Research-paper drafting workshop — assembling intro, body, and conclusion from sources

Anti-perfectionism warm-up (Lamott): 'Your first draft is allowed to be ROUGH. Revision is the writing.' Write 1 sentence acknowledging where you feel stuck before you start drafting.

• Validate stuck feelings
• Frame: every published research book had a shitty first draft
• Set draft-time expectation: 35 minutes uninterrupted

Today we ASSEMBLE the draft. The structure (MG-26): INTRO = hook (engage reader) + research question (motivate) + thesis (your answer/claim) + roadmap (preview body). BODY = each paragraph has topic sentence (sub-claim) + multiple sources synthesized + closing sentence (tie to thesis). CONCLUSION = synthesizes answer; addresses limitations or counterpoints; offers SO-WHAT (why this matters). Use your note cards. Use your synthesis paragraphs. Use your quote sandwiches. Apply the citation-ribbon discipline — every borrowed idea cited. Don't aim for perfect. Aim for COMPLETE. Revision is next week's work.

• Notice the roadmap names 3 body paragraphs. The reader now knows where you're going.

  model [Sample for Maya astronomy:] 'Five hundred years before Galileo, Maya astronomers were tracking Venus with mathematical precision. How did Maya astronomical knowledge shape their architecture? This paper argues that Maya pyramids were precisely aligned to celestial events because astronomy was not separate from religious and civic life. I will show this through the calendar system, the El Castillo equinox alignment, and the Caracol observatory at Chichen Itza.' Hook (Galileo comparison) + question + thesis + 3-part roadmap.

  prompt Build an intro for your paper. Hook + question + thesis + roadmap.
• Each body paragraph follows the same pattern: sub-claim + sources + closing tie-back.

  model [Sample:] 'The Maya calendar system itself reveals astronomy as cultural integration. Aveni documents the calendar's interlocking 260-day, 365-day, and Long Count cycles (23-34). These were not abstract calculations but daily schedules: 'Religious ceremonies, agricultural planting, and royal coronations all followed astronomical calendars' (Sharer 147). The calendar's complexity served both prediction and ritual.' Topic sentence + 2 sources synthesized + closing.

  prompt Build a body paragraph using one of your synthesis paragraphs.
• Conclusion is more than summary — it offers a so-what.

  model [Sample:] 'Maya astronomy was not a side practice — it was integrated into religion, agriculture, and architecture. The calendar, the pyramid alignments, and the observatories show that the Maya saw celestial movement as inseparable from daily life. This integration matters because it challenges the modern assumption that science and culture are separate. The Maya remind us that some knowledge systems treat them as one.' Synthesis (re-states pattern across 3 bodies) + so-what (why this matters today).

  prompt Build a conclusion. Synthesize + so-what.

• Pair-share: state your thesis in one sentence to your partner.
• Cold Call: what are the 4 parts of the intro?
• Thumbs: I'm ready to draft (up) / I need conferencing (down)

M-7-F-WR-12-A Chart

MG-26 anchor: 5-7 paragraph blueprint. Intro (hook + question + thesis + roadmap); body (topic sentence + sources synthesized + closing); conclusion (synthesis + so-what); Works Cited separate page. Bottom rule: 'A research paper IS its synthesis.' Print-ready 11x17.

MG-26 Chart

Research-paper structural anchor: 5-7 paragraph blueprint card. PARAGRAPH 1 — INTRODUCTION: HOOK + RESEARCH QUESTION + THESIS + ROADMAP. The hook engages the reader; the research question motivates the paper; the thesis states the answer/claim; the roadmap previews the body paragraphs. PARAGRAPHS 2-4 (or 2-5/6) — BODY: each paragraph has a TOPIC SENTENCE making one sub-claim, MULTIPLE SOURCES synthesized (2-3 minimum, with embedded quotes/paraphrases and parenthetical citations), and a CLOSING SENTENCE tying back to the thesis. PARAGRAPH 5 (or 6/7) — CONCLUSION: synthesizes the answer to the research question, addresses limitations or counterpoints, and offers a SO-WHAT (why does this matter / what next?). WORKS CITED — separate page, alphabetical by author last name, hanging indent. Bottom: 'A research paper IS its synthesis. If you can remove all citations and the paragraph still works as a personal-opinion piece, you have not synthesized.' Print-ready 11x17.

• DRAFTING WORKSHOP: 35 minutes uninterrupted. Type intro + 2-3 body paragraphs + conclusion. Use your note cards and synthesis paragraphs. Apply quote sandwiches and citations.

  scaffold MG-26 anchor; drafting template; research folder open
• Conference: teacher rotates among writers offering 1-2 sentences of specific feedback. Cold Call: 'What's your strongest body paragraph so far?'

  scaffold Conference protocol: 90 seconds per student; one strength + one move

• Submit your draft (intro + at least 2 body paragraphs + conclusion stub). Note where you got STUCK.

• Draft saved in folder. Lamott reminder: revision is next week.
• Preview: four sentence types

• Continue drafting at home. Aim for a complete draft (5-7 paragraphs + Works Cited) by next class.