Project:#33 Research Project
Your Research Paper will be published on your webpage. Use these resources to help you.
Paraphrasing:
Modelling is always a good way to start. I use the SmartBoard. An LCD projector is good. An overhead
is good. Printouts and a blackboard are good. Essentially you want to show the scholars how to
paraphrase. Hear what Kim has to say,
I have students bring in a news article pertaining to something that
they will be writing an opinion piece about. They are to have read
through the article and are to have highlighted what they believe are
the main ideas, names, etc. Then they create a graphic organizer,
usually a map, of the highlighted items.
I bring in an article and model using an overhead. Last year I used
an article on human cloning (remember that controversy about the
group that said it had cloned a human). Anyway I draw a circle in the
middle of the page and write the word cloning (or the major topic of
the article). Then I draw lines and circles filled with the other
highlights. I encourage students to use just two or three words to
capture the idea (not the exact words from the article.)
Then I collect the articles and have the students write summaries
from their mapping notes. (I don't tell them ahead of time they will
be summarizing because if I do they'll probably write more from the
article and less from their own head.)
I got this idea from Betty Hicks of Blue Springs High School at
Missouri's Write to Learn Conference. It has worked well because
students are able to summarize in their own words the major points. I
have much trouble with plagiarizing because students rely too much on
the text. But without the text in front of them and just their notes,
they do quite well.
Though I use as a prewriting for an opinion piece, I think the
activity would work with any summary assignment. We also work on MLA
citations and taking direct quotes from the article. I have students
write down one or two direct quotes that they can use in their
opinion piece. Good luck.
Kim Chism Jasper
Stockton High School
Stockton, MO
Paraphrasing Tips. Paraphrasing, Summarizing, and Quoting.
Paraphrasing Tips. What is the correct way to quote and paraphrase?
Paraphrasing Tips. TIPS FOR PARAPHRASING
Quoting, Paraphrasing & Summarising
Have you tried giving them a model paragraph that shows how to introduce a
quote, include the quote, give a reason the quote is included, and explain
the quote, all the while connecting it to the main idea they are trying to
get across? Perhaps four or five such paragraphs as models for them to keep
might work. They might begin (as with the 5-paragraph essay) by trying to
copy the format of the paragraphs esactly, but once they learn to do this,
it should become easier and they probably won't worry too much if their
paragraph has five or seven sentences while the model had six.
Sample Model Paragraph:
[Sentence 1: Transition from previous paragraph] Thoreau, however, is not
necessarily interested in actually living in nature to the extent that he
would be camping out. [Sentence 2: Lead-in to the quote] He writes about
building his house, and the fact that it protected him from the elements.
[Sentence 3: Includes quote] "I began to occupy my house on the 4th of
July," he says, "as soon as it was boarded and roofed, for the boards were
carefully feather-edged and lapped, so that it was perfectly impervious to
rain . . . ." [Sentence 4: Tells why you include this quote] As you can see,
he was careful in the way he constructed his house, and he did wish to be
protected from the elements when necessary. [Sentence 5: Adds more
information to strengthen the support] It is also interesting that he did
not actually move to the woods until this house was ready for him to live
in. [Sentence 6: Reminder of how this relates to your main idea] So it is
apparent that while he loved nature, he wasn't living in a cave, or even a
tent.
Just an idea.
Susan Erickson
Research Unit Ideas from Tina
How about focusing the unit a bit, like having students research a person of
their choice (even more focused- a "hero"), or a specific event in U.S.
history (even more focused- an aspect of the Vietnam War), so that it may be easier
for you to gather resources or bookmark webpages for a couple of days in the
computer lab. What do you want the purpose of their writing to be; to inform
(the struggles and the rise of a certain national leader) or to persuade
(Vietnam was a product of the Cold War).
You can take them step by step; using and evaluating references, taking
notes/using notecards, how to cite references, how to keep from plagiarizing, fact
vs. opinion, creating an outline, supporting detail, etc.
It may help to expand your own knowledge of doing research.
Plug these key words into a search engine and see what you get:
lessons + research
lessons + inquiry
inquiry + based + instruction
units + research
study + skills
Good luck!
Tina D
NCTE-Talk list 123003
RESEARCH PAPER PACKET from studyguide
Steps in Writing
the Research Paper
Writing the Research paper
from Purdue's OWL
See The Module Maker by Jamie
McKenzie for help. It represents an exciting new way to structure and guide student research efforts so they
will focus upon higher level thinking and rich electronic resources along with good print resources like
books and live data from sources such as interviews. Reseach modules can be an effective way of
addressing the most challenging new state standards.
Keeping track of info. On a piece of paper or index card or on your computer
keep the information of your sources.
What you need:
- Author(s) name. Last, First
- Title of piece read. If part of whole like chapter in book, an article in
magazine or newspaper use quotes around it. if it is its own piece like a
book then underline it.
- Title of book, magazine and the like from which the piece was found.
Underline this title.
- Publisher Name.
- City nearest you right now in which it was published.
- Latest publication date.
- Pages from which you extract the quote or pages you used to paraphrase,
put in your own words or refer to ideas.
- URL and date viewed
- If you are photocopying pages from a source, you may want to photocopy
the pages in the beginning which have title and publication info so you have
them for later purposes and so I can help you or someone else can.
- We will discuss the final format of this later. What is most importnat
though is that you have this information on and for each of your sources.
- Explore making citations.
Projects
- Bio of Primo Levi.
- Survival of Auschwitz
- The Reawakening
Explore The Essay
Explore Journalism
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