Researching a Single Question

At this point you should have selected a topic, ran it by us for confirmation and began to work on coming up with a research question.

This week's assignment is a graphic organizer/calendar to help you get organized and begin to collect your research and document your work as you go.

Right now, just focus on narrowing down a topic and setting a research goal. You can begin to casually research as sort of a fail safe and to double check your question to ensure it is workable and answerable.

For this assignment you will be asked to use three sources:

1. The VHS Library Database
• EBSCOHost - This will allow you to search for scholarly articles including "Point of View" which is perfect for this project FYI
• Facts on File - This might be better for any science/math related topics or questions
• Other decent databases include JSTOR (journals) and Salem Press (psychology and mental health links)
• Please see the Google Doc in Classroom for links and logins
2. MackinVIA
• Here you can search topics and categories to find resources including ebooks and audiobooks related to your topic
• Browse databases for scholarly articles and related materials
• Please see the Google Doc in Classroom for links and logins
3. Any Source
• Well, not quite... NO FACEBOOK, TWITTER or any other social media. Those are the two that come to mind when I think of misinformation.
• Also, NO WIKIPEDIA

• Google away, but you want to find stuff from a reputable website. Think The New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, even ESPN.
• Netflix - Find a series, movie or documentary on Netflix or Hulu or Disney+ or any streaming service that is related to your topic. 

As you start to look up information, think about your Research Question. Does it need to be adjusted? Is your focus too narrow or too broad? Try to come up with a few different research questions and post on the graphic organizer. Just make sure your question is final by Tuesday!

One Note: While you're beginning your search remember to search for sources effectively. Be specific and Try different words/phrases/synonyms. For example, if you are looking for information on how "social media is bad for relationships", try searching a variety of phrases such as, "negative effects of social media" or "Facebook is making us less connected."

Brainstorming and Research Questions

What is a research question?

First...

BRAINSTORM: Think about a few topics that interest you and develop a list. Your weekly agenda (2/24) is set up to help organize your ideas and provide a broad range of topics.

Think about what's been going on in the world socially and politically over the past few years (immigration/family separations, legalization of marijuana, voting, protests and social issues/civil unrest, covid-19, the economy, the Capital) and see if there are any that struck a chord with you or you feel like diving in to.

Think about pop culture (movies, music, streaming, the entertainment industry), technology (app development, diversity in big tech, censorship), sports (anthem protests, covid concerns, gender equality), religion, current events, climate change.

You can browse the Gallup site to look at polls and data on just about every issue under the sun.

Slowly narrow this down to be more and more specific and once you settle on a topic, narrow it down before. Which brings us to...

QUESTION: A research question is a clear, focused, concise, complex and arguable question around which you center your research. You should ask a question about an issue that you are genuinely curious about.

Research questions help writers focus their research by providing a path through the research and writing process.

THREE THINGS:

1. Topic should strongly interest you

2. Make sure your topic is creative  

3. It is not too broad!

Use this link for help: Research Questions: The Good and the Not so Good

The most important thing is to think about the goal. What do you want to accomplish by answering the question?

Please let us know if you have trouble brainstorming, narrowing down, or developing a clear, focused, concise, complex and arguable question. Use the agenda to stay on task.

Next week we will begin to finalize research questions and develop a thesis!

Personal Narrative

Last week you were asked to write a personal narrative:

What does identity mean? And what give you your identity.

For example, in the 57 Bus: 

Sasha identifies as genderqueer. Sasha wears a skirt everyday. Sasha must remind their friends to use proper pronouns when addressing them. Sasha is a happy and well-adjusted teenager from a good family, and they have good friends. Sasha is going to MIT. They are obsessed with all things Russian and love public transit.

Richard is arrested and charged with two hate-crimes. Richard comes from East Oakland. Richard has served time in a group home, and several of his friends have been sent to prison, or worse, have been killed in the violence that is commonplace in Oakland. Richard formed a bond with Miss Kaprice. Richard wants to graduate and make his mother proud. 

Narrative Writing 

What would you say about yourself? 

Use the Pre-Writing Outline to address some of the same questions/topics/themes that we covered with The 57 Bus and come up/jot down with some thoughts about yourself. 

We're going to focus on writing introductions. Each essay should start with a focus on what identity means. Think about three things when you begin writing:

1. Identify the focus - The reader should be able to recognize what your writing is about. This is where you should introduce the topic, aka, address the prompt. For this assignment, think about your definition of identity. What does it mean? What is it the truly gives a person their identity?
2. Outline the scope - What will you be writing about (think about what you wrote after the article: "I believe hate crimes should be prosecuted because of reason one, reason two and reason three...")? Outline what gives you your identity. 
3. State thesis - We're going to really teach thesis writing later this year. A thesis statement is usually only one sentence long that responds to an assignment topic and appears as the last sentence of the introduction. However, for the purpose of this assignment, think of it as a "purpose statement" or a topic sentence. What is the most important aspect of your identity and what will you be writing about?

