We the People Opening Statements and Research Opening
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We the People – Opening Statements and Research
Opening Statements Must: • Be no more or less than 4 minutes long – Less than 3: 50 is too short – More than 4: 10 is too long • Answer all parts of the question directly • Contain specific research • Include contributions from all group members
The Best Opening Statements: • Start and End with a Quote that represents the ideas presented in the rest of the statement • Clearly answers the question • Does not waste time with statements that do not say anything • Has multiple sources referenced and lots of specific examples
Each Opening Statement Should Have the Following Types of Research: • Quotes relative to question topic (Power Quotes, Internet) • Constitutional Connections • Scholarly Journal Articles • Current Events Examples • Case Law • Historical Examples • Federalist/Anti-Federalist Papers
When Conducting Research: • Do not expect to find the answer explicitly stated on the internet • Break the question into smaller parts and use each part as a search topic • Google and Google Scholar are the best search engines • Use Google Books • Wikipedia is not acceptable unless you use it for the sources listed at the bottom of the page • Remember – not everything on the internet is true – verify your sources!
Research Logs • Each Day you are in the lab, you must complete a research log (on website) • DUE AT THE END OF EACH CLASS • Must be typed – must include the topics researched, name of source (full MLA citation) • Key information with connections to question – Summarize – can be in bullet points or sentences – Purpose: Help you organize research and create OS and annotated bibliographies in future
Library Resources • Electronic Encyclopedia of American Government • Opposing Viewpoints • SIRS Researcher • All can be accessed through Library’s website • See BH or Mrs. Jackson for log-in information
