Monday: Final Draft formatting for Research Paper

AP Final Draft format--

See page 86-90 in Bedford Reader for another MLA sample paper with Works Cited. 

• Your title should read "Mark, Joanie, Sam. FINAL DRAFT. Research Paper"
• Please number the pages in a header like this:  Last Name, Last Name, Last Name  #) Make sure you hit Insert and page numbers otherwise it will number every page 1)
• Heading goes under the header.  Each name gets its own line.  See MLA/Purdue Owl for rest.
• Change text color (no lime or yellow, please) to mark your writing, then make a comment at the end of the paragraph with your name in it.
• Leave text black(like for intro and conclusion) if it was a joint effort.
• At the end of the paper, insert page break and then copy final draft from google docs of your Works Cited page there. (be sure you have UNCHECKED in noodle tools any sources you do not end up citing and then make sure you have MERGED your accounts so all your sources are on ONE BIBLIOGRAPHIC page to export to google docs.)

Monday: Getting back to Cause and Effect

Planning your research paper...

Today I am asking you to return to your notecards and your groups in order to touch base and plan your essay.

 Once again, here is the link to the thesis and outline doc for ONE of you to copy and then share with your team and with me.

http://goo.gl/Qy3DtH

review my tips here: http://goo.gl/eCbNk9

Here is the game plan for the week:

Monday: Write thesis/plan essay structure and responsibilities

Tuesday: Review one more sample, write intro paragraph together and share on collaborize classroom

Wednesday: Everyone works separately on their portion of the paper and posts on collaborize for feedback.

Thursday:  I model feedback, if necessary.  Everyone reviews and then revises.

Friday:  Write conclusion paragraph AND Editing workshop for correct citations and/or grammatical problems.  Try out a few different sentence lengths and structures if possible:  periodic, cumulative, balanced, inverted.

PAPERS ARE DUE by Tuesday of next week!

THURSDAY: Research deadlines have shifted

Research check points

5 complete notecards made by each one of you:  due Monday.

Your thesis and outline are due on a shared doc by next Thursday.

Tips for writing a strong thesis http://goo.gl/eCbNk9

Template for sharing your thesis/outline: http://goo.gl/Qy3DtH

Rhetorical Analysis Feedback goes here.

ANALYZE from beginning to end--your understanding of the effect of organization is fundamental and can be a really helpful way to organize your writing, and will ensure that you are thorough in your analysis. 

Remember beginnning with the THEY SAY I SAY is a very popular strategy in argument---don't confuse the two.

"He uses syntax and diction to achieve his purpose/message"--STATE IT EXPLICITLY/PRECISELY!!!!!!

2007 RA sample papers: http://goo.gl/T3TLsP

Tuesday: A Debrief

Class Agenda

1. Vocabulary Test on Lesson 13

2. What were the most difficult counterarguments you had to address yesterday?

                    Why the word matters: http://goo.gl/rCyQ0P

                        Franz Kafka has part of the rebuttal: http://goo.gl/x4L3yf

3. RESEARCH PAPER:  Checking in.  Are you ready to form a thesis?  What categories do you see emerging?  Where do you need to do more research?

Tomorrow, you should be ready to submit your first draft of your thesis, with a rough outline, highlighting the main sections of your paper and who will be responsible for what.

Making Notecards for your Cause and Effect essay

Tuesday and Wednesday will be devoted to your research project.  When you log on at the start of class, you should have three tabs open on your computer:

1. The http://www.vhslibrary.com/ site----go to the Napa County Library site and click on databases. (Infotrac Newstand and Opposing Viewpoints)

2. Noodletools.com---log on  (have you entered your Research question yet on your dashboard?)

3. Your email so you can access the sources you send to yourself.


KEEP IN MIND, you cannot conduct a search on these databases the way you search on google!  Remember to use AND/OR/NOT like the librarian showed us and then narrow your search, using the column on the left hand side.

WHEN YOU HAVE FOUND A SOURCE:

1. email it to yourself and your partners
2. make a CITATION (that's the bibliography button on noodle tools)
3. make a NOTECARD (or two or three, depending on your source) linked to that citation
4. HIT "SAVE" when you have finished the notecard!

By Monday, I would like to see that each of you ( INDIVIDUALLY at this point) have collected at least 5 notecards in your noodle tools account.  Don't worry too much yet about a specific category of research, just find out as much as you can about your topic---next week you can meet and discuss what you have learned with your group and then splinter off more specifically.

Thursday: Using Infotrac and Noodle tools

Research Project:  Day Two with the Librarian

Today students browsed through Infotrac Newsstand, another database like Opposing Viewpoints in the Napa County Library database site.  Remember you will need to use or create an ecard on that site in order to access these ESSENTIAL databases!  

Important tip:  When you search a database, you must use AND  /OR/ NOT (unlike in google) to help narrow your search.  Also, use the column on the left in Infotrac to help narrow your search down to a manageable number.  

Students emailed an article from Infotrac to themselves and then used that to create a notecard on noodletools.  They began by first creating a citation on the BIBLIOGRAPHY page.  THEN they created a notecard LINKED to that citation.  

I also activated the sign up sheet below at the end of each period, so students could sign up for a topic and present a draft of their focusing question.  

NEXT DEADLINE:  Monday April 28th, I must see evidence of notecards on noodletools.  I'd say a good number would be at least 5-10 a person! 

Huck Finn update

Also, Monday, April 28th we will be having our Socratic "Synthesis" discussion on Huck Finn.  I will give you the synthesis prompt on Wednesday of next week so you can prepare adequately, as well as finish the book!  

Vocabulary check-in

Vocabulary test on Lesson 13 will be Thurs and Fri of next week, depending on testing schedule and where your period lands.  Here is a link to the flashcards WITH SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS AND GREEK ROOTS: http://goo.gl/kWsNff

Examining a sample Cause and Effect Research Paper

So cool!  Thank you, AP Test Calculator:  http://appass.com/calculators/englishlanguage/

Today we will read the essay "Urban Neanderthals" from The Compact Reader in order to understand what an academic research paper looks like in MLA format.  A secondary goal is for you to read closely in order to analyze the argument in the essay and how its structure achieves its purpose.

Please look for and annotate the following items in the essay:

1. Highlight the thesis.  Where does it occur in the opening paragraph?  What is the writer doing leading up to this thesis?  Can you tell where the emphasis will be in this paper--on causes or effects?
2. Underline the sources and citations mentioned in the body of the paper.  Look for each one in the Works Cited page to see how they correspond.
3. Outline the essay here.  I just wrote the format in for the first few paragraphs....continue the format as you go.

Monday: A Visit from the Librarian!

Here is a link to some online Research Tips.

Here is a link to databases--USE THESE!

Today you will be creating a noodle tools account at noodletools.com.  The school username and password are on the assignment sheet.  The first time you create an account you will need to use the link on the librarian's page.

HEADS UP:  Your topic and focusing question is due on Thursday. I will open up this sign up for the first 5 minutes of class every day, so those of you who already know your topics can claim them.

2nd period:  TOPIC/QUESTION SIGN UP

6th period: TOPIC/QUESTION SIGN UP

Cause and Effect Research essay prompt

Here is the prompt with all the deadlines posted: http://goo.gl/t1zSJY