RESEARCH PAPER: English 10
Name
___________________________________________
Final Due Date: ___________________________________________(non-negotiable)
OBJECTIVES:
 To learn more about the ideas, times, and people surrounding the novels read
 To increase understanding of the varied life experiences of people throughout
history
 To gain experience in using a variety of library sources
 To acquire and hone skills used in writing a research paper
PROCEDURES:
1. Choose ONE topic to research from the four categories that follow.
2. Narrow your topic by: being sure you can find enough information to
meet the minimum requirements; taking an angle in which you are
interested or care about; writing an effective thesis statement in which you
feel confident and that is specific, thereby limiting the focus; giving it a
meaningful title.
3. Carefully research the topic using and citing a minimum of at least three
different sources.
4. Make copies or print sources and read through each, highlighting
important passages to cite or rely on in the finished product.
5. Write a working outline—a plan for the subtopics or organization within
the report. Get approved by teacher by: ___________________________
6. Put it all together in writing a rough draft, being sure to cite sources
properly. Follow MLA format.
7. Have conference with teacher and rough draft by: ___________________
8. Edit, revise, and continue to improve and perfect.
9. Follow proper format to write Works Cited page.
10. Type final manuscript.
REQUIREMENTS:
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All deadlines must be met. Failure to do so will result in a major grade reduction.
Final paper must be typed, double-spaced in a 12 pt. font.
Must be 2-3 pages. The Works Cited page is not counted as a page.
Must include research; a minimum of three different sources should be used and
properly cited within the paper itself (in-text/parenthetical citations).
Must include a properly written Works Cited page in MLA format.
Failure to meet minimum requirements or follow all steps identified in the
procedures will result in the teacher’s refusal to accept the paper.
Topic Choices
Category #1: Themes and Ideas from Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar
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Research the life and times of the real Julius Caesar: How did he rise to power?
What kind of ruler was he? What impact did he have on Rome and its people?
What are his most noted accomplishments?
Research the layout, architecture, and major points of interest in ancient Rome
with special focus on Caesar’s era, 44 b.c.: What were the major
accomplishments in the arts and architecture during this time? What made the
developments so revolutionary or such failures? Why is Rome considered one of
the most historical cities?
Research a typical day in the life of an average citizen of ancient Rome: What
was family life like? What customs and beliefs were followed? What occupations
were common? What was the typical dress or wardrobe? What leisure activities
were popular? What foods were eaten?
What really happened in the battle for Rome? What were the roles of the real
Pompey, Caesar, Marc Antony, and Octavius? Explore the real struggle for
power.
The role of superstition, omens, and fate throughout the work play a significant
part in the play as a whole. How did Shakespeare incorporate superstition into his
work in order to reflect the times in which Julius Caesar lived? Research the role
of superstition, omens, and fate in Rome and connect your research to the
characters' responses to omens that occurred in the play. How does knowledge of
the superstitions of the time impact the reading and understanding of the play?
Compare and contrast Caesar’s assignation to one of another world leader. What
were the circumstances leading to both murders? How did the murders impact
their countries?
Category #2:
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Shakespeare’s World
Research the life and times of William Shakespeare: How did he become such an
accomplished writer? What was his impact on the literary world? Why are the
themes found in his works considered “timeless”? What are his most noted
accomplishments?
The Globe Theatre: research the importance of the concept of “theatre in the
round.” What was so revolutionary about this idea? What can be attributed to its
success? What was of interest about the actors and/or the audience? How is the
concept still carried out today?
Compare and contrast the life and accomplishments of William Shakespeare and
his rival, Christopher Marlowe.
Investigate Elizabethan England, the age of Shakespeare and a great time in
English history: How did the reign of Queen Elizabeth (1558-1603) affect
England’s rise to naval and commercial power? What were the vibrant qualities
of Elizabethan Age? Why did London’s population grow nearly 400% from 1500
to 1600? Who were the popular writers of the day and why were they considered
among the leading literary artists of their time?
Category #3:
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The History of the Holocaust, its Victims, and the Survivors
Investigate a notorious concentration camp or death camp like AuschwitzBirkenau, Sobibor, Treblinka, Terezin, Dachau, Buchenwald, Bergen-Belsen,
Mauthausen: When was it built and where was it located? Who did it house or
from where did most of the prisoners come? What were the conditions of the
camp? What was the life span of the average prisoner? What were the statistics
or numbers associated with this camp? Who were some noteworthy people that
were imprisoned, liberated from, or who died there? When was the camp
liberated and by whom?
Investigate the medical experimentation that took place at some of the camps:
What experiments were conducted? What was the purpose or what did the
experiments attempt to prove? Who designed the experiments or under whose
supervision were they carried out? Who were the victims?
Investigate the American involvement (positive, negative, or both) in the rescue
and liberation of the Jews: What caused the Americans to become involved?
When did they invade and in what country did they first attack? What was their
plan to put an end to the Nazi reign of terror? How effective were they in
accomplishing their task?
Investigate the Warsaw Ghetto: How and when was it established? What was life
like behind its walls? How did people cope, suffer, and survive? What were the
living conditions? What is the timeline of its existence? What led to the uprising
and how successful was it?
Important Guidelines for Writing Research Papers
You are required to write a research paper at each grade level in English class. There are
many important aspects to this assignment. It is a process that involves choosing a topic,
narrowing your focus through a properly written thesis statement, heading into the library
to do research, and putting it all together in written. The guidelines below will help you
to successfully complete each step in the process.
