Help In Planning Your Paper

Do you need help organizing your thoughts? Use the Cornell Notes For Websites Template to take notes on each point that you are using in each of your three articles. Highlight the quote, paste it into the template and, in the opposite box, write down your translation of the quote into your own words. Explain what that part of the article means, without copying the same exact words. Use your GUIDELINES FOR WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER Citing Your Sources: Quotation, Paraphrase, and Plagiarism sheet for information on how to avoid plagiarism.

What Must Be In Your Paper

1) Your Intro = your research statement, made into a paragraph. In the intro paragraphy, your research statement states your topic and answers your research question. Your research statement should be written simply and succinctly (clearly, and to-the-point).

2) Body Paragraphs: Make sure your body paragraphs support your research statement with details and information from your THREE SOURCES (your articles).

3) Your paper must have a conclusion that sums your ideas up.

MAKE SURE TO:
Use ALL of your sources for your article (at least THREE different SOURCES).
Make sure you type your paper.
Make sure it is 3 to 5 pages.
Make sure it is double spaced, with no larger than a 12 point font. DO NOT USE AN UNUSUAL or italic FONT. Best fonts: Arial or Times New Roman.

Note: You must CITE your sources within the text, and you must LIST YOUR SOURCES in a bibliography at the end of the paper.

Rules for Citing Sources Within Your Paper

Follow the directions on citations illustrated in the handout "Guidelines For Writing A Research Paper." The handout provides specific instructions about how to use quotations and paraphrasing, and avoid plagiarism.

The Thesis Statement Forms Your Introductory Paragraph

Are Your Articles Relevant to Your Topic? Make sure that your articles address your research question directly. They must be relevant, as well as reputable!

Your introductory paragraph is where you inform the reader of your thesis. A thesis is an idea formed from your research about your topic. What have the articles told you? How have they answered your research question? You can only have a thesis if you have read your articles. Once you have your answer, you need to form it into a thesis statement. Fill out this form to identify the steps you've taken to form your research statement. Once the form is completed you will be ready to begin your introductory paragraph. Your introductory paragraph has the thesis statement as its main idea.

Assignment for Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Find at least three internet sources for your research question. Your research question must be written on your “Research Paper Planning Worksheet,” and that must be in your folder. Additional “Research Paper Planning Worksheets” are available in the classroom.

Read each reputable article you find carefully, and record the information on the “Author, Organization, URL” form provided. Print out the information using the guidelines below.

The sources you pick to use must be REPUTABLE. Remember to check the “About Us” section and google author names. If you are unable to determine whether a source is reputable or not, IT IS NOT REPUTABLE. You must find another source. Reputable sources make their credentials and qualifications accessible. You should question the validity of a site that does not easily provide good information about who created it and what the credentials of the authors are.

Guidelines for printing out articles: You may print directly from the web page, but if you do this, you must do a "print preview" and count the pages, making sure to only print the pages you will be using for your paper. You must also expect to wait longer for your document to print if you print directly from a web page. You will print out your article much faster if you copy and paste it into Word, making sure that you have copied the FULL URL, the author and the organization or publication information onto the Word document.

Keeping Track of Your Research Data

Record the reputable websites you have found on this Author, Organization, URL form. Print out a copy of the article. You may print directly from the web page, but if you do this, you must do a "print preview" and count the pages, making sure to only print the pages you will be using for your paper. You must also expect to wait longer for your document to print if you print directly from a web page. You will print out your article much faster if you copy and paste it into Word, making sure that you have copied the FULL URL, the author and the organization or publication information onto the Word document.

Deciding on your Research Paper Topic

In order to decide on your research paper topic you need to brainstorm.  Read the handout, "Choosing a Topic for Your Research Paper.  

Your research paper is going to make up a substantial part of your work for this cycle in this class.  In order to decide on a topic, consider the following: 

Good topics are:

Interesting
Manageable
Available
Worthwhile
Original

Poor topics are:
Too broad
Too narrow
too technical
Too trivial
Too subjective

Here are some EXAMPLES OF GOOD AND BAD TOPICS FOR RESEARCH PAPERS:

General subject: Civil Rights
Unsuitable: Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s (too broad)
Unsuitable: My father’s activities in the Civil Rights movement (too subjective)
Suitable (Good) Topic: What leadership role did Martin Luther King take during the early civil rights

General Subject: artists
Unsuitable topic: Rembrandt (too broad)
Unsuitable topic: Michaelangelo as a child (too narrow)
Suitable (Good) Topic: How did Michaelangelo’s painting influence other Renaissance artists?

