A Parents Guide to surviving Research A Few

A Parent’s Guide to surviving Research

A Few Reminders… • Research essay season: Q 3 W 6 Q 4 W 7 • Q 3 W 7 -8: Only research essay assignments • Q 4: Begin Romeo & Juliet, no athome annotation requirement

How can you help your student? • Q 3 W 6: Choose topic, begin securing sources • Q 3 W 7: Form a working thesis, begin researching • Q 3 W 8: All sources should be secured. 1 st set of note cards due. SPRING BREAK: Continue researching, Works Cited due Mon/Tues after • Q 4 W 1 -3: Complete research, finalize thesis, topic sentence & body paragraph outline • Q 4 W 4 -5: First 5 body paragraphs; intro & conclusion • Q 4 W 6: Proofread the complete rough draft using parent checklist • Q 4 W 7: Final draft due! Note: This is not a comprehensive list of assignments! Handout: “A Parent’s Guide to Surviving Research Es

Q 3 W 6: Choose topic, begin securing sources Choose a topic • Should be interesting to your student • Should be feasible for your student (complicated topic = complicated writing process) • Consider choosing a topic that you find interesting or know something about Begin securing sources • Core B source requirements: 4 sources total, 2 must be book sources • Take a trip to the library. Ask a librarian for help! • Search the library database (EBSCOhost)or google scholar (https: //scholar. google. com/) • Help your student find credible sources (Work with them when finding online sources!) Description”, “EBSCOHOST No Wikipedia! Evaluate. Handout: websites“Research carefully: Essay Author? Date? Design?

Q 3 W 7 -8: Form a working thesis, begin researching Form a working thesis • Brainstorm with the “Topic to Working Thesis” worksheet • Remember, a quality thesis does the following: ü Clearly expresses the essay’s purpose and main ideas ü Presents an argument (Think: would someone disagree? ) ü Broad enough to allow plenty of room for multiple related subtopics ü Narrow enough to provide a clear focus Handout: “Topic to Working T

Begin researching (note cards) Begin researching • Core B note card requirement: 40 note cards, 4 source cards • First set of 20 note cards due Q 3 W 8, complete set of 40 note cards due Q 4 W 1(each set should be submitted with applicable source cards. ) • Note card hints: ü Decide upon some general topics before beginning research ü Choose facts wisely. Pick strong facts, avoid repetitive note taking ü Indicate whether a “direct quote”, Paraphrase (P), Handout: Summary (S)

Sample note card Each note card must have a topic listed in the upper left corner. This will help when you sort through your information and begin the writing process. You will assign each source a number (1 -4) in order to keep track of notes taken from each source. God’s grace to Bunyan Source # 2 “His realization of the depth of God’s grace in his own life gave Bunyan an ability to speak to many people, even generations, of their own spiritual state. ” (Bunyan’s experiences enable him to encourage others who are suffering with the truth of God’s grace. ) CHOOSE QUOTES WISELY! Avoid quoting commonly known information. Always keep direct quotes within quotations. Paraphrases should be indicated with a (P) or (S) after the information. p. 128 Optional: Place your own commentary in parenthesis. What is the importance of this quote? What point am I trying to make by using it? Always remember to cite the page number! For online sources, write a W.

Quoting/Paraphrasing/Summarizing. What’s the difference? Quotations must be identical to the original, using a small segment of the source. Must be placed within quotes. Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own words. Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original passage, condensing it slightly. (Think: 1 paragraph 2 -3 sentences) A summary should be a short version of a longer original source. Summaries include only the most important ideas of the original text. (Think: 2 -3 paragraphs 1 -2 sentences) IMPORTANT! • Both paraphrases and summaries communicate the ideas using different wording and syntax.

PLAGIARISM! What is it? How do I avoid it?

What is plagiarism? Plagiarism is stealing words and/or ideas and claiming them as your own by not properly citing the material. How do I avoid plagiarism? • Format notecards properly • Be careful in all steps of the process to include intext citations • When in doubt, CITE!

Forming a Works Cited page: Resources available for MLA 8 Formatting help: • Purue University Writing Lab • Youtube videos • MLA 8 practice template • www. easybib. com Visit your tutor’s Weebly page for these links. Caution: Citation generators are not 100% Handout: “Sample Works Cited”, “Works accurate!

Q 4 W 1 -3: Finalize thesis, Two-step outline process • Research many necessitate a thesis statement wording change • Sort note cards by topic (aiming for 8 -10) • Arrange topics into a logical order Set up argument (background info) points develop argument strongest • Form topics into topic sentences ü Each topic sentence must directly relate to thesis and help prove your argument. ü Note: Counterarguments will be introduced in Core C. They are not a requirement for the Core B research essay. • Develop the body paragraph outline Handout: “Outline

Q 4 W 4 -7: Edit, revise, submit Writing process begins Q 4 W 4 • Week 4 - 1 st 5 body paragraphs Proofread, provide suggestions • Week 5 - Intro & Conclusion Proofread, provide suggestions • Week 6 - Rough draft Must be proofread by a parent using parent checklist • Week 7 - Final submission Verify that your student has submitted the essay to Turnitin Check your student’s essay folder. Are all necessary components included? Handout: “Parent

Questions?