Outline Puzzle Approach
Complete this outline for the body portion of your literary essay. This outline should be in formal sentence form.
NOTE: I have given you more instructions on this outline. You may delete everything in the places where your information should go.
Your Working Title
Thesis (How you think O’Connor defines a good country person and which character fits that definition; qualify your thesis using a word like “perhaps,” “seems,” or “may”):
I. Topic Sentence (your understanding of O’Connor’s explanation of a good country person and how that title is ironic):
A. Claim— Your understanding of O’Connor’s explanation of a good country person
Evidence— DO NOT USE ANY QUOTES IN THIS PARAGRAPH; everything should be in YOUR OWN WORDS
Explanation (show how this evidence supports your main idea)—
B. Claim— How the title of the story is ironic
Evidence— DO NOT USE ANY QUOTES IN THIS PARAGRAPH; everything should be in YOUR OWN WORDS
Explanation (show how this evidence supports your main idea)—
II. Topic Sentence (how the other characters are not good country people):
A. Claim—
Evidence— Now, you may quote from the story and article
Analysis (show how this evidence supports your main idea)—
B. Claim—
Evidence—
Analysis (show how this evidence supports your main idea)—
III. Topic Sentence (character who you think is a good country person):
A. Claim—
Evidence—
Analysis (show how this evidence supports your main idea)—
B. Claim—
Evidence—
Analysis (show how this evidence supports your main idea)—
Sophia Pathways for College Credit – English Composition II
SAMPLE TOUCHSTONE AND SCORING
Logan Stevens
English Composition II
December 12, 2019
Annotated Bibliography
Brown, M., & Funk, C. (2008). Food security under climate change. Science, 319
(5863), 580-581. doi: 10.1126/science.1154102
The authors claim that developing regions of the globe are likely to face serious food
insecurity as climate change affects crops. These regions are particularly
endangered because they are distinctly vulnerable to the demands of Western
markets (the desire for mono-cropping corn, for example, in order to feed cattle) and
lacking in the kinds of agricultural technology that help farmers cope with
environmental effects on crops. Brown and Funk claim that investing in local food
economies—including sustainability, agricultural technologies, and emergency
plans—will help these areas of the globe acquire enough food in the face of climate
change. change. This source will be useful to my paper as it provides a big picture
example of the related effects of factory farming and the coming dangers of climate
change that push us to change our eating and food production habits, so I can use this to
discuss both my argument and the counter-arguments.
Comment [SL1]: Good adherence to APA
formatting here.
Sophia Pathways for College Credit – English Composition II
SAMPLE TOUCHSTONE.
Introduction to TechSoup’s Digital Marketing Services and Use Cases
Outline Puzzle ApproachComplete this outline for the body porti.docx
1. Outline Puzzle Approach
Complete this outline for the body portion of your literary
essay. This outline should be in formal sentence form.
NOTE: I have given you more instructions on this outline. You
may delete everything in the places where your information
should go.
Your Working Title
Thesis (How you think O’Connor defines a good country person
and which character fits that definition; qualify your thesis
using a word like “perhaps,” “seems,” or “may”):
I. Topic Sentence (your understanding of O’Connor’s
explanation of a good country person and how that title is
ironic):
A. Claim— Your understanding of O’Connor’s explanation of a
good country person
Evidence— DO NOT USE ANY QUOTES IN THIS
PARAGRAPH; everything should be in YOUR OWN WORDS
Explanation (show how this evidence supports your main
idea)—
B. Claim— How the title of the story is ironic
Evidence— DO NOT USE ANY QUOTES IN THIS
PARAGRAPH; everything should be in YOUR OWN WORDS
Explanation (show how this evidence supports your main
idea)—
2. II. Topic Sentence (how the other characters are not good
country people):
A. Claim—
Evidence— Now, you may quote from the story and article
Analysis (show how this evidence supports your main idea)—
B. Claim—
Evidence—
Analysis (show how this evidence supports your main idea)—
III. Topic Sentence (character who you think is a good country
person):
A. Claim—
Evidence—
Analysis (show how this evidence supports your main idea)—
B. Claim—
Evidence—
Analysis (show how this evidence supports your main idea)—
Sophia Pathways for College Credit – English
Composition II
SAMPLE TOUCHSTONE ANDSCORING
3. Logan Stevens
English Composition II
December 12, 2019
Annotated Bibliography
Brown, M., & Funk, C. (2008). Food security under climate
change. Science, 319
(5863), 580-581. doi: 10.1126/science.1154102
The authors claim that developing regions of the globe are
likely to face serious food
insecurity as climate change affects crops. These regions are
particularly
endangered because they are distinctly vulnerable to the
demands of Western
markets (the desire for mono-cropping corn, for example, in
order to feed cattle) and
4. lacking in the kinds of agricultural technology that help farmers
cope with
environmental effects on crops. Brown and Funk claim that
investing in local food
economies—including sustainability, agricultural technologies,
and emergency
plans—will help these areas of the globe acquire enough food in
the face of climate
change. change. This source will be useful to my paper as it
provides a big picture
example of the related effects of factory farming and the
coming dangers of climate
change that push us to change our eating and food production
habits, so I can use this to
discuss both my argument and the counter-arguments.
