Writing a Research Report (MLA Format, Grades 10, 11, And 12)

Students will write a research paper according to Modern Language Association (MLA) rules for academic writing. This will include finding and using sources, keeping a working bibliography, evaluating sources, plagiarism, academic integrity, formatting a research paper, in-text citations, mechanics of writing (including abbreviations, acronyms, capitalization, italics, names, numbers, punctuation, outline, spelling, titles, and quotations), and writing a works cited. Students will also create and give a presentation on what they have learned. This presentation will be created electronically in Power Point, Google Slides, Prezi, or some other electronic presentation tool. This will be a detailed and thorough class. Students can finish this class well-prepared for writing other high school or college research papers. It will also help them with writing mechanics, taking good notes, organizing, and presenting. 

Students should be reading and writing at a high school level (9-12 grade) to be successful in this class. 

I will provide several worksheets and handouts throughout the semester. Students can either print or save them. 
     
Here is a breakdown of what we will be doing each week. This schedule may need to be adjusted as we progress through the semester. Students will regularly turn in progress for my check and evaluation.

Week 1 (Aug 29 - Sept 1)
 - What is a research paper
 - Identifying your audience
 - Choosing and Narrowing a Topic
 - Writing a proposal 
 - Students will get several handouts including a schedule, list of terms, and a proposal worksheet

Week 2 (Sept 6-8) 
 - Plagiarism and academic integrity
 - How to take good notes 
 - 3 types of notes (summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting)
 - Keeping a separate page with full citations
 - Begin researching and taking notes (find 1 resource, record citations, and takes notes)

Week 3 (Sept 12-15)
- Continue taking notes and researching (find at least 2 more resources, record citations, and take notes)

Week 4 (Sept 19-22)
- Continue taking notes and researching (find at least one more resource, for a total of 5, record citation, and take notes)
- Developing a clear thesis statement (Students will refine their original thesis statement based on their research and where they want to go with their topic.

Week 5 (Sept 26-29)
- Create 5-10 categories for notes
- Color code notes based on category
- Type an outline 

Week 6 (Oct 3-6)
- How to write paragraphs for a research paper
- Write 100 words of main body (handwritten)
 - Writing in "academic voice"
- Mechanics (Using abbreviations, acronyms, and italics)

Week 7 (Oct 10-13)
- Write 300 more words of main body for a total of 400 words
- Mechanics (Using capitalization, definitions, numbers, and names)

Week 8 (Oct 17-20)
- Should have 3 pages of main body complete by 10/23
- Mechanics (Using correct punctuation)

Week 9 (Oct 24-27)
- Should have 4 or more pages of main body completed by 10/30
- Mechanics (writing quotations, and spelling)

Week 10 (Oct 31 - Nov 3)
- Should have 5 or more pages of main body completed by Nov 6
- Class writing time
- Review of any previous lessons, if needed

Week 11 (Nov 7-10)
- Finish writing rough draft (should have 5-7 pages total) and turn in by 11/13
- Students create an editing checklist in class with me
- Use editing checklist to edit their own rough drafts
- write conclusion of paper

Week 12 (Nov 14-18)
- MLA Research Paper Format
- Typing second draft (font, spacing, and other typing guidelines)
- Continue using editing checklist to self-edit

Week 13 (Nov 28 - Dec 1)
- Begin working on presentation (Google Slides, Power Point, Prezi, or some other electronic presentation tool)
- Presentation should be formatted with bulleted lists summarizing main details (not paragraphs of information)
- Presentation should include some visuals
- Students can have a "cheat sheet" of notes to help with giving their presentation
- I give an example presentation to the class
 - Turn in second draft for my feedback

Week 14 (Dec 5-8)
- Students work on presentations
- Students use feedback from their second draft to make edits, and type final copy.

Week 15 (Dec 12-15)
- Students give oral presentation that also includes an electronic presentation with Google Slides, Power Point, Prezi, or some other electronic presentation tool. 

Final copy of report is due by Sunday, December 18, 2022. Students will receive feedback by January 8th.