General Subject: The Poet Alfred Lort Tennyson
Unsuitable: Tennyson as an author (too broad)
Unsuitable: Tennyson’s education (too trivial)
Suitable (Good) Topic: What recurring symbols appear in Tennyson’s poetry, and what do they mean?

General subject: modern science
Unsuitable: protecting the environment (too broad)
Unsuitable: designing coal-fired generators that use high sulfur coal (too technical)
Suitable (Good) Topic: What environmental effects result from using gas-powered generators?

General Subject: historical causes of bankruptcy
Unsuitable: causes of bankruptcy (too broad)
Unsuitable: causes of personal bankruptcy during 1920 (too trivial)
Suitable (Good) Topic: What national, local and personal economic conditions caused the 1929 stock market crash in New York City banks?

Assignment:
BRAINSTORMING:  Choose a topic to think about.  Write down the general topic.  Then ask yourself as many questions as you can think about, regarding that topic.  On a separate piece of lined, notebook paper, write down your proposed topic and 5 to 7 questions about that topic. 

General Topic: Tatoos

Questions:

Where does the ink originate for tattoos?
Who gets tattooed?  What ages are they?
What cultures besides the US get tattooed?
What do certain tattoos symbolize?
Where did tattooing come from?
What’s the difference between tribal tattoos and modern tattoos from tattoo shops?
How many people get tattoos removed?
Why do people get tattooed?

The brainstorm must be in your folder before you begin the next step.  The next step is to use your brainstorming questions to decide on a researchable topic.  Once you have figured out which of your questions is truly researchable, circle it.  Then we will meet and review your choice.  The next step is to fill out your "Research Paper Planning Worksheet," in which you state your actual research question.  I will give you a copy of this sheet when I determine you are ready for it.  This sheet, and your choice of topic, must be approved by me in order for you to begin your research. 

Evaluating Web Sites

Decide on a RESEARCHABLE topic for this exercise.  Use the "3 Web Sites" worksheet to record:
a) How you know the web site is a reputable source: 

• Remember to look at the root directory URL.  
• Remember to check out the "About Us" section of the site.
• "Google what you google" to find out who the authors are and what their credentials are.

b) What you learned about your topic on the web site.

"Who Is" Assignment

Go to globalwarming.org.  Who are they?  Who are the authors?  Who is behind this web site?
Then provide your answer on the form provided in the classroom.

Initial Research Strategies

What steps do you need to take when researching a topic?  Let's begin by looking at internet research strategies.
Based on your notes on today's discussion, answer the following questions in your cornell notes template: 
What is a search engine?  What does it do?
Give one example of a search engine.
List three tips or tricks can you use to determine if a web site is a good source or not.
1)
2)
3)
How do you formulate a research question?
Give one example of a question that could be researched.
Give one example of a question that could not be researched.

NYC Writing Assignment - Final Assignment for Cycle 2

1.) Think of a specific neighborhood in New York City. This neighborhood can be where you live, or some other part of New York City that you know really well. Imagine it in your mind.  What does it look like?  What are the people doing?  What do they look like?  What smells and sounds do you experience?  How do you feel, when you’re in the neighborhood?  How do you feel about the neighborhood: do you love it, or do you hate it? Why?

Describe this part of New York in as much detail as possible.  Use imagery to describe what the place looks like, giving visual details about it.  Describe what you love or hate about the place, and describe the people: what they look like, the kinds of clothes they wear, and what they are doing.  Describe the smells and sounds.  This description should be at least two long paragraphs.  

2.) Pick 8 to 14 sentences or phrases from your description (part 1 of this exercise).  This will be your New York City poem.  Allow yourself to change the lines to make them work together as a poem.  You should do this part of the assignment in pencil, so that you can change and edit the poem until you get it just the way you want it to sound and look.  Your poem must be at least 8, and no more than 14, lines long.  Then put a title above the poem.

What You Must Have in Your Folder to Pass this Class, Cycle 2, 2010

1) Cornell Notes Sheet for Neil Gaiman Story
2) Neil Gaiman Story response essay, per guidelines in this blog
3) Chuck D article response sheet and synopsis
4) NYC writing assignment - essay paragraphs and poem

Understanding the Chuck D Article

How have you figured out what the article means? How do you figure it out?  What inferences can you draw from what he says in the article?  What is the meaning of this article, and what are the implications of what he is saying? 