Comment [SL1]: Good adherence to APA
formatting here.
Sophia Pathways for College Credit – English
Composition II
SAMPLE TOUCHSTONE ANDSCORING
(Peer-Reviewed Article)
Cook, C. (2004). Diet for a dead planet: How the food industry
5. is killing us. New
York, NY: New Press.
Cook argues that our current food system is destroying us in
several ways. For
example, we have pesticides and antibiotics that are used in
industrial agriculture,
as well the significant ecological damage of industrial food
production, the stripped
nutrients that we now find in our food, and the social justice
issues of farm worker
and immigrant labor. This book will be useful to the conclusion
of my essay when I
encourage readers to take action beyond just purchasing
choices.
(Book)
Davis, C., & Lin, B.H. (2005). Factors affecting U.S. beef
consumption. Retrieved from
https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-
details/?pubid=37389.
This government website provides information on beef
consumption in the United
States. It breaks down beef consumption by geography (highest
in the Midwest and
6. lowest in the Northeast), by percentage eaten by rural or urban
consumers, and by
race and ethnicity. This information establishes context for the
topic and will be useful
in the introductory paragraphs of my essay to inform readers of
the popularity of
eating beef in America.
(Credible Website)
Lappe, A. (2010). Diet for a hot planet: The climate crisis at the
end of your fork. New York,
NY: Bloomsbury.
In this book, Lappe describes the effect of industrial food
production on global climate
change. She traces food from planting and animal husbandry to
harvest and production,
Comment [SL2]: Good. You summarize the
main points made by the source and explain
how
you plan to use this information in your
argument.
Comment [SL3]: This source sounds like it’s
very wide-ranging, and you do a good job of
focusing on a single aspect which will be
useful in
your conclusion.
7. Comment [SL4]: Excellent. It can be very
difficult to find credible web sources, but this is a
very useful and appropriate source.
Sophia Pathways for College Credit – English
Composition II
SAMPLE TOUCHSTONE ANDSCORING
ultimately arguing that we need to take a more local and
sustainable approach to food
production. This book will be very useful to my essay because
of the focus on climate
change and the discussion of animal production in particular.
These ideas will support the
part of my thesis that focuses on consuming beef that is locally
sourced.
(Book)
Palmer, B. (2010). Pass on grass: Is grass-fed beef better for the
environment? Slate.
Retrieved from
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/the_green_lan
tern/2010/12/pass_
on_grass.htm
8. Palmer compares the environmental impact of both grain-fed,
factory-farmed beef
and grass-fed, free-range beef. Some controversial evidence
exists that grain-fed
beef might be better in some ways; however, the expenses of
grain, issues of
monocropping corn and soy, and excess manure suggest that
grass-fed is
environmentally better. Palmer also emphasizes that however
the cow is raised,
“eating beef will never be the greenest thing you do in a day”
(para. 2). This source
will be useful to my essay because it tends to favor grass-fed
beef while highlighting
the negative environmental impacts of all beef, which will help
me evaluate the
environmental consequences of eating beef and discuss
alternative actions.
