We had a great class this week. We're getting into the nitty gritty of the research paper process, and, to me, that always feels super productive, even if a little stressful.
I started the class with a Common Application essay prompt:
- Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.
They had some thoughtful comments and are thinking about life and the world around them.
I had sent rough drafts back to the students at the beginning of the week, and we discussed the editing and revising process. I explained to them my process for reading this first rough draft:
1. Read the whole paper through, not making any marks or comments.
2. Read the introduction and conclusion, looking carefully at the thesis and the expressed direction of the paper.
3. Read the whole paper again, evaluating the content and organization of each paragraph and making comments.
For some, I suggested a reverse essay. Unlike a regular essay that you compose before you begin writing, a reverse outline shows what has actually been written in an essay. Many times students have more information emerge or more ideas come to mind while they are writing. When this happens, it sometimes gets mixed into the wrong paragraph. Or, a student may be unsure where to put a category of information, so it is added in bits and pieces throughout the paper. A reverse outline gives a student another perspective regarding the order and unity of a paper.
We also discussed citations and the Works Cited page. I showed them an online resource that I've found helpful. The three that I recommend are:
In addition to these online resources, they each have a handbook for writing that I loaned them on the first day of class. They need to use this book or another source to check the citations that these web sources generate. I have found at times that a generator will present the name of the website as the name of the page. The students also have handouts from me about proper MLA format.
Next week, the second rough draft is due, making this the week to make sure any additional information is added. Next week, each student will trade his/her paper with another student for a peer edit. Reading and editing a classmates paper is helpful in 2 ways: 1. Another set of eyes on a paper gives a fresh perspective; 2. Editing is a valuable skill to grow in.
Assignments for Next Week:
-- Go through your Rough Draft #1 and highlight all of the "there is/are" sentences. If you have an over-abundance, rewrite the sentences.
-- Prepare Rough Draft #2
-- In Rough Draft #2, underline the thesis statement.
-- Prepare the Works Cited page.
-- Bring an extra copy of Rough Draft #2 for the Peer Edit.
Links for this Week:
Class Notes
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Prichard
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