We did a lot of good thinking and working this week. I spent a substantial part of the class time working with the students on thesis statements. A good research paper can fail or succeed depending on the quality of the focus of this sentence. This one sentence should state the topic/subject of the paper, the controlling opinion/stand that the writer is taking, and the primary points that will support and substantiate the claim of the opinion/stand. That's a tall order for one sentence!
Following our thesis discussion, we looked at potential organization strategies. Students should think beyond subtopics and consider the purpose for writing about those supporting elements. We discussed when and how a writer would incorporate the following organizational structures: chronological, spatial, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, problem/solution, evaluation, classification, extended definition. Many times, a thorough research paper will incorporate a variety of these structures. We also talked about and brainstormed organizing a paper according to general-to-specific principles and least-to-most important guidelines.
At the end of the class, we had a brief check-in about the challenges that students were experiencing. The top three were finding new (or enough) information, finding time, and finding motivation.
Assignments for Next Week
-- Detailed Outline
-- Note: The first rough draft is due 10/5.
Links for this week:
Class Notes
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Prichard
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