Intro Paragraph/Thesis - Part 2 of 3

Introductory Paragraph/Thesis - Part 2 of 3

ONE PARAGRAPH LIMIT--Do not repeat the 3-paragraph Topic Selection assignment

Cover all of the following and upload your work via (.doc, .rtf, .docx, or .pdf

Now that you have already selected one of the court cases in Topic Selection, you have to conduct more research to develop an introductory paragraph with a clear thesis statement. This should be a finished, polished work, so use proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization and never forget to italicize case names.  Finally, don't ignore my comments on your first submission! Can't find my comments? See explainer video (Links to an external site.).

You are to submit a 6-10 sentence introductory paragraph (see Rubrics, below) that provides a brief overview of your chosen case. You also need to develop a strong thesis which addresses whether you agree or disagree with the Supreme Court's decision and why.

Tips (as easy as 1, 2, 3)

1. You should start your intro paragraph with a provocative opening sentence to hook the reader (1 sentence). Sometimes questions provoke thought: "How would you like it if ...."     
2. Provide a brief overview of your chosen case (3-4 sentences). Limit these to the most important facts of the case, the ones the court felt were significant in making its decision. 
3. Finally, the last few sentences should set up your thesis statement. A sample of a thesis for a different amendment would be: "I agree with the Supreme Court's decision in (title of your chosen court case) because I believe that sentencing people with a low intelligence (IQ) to death is in violation of the 8th Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment ..." Then, briefly explain the justification of your thesis (3-5 sentences).

See Professor Fuchs' sample Introductory Paragraph from Brown v. Board of Education (1954) for a useful "how-to" guide.

You need to stick within the lower and upper limits suggested above: 6-10 sentences. Going over or under will result in a point deduction (refer to rubric). As you can tell from the sample, there's no need to ramble on!

Read  Anatomy of a Supreme Court Case

and The Grade “A” Checklist

APA format not required EXCEPT on FINAL PAPER

APA Style Essay Format 2024 (Word) Links to an external site.

Rubric

To see how you will be graded, view this assignment's rubric.

Resources

What to do if you don't have Microsoft Word: You can use Office 365 for free through your MyCOD account. To do this, visit "Student ResourcesLinks to an external site." and read the section on Office 365.If you are using Pages, read "How to Save Documents Created in Pages as a PDF.Links to an external site." 

To help you with your research, visit COD's Virtual Library and Student Resource GuideLinks to an external site.. Remember, while Wikipedia is useful for initial information gathering, Wikipedia is not a scholarly sourceLinks to an external site.. If you cite Wikipedia in any work in this course, you will lose points.

If you need help with writing and/or want someone to proofread your work for clarity, visit COD's Tutoring and Academic Skills Center TASCLinks to an external site.. Both the Library and TASC are available to all students so take advantage of them!