(Magazine)
Pollan, M. (2002). An animal’s place. The New York Times.
Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/10/magazine/an-animal-s-
place.html
Pollan, a well-respected food journalist and activist, engages
9. with the ethical
arguments of vegetarianism, admitting that animals feel pain
and fear, and that they
Comment [SL5]: Good. This is very specific and
clearly demonstrates how this source will help
you develop your argument.
Comment [SL6]: You don’t have to include
specific quotations in your annotated
bibliography, but sometimes it can be helpful to
do so when there’s somethingspecific that you
want to use in your paper. Well done.
Sophia Pathways for College Credit – English
Composition II
SAMPLE TOUCHSTONE ANDSCORING
deserve to be treated humanely. He extends this discussion to
the ethical conflicts
surrounding factory farming and the negative treatment of
animals. Pollan
ultimately rejects vegetarianism and calls, instead, for an early
version of
“locavorism,” sourcing one’s food from environmentally
responsible and humane
producers who are also geographically close. This article will
10. be useful to my essay
because Pollan’s perspective is foundational to my argument
that it matters how
our food is produced and that when it comes to beef,
specifically, we should aim for
the most sustainable methods if we’re going to eat it at all.
(Newspaper)
Ruechel, J. (2006). Grass-fed cattle: How to produce and market
natural beef. North
Adams, MA. Storey Publishing.
This book is a guide for raising grass-fed cattle. It is useful for
describing the health
benefits of grass-fed beef in particular, as well as the more
positive environmental
impacts as compared to grain-fed, factory-farmed beef. This
source will be useful
to my essay because it provides factual data and statistics that
will support my
argument that grass-fed beef is better both for consumers and
the environment.
(Book)
Sager, G. (2008). Where’s your beef from?: Grass-fed beef: Is it
green, humane and
11. healthful? Retrieved from:
http://www.life.ca/naturallife/0812/grassfed_
beef_green_humane_healthful.html
This article compares the differences between grass-fed and
grain-fed beef. It
highlights the health benefits of grass-fed over grain-fed,
discusses that grass-fed
does not equal organic, and describes the negative global impact
of grass-fed
Comment [SL7]: Very good.
Comment [SL8]: Good. This looks like the
credible source with solid evidence and you
clearly demonstrate how you plan to use it to
support your argument.
Sophia Pathways for College Credit – English
Composition II
SAMPLE TOUCHSTONE ANDSCORING
beef—particularly that raised outside the US. This source will
be useful to my
argument since it presents a wealth of data and discusses the
complexity of the
topic. I will also be able to use this source to present the
opposing viewpoints to
12. my argument.
(Credible Website)
Comment [SL9]: This looks like an interesting
source. It appears to be credible and fact-based,
but be very careful using sources that focus on
presenting a certain perspective; thesecan often
tradein biased or less credible information. The
information you reference here seems clear and
unbiased, but make sure to vet your sources very
carefully.
Sophia Pathways for College Credit – English
Composition II
SAMPLE TOUCHSTONE ANDSCORING
Reflection Questions:
1. Accurately recording bibliographic information is essential
and saves you time, as you
can transfer this information to the References page of your
drafted essay. Each source
entry should include a brief summary of the source as well as 3-
4 sentences describing
how you intend to use that source to build or support your
argument. Discuss how your
annotated bibliography meets these criteria. (2-3 sentences)
13. My annotated bibliography meets all of these requirements
because I have summarized the
source and explained how I am going to use it within my
Argumentative essay. I think this is
an important step before drafting the essay, because I’m finding
I take less time gathering
information since I’m explaining the validity and usefulness of
each source.
2. Which strategies were most helpful for you when searching
for credible sources? (2-3
sentences)
I found it extremely helpful to look at, not only when the source
was published, but whether
or not the information was going to help support my claim or
not. On top of that, cross-
checking the information to make sure it is valid. This helped
me find sources that I could
utilize fully, instead of pulling one detail from each.
