Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Day 25: Presentations and IMRD

Presentations

During today's class you will present your research paper outline to the class. This should take a little bit more than an hour.

IMRD Structure

Before that, I will briefly present IMRD STRUCTURE.

You can view two sample IMRD papers below.
SAMPLE 1--ECONOMICS OF FARMING
SAMPLE 2--ASSESSING WATER QUALITY

Conferences

You can view the time slots available for individual conferences HERE. You should bring a printed copy of your completed final research paper outline to the conference along with any questions you have.

Class will be cancelled on 4/26/12 and my office hours will be cancelled on 4/25/12 and 4/27/12 for conference scheduling.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Day 24: Literature Review Workshop

Today we will work on literature reviews...IN CLASS!

First we will briefly review aspects of a literature review.

Then you will have the opportunity to work on it in class and ask questions to me or your peers.

If you finish your literature review, work on your reflection paper. If you finish both of those, then prepare for your presentation on Tuesday.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Day 23: Source Synthesis

Objectives: Students will be able to:

-Recognize the definition and purpose of source synthesis in academic writing
-Categorize ideas from different sources through the use of a grid
-Synthesize sources based on ideas rather than the author
-Review the principle of unity in when synthesizing sources

First, you will finish up sharing your outlines with your classmates.

We will move on to cover source synthesis. This will be especially helpful in developing your literature reviews which are due Thursday.

Begin by opening the SOURCE SYNTHESIS POWERPOINT.

You will revisit what it means to synthesize your sources, and then you will have the opportunity to evaluate the structure some excerpts from literature reviews. Review these EXAMPLES OF SOURCE SYNTHESIS. In groups try to answer these questions:
-What are the organizing principles of text A and text B?
-Which text synthesized the sources better?
-What are some characteristics that make a good source synthesis?

We will finish up with the powerpoint. You will then need to read the information in the
SAMPLE SOURCES document, and organize the information found in those sources into a GRID ORGANIZER.

Remember strategies for making your writing more clear. For each main idea that recurs among the sources, create a topic sentence that both
1) Synthesizes the literature to be discussed
2) Describes the literature to be discussed
Example 1) Much of the literature points out that whole capital punishment does not stop crime, most Americans still believe that it does stop crime.
Example 2) Not only does the literature agree that capital punishment does not stop crime, Prejean, Fitzpatrick and Marshall also suggests that capital punishment may in fact cause more crime.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Day 22: Research Paper Structure

You will be able to:
-select an outline for your final research paper
-develop the outline for your final research paper
-share the outline with your classmates

Research Paper Outlines
Today you will have the opportunity to develop an outline for your final research paper. We will first review SUGGESTED OUTLINES.

Select an Outline
You will then have the opportunity to evaluate each outline individually and decide on one to follow for your final research paper.

Developing your Outline
Once everyone has decided on their outline, you will work on developing the outline and present it to members of your group. Groups will be made according to the type of research paper you will write.

Preparation for your Oral Presentation
With the remaining time. You can make any adjustments to your outline you feel are necessary and prepare for your oral presentation. Minimally, you will need to present the information in your outline and provide a visual aid.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Homework 4: Literature Review

You will need to write a 2-3 page literature review.

Be sure to include:
1. A brief introduction that states the purpose of the literature review and presents the organization style that the body of the literature review will follow (this is separate from the CARS introduction paragraph to your essay).
2. A body that includes information from the sources that you will cite in your paper as well as in-text citations for information taken from sources.
3. A conclusion that concludes the discussion on the literature and presents a need for further study of the niche

Be sure to follow the guidelines for literature reviews presented on DAY 21.

Value
15 Homework Points
Filename
literature_firstname_lastname_1.doc
Due
4/12/12

Reflection 2: Final Research Paper Reactions

Your Writing Process
As we saw in class today, everyone has different ways of writing essays. Write a short essay (300-500 words) about your feelings towards the final research paper. Be honest in your answers please =D Things you might want to discuss include:

Body paragraph 1:
-What your plan for your paper is
Body paragraph 2:
-What parts of the research paper you feel comfortable with or confident about
Body paragraph 3:
-What parts of the research paper you feel uncomfortable with or are unsure about

Don't worry so much about grammar. Your grammar will not be assessed in this essay. You should, however, make sure you follow the appropriate FORMATTING GUIDELINES and maintain a focus on the topic of the essay.

This is to give me the opportunity to address some of the concerns you (individually or as a class) may have concerning the final research paper.

Value
10 Reflection Points
Reflection
reflection_firstname_lastname_2.doc
Due
4/12/12

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Paper 3: Final Research Paper

A 7-10 page paper (2-3 pages should be the literature review), which explores the topic more in depth. This paper should be either argumentative or problem/solution, or it can seek to answer a research question you propose. The paper should be primarily an exploration and defense of your thoughts on the thesis statement, supported by research.

Please review the scoring criteria HERE.

To ensure that seven pages is equal among all students, I ask that you format your paper according to THESE GUIDELINES.

If you include pictures/diagrams/charts/tables in your final paper, the size of one of these should be less than half of one page. If the size is greater than or equal to half of one page, put it in an appendix at the end of your paper. The total amount of pictures/diagrams/charts/tables included in the text of your paper should be less than one full page. If your paper requires more pictures/diagrams/charts/tables than can fit on one page, attach additional items as an appendix.

Make sure you have all of the following pieces:
-title page
-abstract
-introduction
-literature review
-body
-conclusion
-bibliography page

File Name
final_firstname_lastname_1.doc
Due Date
Tuesday, May 1st