraphrasing
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Summarizing
• to briefly state main points
• “to give the short version”
• uses your own words
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Paraphrasing
• to retell in
your own
words
• to reword,
rephrase
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When summarizing & paraphrasing
NEW information you must...
• cite your sources correctly
• use MLA format with author’s last
name (if given) and the page #
With author’s name:
Your paraphrased fact in your own words (Ward 2).
Without author’s name:
Your paraphrased fact in your own words (“European
exploration” 3).
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Avoiding Plagiarism
• cite your sources
• reword without using the same
words the original author uses
•main ideas come through, but
the wording is your own
•use direct, correctly cited textual
evidence
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STEP 4:
Draft a Thesis
Statement
Why use a thesis
statement in your paper?
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Thesis Statements
do...
• address the point of your paper
• appear at the END of the first paragraph
• state something a little strange
• creates an argument that builds from one
point to the next, giving the paper direction
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Never Ever
Do These!
Thesis Statements
do NOT...
Never Ever
Do These!
as the first sentence of
•appear
the paper
with “In this paper, I will talk
•start
about/address...”
NEVER
EVER
EVER
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Never Ever
Do This!
...and
one more thing
Never Ever
Do This!
use the first person point
•ofNever
view (“I”) when writing a formal
research-based or position essay.
NEVER
EVER
EVER
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Honors
Example:
Throughout history European Imperialism spread
due to _____, _____, and _____.
CONSIDER the following...
mercantilism (economic) - Industrial Revolution
required countries to colonize and create new markets
spread of religious values (religious) - Christianity
social superiority (social) - Western v. Native Lifestyles
empire construction (political) - more expansion,
more land, more power
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Magical Thesis Statement
sometimes comes in
handy...
By looking at ________________,
we can see _________________, which
most do not see; this is important because
__________________.
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STEP 5:
Create an Outline
Use an outline format to
organize your thoughts.
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REMEMBER to...
USE A
GRABBER SENTENCE
...and
TRANSITION WORDS
(see handout on transition words)
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Transition Words
• Maintain the flow of thought
They can be placed:
• at the beginning of a sentence
• at the end of a sentence
• within the sentence
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When Organizing
Paragraphs...
• Topic sentences to begin each new
paragraph
• Textual evidence to support your
statements
• Last body paragraph contains your
strongest point
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Topic Sentences:
• usually begin with a transition word
• are the first sentence of each body paragraph
• introduce the topic of the paragraph in a
clear, concise way (“mini thesis”)
• reveal details and main ideas of the paragraph
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When writing & citing sources:
Remember—
• Titles of books are either underlined
or italicized
• The House on Mango Street
or The House on Mango Street
• Articles and shorter works are in
quotation marks
• “European Exploration”
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When typing the paper...
Remember:
• double space entire document
• use 12 point font
• 1 inch margins
• your last name and page # appear on top
right corner of each page (in header box)
• use proper heading format
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MLA Paper Format Example
Student Last Name page#
Student First + Last Name
Gogarty/Masters
Humanities 9 Honors - periods #
15 Sept 2014
Title
Introductory paragraph... Grabber Sentence... Throughout
history, specifically in Latin America, . . . Support... Support... Support...
Support... Support... Thesis Statement.
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