10 th Grade ESLR

1. 10th Grade ESLR Controversial Topic

2. Overview • Research Question • Research Materials • Divided Thesis Statement • Graphic Organizer • Opening Paragraph • Inserting Quotes • Counter Argument • Rough/Final Draft • MLA format of course! • Oral Presentation

3. Research Question – 25 pts • You must first pick a topic that is controversial. • Controversial means that it is a subject that is often debated and has many strong view points. • Pick a well known topic that is easy to research and interesting to you. • The topic will be presented to me initially in the form of a question (Should the term “Under God” be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance?) • Once you have done your research you will revise your question into a statement. • Remember – Persuasive writing is designed to influence or change an audiences thoughts or actions.

4. Research – 50 pts • You will be required to research your topic. • You will need a minimum of three pieces of research material (three articles, two articles and one book, etc.) to gather information from. • You are required to use the NPHS library’s on-line databases such as Opposing Viewpoints and/or any website that ends in .edu or .gov. • You must complete your work cited when doing your research.

5. Work Cited – 50 pts • This step should be completed as you are gathering your research. • Steps: 1. Go to NPHS 2. Click on Library 3. Click on Databases and Ebooks 4. Click on “Opposing Viewpoints” 5. Password is panthers 6. Click on your topic and search for your articles. 7. Open up a word document 8. Go back to your article and click on the “citation tools” on the right hand side of the page. 9. Copy and paste the citation, without the web address, onto your word document. 10. All citations should be in alphabetical order and in MLA Format.

6. Divided Thesis Statement – 25 pts • Once you have completed your research you will be submitting a divided thesis statement. • A thesis statement is the most important sentence in your essay because it is the basis of your argument. • A divided thesis statement lists the opposing viewpoint and your three reasons to support your statement. • Example of a “simple” thesis statement: • The word “God” should be removed from the pledge of allegiance.

7. Divided Thesis Statement Cont. • Example of a divided thesis: • Although reciting the Pledge of Allegiance is not mandatory, ultimately it is vital to recognize that because of the numerous religious belief’s in the United States, the law requiring a separation of church and state, and the fact that students only recite it because they are conditioned to do so, the phrase “Under God” should be removed. Although, ________________ (Counter Argument), ________________ ultimately it is vital to recognize that _________ (first argument), _________________(second argument) and __________________ (third argument) and claim_____________________________.

8. Sample Opening Paragragh • Every morning across the United States of America, over 60 million teachers and students recite the Pledge of Allegiance. However, in 2002, a California man named Dr. Michael Newdow, sued the federal and state governments and his daughter’s local school board because the words “under God” offended him, and he felt it was unconstitutional. The courts in California agreed, but the Supreme Court overturned the decision. Should the term be removed?Although reciting the Pledge of Allegiance is not mandatory, ultimately it is vital to recognize that because of the numerous religious belief’s in the United States, the law requiring a separation of church and state, and the fact that students only recite it because they are conditioned to do so, the phrase “Under God” should be removed.

9. Body Paragraphs • Sentence One – Topic sentence • Sentence Two/Three – Commentary • Sentence Four – Direct Quote • Sentence Five – Analysis of Quote/Commentary • Sentence Six/Seven – Transition into the next paragraph/review thesis statement. • The United States of America has many different cultures, languages and religious beliefs and faiths, including atheism. This cannot be ignored. “There are over seven different main religions being practiced in the country” (U.S. Department of Commerce). Not to mention numerous, but less popular, non-mainstream faiths. Not all of these religions worship the God that is in the Pledge of Allegiance. Some believe in multiple deities and some do not believe in a god at all. All different faiths in America cannot be equally represented under the banner of one god so the term “under God” must be removed. This is not the only reason this phrase should be removed.

10. Quoting, Paraphrasing and Summarizing • Quotinga source brings the exact words of the source into your paper and encloses them in quotation marks. • Paraphrasingis restating a source's ideas in your own words. Paraphrased material tends to be roughly the same length as the passage being paraphrased and does not use quotation marks. • Summarizing is condensing a source's main ideas into your own words. Summarized material is shorter than the passage being summarized and does not use quotation marks. 

11. Direct Quotes in MLA Format • Signal Phrase – Signal phrases introduce the direct quote you insert into the middle of your body paragraphs. Example: According to Sam Pollock in his book, The Autobiography of a President, Thomas Jefferson, who was a deeply religious man, “Introduced the notion of separation of religion and government to insure that all Americans have freedom of religion” (39).

12. Closing Paragraph * It is important to remember that the purpose of a persuasive paper is to make your reader think about the topic and believe your point of view. * Keeping this in mind, the concluding paragraph must evoke the strongest emotion, restate the thesis and urge the reader to act.

13. Closing Paragraph Cont. Sentence One: Restate your thesis. Ultimately the Pledge of Allegiance should revert back to its original version if school children are going to continue to be asked to recite it in the United States. • Sentence Two-Three: This is when you make clear the significance of the topic. Use effective, strong vocabulary that will evoke strong emotion. • When the Founding Fathers of this great nation banded together to protect our rights they did so with a full and rational understanding of the risks and rewards they faced. When school children recite the pledge to the flag they usually so out of a force of habit, not a love of a god.

14. Closing Paragraph Cont. • Final Sentence: This sentence can be done in one of two ways – Urge your reader to act or leave them with something powerful to think about. The laws of our constitution must be upheld to ensure that the freedom of religion that has been so strongly fought for, remains.

15. Editing and Submission • Use the self-editing checklist to help with the editing process. • Exchange your ESLR with another student and have them also check-off the self-editing checklist and then initial it. • On the day it is due, submit your ESLR in your folder in the following order: 1. Final draft 2. Work Cited 3. Rough Draft 4. Articles Make sure that you have a copy of your final draft for yourself in order to complete the power point presentation portion of the assignment!