3. What difficulties did you face while searching for credible
sources? How did you
overcome these difficulties? (2-3 sentences)
I was able to find a lot of sources that could only provide a
small piece of support toward my
claim. It was a bit more difficult to find sources in which I
could use more than one point. I
14. tried to make sure that I was searching for a clear and consistent
group of sources to ensure I
didn’t need more than the few sources I found.
Sophia Pathways for College Credit – English
Composition II
SAMPLE TOUCHSTONE ANDSCORING
Annotated Bibliography Rubric and Feedback
Rubric
Category
Feedback Score
(acceptable, needs
improvement etc.)
Annotated
Bibliography
You have exceeded the required number of
sources. You summarize them very clearly, and
you provide information about how you plan to
use them to support your thesis statement.
18/20
15. Quality of
Sources
All sources appear to be credible and relevant to
your topic. You’ve formatted this effectively as
well.
13/15
Style Your word choices are consistently effective. You
do a good job of avoiding redundancy and
imprecise language.
5/5
Conventions You adhere well to all of the APA formatting
requirements and your use of English
conventions is consistent throughout the
touchstone. Well done.
5/5
Reflection You answer all of the questions thoroughly,
providing insights, observations, and examples in
16. your responses. You consistently exceed the
length guidelines for your responses.
5/5
Overall Score and Feedback: 46/50
Touchstones are projects that illustrate your comprehension of
the course material, help you refine skills, and demonstrate
application of knowledge. You can work on a Touchstone
anytime, but you can't submit it until you have completed the
unit’s Challenges. Once you've submitted a Touchstone, it will
be graded and counted toward your final course score.
Touchstone 2.2: Create an Annotated Bibliography
ASSIGNMENT: Using your research question, working thesis,
and outline from Touchstone 1.2, create an annotated
bibliography that provides a synopsis of your sources and an
explanation of how you will use them.
As this assignment builds on Touchstone 1.2: Write a Research
Question, Thesis, and Outline, that Touchstone must be graded
before you can submit your annotated bibliography.
Sample Touchstone 2.2
A. Assignment Guidelines
DIRECTIONS: Refer to the list below throughout the writing
process. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these
guidelines.
1. Annotated Bibliography
17. Make sure to:
❒ Alphabetize the entries, according to APA style.
❒ Include the required bibliographic information in APA format
for each entry.
❒ Include 3-4 sentences for each entry that provide a short
summary of the source and how you plan to use it to support
your argument.
❒ Include at least seven entries in your annotated bibliography,
all of which must be credible, academic sources.
❒ Choose your own sources, but use no more than three
websites (there is no limit on the number of online journals
used).
❒ Thoroughly check the formatting requirements for the
different source types.
❒ Indicate the required sources (book, peer-reviewed journal,
newspaper/magazine, and credible website) by including the
source type in parentheses after the relevant entry.
2. Reflection
❒ Have you displayed a clear understanding of the research
activities?
❒ Have you answered all reflection questions thoughtfully and
included insights, observations, and/or examples in all
responses?
❒ Are your answers included on a separate page below the main
assignment?
B. Reflection Questions
DIRECTIONS: Below your assignment, include answers to all
of the following reflection questions.
1. Accurately recording bibliographic information is essential
and saves you time, as you can transfer this information to the
References page of your drafted essay. Each source entry should
include a brief summary of the source as well as 3-4 sentences
describing how you intend to use that source to build or support
your argument. Discuss how your annotated bibliography meets
these criteria. (2-3 sentences)
18. 2. Which strategies were most helpful for you when searching
for credible sources? (2-3 sentences)
3. What difficulties did you face while searching for credible
sources? How did you overcome these difficulties? (2-3
sentences)
C. Rubric
Advanced (90-100%)
Proficient (80-89%)
Acceptable (70-79%)
Needs Improvement (50-69%)
Non-Performance (0-49%)
Annotated Bibliography
Fulfill all annotated bibliography requirements and include
usable notes on sources.
Meets all source criteria, thoroughly and effectively summarizes
the core ideas for all sources, and effectively explains how each
source will be used to support the argument.
