Please do not bid if you can’t get a hold of the textbook required to do this assignment. Above all, ANSWER every question thorough, she grades harshly on explanation and NO plagiarism.

REQUIRED Textbook: How Children Succeed, by Paul Tough
(Review on)Pages: 49-104
Book ISBN: 978-0-547-56465-4

You are to write an academic essay in which you must address the following questions in your thesis and overall essay: Based upon your reading of Tough’s arguments in pages 49-104, What is Tough saying about the relationship between development of character traits and environment, and do you agree or disagree, based upon your own research using scholarly articles in the Chabot databases? How does he support this argument with research, and are you convinced of his argument, or is there something you would like to add to modify his argument in some way? Do you think there is something he’s missing that is important to complete his argument (or argue against it)? You will pose a question to dive deeper, and use Chabot Database articles to explore evidence to question his research arguments further, supporting or disagreeing.(Which 2-3 character traits do you consider most significant in order to explore your position on his claims?) You must consider at least 2 different character traits in separate sections of your essay in order to evaluate his arguments and come up with a conclusion of your own, both similar and different from his arguments.

Write an academic essay in which you must argue a “big point” on Tough’s main points in How Children Succeed pages 49-104. Your essay must focus on at least 2-3 different traits that he believes prevent and/or lead to academic success, and/or 2 research studies that you found most significant. In addition, you must pose a question, inspired by Tough’s conversation, research your question, and report your results, relating it closely back to Tough’s main claims. [See below for research requirement.] You must Apply They Say, I Say methods to make your argument and present your own researchers’ results. Strongly suggested to use a They Say, I Say template for your thesis sentence(s)—see last chapter of textbook, or handout in Key Course Materials.

Required to include: [This is essentially the outline of your essay]
Introduction with They Say, I Say format thesis stating your “big point” about Tough’s coverage of at least 2 character traits whose presence (or absence) leads to or prevents success, according to Paul Tough in these pages;
They-Say-I-Say overview of Tough’s key points in pages 49-104;
Analysis and explication of the research Tough presents in pages 49-104 (cover at least 2 specific research studies thoroughly), focusing on at least 2-3 different traits that he believes prevent and/or lead to academic success, each with its own section:

required 1 1/2 pages min. Research section asking a question (that relates to one of Tough’s ideas), then summarizing at least 2 authors’ views using at least 2 Chabot Library Database scholarly sources; conclusion
Works Cited page listing all 3 min. sources correctly in MLA format

Apply Critical Reading approaches to make inferences that you back up with evidence from the text. Use They Say-I Say quotation introduction and analysis format (see handout in Key Course Resources); no “naked quotations”; each quotation must be introduced using signal phrases, e.g., Tough writes, —– (Tough 23), then it must be paraphrased, then it must be analyzed. Proofread carefully for sentence errors, use complex sentence transition words ((see handout in Key Course Resources), and coherent paragraphs, each of which proves a different claim that is stated clearly in the topic sentence. In conclusion, restate your main point about the author’s/researchers’ points, your best evidence, and suggest a solution using “We might/should consider…”

At least 2 quotation analyses per page in They Say, I Say Templates format required.

Length: 6 pages min., i.e., 1650 words minimum; plus an MLA Works Cited page listing our text in correct MLA format, along with any other texts you choose to cite in correct MLA format for database articles.

Note well: to avoid plagiarism, cite properly: any other texts you consult to form your ideas should be mentioned by author and source name with page number *in that very sentence where you mention the idea or quotation*, even a dictionary definition. Incomplete citations will be regarded as plagiarism, and may jeopardize a passing grade on the essay. When not quoting, you should thoroughly paraphrase the author’s ideas; you can’t just change a word or three; that’s still considered plagiarism.

Thesis (They Say/I Say)/ Logical Argumentation: I grade heavily on Thesis about the text, and the extent to which you support your text-based thesis throughout your essay with logical argumentation. Be sure that your thesis is in They Say-I Say format, e.g., state what someone in the text argues, and make your own inference about it. Your “big point” about the text must really be about something you observe based on clues in the text (not just about life). Then, your “big point” about something you see in the text must be demonstrated and explored with evidence from the text to back up your ideas throughout your essay.

Sources: Er, how do I get 2 scholarly sources for my required 1 1/2 pages min. of research? Go here: http://www.chabotcollege.edu/library/articledatabases.asp You have to put your W ID and password in to be able to see the article. Click on the box for “Full Text” then click on the red PDF symbol to see the whole article. Note: you will see a little paragraph called “Abstract,” an academic summary, but that is *not* the entire article!! (LET ME KNOW IF YOU NEED ME TO GET AN ARTICLE FOR YOU, I CAN LOGIN AND UPLOAD IT TO YOU ON MATERIALS SINCE YOU DON’T HAVE MY LOGIN INFORMATION FOR THE SCHOOL’S DATABASE!)

Research Requirement: Should my research be integrated into my essay or separate? Ah, it should be integrated, of course! You have to explain to me clearly how it relates to the questions, problems, or issues brought up by Tough’s work. Explain the question you posed, then explain how your research author answers it. A paragraph or so for each source could be one way to organize it. To get full credit, you have to present new, interesting ideas I haven’t already heard from Tough, and you should cite interesting quotations and analyze them, and cite page numbers. Be very careful to not just write down what the author said–you have to paraphrase it (put it in your own words) just like you’ve done so well for Tough.

A sample research question: “How are Latinos affected by “the achievement gap” that Tough discusses? What methods are being used to address that gap?”

Some questions to consider in order to think through and form your “big point” about the text:

Guide us through Tough’s different supporting points, key research studies, evidence, key stories. How does he use these to make his overall arguments about what’s needed for success? Which traits that lead to or prevent success stood out most to you, and why? How do the researchers prove the necessity of specific non-cognitive skills, or characteristics? Which research findings did you find the most remarkable, or sad, discouraging, or encouraging? In this section, which factors prevent some from succeeding, according to him? What did you find surprising/ angering/ unjust/ or inspiring? (This might point you to your “big point” about the text! That means it should go in your They Say, I Say sentence format thesis.) Do Tough’s arguments confirm your own experience and observations, and if so, how? Alternately, would you disagree with Tough’s points based on your own experience and observations?

Use the elements of an academic essay, e.g., introduction, topic sentences, quotation analysis, use of statistics, to form your interpretation of the text.

Submit in assignment slot as an attachment in correct file format accepted by Blackboard, which will check it for plagiarism. No plagiarism please!