Weeks 5 and 6


Note for this week: So it seems that I have gotten ahead of myself. I'm sorry. You will need to conduct a literature review before you finish your research proposal--and we won't worry about honing the research proposal just yet. I will give you a week to prepare your literature review fully before you tailor and fine tune your proposal. Right now, we need to backtrack a little bit and hone our research skills a bit more before diving in. To use a metaphor (and I love metaphors), I have thrown you into a pool knowing only how to doggie paddle (Boolean searching). You're going to need a few more skills before you begin your literature review in earnest.

 

Monday, September 28

 

Objective: Students will determine their college concerns in order to analyze their best approach to the application process.

 

1. Update the "Concerns" page with any and ALL concerns you have regarding college--not just the application process. Be honest and brutal.

2. Make sure that your college essays are available on in the folder marked, "College Essays." You will need them here in order to peer review each other's essays. And for my feedback, too!

3. Read each of these articles about college. (Yes, you have to read them all. I will be quizzing you!) These essays are NOT about getting in to college or choosing the right college necessarily--but they do relate to being in it. Choose one and respond to it in a brief essay response. This is due Wednesday.

It Doesn't Matter Where You Went to College

College isn't for everyone

The Future of College

The Invisible Force Behind College Admissions

In College and Hiding from Scary Ideas

 

Tuesday, September 29

 

Objective: Students will analyze college essays in order to evaluate their own.

 

1. Read the following stores of college essays. Read and analyze at least 5.

     Top 104 College Essays

     College Essays that Stand Out from the Crowd

     College Essays that Worked: JHU

 

2. Evaluate your own college essay. How can you make it stand out more based on what you've seen?

3. Provide peer review PQP-style to each other in the comments section of each of your college essays.

4. Don't forget that tomorrow your brief essay response on the article you chose is due. This should go in your student folder as a wiki page. Tomorrow we will pick back up with our research.

 

Wednesday, October 1

 

Objective: Students will examine research databases in order to discover information related to their topic.

 

1. Go through each database again. Gather a resource list of articles--make sure they are full text. If you need further access, ask me and I can provide you with my Towson University resources.

2. You should have a total of 10 articles that you want to read and annotate gathered by the end of the period. Make sure you have the passwords to your databases so that you can access the articles at home, too.

3. Complete this chart for homework concerning the articles and databases you found.

 

 

Thursday, October 2 

 

Objective: Students will identify the importance and construction of "good" questions in order to prepare to write their own researchable questions.

 

1. Today you are going to hone your essential questions more. You will develop them further and come up with all of the questions that the articles you've found present. To ensure your questions are at the highest level, use Bloom's taxonomy to help you. This site will enable you to form high level questions that will guide your research.

2. First, read and annotate the articles you've gathered. You have a couple of choices in terms of how you do this. You can start a Word document and use "Track Changes" to annotate by copying and pasting the material in there. You can conduct a Voicethread and annotate verbally. You can use Diigo and keep the document online and annotate the website for yourself there. Or, you can do it old school and print out the articles and annotate them using an old-fashioned highlighter and pen.

3. Next, come up with questions that the articles raise concerning your topic. Make this list on your essential questions wiki page that you have already created. These questions will guide the rest of your research.

 

 

Friday, October 3

 

Objective: Students will evaluate their learning in order to compose a synthesis/reflection essay.

 

1. Begin composing your reflection essay for this week. This will be worth 10 points.

 

 

 

Next week. A look ahead.

 

Monday, October 4

 

Objective: Students will create Easy Bib accounts in order to evaluate how EasyBib can help them in their research process.

 

1. Today you will be checking out EasyBib--honing your accounts, playing with the features and making a list of how EasyBib can aide you in your research process. Don't forget that our Easy Bib coupon code is franklinhs2015

2. Discuss how Easy Bib can help. Be sure to address:

     a. Notetaking

     b. Citations

     c. Process and product via EasyBib's features

3. Last, create a works cited page using the database article you found last Wednesday. Make sure you add me stenly@bcps.org to the page you create so that I can see it, too.

 

Tuesday, October 5, 2015

 

Don't forget that we are meeting in Room 105!

 

Objective: Students will identify the importance and construction of "good" questions in order to prepare to write their own researchable questions.

 

1. Today you are going to hone your essential questions more. You will develop them further and come up with all of the questions that the articles you've found present. To ensure your questions are at the highest level, use Bloom's taxonomy to help you. This site will enable you to form high level questions that will guide your research.

2. First, read and annotate the articles you've gathered. You have a couple of choices in terms of how you do this. You can start a Word document and use "Track Changes" to annotate by copying and pasting the material in there. You can conduct a Voicethread and annotate verbally. You can use Diigo and keep the document online and annotate the website for yourself there. Or, you can do it old school and print out the articles and annotate them using an old-fashioned highlighter and pen.

3. Next, come up with questions that the articles raise concerning your topic. Make this list on your essential questions wiki page that you have already created. These questions will guide the rest of your research.

 

Wednesday, Thursday October 6-7 2015

 

Continue your work on Easy Bib citations, document questioning, gathering, and annotations.

 

Friday, October 8, 2015

 

Objective: Students will evaluate their learning in order to compose a synthesis/reflection essay.

 

1. Begin composing your reflection essay for this week. This will be worth 10 points.