MLA format for Citing Reference Works

This is a great guide to citing your references using MLA format:

MLA format is a scholarly publication format first used by Modern Language Association of America.  This is why it is called MLA format.  It gives guidelines for properly formatting a paper including citation of works used for research or discussed in the paper.

It is the standard used my most universities  and by most academic publications.

Building and Writing an Essay

Getting organized to build an essay can be a daunting task.
For me, the best way to do it is to write all of my concepts on post-it notes and then lay them out in the order I would like to discuss them.



This takes the clutter out of my brain and allows me to work it around until it is organized.
Laying the post-its out on a white board is helpful since you can use your marker to add notes or arrows to help your essay flow.

It's also a great way to find holes or see where you've got overlapping or extra material.

Writing your first draft becomes effortless, just grab the first post-it and write.  Then move on to the second one!  Repeat until you get to the final one.

If you've got a word count target, this is also a great way to determine before you begin if you've got enough content to work with.  If you can write 100 words about 10 ideas, you've got a 1000 word essay, and slightly more with an introductory and summarizing paragraph!

Literary Approach Paper Format

Another key paper used in Excellence in Literature is the Literary Approach Paper.  If you're looking for a framework and example of this type of paper, here's a source for reference.

Historical Approach Paper Format Framework

If your students are with Excellence In Literature this year, you might find this framework for historical approach paper helpful. 

Historical Approach Paper by Brenda Sain