1. Mr. White’s History Class Writing a Research Paper – Part 3: Using Sources and Gathering Information

2. Objectives What do we want to know how to do? Assess our sources Find information from our sources Strategic Reading Record information from our sources

3. SOAPSTone After we find our sources, we can use SOAPStone to assess them and figure out if and how we can use them: Source Occasion Audience Purpose Subject Tone

4. SOAPSTone Using the SOAPSTone technique, soapstone Mr. White’s research paper for his Islamic history class Source - _________________________________ Occasion - _______________________________ Audience - _______________________________ Purpose - ________________________________ Subject - ________________________________ Tone - __________________________________

5. SOAPSTone Now, SOAPSTone your source. Is this an appropriate source for your topic? Why or why not? Is the source valid? Why or why not? Does it appear that the information is valid? Why or why not?

6. Finding Information From Sources What kinds of tools can we use to find information from our sources? Table of contents – chapter breakdown can lead us to the right spots Index – specific topics in a more general work Section headings – headings within the chapters that give a more specific idea about the topic

7. Strategic Reading To get a general overview of a source and what it’s trying to say, we can use strategic reading. Strategic Reading: Read outside to inside – first and last parts, smaller and smaller for more detail Record the information in outline form Let’s try this…

8. Strategic Reading – First and Last Sentences These are the first and last sentences of a paragraph in Mr. White’s paper: “The Mongols were possibly some of the best-trained cavalry the world has ever known.” “’The Mongol rulers therefore had available to them a cavalry force which could be speedily mobilized, was highly trained, and consisted… of the entire adult male population’” What is this paragraph going to talk about? What kind of information might it use to support? Now, strategic read one part of your source – the whole source, a chapter, or a paragraph

9. Recording Information Once you find information that you want to record, you should develop a system for recording the sources that gives: The name of the source, connected to the information The location within the source The information recorded in an understandable form – doesn’t have to be word-for-word, but should be understandable when you read it Some examples of what you can use: Notebooks 3-ring binders and loose-leaf paper Notecards – I prefer these the best Avoid Post-it notes or marking the page –doesn’t explain what thought was outlined on that page, or what you were thinking

10. Recording Information Practice recording information by: Creating three notecards using your sources