Name: _________________________________________________
Freshman English, Period:__________ Date:_______________

THESIS PAPER FOR A BIOGRAPHY
 "The best biographies leave their readers with a sense of having all but entered into a second life
and of having come to know another human being in some ways better than he knew himself." -Mary Cable

Choose one of the following options to write a thesis paper on and circle it.
Substantiate your thesis/answer with specific examples from the book.

1. What did the subject of the biography or autobiography learn in life?
2. What challenge(s) did the subject encounter and how was it/were they overcome?
3. What was a primary message in the biography/autobiography?
4. What was a reason this biography/autobiography was written?

IMPORTANT: Beware - do not write a report on the plot (what the novel is all about).

Well-developed paragraphs contain at least 3 sentences.
Strong essays will be a minimum of 5 well-developed paragraphs.
No personal references are in expository writing. Minus 1 for each personal reference.

 Requirements

Strong,
Well-Developed
-4-

Met minimum requirements
-3-

 In
Process
-2-

Off
topic
-1-

 Missing
-0-
1. Graphic Organizer          
2. Hook          
3. Title of Book Report related to writing option: relate to message or focus of thesis - not the book name          

4. Bibliography
 Under report title, skip 2 lines and write bib. of the book

Example: Dolan, Edward F. Drugs in Sports. New York: Franklin Watts, 1992.

          
5. Thesis Paragraph
*thesis statement
*state the contentions you will use to prove your thesis
*relate to your generalization		          
6. Body
At least 3 paragraphs corresponding to each contention given in thesis paragraph supporting your thesis with substantiation/examples from novel		          
7. Conclusion
*reiteration of thesis
*reiteration of all contentions
*generalization		          
8. Organization
 Papers stapled in order with rubric on top and heading filled out
----------------
 . . .
.

 TOTAL ( 31 poss.)
         

Be prepared to discuss this book with Dr. Questad in a private conference.
No credit is given for book reports not completely read, read during another time frame,
not a biography, not typed or not double-spaced.

"Biography is the only true history" - Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881)