Here are some ways to break down the understanding of this article:

1.) What are the key words or phrases for you that give the main idea?  Underline them. 

2.) What words do you not know?  Circle them.  look them up or figure out their meaning from context clues, and breaking the word into parts, and define them.  Once you know the new words, go back to the sentence.  Translate that sentence into your own words.  Do this with every sentence you didn’t understand.  I have created a sheet, available in the classroom, that makes this easy to do.

3.)  Dikiana in Pd. 5 suggested that a person could look at and explain each paragraph seperately.  She used the margin of her paper to do that.  You could use a separate piece of paper or Cornell Notes paper.  

 4.) Everyone must have their synopsis written in paragraph form on a separate sheet of lined 8.5x11 paper.  Attach your synopsis of the article to your notes and turn it in to me.  

Assessing Your Essay on the Neil Gaiman Story

We use the ELA Rubric to determine the level of your writing.  Once I have corrected and gone over your essay with you, do a self-assessment.  What level do you think you meet, according to the rubric?  How correct is your use of language, and how accurate are the mechanics of your writing (grammar, punctuation and spelling)?  How well organized is your essay?  Is the meaning of your essay clear, and do you stick to the topic?  Finally, how well-developed is your essay?  Have you gone into detail?  Are you truly analyzing the work of literature as opposed to writing a summary?  Rate yourself in each category using the scale of 1 through 6.  Then give yourself an overall numeric score, based on the rubric.

Building College-Level Vocabulary

How do we continue to build vocabulary so that when we get to college we are not overwhelmed with the level of work?  One key strategy is to read on your own.  Read material that takes you one step beyond the level that you're reading on now.  We are reading an article by Chuck D called "What's the Link between Hip Hop and Politics?"  It appeared in The Source, a hip hop lifestyle magazine.  Read the article.  Circle and define words or terms you do not know.  Then write a synopsis of the article, describing its meaning in your own words.

Finishing your Essay

Essay Checklist:

• Does your introduction include a thesis statement about the meaning, message or moral of the story?
• Do your body paragraphs show how aspects of the story support the thesis statement?
• Do you paraphrase and analyze specific aspects of the story (characters, plot developments, literary or artistic techniques used to convey meaning) without retelling/giving a summary of the story?
• Does your essay go into sufficient detail (the essay should be at least two pages, single spaced, normal sized handwriting (not too big, or too small to read)?
• Do you have a conclusion that reconfirms the thesis statement with evidence from the story?
• Have you proof read your essay?
• Have you made corrections?
• Have you re-written/typed, including your corrections?

Once these things are done, then you are ready to hand your essay in to me.

Using Your Cornell Notes to Structure Your Essay

Use the Analysis part of your Cornell Notes sheet to shape your introduction. You should already have written down what you think the story's message, meaning or moral is. Use this as the basis for your introduction.

Your body paragraphs can be culled from the Cornell Notes sheet as well. What aspects that you focused on support the thesis statement in your introductory paragraph?

Your paper should be at least 2 pages long.

Writing Your Paper: The Introduction

Come up with a Thesis Statement. Here are some examples of thesis statements for two fairy tales. Each statement could be used as an introduction to a paper on that fairy tale. I am putting these examples online to show you how you can form a thesis statement for your Neil Gaiman story. These are only examples. You will be coming up with your own thesis statement for the Neil Gaiman story that you chose.

Some Examples of Thesis Statements
(For Fairy Tales)

Sleeping Beauty conveys the message that innocent people are often taken advantage of, but if they are good they will win out in the end.

Sleeping Beauty is a story about how good always triumphs over evil.

Sleeping Beauty provides the lesson that people should be careful about who they treat badly: it could end up that they get treated in the end.

The lesson of Sleeping Beauty is “Don’t forget the little guy.” Even if something seems insignificant, it may not be. Pay attention, so you don’t get hurt.

Sleeping Beauty is a story about how children should listen to their parents, and when they don’t something bad always happens.

Little Red Riding Hood is a story about how you should never take things at face value.

The message of Little Red Riding Hood is that little girls are too trusting, and they should be wary of people who seem to be a friend, but might really be an enemy.

The message of Little Red Riding Hood is if you are in trouble, and you’re a good person, someone will come and save you.

