Writing papers is an inevitable part of academia, and mastery of the form is critical for success regardless of intended field of study. It is not sufficient to be able to write a thesis statement and have strong topic sentences; students must also be able to use outside sources to develop ideas. Many students cringe when they hear the words “research paper,” but there is no need to fear!
In this introductory course, your student will practice and develop the skills necessary for conducting, managing, and presenting research. This course uses an incremental approach by beginning with guided research and gradually increasing skills and concepts to the final extended research paper. The teacher serves as a writing coach, guiding students every step of the way.
Skills learned in this class include choosing a topic, writing a thesis, conducting research through both primary and secondary sources, evaluating sources, using notecards, editing drafts, and compiling documentation. Students will also gain a solid understanding of plagiarism, including its ramifications and how to avoid it. Finally, they will learn to properly employ the most up-to-date MLA style, will practice APA style, and will have a brief introduction to Chicago style. Over the course of the semester, students will complete three different types of research papers (informative, persuasive, and comparative) and one annotated bibliography.
Please view prerequisites and required supplies below.
Dawn Burnette is truly excited to be part of the Excelsior family as an English teacher! Dawn holds a B.A. in English Education/Journalism from Lenoir-Rhyne University and an M.A. in English Education from Georgia State University. She has also earned National Board Certification and gifted endorsement. While teaching English at a public high school for 15 years, Dawn served as English department chair, coached a nationally ranked dance team, and won a few local, state, and national teaching awards. Dawn loves sharing her passion for reading and writing, and she works tirelessly to help students reach their academic potential and to glorify God in all pursuits. Soli Deo Gloria!
When it was time for their children to start school, Dawn and her husband Rod moved the family from an Atlanta suburb to the North Georgia mountains, acquired way too many animals, and spent the next 12 years homeschooling. Their daughter Ansley graduated from Samford University in 2022 and works at Sight & Sound Theater in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and their son Beck graduated from and played collegiate golf at Lee University and the University of Georgia and began playing professional golf in 2024.
James H –
This class helped lay a great foundation for using MLA and APA. Mrs. Burnette did a super job of teaching the students and making the class interesting. She was very patient and kind. I would highly recommend this class for any students wanting to improve their writing.
Student W. –
It definitely helped writing skills as well as researching skills!
Student A. –
Mrs. Burnette did an exceptional job teaching research writing. She provided a clear and structured guidance on how to approach each step of the research process, from selecting a topic to organizing and presenting findings. The lessons were engaging with practical examples and interactive exercises that helped solidify our understanding. Additionally, Mrs. Burnette was always available for feedback and support, ensuring that we could refine our skills and produce high-quality research papers.
Julie H. –
This class was extremely helpful. I comfortably learned everything I need to know about writing research papers both in APA and MLA. The class was extremely enjoyable, and we did lots of practice in class which enabled me to excel in it. Mrs. Burnette is very patient and will take time with you if you need help. She’s a joy to have as a teacher and I highly recommend her if you’re on the edge about this class.
Student S. –
Mrs. Burnette is an incredible teacher who effectively teaches MLA, APA, and even some Chicago style while making class fun. She has never failed to make everyone in class feel heard and gives everyone an opportunity to share in class. With her teaching I am now able to properly find sources, quote them, cite them, and incorporate them into well written research papers that follow the given writing method. I highly recommend her class and hope it helps you as much as it helped me!
Vonnie –
Mrs. Burnette, was a wonderful teacher! She was quite knowledgeable about everything in the class and made it fun as well. All the material seemed to be paced well and was not too hard and not too easy. I would recommend this class to the student who just wants to get out there and write. Also going into APA in the class is a unique twist.
Kristin –
I enjoyed learning from Mrs. Burnette she was a very knowledgeable teacher. We covered several topics and we even learned how to style our paper differently based on what we were working on. She is a very helpful teacher and will even schedule times to sit down one on one and chat if you’re feeling unsure about something. It is definetly a harder class but if you really focus its very helpful.
Robin –
This class was very thorough in APA and MLA style. She went through and showed all the tips and tricks of APA, MLA, and a little bit of Chicago style all while teaching how to write a good research paper. She is a great teacher, advocate, and prayer warrior! Everything was well thought out, organized, and helpful. Anyone who takes her class loves her. This is the second class I’ve taken with her, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. My favorite part is how she always had extra credit opportunities, so in my opinion, there is no way anyone could have a bad grade!
–
This class was extremely beneficial! I learned both MLA and APA style of writing. Mrs. Burnette is an amazing teacher, who makes sure you’re keeping up and fully understanding the material. I’d highly recommend this class.
