Final Evaluation: Research Skills

What have you learned about conducting research? Your Research Skills Evaluation is a concluding activity for this class.

Finishing Your Paper

Your final paper is due Monday, January 25th. Please make sure to cite all your sources and put all of your research into your own words. You must also draw conclusions based on your research.

Beginning Your Paper

The introduction to your paper is now due, and by week's end you should have at least a page and a half of your paper completed. In your first paragraph, introduce your topic. Make sure the reader can understand what topic you are exploring, and what issues you are specifically focusing on. The rest of your paper will answer the questions and explain the statements in your introductory paragraph.

Research Project Steps

Each student is required to have at least three research articles from reputable sources. Once we have evaluated the sources, then you may highlight relevant information in each article. Remember, you are using your research to back up or substantiate your opinions. You are not copying sections of the article "wholesale" into your paper. Even though you may think the words in the article you are using sound better than what you would write, you cannot use them. You must read the material, digest it, and then put down your own understanding of it in your own words, along with the conclusions you've come to based on what you've read. This is an essential skill that you will need in college.

Holiday Homework

Find five articles that support your research topic. Print them out and use a highlighter to select the information that you will use in your paper. Print out the list below, and make sure that all articles are attached to this paper when you hand it in after the holiday break.

Name:

Your Topic (remember to be as specific as possible):

Source #1:
URL (web address):

Source #2
URL (web address):

Source #3
URL (web address):

Source #4
URL (web address):

Source #5
URL (web address):

Cycle 3 Project: Writing the Research Paper

Our assignment is to find a contemporary political issue that you want to research. You will be writing a 5 page paper on the topic. The initial rules for writing the paper are as follows:

Follow the best practices of research found in the handout: "Standards and Practices of Good Internet Research."

"I went to google," is not an acceptable citation. You must go to specific web sites relevant to your issue.

ALWAYS find out who the source is for your data. That is, who made the web site? Who are the people or what is the organization that has written it? You often have to, in Deeno's words, "google what you google." That means, once you find a web site, google the site's authors, before you decide it is a reputable source.

If a web site's information is too complicated for you to understand, do not use it. Do not write down or use information that you do not comprehend at all. I am referring to web sites that are highly technical or written with a very large number of "vocabulary words" that you do not understand. However, if you find a web site in which there are simply a few words that you do not know, please feel free to ask me to clarify those meanings. On the other hand, do not just pick the easiest, most elementary-level web sites. Find information that is relevant, detailed, and well-written.

The topic must be one having to do with the political and social issues facing Americans today. Once you decide on a general topic, say "Abortion," then you must decide what EXACTLY you are researching. Are you researching scientific data about an embryo? Are you looking at different groups in society and what they believe? Are you looking at data about increases or decreases in abortion rates? Are you trying to determine why teenagers do or don't have abortions? All those are different topics, and would lead you to different research sources. So, once again: first pick your general topic, and then, with my help, narrow it down. You must write down your general topic and the narrowed down questions in your notebook. Your notebook must remain in your folder in the classroom, for this part of the class.

Students have brainstormed general topics that could be researched.

MTA budget issues
Iraq war
Afghanistan war
Education
Health care
Poverty
Free Tibet
Palestine
Global Warming
Recession
Is teen “Sexting” criminal?
How does the law define prostitution?
Rights to privacy
Safety at nuclear power plants in China
Power of China in the world
Teen pregnancy: abortion laws
Teen pregnancy: societal causes
China and the US: Financial relationship
The causes of poverty in the US
Abuse in the foster care system in NYC

Welcome to Cycle 3, December 2009

READING AND ETYMOLOGY

We are reading "Only Partly Here," by Lucius Sheppard.  We've examined a list of "vocabulary words" from the story.  How many of them do you already know?  Knowing the etymology of a word can help you determine its meaning.  Also,  if you understand what form of the word it is (noun, verb, etc), that can help you figure out its exact meaning in what you're reading.

