8th Grade CBA
Constitutional Issues

Name ______________________________
Teacher____________________________
Period _____________________________
EXPECTATIONS
DUE DATE __________________
THIS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED LATE
THIS IS A DISTRICT TEST
ALL WRITING WILL BE DONE IN CLASS
ALL RESEACH MUST BE DONE BEFORE YOU WRITE YOUR PAPER
YOU CAN ONLY USE YOUR RESEARCH LOG (notes) TO WRITE YOUR PAPER
CONTENT Objective:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.1a Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.1b Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.1c Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.1d Establish and maintain a formal style.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.1e Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
ASSIGNMENT:
Citizens in a democracy have the right and responsibility to make informed decisions. You will make an informed decision on a Constitutional issue after researching and discussing different perspectives on this issue. In a research paper, you will:
State your claim on a constitutional issue
Provide background on your constitutional issue
Provide strong evidence (quotes, paraphrases and/or summaries) to support your claim
Acknowledge counterclaims and explain its weaknesses supported with credible evidence
All claims and arguments MUST have a correct in-text citation.

RESEARCH SOURCES NEEDED
AT LEAST THE FOLLOWING:
Encyclopedia (DO NOT QUOTE IN YOUR ESSAY, only paraphrase for background information)
2 articles – found using ProQuest or eLibrary
1 website or book
AND YOU MUST HAVE:
United States Constitution Amendments (see page 19 for citation)

ALL SOURCES USED IN YOUR ESSAY MUST BE CITED BOTH IN IN-TEXT CITATIONS AND IN WORK CITED PAGE

RESEARCH SOURCES
BACKGROUND INFORMATION background research ONLY, DO NOT QUOTE in your essay
Encyclopedia
bookshelves in the library wikipedia.org encyclopedia.com

RELIABLE RESEARCH take two column notes from these sources, quote, paraphrase or summarize
McKnight Catalog http://library.rentonschools.us click the “Catalog” tab at the top of the page

ProQuest http://library.rentonschools.us
-under “Magazines and Newspapers” category
Login: mcknightms
Password: student

eLibrary http://library.rentonschools.us--under “Magazines and Newspapers” category
Login: mcknightms
Password: student

King County Library System http://www.kcls.org you will need a King County library card to check out materials you have access to a lot of article databases here

REMINDER: GOOGLE.com and BING.com are search engines,
DO NOT include in works cited!!!
What is a Reliable Source?

A reliable source is a source that you trust. You can double-check its accuracy and you’re sure that the author is an expert on the subject. Reliable sources include:

Articles and text that DO NOT include the author’s opinion or personal point of view.
Research books from the Library
Websites from a major news or media source (CNN, BBC, etc.)
An article written by someone who is an expert
Websites that end in “.gov”. These are government sponsored sites and can be trusted to provide