We had a productive time in class today talking about our topics. It's time to be clarifying and being confident about our subjects and our working thesis statements.
We began with a timeline of the research paper process. On the blog you'll see a picture from the whiteboard. It's important for students to be regularly reading and researching so that they can fine time their leading questions and begin to get a sense of an organizational order.
After going over this timeline, I gave the students a worksheet: Cooperative Learning: Evaluating Your Topic. Throughout this project, we will have a number of opportunities to talk through the processes. The students shared their topics and controlling ideas. Then we talked as a group about the possible subtopics for their chosen topics.
Students handed in their "Why I'm Interested" papers, and we're on to the next paper, which is a Writing Proposal. In this paper, students are to make their own plans. They need to cover the following in their proposals:
- brief background information for the subject and chosen topic
- a working thesis
- awareness of the level of the audience
- a plan for locating the appropriate sources
- an initial list of resources
- proposed subtopics
- a timeline for completing the assignment
- acknowledgement of any difficulties or challenges for the project
Because we took this time to work through topic ideas, we did not have time to go through the 30 Steps (steps 11 - 13, which are about choosing and evaluating sources) or to go through the grammar for the day, which was about phrases.
Assignments for Next Week:
-- Writing Proposal
-- Read Steps 11 - 13
-- Continue working on your research
Have a wonderful weekend. If you're not doing anything, join us in Northfield for the Defeat of Jesse James Days!
Blessings,
Mrs. Prichard