How to Shape Your Literary Reflection Paper

Based on your Cornell Notes, you will be writing a paper interpreting the meaning of one of the stories that we've read from Neil Gaiman's Fables and Reflections. You must do your Cornell Notes sheets on ONE of the stories we've read. Once again, you may use "Fear of Falling," "Three Septembers and a January," "Thermidor," or "The Hunt." Once you have filled out your Cornell Notes (see directions in previous post), read the directions below and begin to write your Literary Reflection Paper on your chosen story. Begin by writing the introduction.

Here are the steps you need to include in your paper.

INTRODUCTION: Introduce the moral of the story. State the point of the story, as you see it. What is its message? This will be the paper's THESIS STATEMENT.

BODY PARAGRAPHS:
Describe how the author illustrates the moral through his words and pictures.

How does the setting reinforce or support the moral of the story?

Give details about the characters. How would you describe those characters? Describe them in your own words. Explain what emotional conditions were going on in the character’s mind that made him or her take certain actions.

What cultural and historical references are in the story? The more you can point out and recognize those, the better your work will be.

What other details in the story help convey the moral? Minor characters and sub-plots also make a story good and powerful. Explain how minor characters and/or sub-plots figure into the story.

CONCLUSION:
Restate the thesis and summarize your evidence and points.

Question: Students asked how many paragraphs the essay should be. My answer was and is: Make sure you include all the things I have listed above. Create as many paragraphs as is necessary to convey your assessment of the moral, and make sure you provide all the required supporting details from the story. Make sure you analyze and interpret what you read, rather than simply re-telling the story. I am not looking for a plot summary. I am looking for your interpretation of the story based on evidence from the text. Make sure to write a conclusion that supports your thesis statement.

Cornell Note Taking

Pick one of the four stories that we have read from "Fables and Reflections". Fill in a Cornell Notes sheet for it.

Think of at least four aspects of the story that struck you as significant. They can be a character, an incident, the setting, or some other aspect that seems important to you. For each of the four aspects, put down some thoughts, ideas or questions. Then, at the bottom of the Cornell Notes page, come up with your own overall analysis or reflection about the story. This can include writing about "text to self", "text to text", or "text to world". The Cornell Notes you create for this story will form the basis for an essay you will be writing.

Reading "The Hunt" in "Fables and Reflections"

We went on to read "The Hunt" in Neil Gaiman's "Fables and Reflections". You may use this story or any of the other three that we read ("Fear of Falling", "Three Septembers and a January", or "Thermidor") to do your next task, which is to prepare notes for a paper based on one of the stories. See the next post for details.

Reading the First Three Stories in Neil Gaiman's "Fables and Reflections"

Neil Gaiman is the author of The Sandman, a collection of stories involving seven characters. The main character is Dream (also called The Sandman or Morpheus), and his siblings are Despair, Desire, Delirium, Death, Destiny and Destruction. They are "seven anthropomorphic personifications of universal concepts." They each represent a realm of consciousness and an aspect of the human experience.

So far, we are reading the collection "Fables and Reflections." We read "Fear of Falling," "Three Septembers and a January," and "Thermidor." Please make sure you read these stories in the classroom, if you have not done so already. If you have been out, you may come at lunch to catch up on your reading.

"Fear of Falling" is about a young man who is having fears about producing his play.

"Three Septembers and a January" tells the story of a man whose life changes because of Dream, Despair, Delirium, Desire and Death.

"Thermidor" is about the head of the Greek immortal poet Orpheus showing up during the French Revolution.

Fill out the Fables and Reflections Handout #1. In order to fill it out, you have to have read the stories carefully. Make sure to fill out each part of the handout completely. Then put the completed handout in your folder in the classroom.

What You Must Have in Your Folder in Order to Pass Cycle 1, Fall 2010

1) Rose that Grew from Concrete essay

2) A rap, song, or poem (by someone famous, or by you) whose lyrics have a symbolic or metaphoric meaning

4) Visual Metaphors Response Sheet

5) Visual Metaphors Poem - written by you

5) Poison Tree response sheet

6) Mother to Son essay

7) “Negro Speaks of Rivers” essay

Literary Elements and Cultural References in Poetry: Assignment for Wednesday, Oct 6

Read this poem by Langston Hughes:

The Negro Speaks of Rivers
I've known rivers:
I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the
flow of human blood in human veins.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln
went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy
bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I've known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

-- Langston Hughes, 1926

When Langston Hughes wrote this poem in the 1920's, he used the phrase "The Negro" to mean people of African descent.  This was, and still is, a poem about Black heritage.

