English 10 (6.0)

Guidelines for Critical Paper

Dear Students,

You are about to begin the process of writing thecritical research paper. The critical paper is a requirement for all 10th grade English students in level 5.0 or higher at North Penn High School. I am providing you with a calendar of due dates and a checklist to help you stay on top of the work I expect you to complete in preparation for writing a quality paper. Your critical papers should examine and defend a single thesis about The Catcher in the Rye using critical research and most importantly, your own analysis. Your papers must have a clear introduction in which you state your thesis and a body of at least two parts (multiple paragraphs in each) in which you examine at least two main subtopics in defense of your thesis over the course of the paper’s five-page minimum length. You must incorporate at least 10significant primary quotes from the novel that help to defend your thesis, as well as at least 5secondary quotes and/or ideas from published critical articles that address the ideas in your thesis. How you distribute your references and critical ideas over the body of your paper depends on your individual topic. Finally, you are expected to end your paper with a paragraph that draws an insightful conclusion about the ideas you examined in your essay and connects those ideas to life.

We will be doing much of the work for this paper IN CLASS, and a significant number of points are earned through completion of checkpoints along the way. If you keep up with the due dates, there should be no reason to stress.

This 5-7 page critical paper is intended to help you practice organizing ideas, focusing on a topic, using good research strategies, reading and thinking critically, and stating and defending a thesis. It should also make you more informed, more confident, and more precise writers.

Goals:

a)Students gain new knowledge about library and critical research

b)Students demonstrate what they have learned about defending a thesis

c)Students demonstrate the skills they’ve developed in critical reading and interpretation

d)Students’ final drafts show improvement and mastery of organization and focus

e)Students become more familiar with the expectations of academic writing, specifically, staying on topic, preparing all quotes, references, and details in advance, using proper citation format, utilizing outlining and prewriting, and meeting deadlines.

Assignment Checklist:

These assignments must be completed on the due dates listed on your calendar. Upon timely and satisfactory completion, I will sign next to each assignment. This signed checklist MUST be submitted at the end of the critical paper process in order to receive points. NO points will be awarded for a lost checklist, so KEEP IT SAFE!!!!!!!!

  1. Supplies needed:

1. Two pocket folder with three ring center

2. At least thirty (20) 3x5 notecards

3. Flash Drive or Google Docs Account

______(5pts)

  1. Selection of Thesis

Topic Exploration and 5 thesis statements ______(5 pts)

Selected and approved thesis statement ______(5pts)

  1. Body of your Critical Paper

1.Outline body of Critical Paper ______(10pts)

2. 12 primary source note cards ______(12pts)

3. Three (3)critical articles related ______(5 pts)

to topic

4. 8Secondary Source Note Cards Due ______(8pts)

5. Draft of Works Cited Page ______(5 pts)

6. Draft of Critical paper for peer review ______(20 points)

Total Process Point Earned ______/ 75

Note: Process Points will be a grade for marking period 3