Tamie –
This class was very helpful! We wrote 3 papers and each paper had steps leading up to the final draft. The workload was manageable and even some weeks were easy. I’m a very busy student and when it came to this class, I was able to enjoy the class because I wasn’t having to worry about it being too much work. Mrs. Burnette was a wonderful teacher! She was very helpful and explained everything very well. I learned a lot it this class and it will definitely help me in the future.
Erika G. –
Dawn was excellent at teaching the material and taking the students step by step through the coursework. The expectations were communicated well to both parents and students. My son was well prepared for college research assignments after taking this course. She got to know each of her students and connected with them on their level. I highly recommend this course and Dawn as a teacher.
Student C. –
Research Writing for Beginners is THE class to take for students who are looking to improve their paper writing skills; whether for college, personal growth, or both! I’ve had Mrs. Burnette as a teacher two years and have taken many of her classes. She is one of the kindest and most knowledgeable teachers I’ve ever had, especially when it comes to grammar. I highly recommend this class to anyone looking to improve their writing capabilities!
Student M. –
Mrs. Burnette was an amazing teacher this year. She challenged me to write at my very best and showed me exactly how to become an amazing writer with perfect, very organized, well thought out slide presentations in every class. Overall, the teaching style was very great. I would highly recommend her if you want to be a good writer.
Student W. –
I really enjoyed this class—it was informative and helped improve my writing skills in both academic and creative areas. Mrs. Burnette was an excellent teacher who explained everything clearly and gave helpful feedback. I learned MLA and APA formats, wrote several papers including an annotated bibliography, and appreciated the fun activities and group work. The workload was manageable, and the Late Work Coupons reduced stress. Overall, a great experience—I’d highly recommend this class!
Student H. –
Research Writing class really taught me a lot! I thought I was pretty good at writing, but I actually had much more to learn. I had so much fun in class playing Kahoot and Jeopardy and learned a lot! I highly recommend this class for anyone who needs to improve their writing!
Student E. –
I took this class to learn about research writing, and that’s exactly what I learned. This class was super helpful in teaching me the ins and outs of formatting (like APA and MLA) and Mrs. Burnett explained everything very well. I could always understand what was being taught.
Student P. –
Researching Writing was a such a beneficial class for me this semester. I will be starting English Composition soon at a local state college, and Research Writing was great for extra practicing with citations in different formats, combining my style with a professional tone, and finding my own unique method of organizing a paper. In all honesty, having Mrs. Burnette as a teacher was the best part. There were very few times when I was confused or didn’t understand what Mrs. Burnette was teaching. I loved how enthusiastic Mrs. Burnette was about Research Writing, and the fact that she acknowledges each and every one of her students when we enter the classroom. Mrs. Burnette made Research Writing something to look forward to every Tuesday. I have learned so much this year about writing a professional research paper. Thank you, Mrs. Burnette!
MRP –
Mrs. Burnette is a great teacher who always makes class entertaining. She clearly prepares well for class every week and is always quick to respond to emails. She is also very understanding and generous when it comes to late coupons and things of the sort. I would highly recommend this class to anyone interested in writing with different formats.
Student E. –
Mrs. Burnette is so kind! She replies fast to emails and is always prepared for class. We got to do some kahoots and other games which were a fun way to review. The slides she presents in class and the homework instructions are clear and educational. I learned a lot and always learned what went wrong when I made mistakes on my papers. There are many extra credit opportunities which is nice! Highly recommend! Its worth it!
Student C. –
Mrs. Burnette is a wonderful teacher who explains the concepts clearly. Before taking the class, I always saw writing as a dreaded task. I still don’t like it to the degree I like science, but it has certainly moved up the list. The workload is average but if you keep up with assignments and manage your time, it will be no problem. I learned how to write a research paper in MLA and APA styles and even a few tips and tricks for both. Lastly, Mrs. Burnette was supportive, always answered questions, and would leave plenty of feedback on assignments.
Student B. –
I loved this class! It was very informative and I feel like it helped me improve my overall writing skills, both for essays/research papers and creative writing. Mrs. Burnette was an excellent teacher, she presented all the material in a way that was easy to understand and did a great job of making sure all of the assignments were clear and the instructions thorough so I always knew what to do. I learned both MLA and APA styles and wrote multiple papers including an annotated bibliography, and I always received helpful feedback on my work so I knew how to improve. The classes themselves were also fun; we played various writing-related games and worked together in groups on mini assignments so we could learn from each other. I honestly can’t think of anything negative to say– I enjoyed this class, I learned a lot, and I never got too stressed or overwhelmed as the workload was generally pretty light and the teacher offers Late Work Coupons, so I didn’t have to fret if I submitted an assignment late. I would highly recommend this class and teacher, it was a great experience! 🙂