*+Research+Project+Resources


 * //Some resources to help with your English 9 research project://toc**

= = Keep in mind that this project will help you: - learn about the process of research - learn something new about a topic related to a text in English 9

=Getting started=

Research project handout
Read and **highlight** this document, paying attention to the __due dates__ and __rubrics__.

Background on topics


__Use reading strategies__
 * SQR:
 * **S**urvey: Look over the text, paying attention to titles, subtitles, pictures and captions
 * **Q**uestion: What do you think this reading will be about?
 * **R**ead: Use patterns, inferences, background knowledge and context clues to make meaning from the text.
 * Skimming: reading over a text quickly in order to get the gist, or main idea
 * Scanning: looking for a particular phrase or keyword //(hint: try using the 'find' feature for electronic documents)//

=Research proposal paragraph (Worksheet #1)=


 * Remember the "hamburger" paragraph model? **
 * Top bun = topic sentence
 * Meat & fixings = reasons, examples, details
 * Bottom bun = concluding sentence

Starters I would like to study... I hope to study...  I want to research...

Finishers For these reasons…. I think I will learn…. I hope to learn…

(don't forget to indent 5 spaces) ......I propose studying survivors from concentration camps during the Holocaust in World War II. I think the Holocaust was the most terrible tragedy in the 20th century and the survivors were lucky to have escaped with their lives. Even though millions of Jews died in the concentration camps, many people survived. There are some Nazi records of the camps, but survivors are one of the only ways we can know what actually happened inside the camps. I am curious about how people were able to survive in such horrible conditions. I also think studying these stories will help me to better understand the book __Night__ when we read it in English. Survivor stories are also important for us to learn about the Holocaust so we can prevent this from happening again. For these reasons, I think it is important to learn more about Holocaust survivors and how they managed to live through this horrific event.
 * An example:**

=Working bibliography (Worksheet #2)=

-5 sources -1 website (not encyclopedia) -1 book -1 database (destiny.saschina.org) - For each source you will need
 * A citation: the specific information about your source in MLA style (also called bibliographic info---Title, author, publisher, etc)
 * Annotation
 * __Reliability__---//Why can you trust this source? Who wrote this information?//
 * __Relevance__---//Why do you think this source will help you? What information will be useful?//
 * For a website, who wrote the information and who owns it.
 * http://www.wolframalpha.com/

- for a book in the SAS library, you can assume it is __reliable__ since it is in our library - to find out more about a website, go to www.whois.net and enter the website (be sure to choose the right domain: .org, .com, etc)
 * NOTES**:

Use the school database collection: go to www.destiny.saschina.org Try these sources: EBSCO MAS ultra Questia SIRS Discovery
 * FINDING SOURCES:**

=**Electronic Notecards & Thesis (****Worksheet #3)**=

**Electronic notecards**
For this stage of the research project, you will use Noodle Tools to create electronic notecards for each of your sources. Each notecard will contain all the important bibliographic information (title, author, etc.) AND an __annotation__.

Annotations

 * Direct Quotes - text copied or typed exactly as it appears in the source
 * Paraphrase - the ideas from direct quotes but __in your own words__
 * New Ideas - Your ideas or questions about the information you just paraphrased. This might include next steps

Example
Direct quote: "//During the Great Depression the unemployment rate skyrocketed to hover around 25% for 15 months."// Paraphrase: During the Great Depression a lot of people were unemployed (1 in 4 people) Ideas: I wonder if more people started growing their own food. If people didnt' have money, did they use bartering or some other form of trading?

>> When you are satisfied with your electronic note cards, you may transform it into a word document and print it out, using the tabs at the top. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLETE 3 OF THESE ELECTRONIC NOTECARDS, PRINT THEM OUT, AND TURN THEM IN.

**Thesis statement**
A thesis statement is a __concise__ statement of the __purpose__ of your paper. Your thesis statement should be __specific__. It should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence.

//A simple formula:// a specific topic + a particular feature or stand + (a list of reasons) = an effective thesis statement

Some resources: try [|this] or [|this] or [|this] **Here is a PDF with more details and examples:**

Here is another way to think about writing your thesis:

=Worksheet #4: Outline=

Sample student outline