Term Paper Guide: English 12 7th Period

Paragraph #1
Find an interesting situation, quote, fact, or other “hook” to introduce your topic. Spend four or five sentences developing this information so that it leads logically to the thesis statement that will be the final sentence in the first paragraph.

Paragraph #2
Begin the first body paragraph with a simple transition (first, to begin with, initially, etc.) that bridges between the introductory paragraph and the body paragraph that states and develops your first point. This paragraph should be somewhere between five and eight sentences in length and must contain at least one parenthetical citation. Introduce the citation with a phrase such as “According to …” or “(Source’s name) states … .” Use MLA format in all parenthetical citations.

Paragraph #3
Begin the second body paragraph with a simple transition (second, next, in addition to [point number 1], etc.) that bridges between the first body paragraph and the second body paragraph that states and develops your second point. This paragraph should be somewhere between five and eight sentences in length and must contain at least one parenthetical citation. Introduce the citation with a phrase such as “According to …” or “(Source’s name) states … .” Use MLA format in all parenthetical citations.

Paragraph #4
Begin the third body paragraph with a simple transition (third, finally, last, etc.) that bridges between the second body paragraph and the third body paragraph that states and develops your third point. This paragraph should be somewhere between five and eight sentences in length and must contain at least one parenthetical citation. Introduce the citation with a phrase such as “According to …” or “(Source’s name) states … .” Use MLA format in all parenthetical citations.

Paragraph #5
Begin the final paragraph with a simple transition (in conclusion, to sum up, all in all, etc.). Restate the three points you have covered, rewording them in order not to sound too repetitive. Draw a conclusion about your thesis. This paragraph should be somewhere between five and eight sentences in length.

Works Cited Page
Using MLA format, list all required information about your sources. List the sources alphabetically by the author’s last name. If your source does not have an author (be sure to examine the book or article closely, and ask Mrs. Crum or me for help), list the source alphabetically by the first important word in the title.