Beverly Bragg

Scaffolded Essay Assignment

What I Expect in the Paper

You will produce a (3) page paper that discusses a specific historical figure involved in The
Battle of the Alamo. You may select a figure that fought for Texas or a figure that fought for
Mexico. Your paper should contain an opening paragraph that introduces your historical figure
and a clear thesis that explains the role this individual played in the battle. The body of your
paper should contain a brief biographical summary of the individual, i.e. where they were born,
what they did for a living prior to the battle, etc. You should also explain why this historical
figure was involved in the battle and their main contributions to the battle. Your paper should
contain strong topic sentences, completely developed paragraphs and a conclusion that restates
the general ideas discussed in your paper.

Timeline
You will have (4) weeks to complete this assignment. You must produce (1) rough draft and one
final paper with a works cited page.

Week #1 Development Phase - select the historical figure you plan to write about. Pick a
figure that you are interested in researching. Bring this information to class.
Week # 2 Research Phase you will access and use at least (3) scholarly articles and / or book
chapters for this paper. For one of these sources, you will be required to go to the library and ask
the librarian to help you locate the source by accessing the library database or by checking out a
book from the library. I will provide you with a research pass that you will take to the library.
The librarian must sign and date this pass in order for you to receive credit for this phase of the
assignment.
Week # 3 Drafting Phase you will bring your rough draft to class for peer review. During
class, your peers will be asked to identify your thesis, and to focus on how well your paper
supports your thesis. You may make revisions based on your peers feedback. I will be
available during class as well. You may also schedule a conference with me the following week
to provide feedback on your paper.

Week #4 Completion / Reflection Phase you will turn in your final paper at the beginning of
class on 00/00/0000. During class, I will provide you with a handout that asks you to reflect on
this writing assignment by answering questions such as: what did you enjoy about this
assignment, what did you find difficult about this assignment, what did this writing assignment
teach you in regard to your own writing style, time management skills, etc. You will turn your
handout in at the end of class.

Assessment
>Development Phase / Pass Fail In order to pass this phase, you must bring the name of the
historical figure to class on the date it is due.
>Research Phase / Pass Fail In order to pass this phase, you must bring your research pass,
signed and dated by the librarian, to class on the date it is due.
>Drafting Phase / Pass Fail In order to pass this phase, you must bring your rough draft to
class on the date it is due.
>Completion / Reflection Phase Letter Grade Final papers will be reviewed and graded
based on whether or not the student follows the instructions provided for the writing assignment.
Students will not receive a letter grade for the Reflection Phase of this assignment, however, they
will be expected to participate. Students who do not show up for class and / or turn their papers
in late will still be expected to complete the Reflection Phase handout once they have turned
their papers in. Late papers will automatically drop a half of a letter-grade for each day they are
late.