Get the handout for this assignment here, or by clicking the link on the right side of this page.

2) What literary elements can you find in the poem, such as metaphor, simile, and imagery?  Find at least three literary elements and circle them.  Then, on the margins next to what you've found, name the literary element you’ve circled.

On the PAGE AND A HALF of lined paper I’ve included with the handout, or on regular lined 8.5x11 paper, describe the cultural references and overall meaning of the poem.  Answer these questions in essay form:

What cultural references can you find in this poem? 

To what actual historical facts and events is Hughes referring? 
Remember to look for words that are capitalized.  Do you recognize any of those names, and where are they from? 

Be sure to also include a description of what literary elements Hughes uses in this poem, and explain how he uses them to convey the message of this poem.

Interpreting "Mother To Son"

Get the handout for today's lesson here.  You may also get the Mother to Son handout by clicking the link for it on the right side of this page.  This time, write a full essay (at least five paragraphs) describing the meaning of this poem and explaining in what way it may or may not be true for you in your own life, or in the lives of people you know.  Be sure to proof-read your essay and correct for grammar, spelling and punctuation before turning it in. 

Interpreting "A Poison Tree"

We used this Interpretation Handout for William Blake's "A Poison Tree" to break down the task of figuring out a metaphor.  Download it from here if you don't have it.  We saw that 1) We must figure out words we don't know (do the vocabulary) and 2) Interpret the meaning by "getting" the metaphors used in the poem. 

These vocabulary words were selected:
wrath
foe
deceitful
veiled
wiles
outstretched


Use the handout.  Write your interpretation of the poem on it.  
What is the poem about?  Describe your interpretation of it.  As you write, consider the following:

Look at the title.  Why is the poem called "A Poison Tree"?
What does the tree symbolize?
Why is it "watered" and "sunned," and what does that mean, metaphorically?
What happened to the foe in the end of the poem, and why?

What's Due Today, and Tools You Can Use to Improve Your Writing

Your completed poems are due today.  They should be typed and I will come around to each of you and make sure they are saved onto my flash drive.  Next week we will read them aloud, and the class will determine which poem is about which class member.

We are also going to determine common errors that students make. Use my Use of the Comma, Use of the Apostrophe, and Grammar and Spelling Tips sheets to check your written work.

The Poison Tree by William Blake

Extra credit for this week: Read "The Poison Tree" by William Blake. 

What is this poem about?  What symbols and metaphors are in these poems, and what do they mean?  Write a short essay describing your understanding of the poem.

Some Hints for Writing Your Poem

How do you write a poem based on a visual metaphor?  We did it as a class, so that students would have an example about how to translate their visual metaphors into descriptive words.   Each class wrote a poem based on an animal a class member had chosen as a visual metaphor.  In Period 5, the class picked a lion, and wrote this poem:

I am King of the Jungle
Dangerous, fast in reaction

Aggressive, fast to attack

Courageous and

Impervious to distraction.

Though, growing up as a cub,

It was a mirror image of what’s happening now,

I was the deer, I was the gazelle, I was the zebra

Unable to avoid destruction.

I earned my crown creating treason,

Betraying my followers,

I learned how to become destruction

That’s why I’m King -

For a reason.

The students of Period 7 picked a crocodile, and wrote this poem:

I am a crocodile,

Patient, hungry and versatile.

I’m evil – there’s no denial.

I am keen to get my prey

And show only my eyes.

My sharp teeth will rip through your flesh

And my mind will get me to your death.

What kind of people are we describing here?  The lion, Period 5 decided, is a person who is fierce and ruthless.  The crocodile, according to Period 7, is a person who is cunning, devious and dangerous.

Reminder: Make sure you have a completed Visual Metaphors Response Sheet saved to your account.  Once that is completed you may begin writing your poem, based on the three visual metaphors in your Visual Metaphors Response Sheet. 

Visual Metaphors and You: Write the Poem!

Use the Visual Metaphors Response Sheet (on the right of this page), and paste your three visual metaphors symbolizing YOU into the sheet.  THEN write a poem (no less than eight lines) describing yourself in metaphor.  You may use rhyme or free verse.  You may use more than three visual metaphors, but you must use AT LEAST the three visual metaphors from your Visual Metaphors Response Sheet.