A Christmas Carol Research Project Mrs. James, Vaitai and “V” 7 th. Grade Language Arts

The Objectives Reading and Writing 7.1 Analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. 7.2 You should describe multiple themes in a work of fiction, tell us how place and time influence the theme or message of a literary work. 7.3 Explain the influence of the setting on plot development;

Research Objectives 7.22 – 7.23 RESEARCH: (A) brainstorm, consult with others, decide upon a topic, and formulate a major research question to address the major research topic; and (B) apply steps for obtaining and evaluating information from a wide variety of sources and create a written plan after preliminary research in reference works and additional text searches. (A) follow the research plan to gather information from a range of relevant print and electronic sources using advanced search strategies; (B) categorize information thematically in order to see the larger constructs inherent in the information; (C) record bibliographic information (e.g., author, title, page number) for all notes and sources according to a standard format; and (D) differentiate between paraphrasing and plagiarism and identify the importance of citing valid and reliable sources.

Research Objectives 7.23 – 7.24 (A) narrow or broaden the major research question, if necessary, based on further research and investigation; and (B) utilize elements that demonstrate the reliability and validity of the sources used (e.g., publication date, coverage, language, point of view) and explain why one source is more useful than another. (A) draws conclusions and summarizes or paraphrases the findings in a systematic way; (B) marshals evidence to explain the topic and gives relevant reasons for conclusions; (C) presents the findings in a meaningful format; and (D) follows accepted formats for integrating quotations and citations into the written text to maintain a flow of ideas.

The Project Paper bag card – This is how it will look from the outside. This project was adapted from this idea from Dear Habermas: Teaching web site with original text and imagery by Jeanne Curran and Susan R. Takata - Permission is granted to share and remix by creative commons. This is my citation of the idea I am borrowing See? “Permission is granted…” Although I did not have to cite, I just wanted to….

The Middle – Characters, plot, setting…What does it all mean?

The Inside Scoop Very well, SHOW ME what you have learned… Tell me about the characters, the setting, the time, what changes, who changes…..and above all – make it look PRETTY!!! Use quotes from the book, from your article, listen carefully to the movie…

The Back – Your Resources will go here… References Book Article Movie

The Rubric… 1.Title – Clearly stated on the FRONT of the bag. Your name, last name, teacher and period (bottom of the bag) and cover images – 15 points. 2.Middle and Inside of the bag – BIG PART OF THE PROJECT!!! List of Names for all characters; 1 quote per character (minimum); discussion of the setting, plot (summary), and name the character that changes the most and WHAT those changes are…What I am looking for here is for your understanding of the text. (50 points) 3.Back of the bag – References Where did you read the text from (Internet, books on cd/tape, a paper copy, etc.). Correct citation format – MLA! (15 points) 4.Your Images – Take your time on these! Ms. V used some colors, some stencils…some drawings (basic and not very good)…You can use anything, however, if you print it from a web site: YOU MUST CITE IT! (20 points)

Research Tools USER ID – tidwell ms Password - titans Website

Do you remember how to search? Choose your database…

Enter your search topic… let’s us DICKENS (all caps) or Victoria Era (the time where the novel was written)

Click and cite – MLA Style

Citations - Tips The “big deal” in RESEARCH is making sure you are telling us where you got the information form. Basic rule – if you did not produce it (or have permission to use it – “Royalty Free” – you must cite it! Book: Last name, Firstname. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication. Example: Henley, Patricia. The Hummingbird House. Denver: MacMurray, Print. Internet: Name of the Website. Title of the Page. Copyright or last update date. Web. Date you accessed it. Example Victorian Christmas Decorations. Decorations for the most beautiful Christmas Yet Web. Dec. 5, EBSCO – Click on cite this article for the correct citation – YOU MUST COPY IT CORRECTLY to receive credit.