Students identified meanings of the following vocabulary words from the story:

phantoms = things that disappear, things that are here and then gone, things that appear ghostly

apparitions = things that appear

vacancy = emptiness

ceremonial = something done as in a ceremony

archaeologist = someone who studies the artifacts of human civilization.  The suffix "-ologist" means someone who studies something

scorching, scorch = to burn, something that is burning.  Also, something that has been burnt.

wreckage = the thing that is wrecked.  The actual stuff: twisted metal, etc, that is the result of a wreck.

cosmic = having to do with the sky, with the stars, with the universe

interlocking = inter=between, + lock = things that lock between them

corporate = having to do with business

edible = ible = able, possible, so "edible" = able to be eaten.  Not to be confused with
editable = able to be edited.

decompress = opposite of "compress."  "Compress" = squeeze together, make smaller, so "decompress" = expand, relax.

articulate = well spoken, to make clear, to say clearly

speculate = to guess

transported = trans=change, port=to take from place to place

In our class discussion we spoke about etymology = the study of words (not to be confused with entomology= the study of insects). What is etymology?  Etymology is the study of the history and meanings of words.  When we know what the root word is, what language it came from and what it means, we can better determine the meaning of the word we are looking at.

What is the root word?  Sometimes there is a part of the word that you already know and recognize.  That might be because you know a word that is similar, or because you know a word in Spanish that sounds like it.  These words may be related to the word you are looking to define.  Many of the most complex words in English have a Latin root.  We know that Spanish is a Latin language.  If you know a similar word in Spanish it may have the same or a similar meaning to the one you are trying to define.  Use your knowledge of other languages and/or your familiarity with other English words to figure out the meaning of the word you are trying to define.  Here is a great page where you can find root words and their meanings.


Many words also have prefixes and suffixes.

A prefix is a small beginning part of a word.  The prefix comes before the root part of the word.  

As a class we brainstormed some prefixes, and came up with the following:
un = not
non= not
dis = against
sub = under
pre = before
re = again
bi = two
tri = three
quad, quart = four
multi = many


Suffixes - the endings of certain words - also can have a specific meaning.  As a class we figured out that:

-ology = the study of something
-tion = the state of being
-able, ible = ability to do something


Here are some great pages to look up the meanings of root words, suffixes, and prefixes.

Finals

Tuesday: Day One of the final.  The Day One sheet is not posted here because I don't want you to use "spell check" or "grammar check" in Word to determine the corrections.  You can only get the Day One Final sheet from me.  If you did not complete The Day One Final sheet, you must complete it during a lunch period this week.

Wednesday: Day Two of the final.  You can click on the link at the side to get a typed copy that you can modify.  Be sure to save it to your desktop with your name as part of the file name.

Thursday and Friday: Days 3 and 4 of the final.  There is an internet research task for each of you to complete within the two days.  Please do not be late or absent on Thursday or Friday.

Best of luck!  I hope to see most of you again next cycle.  It's been a pleasure having you in my classes. 

- Camilla

Where You Should Be By Thanksgiving

Both Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 should be completed by the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  You should have proof-read and corrected both chapters using editor's (proofreader's) marks.  Each of you will continue to have regular writing conferences with me, and I will review your work as you complete these tasks.  Please note: an arrow in the margin next to a line of your written text indicates that you should look again at your corrections.  Perhaps you've missed something.  Look again, and see what other corrections you might need to make. 

Nice work, ladies and gentlemen!  I appreciate your tenacity.  The stories are coming along really well. :-)

Using "Editor's Marks", also called "Proofreader's Marks"

Change it to a lower case letter: A slash through a letter shows that you want to change it to a lower case letter.

Change it to a capital letter: a double or triple line underneath the letter means, "make it a capital letter."

Take something out: a diagonal line with a loop at the end means, "take it out alltogether."

Add something: put a word above a "caret" or inverted V to show that you are inserting it.

