Honors English Paper

Honors English Paper

For all high school English courses, an additional multi-page paper must be submitted to receive an Honors designation by the end of each semester.  While the final English papers are not graded, only outstanding quality using the below rubrics will receive the Honors designation.

FORMAT

1.  Paper Header & Format: Full Name, Date, Book Title and Book Author must all be in the header of the paper, printed on every page in the upper left side. The entire paper must be single-space, use a legible 12-point font, and contain one-inch margins.

2. Title: Create an original title, uniquely relevant to this paper and book must be selected.  The original title should never contain only the book's title or author. It must be centered on the first page (not underlined), below the header, and above the first paragraph.  

3. Introduction (first paragraphs):  Begin with a catchy opening statement to get the reader's attention. Identify the book's title (italicized), author, type of work (eg. historical novel, not "fictional novel" or just "book"—all novels are fictional, all novels are books), genre, and major themes. If you wish, you may also mention other titles by the author and /or pertinent details of the author's background. This paragraph should be to catch the reader's attention.

In another paragraph(s), briefly introduce the main characters and describe the setting (time and place), the setting, the plot of the book. These one to two paragraphs should be a brief introduction to the entire book.

In the last (generally third) paragraph, you must lay out the purpose of your paper and the direction of the paper.  You will lay out the main points (generally three points) that you will make in the paper.  The last paragraph of the introduction must contain each point that you will make.  These sentences must previews the ideas you will explore in the body paragraphs of the paper before the concluding paragraphs Then, the last statement of the introduction will be a thesis statement for your entire paper. Be certain that there is a direct connection between this statement and the topic sentence of each sections for the the main point  You are trying to catch the reader's attention!

4. Body Sections (Each should be 1-3 Paragraphs):  Begin each section with a sub-header.  Then underneath each sub-header there must be a topic sentence that makes an observation about a particular aspect of the book: a character, a feature of the plot, an element of style, or a theme. Go on to support and expand upon your idea with specific examples, incidents, details, and at least one relevant quote from the book. Write in flowing sentences, weaving these elements from the book into your writing, not simply listing them. (Cite the page number for each quote used.) End each section with a wrap-up sentence that ties your examples and details together in support of your topic sentence.  

5.  Conclusion (final paragraphs) Begin this paragraph with your reaction to this piece of literature, your response to it as a reader. Avoid writing, "I think," "I feel," "I believe," or "In my opinion," but do try to express how the work has affected you, deepened your understanding, alerted or enlightened you (or even a wider audience) in some way. Go on to integrate the themes of your three body sections and your paper's unique title, revealing how they relate to one another. End with a thoughtful closing statement: a concluding remark for the whole report. This could be your most important evaluative point, an intriguing twist on your title, a fitting quote, or a compelling question.  The conclusion can be only one paragraph. 

GRADING

Contents

I. Introduction/First Paragraphs: A. Opening Statement; B. Title, author, genre, theme; C. Main characters, setting; D. Paragraph synopsis of plot (not a long summary but enough to understand essay); E. Thesis paragraph and statement.

II. Observation #1: A. Topic sentence in first paragraph; B. Support for topic; C. Supporting quote(s) or example(s) or ideas from book for topic; D. Wrap-up sentence in last paragraph of first section. 

III. Observation #2: A. Topic sentence; B. Support for topic; C. Supporting quote(s) or example(s) or ideas from book for topic; D. Wrap-up sentence in last paragraph of second section.

IV. Observation #3: A. Topic sentence; B. Support for topic; C. Supporting quote(s) or example(s) or ideas from book for topic; D. Wrap-up sentence in last paragraph of third section.

V. Conclusion (Final Paragraph): A. Writer’s (your!) reaction; B. Integration of themes; C. Closing statement

Style

A. Transitions; B. Language (not informal; no jargon or colloquialisms); C. Voice (coming from you and not just a collection of quotes from the author or ideas from the teacher); 

Mechanics

A. Heading and header; B. Title of Report (not book!); C. Format (multi-page paper); D. Spelling; E. Tenses (don’t switch tenses!); F. Person (avoid “you” and "I"); G. Grammar (agreement, parallel structure, etc); H. Punctuation (avoid comma splices, etc.), capitals; I. Clarity (straightforward sentences!); J. Extra: Exceptional grace and style in writing and thinking. 

Tips

1. Always italicize book titles. Book titles never, never, never go in quotation marks. Other things that are underlined are the names of newspapers, magazines, movies, operas, record albums, etc. 

2. Don’t switch tenses in the middle of a report.  Stick with either the present or the past. Too many students switch tenses within the same sentence; e.g. “The girl fell down but Mr. Williams comes and helps her.” 

3. Watch out for run-on sentences that just go on and on and even if your idea changes to something else that might be in another paragraph, such as a story about Joan of Arc, you just can’t stop that sentence from running all up and down the page. 

4. Don’t write in fragments.  Be sure that every sentence has a subject and a verb. In addition, a sentence will only under special circumstances begin with “because.” Examples of sentence fragments are “Running through the fields.”  “Because it was winter.” 

5. Always proofread everything you have written. Expect to write a first draft. Then expect to read it and edit it – cutting out unnecessary words, fixing spelling, etc. Then write the new draft and proofread it. If you find more errors, or areas that need fine-tuning, rewrite the paper again.