Devotional: John 4:48
Mr. Stone provided the following instructions:
1. Be sure your note cards are sorted by key word. You should have a pile for each secondary question.
2. Go through each pile and review the specific details that you have gathered. Write out a generalization about those specific details that could serve as a topic sentence for a paragraph. Complete this process for each of your five secondary questions (and possibly a sixth pile if you made cards related to the key word of your primary question).
3. Once you have written five topic sentences, then look back at your primary question and consider a generalization that would cover your five topic sentences and answer your primary question.
4. Review your statement of the main idea (thesis/the answer to your primary question) and your five topic sentences (your five subtopics). Decide the best order for your subtopics. Number the order.
5.Type out the statement of your main idea (This will be stated at the end of your report's introduction.)followed by the five topic sentences for your body paragraphs in the order you want them in your paper.
Students will turn in two papers at the beginning of class. A sheet showing their handwritten work for steps 2-4 above and a second typed sheet showing step 5.
Homework: Finish making a rough outline. Bring the two papers described above to class.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Transitioning from Note Taking to Drafting/Forming a Central Idea
Devotional Text: John 4:13-14
Students wrote their primary question on a piece of paper and began to consider how they might write a single sentence answer to the question that would serve as the main idea of their research reports.
Mr. Stone wrote student examples on the board and analyzed them with the class.
Researchers often begin with a primary question and then ask the secondary questions necessary to answer the primary question.
As a writer turns from researching to drafting, she/he reconsiders the primary question. To answer this question, usually the writer must consider the specific details found as responses to each secondary question. A generalization about the details found to answer a secondary question becomes a topic sentence. The writer then considers the group of generalizations to form an even broader generalization which will answer the primary question.
Homework: After reviewing the notes you have already taken, write five more note cards to fill in gaps. Each student should come to class having now completed a total of forty note cards.
During the next class period, students will work on creating a sentence outline for their paper by answering in a single sentence each of their secondary questions and then their primary question.
Students wrote their primary question on a piece of paper and began to consider how they might write a single sentence answer to the question that would serve as the main idea of their research reports.
Mr. Stone wrote student examples on the board and analyzed them with the class.
Researchers often begin with a primary question and then ask the secondary questions necessary to answer the primary question.
As a writer turns from researching to drafting, she/he reconsiders the primary question. To answer this question, usually the writer must consider the specific details found as responses to each secondary question. A generalization about the details found to answer a secondary question becomes a topic sentence. The writer then considers the group of generalizations to form an even broader generalization which will answer the primary question.
Homework: After reviewing the notes you have already taken, write five more note cards to fill in gaps. Each student should come to class having now completed a total of forty note cards.
During the next class period, students will work on creating a sentence outline for their paper by answering in a single sentence each of their secondary questions and then their primary question.
Monday, March 3, 2014
After School Help
Mr. Stone continues to be available Mondays at lunch time and during the optional period after school on Mondays through Thursday. Students who have questions or have low grades should definitely make use of this opportunity.
Assessing Research Progress
Devotional Text Luke 3:3
Mr. Stone distributed six rubber bands to each student. They sorted the thirty note cards they have completed so far (if they are up to date) into piles by the cards keywords/subtopics.
After examining their note card piles and looking back at their primary and secondary research questions, students wrote an entry in their journal titled "Research #2." They were to describe the progress of their research: How many note cards have you completed? How many note cards do you have for each of your subtopics/secondary questions? Do you have notes from at least two different sources for each of your subtopics/secondary questions? How many sources have you located? Do you need more sources? For which subtopics/secondary questions do you need more notes?
Mr. Stone began reading and discussing Section 28: Managing Information; Avoiding Plagiarism (Hacker and Sommers 100-103) and discussed the creation of a working main idea with most periods.
Homework: Complete five more note cards towards the forty note cards required for the assignment.
Note: If you have not used the advanced search function of Google and limited your search to .edu domains, you should definitely explore this approach to finding resources.
Mr. Stone distributed six rubber bands to each student. They sorted the thirty note cards they have completed so far (if they are up to date) into piles by the cards keywords/subtopics.
After examining their note card piles and looking back at their primary and secondary research questions, students wrote an entry in their journal titled "Research #2." They were to describe the progress of their research: How many note cards have you completed? How many note cards do you have for each of your subtopics/secondary questions? Do you have notes from at least two different sources for each of your subtopics/secondary questions? How many sources have you located? Do you need more sources? For which subtopics/secondary questions do you need more notes?
Mr. Stone began reading and discussing Section 28: Managing Information; Avoiding Plagiarism (Hacker and Sommers 100-103) and discussed the creation of a working main idea with most periods.
Homework: Complete five more note cards towards the forty note cards required for the assignment.
Note: If you have not used the advanced search function of Google and limited your search to .edu domains, you should definitely explore this approach to finding resources.