Make a correction: a simple straight line through a word is sufficient.  Please do not create a scribble.  Put the correct word above the word that you have crossed out.

To correct a correction: Let's say you cross out a word, and then you realize that you were right the first time -- that is, your cross out was wrong.  All you need to do is write the word "stet" above the crossed out word.  That means, "Leave it as originally written."

New paragraph: A cuved backwards C with two lines through it (like a double "cents" sign) means"new paragraph." 

Writing Conferences Notes

Questions We Have Discussed in our Writing Conferences:

When do you use an apostrophe?
When do you use quotation marks, besides when someone is speaking?
When to you put a period instead of a comma?
Where, in a sentence, do you need to use commas?
What is the rule for using capital letters?
What is the difference between its and it's?
What is the difference between then and than?
What is the difference between there and their?
What is the difference between your and you're?
What is the difference between a first person narrative and the third person narrative?

These questions, and a few others, will be given to you in a quiz.  Please make sure that you know the answers.  Many of these questions are answered in my handouts, which are in the right-hand column of this blog.  You should be able to explain the answers to these questions,  and give examples in writing.

Chapters

The first 3-5 hand written pages of your story is Chapter One.  Your completed Chapter One was due last Thursday.  If you entered the class late, you are working to catch up, and we have made specific plans, noted in your folder on your Writing Conference Documentation Form.

Once you have completed Chapter One, you must have a writing conference with me.  Then do the following:
1. Read the comments from our writing conference
2. Correct your grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes using editor's marks
3. Show me your corrections
4. Re-write, as necessary.

In order to correct your mistakes, please use the editor's marks I described in class.  If you were not in attendance, you may find a reasonable facsimile of what I said about editor's marks here.  Please use editor's marks to correct your own work.  See me for more information, if you are still not sure how to use them correctly.

Once these four steps are completed, you may begin to write Chapter Two.

Show, Don't Tell

We looked at two sentences from two very different novels.  It is possible to be drawn into a story from the very first sentence.  C.S. Lewis, in his Narnia novel "The Silver Chair," began the book with this sentence:

It was a dull autumn day, and Jill Pole was crying behind the gym.

What do we immediately know about the story from that first sentence?  The class determined that we know that it is autumn, the sun is not shining, the main character is named Jill, and this story is going to have something to do with a school - probably an elementary, middle or high school.  Also, something bad has happened to Jill.  That is a lot to know about a story, just from the first sentence.

As a writer, how will you draw the reader into your story?  Think of it as your opening shot, like in a movie.  Where are we?  What is happening?  Let us experience the action of the story and then draw us in, like you are reeling in a fish on a fishing line.  Give us the details of time, place and character by showing us through the story.  You don't have to list those things.  The story will tell them to us.  We also looked at the opening sentence from Hunter Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas."  It does the same thing: draws the reader into the story from the first sentence: "We were six miles outside of Barstow when the drugs began to take hold."  We know we are in a car, we are somewhere near some place called "Barstow," and the occupants of the car are inebriated.  That first sentence is enough to get us to wonder: who are these people, and what is going on here?  Already we know this is a strange story, and the characters are far from the traditional characters we might expect.  They are already doing something dangerous.  Maybe they are dangerous characters?  Thompson, the author, makes us want to find out!

For your story, make sure that you have in your folder:
a) the Characters Sheet
b) the Cities and Towns worksheet for the place in which your story begins.

Begin to write your story.  Remember: your story takes place in the past, so verbs should be in the past tense.  Most verbs in the past tense end in -ed, but not all of them.  It is easy to slip in and out from past to present tense.  For the assignment, you must stay in the past tense throughout the story.

You should have at least three hand-written pages by Thursday of this week.  During class I will be working with students individually to help facilitate the writing process.

