this is the professor exact requirements

1. Students will identify a common theme or issue in the novels they read and formulate a precise thesis statement for their essay.

2. Students will support the thesis by including examples and quotations from primary sources (the novels) as well as three secondary sources (which should include literary criticism as well as other background material).

3. Students will demonstrate their ability to organize a coherent discussion, making use of transitional topic sentences that relate to the thesis statement.

4. Students will apply relevant literary terms such as character, setting, theme, point-of-view, genre (realistic fiction, fantasy, historical fiction), etc.

5. Students will demonstrate that they are able to integrate materials from secondary sources effectively by paraphrasing and quoting as appropriate; they will also demonstrate that they understand how to avoid plagiarism in their presentation of material from sources.

6. Students will demonstrate that they can document their use of sources correctly in MLA format.

7. Students will apply grammar and usage rules correctly.

Essay 2, Multiple-Source Essay. due no later than Saturday, December 7th, by 11:59 p.m.

Here are some ideas for your multiple-source research essay; you should plan to find at least three secondary sources (at least two articles must be from the library’s research databases. Good sources to use include literary criticism articles from peer-reviewed journals (which you will find in the research databaes) as well as appropriate internet sites (reader reviews on amazon.com would NOT be appropriate for an academic paper, but interviews, reviews, or articles from authors’ homepages or academic sites would be). Your paper should use proper MLA documentation (parenthetical citations as well as a Works Cited page), and it should be at least six-eight typed pages. And again, remember, you MUST use at least two articles from the library’s databases! I have included a few links to other useful Internet sits in the “Useful Links” folder; you might find some good sources there to add your third source.

1. Do an in-depth exploration of the work of a major children’s novelist. (In past semesters, I’ve suggested that students write on award-winning novelists, but many wonderful writers have not won major awards… I do ask that you use the extensive lists in our text to choose a writer who has been recognized for his or her work. Keep in mind that you MUST write on a children’s writer (one from our textbook). You should plan to read two or three books by the author (one of these may be a book read for our class) as well as at least three critical articles or reviews of his or her work; interviews of the writer could also be useful. What themes or issues interest your writer? Do you notice recurring themes or situations? Try to develop a thesis that draws a conclusion about the themes or situations that concern your writer, and then show, in your essay, how he or she addresses those themes or situations. Keep in mind that this assignment is focused on literary analysis (don’t write a biographical sketch of the author!). Allow yourself plenty of time to read at least two, if not more, of the author’s novels, and read the criticism to see what others have written about the writer’s work. Again, you are identifying a theme or issue that surfaces in the writer’s work, but before you do that, you will need to do the reading and research! Please let me know by November 23rd which writer you have chosen for your project. And please keep in mind: picture book authors are not appropriate for this assignment! I must approve your author, so don’t forget to e-mail me (and if you are having trouble deciding, maybe I can give you some suggestions).

2. Our textbook lists “milestone” books for each genre. If you’re a fan of realistic fiction, contemporary fantasy, historical fiction, or biography, read at least two of the books selected as milestones of that genre, and write an essay which explores the historical and literary significance of each book. (Of course, you’ll also find at least three secondary sources to help you support your thesis.)