Research in the Library
On Thursday, February 27, 2014, all five sections of English I spent a period in the LLA 7-12 Library to allow students access to book sources for their research report.
Homework for Monday, March 3, 2014 (Tuesday for Period 7):
Make as many additional note cards as needed to get you to thirty.
Homework for Monday, March 3, 2014 (Tuesday for Period 7):
Make as many additional note cards as needed to get you to thirty.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Bib Cards and Note Cards
Monday, February 24, 2014 for Periods 1, 2, 5, & 6 and Tuesday, February 25, 2014 for Period 7
Devotional Text: Luke 9:57-62
Students took notes on bib cards/bibliography cards on the back of the note card handout.
Mr. Stone told students to write publishing information/bibliographic information in MLA format for each relevant source they discover on an index card. Label each new "bib card" the next letter in the alphabet. The first card would be A; the second card would be B, etc. On the back of each bib card, write what makes this source authoritative.
An author's authority is most commonly established by graduate studies in the field under discussion, employment in the field of study for someone other than one's self, or publication by a reputable press (another form of recognition by others).
Self-publication does not establish authority.
There are a number of good sites which over criteria for evaluating websites, such as George Mason University's "Helpful Hints to Help you Evaluate the Credibility of Web Resources."
Mr. Stone used examples from a blog entry on tipping hotel housekeepers to discuss what makes information interesting and convincing to readers.
Mr. Stone went over the difference between facts, paraphrases, summaries and quotes.
Students should primarily use small pieces of paraphrased material in their reports. Quoting should be used sparingly and only when the source's authority will particularly add to the paper. For this assignment, Mr. Stone stated that a student should not use more than one quote per page. Each quote should be no longer than two lines.
Mr. Stone began checking bib cards.
Homework: Complete ten note cards. (To start, try to take about five notes from each source.)
Devotional Text: Luke 9:57-62
Students took notes on bib cards/bibliography cards on the back of the note card handout.
Mr. Stone told students to write publishing information/bibliographic information in MLA format for each relevant source they discover on an index card. Label each new "bib card" the next letter in the alphabet. The first card would be A; the second card would be B, etc. On the back of each bib card, write what makes this source authoritative.
An author's authority is most commonly established by graduate studies in the field under discussion, employment in the field of study for someone other than one's self, or publication by a reputable press (another form of recognition by others).
Self-publication does not establish authority.
There are a number of good sites which over criteria for evaluating websites, such as George Mason University's "Helpful Hints to Help you Evaluate the Credibility of Web Resources."
Mr. Stone used examples from a blog entry on tipping hotel housekeepers to discuss what makes information interesting and convincing to readers.
Mr. Stone went over the difference between facts, paraphrases, summaries and quotes.
Students should primarily use small pieces of paraphrased material in their reports. Quoting should be used sparingly and only when the source's authority will particularly add to the paper. For this assignment, Mr. Stone stated that a student should not use more than one quote per page. Each quote should be no longer than two lines.
Mr. Stone began checking bib cards.
Homework: Complete ten note cards. (To start, try to take about five notes from each source.)
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Library Days
Students will be going to the library for an orientation, practice and evaluation of using a call number to locate a book, and for time to locate at least one book source for their research report.
Periods 1, 5, 6, & 7 will meet in the library on Wednesday, February 19th and Thursday, February 20th.
Period 2 will meet in the library on Thursday, February 20th and Friday, February 21st.
Periods 1, 5, 6, & 7 will meet in the library on Wednesday, February 19th and Thursday, February 20th.
Period 2 will meet in the library on Thursday, February 20th and Friday, February 21st.
Evaluating Sources
Tuesday 18 February 2014 for Periods 2, 5, & 6 and Friday for Periods 1 & 7
Devotional Text: Matthew 11:36-39
Mr. Stone offered students fifty note cards. (He accidentally purchased unruled cards.) Students who wish to have ruled cards may bring their own.
Journal Entry: Research #1
What parts of the research process are working well for you?
What have you learned?
What has given you trouble as you have begun researching?
Write out questions you have at this point.
Your entry needs to be a minimum of twelve lines.
Bubble Sheet
Students completed the final two rows of the research bubble sheet and placed them on the black chair in the front of Mr. Stone's room.
Evaluating Sources
Students began reading Section 27 in A Pocket Style Manual (94-99).
Homework: Finish reading pp. 94-99 of A Pocket Style Manual. There will be a quiz at the beginning of the next class period.
Devotional Text: Matthew 11:36-39
Mr. Stone offered students fifty note cards. (He accidentally purchased unruled cards.) Students who wish to have ruled cards may bring their own.
Journal Entry: Research #1
What parts of the research process are working well for you?
What have you learned?
What has given you trouble as you have begun researching?
Write out questions you have at this point.
