The document provides instructions for a student project investigating an event from the year of the student's birth. Students are asked to 1) choose a topic related to an event from their birth year, 2) research the topic's impact through various sources, 3) draft a thesis statement outlining three impacts of the topic, 4) take notes on index cards and create an outline and bibliography, and 5) write a paper synthesizing their research on the topic's impacts. Templates are provided to guide students through the note-taking, outlining, and writing process.

1. “The Year
Name
I Was Born…”
What was going on in the world when you came into it? How was history playing out, both here and
abroad? What was happening in music? Sports? Television? Technology? Your job, students, is to
investigate one event from the year of your birth, and specifically, to research the impact of that
event.
An “event” could be, for example: a movie release, the World Series, a hurricane, the debut of a
band, an election, a trial, an awards show, a product, or any other number of things.
So, how do you get started? Let me help. We will brainstorm together in class so that you can
generate a list of potential topics. You can also Google your birth year or check out Wikipedia as a
little “pre-research”. (Don’t get too comfortable on either of those, though; you won’t be able to use
them for your project.) Here’s the process:
1. Choose your topic and get my approval. (Have a backup in case your first choice doesn’t pan
out.) Your approved topic is _________________________________________and its impact.
2. Gather sources. Go to the media center web pageand find the information pathfinder for this
project, which will provide you with databases and search engines to use. (Books and other
periodicals are okay, too.) Print the sources that you find. Remember that you are looking into the
impact of the event you’ve chosen. You are required to have _____ sources.
3. Draft your thesis statement.Your thesis needs to include three impacts of your selected topic.
4. Begin your Works Cited page. Use Easybib.com to cite your sources as you find them. The
Works Cited page will eventually go at the end of your paper.
5. Highlight your sources and take notes. You will write notes on index cards. (There is a
template inside this packet.) You are required to have _____ cards total.
6. Outline your information. There is a template inside this packet.
7. Draft your paper.Synthesize your notes into the body paragraphs of your MLA-style paper. Your
paper is required to be _____ pages in length.
Look inside for more details!

2. Highlighting tips: Highlight only key words, phrases, and facts. Use the highlighter sparingly; focus
on only the essential words; never whole sentences (unless you intend to quote it).
Below is the template to follow when taking notes.
Your “event” Source number
Topic 3
-Facts
-Key words; phrases
-No sentences
MD
Notes in your own words Your initials
-
I will check your note cards as you go. All note cards are due on __________________.

3. OUTLINE TEMPLATE
Use this template to complete your outline. (Yours may vary from this one, depending on your
information). After you have completed it, use the outline to write your rough draft.
I. Introduction
A. Introduce your birth year and your “event”
B. Briefly describe the event.
C. Close with your thesis statement (including the three impacts you will discuss in the body).
II. Body Paragraph
A. Topic sentence for first impact (use transition)
B. Information to support your topic sentence (from notes).
C. Information from outside sources (from notes) which supports this point. Use a quote.
D. Analysis/Discussion of Quote.
E. Transition to next impact.
III. Body Paragraph
A. Topic sentence for second impact (use transition)
B. Information to support your topic sentence (from notes).
C. Information from outside sources (from notes) which supports this point. Use a quote.
D. Analysis/Discussion of Quote
E. Transition to next impact.
IV.Body Paragraph
A. Topic sentence for third impact (use transition)
B. Information to support your topic sentence (from notes).
C. Information from outside sources (from notes) which supports this point. Use a quote.
D. Analysis/Discussion of Quote.
E. Transition to next point.
V. Conclusion
A. Restate thesis in a different way.
B. Explain the overall impact of your event and what makes it important.
Your outline is due on ___________________________.