Using Quotes

Here is the presentation we looked at in class. Please follow these ideas when you are writing your paper.

Using Quotes in Your Research Paper

Assignment: Summarize, Paraphrase, and Quote

From your research materials, choose sections to summarize, paraphrase, and quote. This material should support your provisional thesis statement. The sections you choose can all be from one source or from several different sources.

Due: Friday 4/3

Print your work. Include a print or photocopy of the source material with the sections that you used highlighted or ***starred***.

Provisional thesis statement: _______________________________

1. Summarize

• choose 1-3 pages of material
• write a few sentences to summarize the important information in your own words

2. Paraphrase

• choose 1-3 sentences
• paraphrase in your own words
• use different vocabulary and grammatical structures, but all the same information

3. Quote

• choose a quote (usually an expert's opinion or idea that you will agree or disagree with)
• introduce it with a signal phrase that gives the author and the source title
• explain what the quote means and why it's important

Writing an Introduction

Here is the information we read in class: How to Write an Essay Introduction

Initial Research: Due Tues 3/31

Choose two topics to research. If you have a hard time finding information for one, then try the other.


Informal Research

• Look it up online. Read the Wikipedia page and look at other informative websites. Remember, these may not be reliable sources of information, so just use your online searches to get ideas.
• Make a list of keywords to help you in your research.
• Think about specific research questions or a point of view that you can try to prove. 

Academic Research

• Search for your topic and/or keywords in PrattCat. Look for a book that includes images, historical facts, and/or opinions of an authority that you can use.
• Search for your topic and/or keywords in Articles and Databases. Try JSTOR or The New York Times. 
• Look through (scan) the book and articles to make sure they are useful. Try to find information that will help you define a research question.

Bring what you find to class!

Assignment: Rough Draft Wiley Review

Due: Tues March 10

Write a rough draft of your review of the Kehinde Wiley show.
Be ready to access your document file in class so we can discuss it and you can work on it.

Follow the format that we discussed in class. This is what I would like to see:

• A one sentence proposal or thesis statement. This should give your topic (Wiley's show) and your opinion that you will be supporting in your essay. Do not write the rest of the introduction right now. We will do that later!
• Paragraph #2: Important background information about Wiley and the exhibition from the Roberta Smith article. This should be paraphrased or summarized in your own words. 
• Paragraph #3: Your description and opinion of the exhibition in general, a particular room, and/or a specific work that supports your proposition (thesis). This should be completely in your own words.
• Paragraph #4: An additional description and opinion of the exhibition in general, a particular room, and/or a specific work that supports your proposition (thesis). This should be completely in your own words.
• Direct quotes. Your essay should also include some direct quotes that give Roberta Smith's opinion. Do you agree or disagree with what she says in the article? You may include this information in paragraphs #3 and #4 or you may wish to write a separate paragraph to compare and contrast your ideas with hers.

Do not write a conclusion yet! We will do that later.

Please use MLA form to cite you information. If you do not know how to do that we will discuss it in class.

Paragraph Rewrite

     When my Uncle John told me about the fish he has kept in terrariums, it felt like an important conversation and he looked at me straight on. This is unlike the way fish see; they have eyes that can see above them and all around. The life and habits of fish are fascinating. They eat plants and also other fish. Some like light and stay close to the top of lakes or oceans, while others swim at the bottom of the sea looking for something to eat in the sand or behind the rocks. Because of my Uncle John's devotion to his terrariums, I love studying fish. 

In my reorganization, I decided to start with the personal information to catch the reader's attention. I think that a reader could connect more to a story about inspiration and love, and all the facts about the lives of fish would be more interesting after that. I also thought it was a kind of joke, because looking at someone "straight on" can indicate a serious conversation and also introduce the difference between the way fish and humans see physically. I added "The life and habits of fish are fascinating" to explain and connect the observations about fish. Then, in the conclusion sentence, I returned to Uncle John to give it an ending.

paragraph rewrite

    Fish have eyes that can see above them and all around. My Uncle Jon tole me all about the fish he has kept in terrariums. They eat plants and other fish. Some like light and stay close to top of the lakes or oceans,while some swim at the bottom of the sea looking for something to eat in the sand or hide behind rocks. They just not look straight on as we look at the world and other people. Especially, other people when we want to have an important conversation like the one that I had with my Uncle John. I like to study fish.

    We changed the order of the paragraph and we grabbed the main idea turned it to be an introduction. Then we gave the details and the conclusion. We combined some short sentences into a compound sentence. We separated a run-on sentence made it simple and clear.