Your entry needs to be a minimum of twelve lines.
Bubble Sheet
Students completed the final two rows of the research bubble sheet and placed them on the black chair in the front of Mr. Stone's room.
Evaluating Sources
Students began reading Section 27 in A Pocket Style Manual (94-99).
Homework: Finish reading pp. 94-99 of A Pocket Style Manual. There will be a quiz at the beginning of the next class period.
Locating Other Online Sources
Thursday 13 February 2014 for Periods 5 & 6 and Friday 14 February 2014 for Periods 1, 2, & 7
Quiz: Source Categories
Mr. Stone read over Section 26d in Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers' A Pocket Style Manual, 6th ed. He demonstrated how to access the school's database sources, e.g. Ebscohost, from home.
Students had time to search for sources.
No homework was assigned over the Presidents Day long weekend.
Quiz: Source Categories
Mr. Stone read over Section 26d in Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers' A Pocket Style Manual, 6th ed. He demonstrated how to access the school's database sources, e.g. Ebscohost, from home.
Students had time to search for sources.
No homework was assigned over the Presidents Day long weekend.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
More About Search Terms
After singing again "Lord of My Life," Mr. Stone prayed for prayer requests from the class.
Students took out their research "bubble sheets" and made sure they had completed the homework correctly. Mr. Stone went over examples of search term variations on a classroom whiteboard.
Students received a handout on writing a note card. Mr. Stone emphasized the connection between the underlined words in each secondary/subsidiary question on the bubble sheet and the key word listed on a note card.
Fruit Salad Analogy
Mr. Stone compared writing with source material to making a fruit salad. Students want to gather a variety of sources as they would gather a variety of fruit for a salad. Few people are interested in eating unpeeled kiwi or grapefruit. The fruit needs to be prepared--peeled and cut into bite size pieces. Some fruit needs the seeds or pits removed. When writing with source material, writers need to prepare information by paraphrasing, summarizing, or quoting only the most select passages.
Keyword Searches in Databases and Search Engines
Mr. Stone went over how to refine keyword searches in databases and search engines (Section 26b in Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers' A Pocket Style Manual). Students should know the use of the following common functions:
quotation marks
AND / +
NOT / -
OR
*
()
Students also read Section 26c on locating books.
Using his laptop and video projector, Mr. Stone demonstrated how to locate the high school's library page. He showed the class how to use the library's online catalog. Stone searched the online catalog using the word "Palestine" for a keyword search, a subject search, and a title search to show the varying number of results that would come from each type of search.
Mr. Stone also showed the links to the A. K. Smiley Library and the San Bernardino Public Library sites so students might search for sources through those systems as well. Students who live in San Bernardino County may use the San Bernardino County Library system. Students who live in Redlands may take advantage of the A. K. Smiley Library. Students who live in Riverside County should look up the Riverside County Public Library system.
Homework: Study the list of "information packages" provided during the last class period for a quiz at the beginning of the next class. Students will need to match specific types of sources with their more general category of sources, e.g. a magazine is a type of periodical.
Students took out their research "bubble sheets" and made sure they had completed the homework correctly. Mr. Stone went over examples of search term variations on a classroom whiteboard.
Students received a handout on writing a note card. Mr. Stone emphasized the connection between the underlined words in each secondary/subsidiary question on the bubble sheet and the key word listed on a note card.
Fruit Salad Analogy
Mr. Stone compared writing with source material to making a fruit salad. Students want to gather a variety of sources as they would gather a variety of fruit for a salad. Few people are interested in eating unpeeled kiwi or grapefruit. The fruit needs to be prepared--peeled and cut into bite size pieces. Some fruit needs the seeds or pits removed. When writing with source material, writers need to prepare information by paraphrasing, summarizing, or quoting only the most select passages.
Keyword Searches in Databases and Search Engines
Mr. Stone went over how to refine keyword searches in databases and search engines (Section 26b in Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers' A Pocket Style Manual). Students should know the use of the following common functions:
quotation marks
AND / +
NOT / -
OR
*
()
Students also read Section 26c on locating books.
Using his laptop and video projector, Mr. Stone demonstrated how to locate the high school's library page. He showed the class how to use the library's online catalog. Stone searched the online catalog using the word "Palestine" for a keyword search, a subject search, and a title search to show the varying number of results that would come from each type of search.
Mr. Stone also showed the links to the A. K. Smiley Library and the San Bernardino Public Library sites so students might search for sources through those systems as well. Students who live in San Bernardino County may use the San Bernardino County Library system. Students who live in Redlands may take advantage of the A. K. Smiley Library. Students who live in Riverside County should look up the Riverside County Public Library system.
Homework: Study the list of "information packages" provided during the last class period for a quiz at the beginning of the next class. Students will need to match specific types of sources with their more general category of sources, e.g. a magazine is a type of periodical.
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