Now that students have their sources, which they fully understand and can see how their sources help them to answer their research questions, it’s time to write the research paper.
Have your students begin by writing a TAP paragraph. This paragraph should be written in the students own words based on their research.
Introduction (TAP) Paragraph Format
T = Topic (speak generally about the topic)
A = Argument (what is the argument being made about this topic)
P = Position (What is the writer's position? AKA Thesis statement)
Next have the students argue their position in their body paragraphs. Have students focus on one source per paragraph using the AXES format.
Body (AXES) Paragraph Format
A = Assertion (a specific and arguable claim that proves the position)
X = Example (textual evidence from the source that proves the assertion)
E = Explain (explain the quote in the writer's own words)
S = So What? (Why is this significant? How does it prove the position?)
Lastly, have the students write a conclusion paragraph using the PAT format.
Conclusion (PAT) Paragraph Format
P = Position (Restated, not written word for word from the original thesis statement)
A = Address the Opposition (Why might people disagree with the position?)
T = Take a Stand (What implications does this information mean for society? For the world?)
Here are some sentence stems to use for the research paper. Many of these sentence stems came from the book They Say/ I Say by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkstein. If you would like more ideas for sentence stems, check out the book!
Introduction (TAP) Paragraph Sentence Templates
It has become common today to dismiss ___________.
Conventional wisdom has it that _____________.
Common sense has it that _____________.
It is often said that _____________.
X argues that ______________.
Although _______________, ultimately _________________.
Body (AXES) Paragraph Sentence Templates
While it is true that __________, many people assume that ___________.
Many people assume that _______________.
According to X, “ ______________” (#).
In her book ___________, X maintains that “_______________” (#).
X agrees when she writes, “___________________” (#).
In other words, X believes _______________.
X’s point is that ______________.
The essence of X’s argument is that ______________.
X’s claim that ________ which confirms that _______________.
By focusing on __________, X overlooks the deeper problem of _____________.
Conclusion (PAT) Paragraph Sentence Templates
The evidence shows that _____________.
While it is true that __________, it does not necessarily follow that _______________.
Ultimately, what is at stake here is _______________.
Many people assume that ______________.
These findings have important implications in the domain of ____________________.
But above all ____________.
The last page of a research paper MUST include a Works Cited page (if MLA formatted), listing the sources used for their research in alphabetical order. Students already have the citations from their Annotated Bibliographies. These citations can be copied and pasted onto the last page of their research paper.
Now students are ready to start sharing their ideas with their peers and online communities. See how they can become informed contributors to participatory culture in Research WAC Part 4: Research Project and Commentary.