CP2 Freshmen Shakespeare Research Paper: Home

Monday: 
- Short video about Shakespeare
- Overview of the LibGuide and requirements for the Shakespeare paper.
- Concept of topic & subtopics
- Overview of Research Databases
- Research and start notes with organizer

Tuesday & Wednesday:
- Research and continue notes with organizer

Thursday:
- Start rough drafts
- Create Works Cited Page

Writing Skills Templates and Worksheets are located here.  For a copy, click on File and Make a Copy.

You will use MLA format to create a Works Cited.  Register with easybib and save your citations.  Sign up with Google.

Click to access the Database Prezi.

Pick at least TWO articles for your main topic, READ, and TAKE NOTES for each subtopic using the organizer from your packet.  You may choose from the subtopics provided or pick your own.

Main Topic: Shakespeare's Life
Subtopics (There should be three): 
      1. Personal life: Childhood, Marriage, Children
      2. Early career: Pick something to focus on: The Globe Theatre, early plays, success/criticism.
      3. Late career and later years: Pick something to focus on: The later plays, sonnets, the authorship question, end of his career and life.

Research questions:

  1. Personal Life:  Who were his parents?  When was he born?  Where did he grow up?  How was he educated? Who did he marry?
 Where did he live?  Did he have children?

  2. & 3. Career:

• What were his first plays?  Who did he work with?  Where did he work?  What was theatre like at the time?  How did Shakespeare's plays reflect the time period?
• The Plays: What were the different kinds of plays he wrote? What did Shakespeare's plays have in common and how were they different?  Which are considered the best? Why were they successful?  Why are they successful to this day?
• The Authorship Question: Why do people think he didn't write all of the plays?  Who do they think may have written or rewritten them?  Do you think Shakespeare wrote all the plays attributed to him?
• Other Writings: What else did he write besides plays?  Why are Shakespeare's sonnet considered important?
• The End of His Career and Life: Where did he go?  What did he do?  Where did he die?  Where is he buried?  What is the legacy of William Shakespeare?

Database articles: You Must Use at Least Two of These!

   ABC-CLIO: William Shakespeare **
   World History in Context: William Shakespeare   
   Click this link  first, then this article: Encyclopedia Britannica: William Shakespeare
   Biography in Context: William Shakespeare

Please print the articles if that helps you.  Also, many of these articles will READ to YOU!
**To access ABC-CLIO articles from home, type: montytech1 in both login and password boxes.

Thesis development: 

Come up with your own thesis based on research.  You may use one of the questions about his career in yellow highlight to write your essential question and then form your thesis statement.

For full credit, you will pass in the following:

• 1-2 page research paper
• MLA formatted Works Cited page
• Your packet of note sheets
• Your packet of writing organizers

Requirements for paper:

• Typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman (sized 12), 1" margins.
• Body of paper is 1-2 pages.  You will have an introductory paragraph with a thesis.  You will then have at least three well-formed body paragraphs and a paragraph at the end for your conclusion.
• Staple paper to Works Cited page (last page) in the upper left corner.

The first page must have the following in the upper left corner (copy, paste, and replace if you like):

Your name
Date of project
Your Topic
Class period
Your Teacher's Name

Due date: TBA.   
Late projects: minus 10 points for each day late.