 Objective: to learn how to research, use MLA format to cite sources, and write a research paper that conveys what you have learned to your audience  Final Product: 2-3 page research paper WITH correct in-text citations and Works Cited page

 Your research will include several steps: Finding sources (book, database, website) Citing USEFUL sources Taking notes from those source Reviewing and organizing your information Writing a thesis statement and outline Writing a rough draft Revising, editing, and writing a final draft

 An I-search paper consists of three components: The story of your search What you learned (cited information) Your reflections on the research

directly relates to your life  The topic for this research paper should be something that directly relates to your life  Think about what you do, where you go, what affects your family, your school, etc.  Your topic must be: Appropriate Researchable Something you’re interested in!

 First, brainstorm to come up with a topic  Then, answer these questions: Why am I interested in this topic? What do I hope to learn from my research?  Last, turn that information into a research question. This question will guide your research, help you evaluate sources, and decide on the audience for your paper

 What am I interested in? Training my dog to do agility courses Selling my house Being a better teacher Being a better scholastic bowl coach Reading Cooking  Which of these is most realistic to research? Being a better teacher

 Ok, I have my topic. Now, why am I interested in this topic, and what do I hope to learn? I’m interested because it’s my job! It affects my daily life, and yours as well. I want to learn more about effectively teaching novels, and different strategies for helping students read novels

 Now I know what I want to research and why, so I need a research question.  What specific strategies can I use to help my students become engaged with a novel, structure my class discussions, and ensure understanding?

 Follow these steps to come up with a research topic and guiding question

 Why? So you can retrieve the information again So I can review your sources later  Types of sources Book Database Website

 Take a look at the book on your desk  Find the title page  A book citation includes: Author’s name Title Place of publication Publisher Date of publication The word “Print”  Find all of this information in your book

 Put the information into this format: Author’s last name, first name. Book Title. Place of publication: publisher, date. Print. Clare, Cassandra. City of Fallen Angels. New York: Margeret K. McElderry Books, Print. *Pay attention to the punctuation! It has to be correct!

 On the school’s website, click on “Academics” and find Mrs. Walker’s name  Choose “Gale Databases”  The password is schools  You want the Gale Virtual Reference Library

 First off, Google is NOT a website source—it is a search engine  Secondly, Wikipedia is not allowed as a source for your paper Validity Reliability

 If a website is to be considered valid, that means it includes information based on research that can be verified by other sources Does it include references? Does it seem reasonable?  If a website is to be considered reliable, it is able to be trusted Who is the author? Who is the publisher? How old is the information?

 To further check reliability: Look for.edu or.org websites rather than.com  Read information carefully to check for bias BIAS is “prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair”

 Find online/database sources for your paper and write citations for them If you have questions about the reliability/validity of a site, bring it to me to check  Add these to the sheet where you have listed your book sources  Bring them to me to be checked when you have completed them  The MINIMUM number of sources you need is one website and one database

 Your assignment is to find sources and write a correct citation for each source  Book Sources: Search the library’s database here; when you have selected books you would like to go check out, I will approve them (or not) and write you a note. Mrs. Walker will be available to help you find them.  Database: See me if you can’t remember how to get to or use the database; the password is schools  Websites: Remember to look for valid, reliable sources! Have me check your source if there is a question.

 In your folder, I should find: THREE correct source citations (AT LEAST one book, one database, and one website. More is better!) FIFTEEN notecards (they don’t necessarily have to be on notecards, but you should have 15)  Each source should be given a number  Each notecard should have a number that corresponds to a source AND a page number!  These will be graded TODAY!

 Get out any notes you have on root words and affixes  We will begin with a quiz—when you are finished, bring your paper to ME  Then, get a computer and your research folder  We will type Works Cited pages today

 Remember, EVERYTHING is due by the end of class tomorrow (4/9/14) Notecards TYPED Works Cited (on my Sharepoint page) Thesis statement Paper Outline  Put anything you want graded in your folder where I can easily see it!  If you are done with all of this, let me know and you can start writing your paper

The Search Story Let readers know what you wanted to learn and why. State your research question. Engage reader’s attention and interest; explain why learning more about this topic was personally important for you. Explain what you already knew about the topic before you even started researching. Retrace your research steps by describing the search terms and sources you used. Discuss things that went well and things that were challenging.  Length: 1-2 paragraphs

Search Results Describe your results and give support. Use findings statements to orient the reader and develop your ideas with direct quotations, paraphrases, and summaries of information from your sources. Properly cite all information from sources.  3-4 paragraphs (or more, NOT less) Introduction with general information, plus the three paragraphs(ish) you outlined

 Use your outline/thesis statement to write the second part of your paper  INCLUDE IN-TEXT CITATIONS AS NEEDED Remember, I should see them in every paragraph except the introduction!

Search Reflections Discuss what you learned from your research experience. How might your experience and what you learned affect your choices or opportunities in the future?  Length: 1-2 paragraphs