This week we are beginning the research paper!
The exciting thing about the research paper is this:
Even those who do not like writing almost always have interests: space travel, anti-aging techniques, WWII history, Artificial Intelligence, ancient Greek gods, current politics, etc. Your interests will evolve as you grow, but your whole life, you will likely continue learning about whatever things interest you, so knowing how to learn about those things is absolutely vital! I like to capitalize on that natural fascination we all have with at least one part of the world by allowing you to pick your topic for the research paper!
However, before picking your topic for this paper, part of this week's homework is to look through the 40+ topics that are listed in a document in our class folder (Wednesday/Thursday/Friday Research Paper Topics) and spend some time casually looking at some of them (and any of your own ideas) online.
The reason to do a little pre-research researching is simply to make sure there is enough information out there on that topic before choosing it. For example, I've had multiple students want to write about how Atlantis does exist, only to discover that the evidence for that viewpoint is not enough to easily fill a 2-3 page paper.
Once you have looked into 4-5 topics, choose one and write a thesis statement on it. This statement should be written, with your name, on the shared "Research Paper Topics" document in the class folder. More directions for that are listed there.
You will be writing a thesis on your topic because I treat the research paper exactly like the practice persuasive essay we do, except with real evidence! So the thesis should have:
- Opinion because Reason1, Reason2, and Reason3.
- ie: Living with cats is the best way to live longer because they make people happier, they can fight off intruders, and they can call an ambulance if you need one.
- If you want more of a refresher on thesis statements, feel free to look back at the old thesis statement post on this website.
**We will be reviewing your thesis statements next week.
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