looking back on america essay


Essential Question: 
​How can people learn about a historical time period through literature? 
​
Source 1 (required): DVD of Little Women
  1. Login to Noodletools using Google so you can give credit to the movie you're referencing 
  2. Create a new project, name it, choose MLA, and Junior for your level
  3. Change your tab at the top from Dashboard to Sources and create a New Citation
  4. Click on the tab called Viewed/Heard Live and choose Film or Video Recording
  5. You will need to enter the correct information​​​​
  • Role: Choose Director and add in Gillian Armstrong
  • (Leave the next item on the template set at No Special Emphasis)
  • For Title: Little Women (be sure to check the box for DVD next to this)
  • Studio: Columbia Pictures
  • (You can leave out the studio's city)
  • Year: 1994
Source 2 (required): Women in the 19th Century (website)
  • Cite this article as a website
Source 3 (optional): Excerpt of Little Women text
  1. Login to Noodletools and either create or open your existing project for this assignment
  2. Under the Sources tab, create a New Citation
  3. Use this source type: Website > Book
  4. Search for the book with this ISBN: 9781619971134
  5. Click the result (it'll turn a greenish color), choose Import Selected Source, and then choose Continue
  6. Make sure to change the bullet at the top so "Print publication information provided" is selected
  7. You will need to fill in some info. Please follow the info below in red:
  • Name of Container Website: Cedar Springs Public Schools
  • URL: (copy and paste the PDF web address)
  • Date of Access: (click "Today" to have it auto-fill)
​*Click the plus sign next to "Chapter or Selection" and add the following*
  • Contributor: (choose Author) and Lousia May Alcott in each appropriate name box
  • Type of Chapter: (choose from the dropdown) Chapter or Section
  • Section Title: From Little Women
  • (skip over "Page Numbers)
  • The rest is fine of the template is fine the way it is. You may opt to leave "Edition" blank as Noodletools suggests. ​
Source 4 (optional): Louisa May Alcott (database article)
In-text Citation
Within your speech, you will need to use in-text citations to point readers to the appropriate source in your Works Cited page. While in-text citations typically include a page number, there are no page numbers for a DVD, so you will leave that out.

You would instead use approximate time stamps from the movie to indicate which portion you are discussing in your written work. However, you won't have the DVD in front of you to do this for this assignment, so just include the movie title for your in-text citation as that is the first piece in your full citation.

Make sure to put the movie title in italics!
  • (Little Women) < your in-text citation should look like this after each idea referenced in your speech that comes from the movie you watched.

If you referenced the excerpt from the Little Women text, you will also need to include in-text citations. We do not have page numbers for this source either, so you would just use the first piece from your full citation, Alcott.
  • (Alcott) < your in-text citation should look like this after each idea referenced in your speech that comes from the excerpt you referenced.
Exporting Your Citations From Noodletools
  1. Ensure you have cited ALL sources you plan on citing and that they are cited properly.
  2. Choose Print/Export and then Print/Export to Google Docs
  3. Your work cited document should open automatically (named "Sources for [Noodletools Project Name]") DO NOT adjust anything. The formatting is correct.
Getting your exported Works Cited Page onto the last page of your essay in Docs
  1. Copy everything on your exported works cited page (including the title: Works Cited)
  2. Go the end of your essay in Docs and get a clean, blank page (hit Enter if you need to get a new page)
  3. Paste in your exported works cited into this blank, last page of your essay. ​
  4. Make sure that if you make adjustments to your essay, you fix the spacing on your works cited (it should start at the top of a page, not in the middle)
Formatting Your Paper in MLA Style
Set up your document properly so you will be successful. MLA style requires you to do the following:
  1. Type your essay in Times New Roman, size 12 font
  2. Double space your entire essay (even the heading!)
  3. Do NOT quadruple space in between paragraphs. When you move on to the next paragraph, hit enter ONCE, indent, & begin
  4. Indent each new paragraph 5 spaces (tab key once)
  5. Proper nouns (artist/author names, titles of pieces) all get capitalized properly
  6. Titles of books and paintings are italicized. Titles of poems go in quotes
  7. Use in-text (parenthetical) citations after each example taken from a book, painting, website, etc.
  8. Do NOT use personal pronouns in formal writing (I, you, us, we, etc.)
  9. Use transitions within and between your paragraphs to show movement from one idea to the next
  10. Always include your works cited as the last page of a formal essay
Adding a header to your essay 
  1. Go to page one of your essay
  2. Choose Insert > Header
  3. Hit enter once so your header does not get cut off when printing
  4. Type your LAST NAME only
  5. Make sure your name is right-aligned and is in Times New Roman size 12 font (should match your essay)
  6. Then, hit the space bar once
  7. Choose Insert > Page Number, Top of Page
Adding a heading to your essay 
  1. Before all of your typing for your essay, begin on page one with a heading
  2. Your heading should begin on the left hand side
  3. Your heading should be in Times New Roman size 12 font
  4. Your heading should be double spaced 
  5. Include the following 4 lines for your heading
  • Your first and last name
  • Your teacher's name
  • Name of class
  • Date (written "backwards")
Adding a title to your essay
  1. Hit enter after your heading. Make sure you are still double-spacing
  2. Center your title and capitalize it appropriately
  3. Your title should be in Times New Roman, size 12 font (same as your essay)
  4. DO NOT underline your title, put it in bold, put it in italics, or put it in quotes! 
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Sample essay format: Be sure to replace my name with your name! Be sure to create your own unique title that reflects the content of this particular essay!


In-text Citation Help
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Words to Avoid/Suggestions to Use Instead
click this link to help with words to avoid/suggestions instead