Ways to Enhance Dialogue

We know the phrases, "he said," or "she said."  What other words can you use to show that two people are talking to each other?  Some words just have to do with questions and answers.  The class came up with some:
said
asked
responded
replied
answered

Some words have to do with ways of expressing emotions.  He or she:
giggled
sighed
exclaimed
smiled
laughed
cried
growled
groaned

Vary your writing by specific words that suit the dialogue.  You are the artist: express yourself!

Writing Assignment, Part 1, Due Friday, November 6th

Begin your story.  Introduce the setting and the characters.  Base your story on your Research and Character sheets.  Remember to use the technique, "Show, don't tell," to bring the characters and the setting to life. 

This initial Cycle 2 writing assignment is to be 3-5 hand written pages long.  It must describe the meeting of the characters, the starting place of your journey and what the characters did there.  I expect every student to PROOF READ and correct their writing for grammar, spelling and punctuation.  This first writing assignment to be completed by Friday, November 6th. 

PLEASE NOTE: This assignment must be hand written, and it is to be done in class, not at home.  If you finish the assignment early, you will be able to move on to the next assignment.

Research Skills Heads-Up: What Technology Can and Cannot Do for You

Microsoft Word cannot correct your mistakes for you because it cannot think.  It can only match.  Thus, if you write the word "ten" instead of the word "teen" it does not know what you meant to say.  If you say "There are three Tanishas in my class," Microsoft Word will underline "Tanishas" as incorrect, even though it is correct!  If you INCORRECTLY put an apostrophe before the s, the red line will disappear, because Word will think that you're using a posessive, even though you are not.  Word cannot think and ONLY YOU CAN CORRECT YOUR OWN MISTAKES.  Word can be useful in drawing your attention to potential mistakes, but should never be relied upon to detect all mistakes, nor to correct all of them.

Google is a search engine.  It cannot think, it can only match.  Thus, if you misspell a word, it does not know what you MEANT to say.  Similarly, it cannot understand a question in the traditional sense.  It merely tries to match the words that you type into the search box.  If you type in: "Why is the sky blue?" it will find matches for "why" and "is" and "the" and "sky" and "blue."  Or it may "recognize" that you are asking a question,  because you've put in a question mark, and take you to a site that answers questions, but if you want to find information on why the sky is blue, you should consider what types of words would take you to such a site, for instance:
search for:
blue sky reasons
blue sky reflection
color sky ocean
blue color atmosphere ocean
atmosphere color
etc.

In other words, think of all the words or terms that mean "sky," and use those.  Remember, some web sites will have information under "sky," and others will use the word "atmosphere."  Because a SEARCH ENGINE CANNOT THINK, it does not know that by "sky" and "atmosphere," you mean the same thing.  That is why you should try both searches.

The other thing you can do to look for good internet results is go to a web site that specializes in that kind of information.  For instance, if you are looking for "Rates of HIV transmission in teenagers in New York City," you may want to go to the National Institute of Health, which is nih.gov, and look for HIV transmission statistics for New York City teenagers there. 

When using a search engine, as in the previous example, remember to search for a variety of synonyms - words that mean the same thing.  So, for instance, you could look for:
HIV transmission New York City teenagers
HIV transmission NYC teens
HIV transmission NY teens
HIV infection New York teens
HIV infection New York City adolescents
AIDS NYC teens
AIDS teens statistics NYC
AIDS adolescents statistics New York City
etc.

In-Class Notes: Technical Skills for Writing

How to Use Quotation Marks:

Do not use quotation marks for emphasis.

If you are putting dialogue into your story, are three ways you can put quotes in a sentence.
Examples:
1)  Shaya said, "Veronica, you look great in that dress!"
2) "Veronica, you look great in that dress!" Shaya said.
3) "Veronica," Shaya said, "You look great in that dress!"

When you are describing what someone said, you do not use quotes.  For example, no quotes should be used in this sentence describing the conversation.
Example:
Shaya said that Veronica looked great in that dress. 

Welcome to Cycle 2, 2009

Please view the Course Syllabus here. 