Meets all source criteria, effectively summarizes the core ideas
for all sources, and effectively explains how each source will be
used to support the argument.
Meets the majority of source criteria, summarizes the core ideas
effectively for the majority of the sources (one or two source
summaries may lack detail), and explains how the majority of
the sources will be used to support the argument (for one or two
sources, the explanation of support is unclear).
Meets some source criteria, summarizes the core ideas for some
sources (many summaries are absent or lacking in detail), and
explains how some of the sources will be used to support the
argument (for many of the sources, the explanation of support is
unclear or absent).
Meets few or none of the source criteria, summarizes few or
none of the sources (or the summaries are all lacking in detail),
and does not explain the connection to the argument.
Quality of Sources
19. Choose reputable, academically appropriate research sources.
All sources are credible, relevant, and properly formatted as
exemplified in the course instructions.
Majority of sources are credible, relevant, and properly
formatted as exemplified in the course instructions.
Some sources are credible, relevant, and properly formatted as
exemplified in the course instructions.
Majority of sources are not credible, relevant, or properly
formatted as exemplified in the course instructions.
Sources do not adhere to the quality standards taught in this
course, or there are minimal sources present.
Style
Establish a consistent, informative tone and make thoughtful
stylistic choices.
Demonstrates thoughtful and effective word choices, avoids
redundancy and imprecise language, and uses a wide variety of
sentence structures.
Demonstrates effective word choices, primarily avoids
redundancy and imprecise language, and uses a variety of
sentence structures.
Demonstrates generally effective style choices, but may include
occasional redundancies, imprecise language, poor word choice,
and/or repetitive sentence structures.
Frequently includes poor word choices, redundancies, imprecise
language, and/or repetitive sentence structures.
Consistently demonstrates poor word choices, redundancies,
imprecise language, and/or repetitive sentence structures.
Conventions
Follow conventions for standard written English.
There are only a few, if any, negligible errors in grammar,
punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage.
There are occasional minor errors in grammar, punctuation,
spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage.
There are some significant errors in grammar, punctuation,
spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage.
There are frequent significant errors in grammar, punctuation,
20. spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage.
There are consistent significant errors in grammar, punctuation,
spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage.
Reflection
Answer reflection questions thoroughly and thoughtfully.
Demonstrates thoughtful reflection; consistently includes
insights, observations, and/or examples in all responses,
following or exceeding response length guidelines.
Demonstrates thoughtful reflection; includes multiple insights,
observations, and/or examples, following response length
guidelines.
Primarily demonstrates thoughtful reflection, but some
responses are lacking in detail or insight; primarily follows
response length guidelines.
Shows limited reflection; the majority of responses are lacking
in detail or insight, with some questions left unanswered or
falling short of response length guidelines.
No reflection responses are present.
D. Requirements
The following requirements must be met for your submission to
be graded:
· Double-space the bibliography entries and use one-inch
margins.
· Use a readable 12-point font.
· All writing must be appropriate for an academic context.
· Composition must be original and written for this assignment.
· Plagiarism of any kind is strictly prohibited.
· Submission must include your name, the name of the course,
the date, and the title of your composition.
· Submission must include your reflection questions.
· Include all of the assignment components in a single file.
· Acceptable file formats include .doc, .docx, and .pdf.
· Your research question, thesis, and outline must be graded
before your annotated bibliography will be accepted.
21. E. Additional Resources
The following resources will be helpful to you as you work on
this assignment:
1. Purdue Online Writing Lab's APA Formatting and Style
Guide
a. This site includes a comprehensive overview of APA style, as
well as individual pages with guidelines for specific citation
types.
1. Frequently Asked Questions About APA Style
b. This page on the official APA website addresses common
questions related to APA formatting. The "References,"
"Punctuation," and "Grammar and Writing Style" sections will
be the most useful to your work in this course.
1. APA Style: Quick Answers—References
c. This page on the official APA Style website provides
numerous examples of reference list formatting for various
source types.
Pierce, Constance. “The Mechanical World of ‘Good Country
People’.” The Flannery O’Connor
Bulletin, vol. 5, 1976, pp. 30-38. JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/26669882.