Entries Tagged 'Essays & Research Papers' ↓

Essays and research papers are often the bane of a high schooler’s existence. But a few simple tips to set them off on the right foot will save hours of red-penciling later on!

Write a clear thesis statement.

Your thesis statement provides focus, both for the reader and the writer. It should state the research paper’s main message in one or two sentences.

Why should your essay contain a thesis statement?

Stay on track.

As you write your paper, continually support your thesis statement with facts, details, and examples. Avoid irrelevant information that can distract your reader from the main points. By staying on track and avoiding information that doesn’t directly support your thesis, you’ll produce a much stronger essay.

Don’t rehash ideas.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of saying the same thing over and over in different ways. Instead, do a little more research so that you can support your claims with fresh facts and examples. Your readers will thank you!

Term paper research: Getting started

Make a plan and stick to it.

Essays and research papers need structure—an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Without structure, your paper will fall apart. Avoid diving into your paper without thinking your argument through and organizing your thoughts into an outline. Instead of trying to rope scattered ideas, herd them into formation before you begin to write.

Outline the paper from beginning to end. As you outline the body of the paper, list your key points and hit the major supporting details. It’s a relief to know where you’re going, and it will make your paper much more focused and easier to write.

How to make and use an essay outline

If your bookshelf looks anything like mine did when we were homeschooling, it holds an assortment of curriculum you’ve stopped and started at various times along the way. Some we just couldn’t get into for various reasons, and we ended up finding alternatives. But there were others that we fully intended to use—we just never got around to them.

For example, we were supposed to get through a foreign language to meet my son’s college admissions requirements. Time and again, it seems, we’d start fresh and then stop. Spanish kept sliding to the back burner because of everything else that vied for his time. Then one day I nearly had a stroke when I realized he would never be able to finish the course in time for graduation. He paid for my lack of perseverance by having to spend some of his college electives on a foreign language.
 
Do you find that writing is one of those subjects you keep starting and stopping? Does your child drag his feet, fail to finish assignments, or complain night and day? Or are you the one who has trouble following through with lesson planning or editing? Whatever the reason, it’s important that you start afresh, make a plan, stick to your guns, and don’t let your student whine, wheedle, cajole, or otherwise manipulate you into letting him lapse!

Start Fresh

Writing is one of those non-negotiable subjects that forms a basis for academic success. So make a commitment to see your writing program through. If you’re not using a formal writing curriculum, you must still commit to assigning writing on a regular basis.

Has time been the culprit? You may need to give up another subject or extracurricular activity in order to have the time to devote to writing. Your child will not survive in college without writing skills. 

Make a Plan

WriteShop’s convenient scheduling options can help parents stay on track. With older high schoolers, time is running out. So if you’re concerned about the SAT essay, for example, your student will need to complete the essay portion of WriteShop II well in advance of the test because he’ll need time to practice writing timed essays. But no matter what, arm yourself with a plan—and stick to it—or your student will slip into old habits of not completing his work. This means:

• Choosing a schedule to follow;
• Sticking with the schedule;
• Supervising your student’s work to make sure he’s doing it; and
• Editing and returning papers to him on time so he doesn’t fall behind in his writing assignments.

If your student can finish WriteShop II by (or before) 10th grade, you can devote the rest of high school to more advanced writing, such as longer essays, literary analysis, and a couple of research papers.

Stick to Your Guns

Now for the hard part! Help your child develop self-discipline. See that he follows the schedule. If he’s used to giving excuses for why he didn’t get around to doing his writing assignment, make him write first thing each day. Hold him accountable and don’t let him off the hook!

Likewise, if follow-through hasn’t been your strong suit in the past, recommit yourself to helping prepare your student for college by teaching and overseeing the lessons and adhering to deadlines. If your student knows you won’t check up on him, he’ll continue to fritter away his time. But if he realizes that you’re going to hold his feet to the fire and impose consequences for incomplete work, he’ll perform better for you.

You’ll both be much happier in the end, and just imagine the pride at being able to say that you reached your goal!

Here’s a question we see often in our WriteShop mailbag:

Q: In a few years, my sons will be taking their SAT college entrance exams. Is the essay section in WriteShop II good preparation? My sons are in 9th and 10th grades.

A: Fortunately, you have plenty of time to prepare. The best time to start training your kids to take timed essays is during 9th and 10th grades, followed by weekly practice in 11th grade.

There’s a good reason for not putting off teaching this important skill till the last minute. Continue reading →