We begin our class this cycle with a focus on grammar, punctuation and spelling.  What tools do you need in order to begin your writing?  Armed with the correct knowledge, and tools to back you up, you can begin to correct your own work, before a teacher even sees your first draft.  As we work, our mini-lessons in grammar and the accompanying handouts (that can be found in the "Handouts" sidebar  of this blog) will form the basis for your efforts to correct your own work.  From now on, I will simply write the nature of the problem I see on your page (for instance: "commas,") and you will need to find the errors and correct them yourself before you show the work to me.  The class has been given the following handouts to utilize for this purpose:

• Camilla's Comma Rules
• Camilla's Apostrophe Rules
• The Colon
• The Semicolon
• Grammar and Spelling Tips

Final Requirements for Cycle 1

Your summative assessment for Cycle one consists of:
1) A one-on-one review of your work with me
2) The map of your journey
3) Four completed "Cities and Towns" research documentation sheets
4) A completed "Characters" sheet
5) Your initial base assessment essay inspired by "The Road Not Taken"
6) Your homework book assignments:

• The comparison of the setting in the book you're reading to your own neighborhood.
• The essay: "Daydreaming on the Train."
• The story or poem using five vocabulary words from "World's End" and five vocabulary words from the book you're reading.
• A short overview of the plan for your story (no longer than a page and a half).
  

Finishing Up

Your Cycle 1 grade depends upon the work in your folder.  Please make sure you've done your research correctly, and have all required assignments in your folder.  You must also have your HOMEWORK NOTEBOOK with all of your completed Homework assignments as well.

Required Assignments and Conferences for Cycle 1

The cycle ends on Wednesday, October 21st.   Individual conferences are a requirement for each cycle. To prepare, be aware and prepare for the following, regarding Cycle 1:

• Student folders must include all "Cities and Towns" worksheets 
• Students must have at least four "Cities and Towns" worksheets in their folder. 
• Student folders must include the map of your journey.
  
• Students must have the "Characters Sheet" in their folder
  
• Student folders must contain all other assigned written work.
  
• Homework journals must include all homework assignments.
  

Researching Your Cities and Towns

For each city or town you visit, you will complete a "Cities and Towns" sheet. You may get those from me or download them to your desktop here. Your "Cities and Towns" sheet is your record of work for the day. Each sheet represents one town. What town are you in? What are the three historic, cultural or commercial places that you visit? What web sites have you gone to to research them? What have you learned about each place? You need to take good, detailed notes for each place you visit in the town or city. Note at the top whether this is the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th (etc.) stop on your journey.

Research for your Project

Take your notes on the sheets you got on Friday. These sheets are simply to help you organize the data you are gathering. You will be writing up your research in your project, so you will need print-outs of websites that you are using. Please always use the "print preview" command to make sure you only print the pages you really need. Don't waste my ink!!! Please print only to the "Room 327 T640" printer.

Exploring the Journey: Directions for Beginning Your Project

You've mapped your journey. You're going from somewhere to Chicago, by land. You can pick anywhere you can drive or walk from, but it has to be at least 300 miles away. Mapquest can't really help you: you have to go through the towns and cities along the way, not just take the highway and stop at a McDonald's for lunch.

So: What cities and towns are you passing through? You need to research these places. We know that
.com = commercial, available to everyone
.net = commercial, available to everyone
.org = organization, usually non-profit, available to everyone
.edu = educational institution, usually a college or university
.gov = the United States (Federal) Government

Other government websites can be .com, .net, .org or many other possibilities. You will want to look at State Government Websites and County Websites, along with Chamber of Commerce Websites. It is advisable to follow the links at the County or Chamber of Commerce websites, so that you can read up on the local tourist attractions, businesses and points of interest.

ALWAYS cite your sources. If you use a source, credit it. Always check your sources. You must look at at least 3 different websites to be sure your information is correct. Also: who created the website? What organization or point of view does it represent? Who authored it? You should know.

