We started by agreeing that our project would be a research paper on the subject of the causes and effects of divorce. We spent time discussing what a "thesis statement" is, and the option for the thesis statement to be a question. In the first instance, the thesis is a claim which the rest of the paper defends and proves true. In the second instance, the thesis is a question which the rest of the paper sets out to answer. Next, we went over how the introductory paragraph should resemble an upside-down pyramid, starting with a broad statement about the subject and getting narrower in its progression to end with the thesis statement. We came up with a hypothetical introductory paragraph for Katya's paper. We then talked in detail about quotation marks and block quoting, and how a block quote is set up. We followed that with a full discussion of The Sandwich: identifying the source of the quote (with credentials); citing the block quote; and ending with a full commentary on the block quote. We taked about samples of what the commentary might do, including pulling out and discussing a key concept found in the quote, labeling and clarifying in what ways the quote is outdated; pointing out the biases imbedded in the quote. Next, we discussed when to start building the Works Cited page and how the Works Cited page works in conjunction with the citations in the paper. We ended by agreeing we will chat tomorrow, Friday, May 1st, at 11.