After you have your intro written, just write. This isn't going to be the most structured essay you ever write, just convey what identity means to you. 

You can write about anything you feel is important to your own identity. It can be..

• And experience in your life that shaped you (good, bad, other...)
• Something your passionate about (sports, politics, social issues, games, movies, music...)
• How you spend you time and with who (friends, family, teams, hobbies...)
• Beliefs, values, goals, attitudes...

What does identity mean? And what give you your identity.

ARGUMENTATIVE/THESIS WRITING TIPS

Helpful Links to help you remember what an argumentative essay is and how to format it. We pulled a few videos that are short and to the point. If you take the time to watch, we promise they will help. Please comment when you watch and let us know what you think.

ARGUMENTATIVE HOW TO GUIDE 

How to write a THESIS STATEMENT

Argumentative Outline- Using the topic of social media as an example

57 Bus- Please take a moment to complete the attached Hate Crime Survey!

Please complete the attached questionnaire on Hate Crimes. 

Feel free to comment on any feelings or thoughts you have on the topic.  Please make sure all comments are appropriate!

Hate Crime Survey

Check your Email!

New year, new unit. 

I hope everyone had a great holiday and winter break and was able to get back on track last week. You had three assessments (not fun) we needed to get done:

1. Reading Inventory
2. NJSLS Form B
3. Unit 2 Summative Assessment

Now, on to the new stuff. First, if you haven't made any New Year's resolutions my suggestion would be to re-organize yourself for the remainder of the marking period (and school year). You've heard by now we're continuing "remote learning" until at least the end of February. Have a plan to be successful. 

Check your Emails!

One thing I'd like everyone to learn to do is check your email regularly! From, College Professor Shares 8 Email Tips That Students Need to Learn:

As a psychology professor, I’m often asked by students and parents for college success tips. The first and most straightforward piece of advice is what I preach every lecture, “Don’t forget to check your email.”

Checking and using your school email will instill important habits for your work or college careers. It will also help avoid any miscommunication and help you stay organized in class.

New Unit - The 57 Bus

Please complete this Anticipation Guide:

Remote Learning Re-Start & Beowulf vs Grendel

UPDATED: Now that we've gone totally remote a few important things to remember:

1. Be present. This means of course doing your best to attend class meets, but also being responsive - check your email daily, comment and respond in classroom under assignments, be current and don't fall behind in your work. 
2. Class schedule is the same as when we were in school. You will follow the same schedule, but virtually, Mon/Tues/Thurs/Fri. English will post in Google Classroom Wednesdays as well as possibly holding open Meets to review or reinforce any skills and help with current assignments. We will also have "Office Hours" throughout the week, but you can still reach out whenever you need. 
3. Be organized. Please do your best to stay current with the reading and assignments. We will do our best to make things easy on you. If you need help getting organized - ask.
4. Monday (11/30) and Tuesday (12/1) we will be live in your class Google Meet to review Remote Learning expectations, go over Office Hours, answer any questions you have and offer help getting caught up with the first half of "Beowulf." We will also be discussing ideas covered in last week's reading and questions as well as brainstorming thoughts on the One Pager or Essay.

On to Beowulf - this week we are going to focus on a number of things. Please be prepared to discuss and write about the following:

• Theme
• Symbolism
• Values
• Setting
• Character Traits

What is the setting of the story and the comparison between Grendel's lair and King Hrothgar's mead-hall/palace. What do the stark differences between the two symbolize?

What are the major character traits of the two main characters of Beowulf and Grendel? How does the matchup between the two represent the theme of the story? Think: Heaven and Hell, God and the Devil, Good vs. Evil, Light vs. Dark, and so on...

In modern times, we still read, watch and consume stories about a hero taking on villains.

And to document what we read and discuss as we approach the halfway point of Beowulf, you're going to be asked to cite, annotate and infer from the Grendel excerpt and the fight chapter:

Citations - quotes from the text. Find any line that you feel is important to the story and cite it.

Annotations - What do you want to remember about this quote or the section of the story? Make a note to help.

Inferencing - Take what you already know and jot down what you think is going on or make a well reasoned prediction.

The movie Beowulf is now available on Netflix if you want to watch. Here is the scene when Beowulf defeats Grendel:  

And an older version (1999):