THE ASSIGNMENT:
Imagine you are traveling on the route you have chosen. Where do you stop and why? What sites and attractions do you visit? What is the landscape like? Describe your journey.

RULES: Your details must be historically and factually accurate. If you are coming from Miami and meet a boy in a club there who comes with you on your journey, it has to be a real club that is really there, and you have to be able to describe it.

WHAT CAN BE FICTIONAL?
Your character can be fictional. The journey is, in fact, fictional, but the details of the journey must be based in fact.

WHAT TIME PERIOD HAVE YOU CHOSEN?
You may choose what time period you wish to be writing about. You may choose the present day, or a time in the past. You must chose a time for which we have written history. There is no significant written history of this continent before the 1600's, and no significant written history of the West before the 1800's. So, for instance, if you decide you are making your journey from Philadelphia to Chicago in the 1860's, what kind of transportation is available to you? Are you going by train or horse-drawn carriage? Are there trains built between Philadelphia and Chicago by the 1860's? If not, you cannot be "taking the train." If you're journeying by carriage, how far can you go in a day? Your journey is certainly much slower than it would be in today's world. What sights are you seeing along the way during that time period? All details must be based in the history of that time and place.

ESSENTIAL INFORMATION:
This project will be done in class. I will not accept work done at home, unless we have discussed it beforehand and I have given you written approval. Your final paper is to be typed, 1.5 line spaced, in 12 point Arial font, and at least 7 pages long (not including a coversheet and your bibliography, which are also required).

Mapping the Journey

Charlene and Brandt from "World's End" were driving to Chicago. We know they were driving for many hours, and we know, by inference, that they were coming from another city.

Map out a journey from another city to Chicago. It must be at least 300 miles from Chicago, it must be a route that can be driven, and it must be through territory that you would like to explore.

Find a map of the United States on the Internet. Print it out, and draw out your route. This assignment must be handed in to Camilla.

This mapping exercise will serve as the basis for your research. You will be researching the terrain you have outlined that you would traverse on your journey to Chicago.

Think about this: What places would you have to go through? Why have you chosen this particular route? This week you will begin to explore the towns, cities, highways, byways and natural formations that you would encounter in such a journey.

Homework Asssignment for Thursday, September 24th

1.) Make a list of five vocabulary words that you were challenged by from the book that you are reading and write them in your notebook.
2.) Pick five vocabulary words from the list (below) of vocabulary words from "World's End" and write them in your notebook.
You should have a list of ten words in total.

Write a two-page story or essay that MAKES SENSE, using all ten vocabulary words. It can be fantasy fiction, real-life drama or any other story-telling form that you like. Do not pick slang words or phrases. Pick standard English words. Completing this assignment requires that you have looked up, understand, and can spell the vocabulary words that you have chosen.

Catching Up

If you have just joined this class, please read all the assignments by scrolling down to "Welcome to Fall 2009, Cycle 1." That post and all the ones above it cover all the assignments that have been given in this class, and I have modified the posts to provide easy strategies for catch-up. You may do your owed assignments in your Homework Journal.

Monday and Tuesday are Testing Days

Students are required to take the English Department-wide Assessment Test. The purpose of the test is to ascertain the level of your reading and writing skills. It will serve as the baseline assessment for your work.

Notes from Friday's Class

Your homework journals are due every Friday. They will be returned to you on Tuesday. Please make sure you have completed all the homework assignments.

Vocabulary Words from our reading of "World's End":
brougham
perforce
auditors
temporal
gargantuan
feckless
dominion
mortal
forthwith
retinue
realm
brackish
ooze
malodorous
convey
amphitheater

Homework Question for the Night of Thursday, September 17

What do you daydream about on the train? Write two pages about something you've thought about. Alternate assignment: If the train car you were sitting in was suddenly to be transported to a different planet, what would happen? How would the people on the train interact?

Vocabulary words from "World's End" reading:
facet
thoroughfare(s)
dank
marvel
figment
stunted
moor
susurrus
estuary
prosaic