8 th Grade English

TType your paper and print out on an 8.5 X 11 inch piece of white paper. DDouble –space the text of your paper and use Times New Roman. Font size should be 12. LLeave only one space after periods or punctuation. SSet the margins to 1 inch on all sides of your document.

 Indent the first lines of each paragraph by using the tab key.  Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right hand corner, one half inch from the top and flush with the right margin.  Use italics throughout essay for the titles of longer works and only when absolutely necessary, providing emphasis.

 Do not make a title page  In the upper left-hand corner of your first page, list your name, your teacher’s name, the course, and the date. Again be sure you double space the text.  Double space again and center the title. Do not underline, italicize, or place your title in quotation marks.

 Use quotation marks and/or italics when referring to other works in your title.  Double space between the title and the first line of the paper.  Create a header in the top right-hand corner that includes your last name, followed by a space with a page number, one half inch from the top and flush with the right margin.

Sharp 1 Holly Sharp Mrs. Scanlon 8 th Grade English March 8, 2012 The Life of a Middle School Teacher For 15 years I have taught at the middle school level. The funny thing is I originally wanted to teach elementary school, but my first job was in 8 th grade. After that first year, I developed a desire to continue teaching at the middle school level. Fifteen years later, I am still here and experiencing teaching 8 th grade for the second time. The day in the life of a middle school teacher has its ups and downs.

 MLA recommends that you divide an essay into sections that you number those sections with an Arabic number, and a period followed by a space and the section name. 1. Thesis 2. Admission Requirements and Application Process 3. Major 4. Academic Costs 5. Living Costs 6. Conclusion

 In MLA style, referring to works of others in your text is done by using what is know as parenthetical citation. This method involves placing relevant source information in parentheses after each quote or paraphrase.

 Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263).  Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263).  Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).

 One online film critic stated that Fitzcarraldo is "...a beautiful and terrifying critique of obsession and colonialism" (Garcia, “Herzog: a Life”).  The Purdue OWL is accessed by millions of users every year. Its “MLA Formatting and Style Guide” is one of the most popular resources (Stolley et al.).

 In the first example, the writer has chosen not to include the author name in-text; however, two entries from the same author appear in the Works Cited. Thus, the writer includes both the author’s last name and the article title in the parenthetical citation in order to lead the reader to the appropriate entry on the Works Cited page (see below).

 In the second example, “Stolley et al.” in the parenthetical citation gives the reader an author name followed by the abbreviation “et al.,” meaning, “and others,” for the article “MLA Formatting and Style Guide.” Both corresponding Works Cited entries are as follows:

 Garcia, Elizabeth. "Herzog: a Life." Online Film Critics Corner. The Film School of New Hampshire, 2 May Web. 8 Jan  Stolley, Karl. "MLA Formatting and Style Guide." The OWL at Purdue. 10 May Purdue University Writing Lab. 12 May 2006.

 Common sense and ethics should determine your need for documenting sources. You do not need to give sources for familiar proverbs, well-known quotations or common knowledge. Remember, this is a rhetorical choice, based on audience. If you're writing for an expert audience of a scholarly journal, for example, they'll have different expectations of what constitutes common knowledge.

To Cite or Not To Cite? That is the Question! The president lives in the White House.Don’t Cite American Chestnut trees are nearly extinct. Cite Bears hibernate in the winter. Don’t Cite Many trees shed their leaves in the winter. Don’t Cite Thomas Jefferson once ate a tomato in public to prove it wasn’t poisonous. Cite