WRITING A PROPER THESIS STATEMENT
A thesis statement is a single declarative sentence that provides the writer with a
focus and controls the paper’s content; each detail in the paper should provide support for
the thesis statement.
 The purpose of a thesis statement is to give a preview of what the paper is about,
stating the topic and the writer’s specific focus.
 Thesis statements should have a confident tone. Be sure to avoid words and
phrases such as probably, might, I think, it seems to me, apparently, etc.
Good
Although Americans did take part in
liberating prisoners from concentration
and death camps, their involvement came
much too late and many people suffered
unnecessarily.
Not So Great
What happened in the
Holocaust should not be
repeated.
Because of the accomplishments of the
great minds of the age, ancient Rome is
considered one of the most important
civilizations in history.
I think ancient Rome would
have been a great place to live.
FORMULATING A PLAN THROUGH AN OUTLINE
An outline is a quick and easy way to plot out the direction or subtopics to be
discussed in your paper. It simply lists each of the points you intend to discuss in your
report and the order in which you intend to discuss them. You must logically plan out
what points will be made and how to organize the supporting details. Most importantly,
an outline helps you and your writing to remain focused. Review the sample outline on
the next page.
Topic:
Auschwitz
Narrowed Topic:
The History of Auschwitz
Thesis Statement:
Auschwitz is the site of the largest mass murder in history;
it is a place of genocide and a symbol of unspeakable Nazi crimes.
The Plan:
A Workable Outline
I. Define Auschwitz
A. Define “death camp”
B. Location and timeline
C. The purpose
D. The design
1. Aushwitz I and II (Birkenau)
II. The Process
A. Deportation
B. Arrival
C. Zahlappell
D. Selection
1. The purpose
2. Dr. Mengele
E. Disinfection
III. Methods of Dehumanization
A. Shaving, uniforms, and tattooing
B. Camp conditions
1. Barracks
2. Rations
3. Disease
4. Hangings
5. Crematories
6. Jobs
C. The guards and kapos
IV. The Numbers
A. Stats of arrivals
1. Deportation by cities or regions
2. Women and Children
3. Daily death stats
4. Non-Jews
V. Liberation
A. Death Marches
B. American Arrival
C. Survivor numbers and famous survivors
D. Reactions of rescuers
VI. Conclusion
A. The most widely known death camp associated with the Holocaust
B. In 2005 Heads of state and about 1,000 survivors of the Auschwitz-Birkenau
death camp returned for ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the camp’s
liberation, in what may be the last such memorial to include significant numbers
of survivors.
Important Points About Citing Sources
Not citing the use of outside sources is plagiarism, the act of presenting someone else’s
ideas or work as your own, and is punishable by law. It is important to give credit where
credit is due.
WHEN TO CITE SOURCES
What needs to be documented or cited? There are four main instances of when to cite
sources:
1.
2.
3.
4.
when including statistics collected by others
whenever a source’s exact words are quoted, used, or repeated
whenever you summarize or reword the ideas in a single source
whenever you refer to an individual fact or idea that is not widely
known
For Example:
widely known fact
not widely known
date of the bombing
of Pearl Harbor
specialized information about
the bombing: number of battle
ships sunk, cost of damage to
navel base, numbers of casualties
EXAMPLE OF PROPER USE OF SOURCES
Passage from a magazine
Not so long ago, fans who couldn't get tickets the NCAA Final Four or
earlier rounds had two choices: TV and radio. But in 2006, there's more. The
road to the Final Four is lined with technology. There were webcasts of the first
three rounds of the Men's Division I games. There are free video podcasts on
iTunes that show the tournament and hype during Final Four week. Today, there
will be a live webcast of an NCAA men's practice session. And there's a Virtual
Final Four, an online video-game tournament that mirrors match-ups in the real
tournament. The result of all this is that millions more fans are able to access the
tournament, get a glimpse of Indianapolis and follow both in a whole new way.
Incorrect use of research material
The road to the Final Four is lined with technology. Whereas in years
past fans without tickets had only two choices: TV and radio, today’s
technology provides fans with many other options. This year’s 2006 Final Four
tournament offers fans much more: now there are webcasts and free video
podcasts on iTunes that show the tournament and hype during Final Four
week. There are even live webcasts of an NCAA men's practice session and
there's a Virtual Final Four, an online video-game tournament that mirrors
match-ups in the real tournament. It is certainly safe to say that the road to
the final four is lined with technology.
Correct use of research material (Paraphrasing)
Thanks to the rapid development of technology and the invention of such things
as the ipod, webcasts, and podcasts, people are able to access media in a variety of simple
and easy ways. Before the rise of such technological advancements, rabid college
basketball fans rushed home from work to turn on their televisions and catch the latest
scores. This year’s coverage of tournament play is much different, however. Now fans
have easy access to scores, replays, and entire games in the palm of their hands without a
television in sight (Smith 67).
Direct Quote:
The result of all this new technology is that “millions more fans are able to access the
tournament, get a glimpse of their favorite team, and access both in a whole new way”
(Smith 68).
Long Direct Quote:
Technology is improving and evolving so rapidly. David Card, a senior analyst for
JupiterResearch in New York, gives us something to think about:
It is a huge difference between this year and last year, particularly with video.
Consider this: In April 2005, almost nobody knew what a podcast was, much less a
video podcast. The latter term -- for a short movie that can be downloaded from the
Web and viewed on a portable device such as an iPod -- wasn't even coined (Smith
65).
Yet, one short year later most NCAA tournament fans watched at least some coverage in
these new and improved ways.
THE WORKS CITED PAGE
You can find very useful research paper help at:
http://owl.english.perdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/ResearchW/index.html