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Major Events of the 20th Century in Western Civilization: Home

We will explore one event from the 20th century that has altered the world.

Subject Overview

Throughout the students’ study of the western world, they have discovered that many events have changed the course of human history (The Trojan War, the French Revolution, etc.).  As students finishing their sophomore year, we want them to explore one event from the 20th century that has altered the world.

Noodle Tools

Remember - a bibliography is not a list of URLs. Use Noodle Tools to properly format your citations.

With a Noodle Tools account, once you create bibliographies you can easily organize your research with note cards, outline your papers, and integrate with Google docs. 

Users will log in via one of the following: 

  1. Clicking the G Suite NoodleTools button (under the Google "waffle" menu)
  2. Entering their Google email on the login screen (under "Access via G Suite")

Need More Information on Citing Sources?

Find more information on creating a Works Cited page, click on the Research Tools tab above. then click on the Cite Your Sources tab.

Assignment Details

Research Paper

  • Title written in your own words that reflects thesis.
  • Thesis paragraph
  • Thesis Statement: This is your belief and conclusion about how an event has influenced the world. 
  • Remember this statement cannot use “I believe” or “I think.” A thesis statement is a provable point, not just a statement of fact. 
  • Body of Evidence:  2-4 paragraphs on the background history of the event (social/personal), 2-6 paragraphs on the event itself (what happened), 4-5 paragraphs of analysis of the event, and a concluding paragraph (clincher). Each paragraph must be at least 8 sentences in length. 
  • Length:
  • Proper heading (Name, Date and Class)
  • Minimum of 12 paragraphs, Double spaced
  • Text size 12 point Times New Roman
  • 1 inch standard margins
  • Sources 
  • Find a minimum of 5 sources including: books, periodicals, websites, interviews, films, etc. You may 
  • use either a “Bronze Star” Wikipedia page or a reputable encyclopedia as one source. 
  • Use 1 primary source
  • Complete C.A.R.E. sheet for every internet source. 
  • Make sure you can access your sources if a teacher asks for them. 
  • Citations: Give Credit
  • You must cite sources when quoting or accessing ideas from sources. Use internal citations according to the John Stark Style Sheet. If you do not correctly cite sources that are used, you may earn a zero on the first draft or final draft or both drafts if you plagiarize. See the John Stark Student Handbook for the definition of plagiarism. 
  • Works Cited: This should be the last page of your paper. It must be typed and properly formatted. Use the Purdue Owl website to help you.

Evaluation: 

Students will receive a process grade for making all of the paper’s deadlines (note cards, first draft, etc.) Meeting each deadline sufficiently will result in earning points towards a habits of work grade in both English and Western Civilization for quarter four.  See the “Research Process” handout for details. 

Students will have one week from the day teachers pass back first drafts to revise them into final drafts The first and final drafts will be evaluated using the John Stark Research Paper Rubric which can be found on the John Stark website.

Note: This paper will not be accepted unless the student has met all parts of the research process (thesis, notes, C.A.R.E sheets, etc.)

 

Library Databases

EBSCO

Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica Original Sources

Gale Resources
choose from Gale World History, US History, Biography, Virtual Reference Library, and Opposing Viewpoints or cross search multiple databases.

Web Resources

Targets and Competencies

Meets Learning Targets 3.1 to 3.6 on the Course Competency Form for Sophomore English

Other Resources

What does it mean to paraphrase?

Read until you understand.  

Close the book or website and 

summarize in your own words!  

Take notes and record keywords. 

Passages which are paraphrased still need to be cited as a source!