Research
English 121
Week 10
Agenda
Homework:
-Essay outlines due by Monday evening
-MLA formatting Quiz!
-Incorporating our research into our essays!
-Review essay layout
-Review paragraph layout
-Review MLA in-text citations
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Introduction to our argument layout
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Essay formatting
Introduction paragraph
Body paragraphs-2 pieces of evidence for each reason (so 6 total)
Refutation-- acknowledging the other side
Conclusion paragraph
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1.
Your introduction paragraph
What should it include?
Introduction paragraph Purpose: To give your reader an introduction to your essay and provide a roadmap for the rest of your essay- state your thesis!
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“
In two or three columns
Yellow
Is the color of gold, butter and ripe lemons. In the spectrum of visible light, yellow is found between green and orange.
Blue
Is the colour of the clear sky and the deep sea. It is located between violet and green on the optical spectrum.
Red
Is the color of blood, and because of this it has historically been associated with sacrifice, danger and courage.
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Hooks:
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“
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Introductions to avoid:
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▪Dictionary definitions of words your reader should know.
▪“Did you know?” or “Have you ever wondered?” rhetorical questions
▪“This paper will be about …” “In this paper I will prove”
▪If you start your paper like this I will scream… at the computer.
Body paragraphs
This is the “meat” of your essay!
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Body Paragraph Format
Topic sentence
Introduction to quote
Quote 1 (evidence from research)
Commentary 1 (explain the quote in your own words)
Commentary 2 (Make a connection to your thesis)
Transition to next paragraph with quote 2
REPEAT THE STEPS FOR THE NEXT PARAGRAPH
Topic sentence
Think of your topic sentence as your introduction to your paragraph.
This is where you set up the reader for what they are about to read about.
Topic sentences and introduction to your quote
Context of your quote
You need to provide context to your quote. You could do this in a couple of ways:
Introduce the author, article or study being mentioned:
According to…
In an article by… they found…
Based on the research in…
…. States… “”
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The MOST important part of your argument is the evidence you provide to your reader!!!!!
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Commentary 1
Your first piece of commentary after the quote should explain the quote in your own words
Think of how you could explain the quote to a friend- What is the author saying?
Commentary 1 and Commentary 2
Commentary 2
The second piece of commentary shows the reader how the quote proves your thesis.
How does the evidence you provided prove your thesis?
Your commentary should leave the reader clearly seeing the connection between the evidence provided and the thesis.
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Example quote with commentary:
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Thesis: Universal background checks will prevent gun violence..
According to Kurtzleben’s article “Research suggests Gun Background Check Work, But Aren’t Everything,” “When researchers studied Missouri's 2007 repeal of its permit-to-purchase law, they found an associated increase in gun homicides by 23 percent, as well as a 16-percent increase in suicides.” In Missouri, in 2007, they repealed the permit-to-purchase law and found that gun violence increased. States that have loosened their gun regulation laws have seen an increase in gun deaths and suicides, proving that there should be tighter gun control laws across the United States. In a similar study… found ….
Intro to quote
Quote
Commentary 1
Commentary 2
Transitions:
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Add a sentence to transition to the next piece of evidence that supports the SAME claim.
You could use signal words like:
In addition…
In a similar study…
In another article...
-Then Repeat the steps for the quote and commentary like before
Refutation paragraph
In a solid argument, we acknowledge that there is another side to the issue, but provide evidence that they are WRONG!
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Refutation paragraph has TWO parts
This is where you give the reader the opposition’s side of the argument- what would someone who would disagree with you say? What facts would they use?
Part 1: Concession
Part 2: Refutation
This is where you prove that you are right by refuting the information you just gave!
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Refutation paragraph
-Acknowledge there is another side:
While some may say…
There are some who believe…
-Provide a fact or statistic that supports the claim you made below
-REFUTE the claim with counterevidence (evidence that supports your claim)
-Conclude by showing your side of the issue is the right one!
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Refutation example paragraph
There are people who believe that the guns laws that we have in place are sufficient and making them stricter would infringe on their second amendment rights to own a gun. In a study in Washington D.C. it was found that placing a ban on handguns violates second amendment rights. “ It similarly found that the requirement that lawful firearms be disassembled or bound by a trigger lock made it impossible for citizens to effectively use arms for the core lawful purpose of self-defense, and therefore violated the Second Amendment right” (“United States Gun Ownership”). While this may be the case in certain states, it is clear that putting stricter gun laws in place will save thousands of lives each year, which still allows for law abiding citizens to own guns. “The average firearm homicide rate in states without background checks is 58 percent higher than the average in states with background-check laws in place. As of 2017, only 13 states had laws requiring universal background checks” (Colarosi and McAlpine). It is clear that universal background checks deter deaths by guns, all the while not infringing on law abiding citizens’ right to own a gun.
Conclusion paragraph
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The purpose of the conclusion
Should echo the major thesis without repeating words verbatim.
▪Should move beyond the thesis to reflect on significance of ideas just presented.
▪Should indicate why these ideas are important.
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Conclusions to avoid
▪Beginning with “In conclusion …”
▪Restating your same thesis verbatim and adding new information.
▪Bringing up a new topic
▪Adding irrelevant details
(esp. just to make a paper longer)
Homework
Outline of your paper
Either choose the “Traditional” outline or you can use the graphic organizer- only choose ONE!
MLA Quiz and Practice!
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Any questions?
Send me a message in D2L!
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