Jane A. Student
Professor Wilkins
Education 200
18 December 2012
Court Case Paper Guidelines and Tips
This sample paper will provide you with guidelines and tips for writing your court case paper. Begin your paper by writing a brief introduction. Your introduction should highlight the major topics of your paper. Avoid writing in the passive voice throughout the paper. This means trying not to use forms of the verb “be” such as is, was, and are. You should write four to six sentences for your introduction. When formatting your paper, use one-inch margins. Provide a title for your paper.
COURT CASE HISTORY
When writing your paper, use headings to clearly divide your writing into sections. Capitalize all letters in your heading. Headings help your reader by providing clear organization and structure. Do not indent the title of your heading, but use five spaces to indent each paragraph. Also, remember to write with short, concise sentences. Run-on sentences confuse your reader and detract from your content. Avoid combining sentences and using too many prepositional phrases.
Write one to two paragraphs for this section of your paper. Each paragraph should have at least five sentences. For this section, provide a clear, historical description of the court case. You will want to include important background information. In addition, you will need to cite your sources to provide validity to your work. Write carefully to help your reader understand the significance of your court case.
FINAL DECISION
In this section, provide the reader with the Court’s final decision. Capitalize Court when referencing the Supreme Court. Write one to two paragraphs for this section. When discussing the final decision, provide information on the Constitutional Amendments cited by the Court. Most often, the Supreme Court refers to the Fourteenth Amendment when ruling on issues affecting education. Be sure to capitalize the name of the Amendment. In this section, you may also choose to include the dissenting opinions.
If you choose to write only one paragraph for this section, make sure you provide plenty of detailed information. A brief, one-paragraph discussion on the final decision will result in the loss of points. Also, do not forget to use citations within your text. If you need help with citations, visit the Purdue Owl website provided on Blackboard.
IMPACT ON EDUCATION
Use this section to discuss the final decision’s impact on education. Write two to three paragraphs for this section. The final decision of each court case still impacts education today. Therefore, your reader needs to have a clear understanding of the implications for teachers, students, parents, and administrators. Use this section to emphasize what future teachers need to understand about your court case. Discuss how the Court’s decision has changed education or educational policy.
When writing this section, you will need to cite multiple sources to make your writing credible. Be sure that you paraphrase and cite the author. Avoid using too many direct quotations. If you use a direct quotation, properly cite it using MLA formatting. You also need to properly cite paraphrased information. Direct quotes four lines or longer must be indented as their own paragraph.
PERSONAL OPINION
In this section, describe your personal opinion of the Court’s final decision. In this section, you may use the first person. Do not write in the first person for the other sections of this paper. Write two to three paragraphs to discuss your personal opinion. Provide a rational for your opinion. For example, do you agree or disagree with the Court’s ruling? Explain your reaction. Also, you may wish to discuss your personal opinion of the case’s educational impact.
After you finish writing your paper, take it to the campus Writing Center. Ask for help with grammar. Pay particular attention to appropriate use of commas and citations. Write your citations using MLA formatting. In addition, have a classmate read your paper for clarity and content. Finally, grade yourself using the Court Case Rubric. Make sure you have adequately addressed each section.
Many students lose points on this assignment because they do not follow the provided rubric or they have many grammatical errors. Appropriate grammar and punctuation represent 25 percent of your final grade for this paper. Students will lose one-half a point for each grammatical error. Please do not hesitate to seek writing support as you complete this assignment. Appropriate support on this paper will provide you with much needed writing practice to prepare for the Praxis I exam.
CONCLUSION
Write a brief conclusion to summarize the important pieces of your paper. Write at least five sentences for your conclusion. Upon completion, your paper should consist of three to five pages of writing. In addition, you must provide a Works Cited page. Be sure to write your Works Cited page using MLA formatting.
Works Cited
“Historical Census Browser.” University of Virginia Library. 2007. Web. 6 Dec. 2008.
Hurt, R. Douglas. American Agriculture: A Brief History. Ames: Iowa State UP, 1994.
Lorain, John. Nature and Reason Harmonized in the Practice of Husbandry.
Philadelphia: Carey, 1825. Print.
Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862. Prairie View A&M. 2003. Web. 6 Dec. 2008.
Court Case Paper Selections
CAMPUS: _________________
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4. Lau v. Nichols |
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5. Engle v. Vitale |
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6. Abington School District v. Schempp |
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7. Good News Clubs v. Milford Central Schools |
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8. Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe |
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9. Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education |
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10. Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education |
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11. Edgewood Independent School District v. Kirby |
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12. Cleveland Board of Education v. LaFleur |
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13. Pickering vs. Board of Education |
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14. Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District |
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15. Morse v. Frederick |
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16. Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier |
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17. Ingraham v. Wright |
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18. U.S. v. Lopez |
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19. New Jersey v. T.L.O |
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20. Board of Education of Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley |
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21. Pierce v. Society of Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary |
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22. Wisconsin v. Yoder |
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24. Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children vs. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
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25. Timothy vs. Rochester School District |
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26. Mills vs. District of Columbia Board of Education |
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Requirement |
1 Point |
7.5 Points |
15 Points |
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State the name of your court case. Give a brief description and history of the case.
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History and description are short or nonexistent. Little background information provided. (Short paragraph) |
History and description are present but lacking detail. The reader has some background knowledge on the case. (1 paragraph) |
Much information is provided in the description of the court case. The historical impact is well described. The reader has a clear understanding of the importance of the case. (2 paragraphs in length) |
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Report the final decision.
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The final decision is missing or unclear. (Short paragraph) |
The final decision is briefly stated. (1 paragraph) 10 pts |
The final decision is stated and described in detail. (2 paragraphs in length). |
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Describe the impact the final decision has had on education.
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The impact on education is very briefly described or missing. (Short paragraph) |
The impact on education is described in some detail. (1 paragraph) |
The impact on education is described clearly and completely. The reader has a strong understanding of the law’s impact. (2 paragraphs) |
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Give your personal opinion of the outcome/result.
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A personal opinion is very briefly described or missing. (Short paragraph) |
A personal opinion and rationale are described in some detail. (1 paragraph) |
Personal opinion and rationale are described in detail. (2 paragraphs) |
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Cite your sources. Two or more are required (your text may not count as a source)
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No sources beyond the textbook are used or correctly cited. |
1 source beyond the textbook is used and correctly sited. |
At least 2 sources (beyond the textbook) are used and correctly sited. |
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Paper Subtotal
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Overall grammar, sentence structure, spelling, and punctuation.
25 points total |
Paragraphs have at least 5 sentences. All words are spelled correctly. The paper has a clear structure including an introduction and conclusion. Punctuation has been used appropriately.
.5 points deducted for each error. 25 points total |
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_____ Subtotal + _____ Grammar
______ Final Score |
Comments
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