Today’s agenda

1. Today’s agenda • We are going to go over the research project • Review “good” sources • See the notecard process • Go over the thesis formula • Workshop • Your Jobs • Get the 3 paragraph possible topics done • Work on your Crucibleoutline and essay And / or research

2. Research project overview • The topic is very open to what you are interested in, but you must be able to make an academic argument about your topic and you must get it approved. • You will present your research via a poster or powerpoint presentation to the class after break. • This presentation will be 10 minutes long. • You will use notecards and be expected to be able to answer questions about your topic.

3. Examples if you are still stuck • Examples of good topics: • Gun control • Causes / effects of various wars • Kony 2012’s campaign • Sports injury / Concussion • Examples of bad topics: • Baboons • Pokemon / Honey Boo Boo

4. Internet for Pre-research • You want to make sure you are looking at real, reputable sources of accurate information. • Domain names can give you a clue about a website’s purpose: .com commercial or business .org non-profit organization .net network, social .edu educational .gov government .pro professional You should begin your search looking for .gov and .edu sites first.

5. Other Clues for Good Websites • The author is clearly stated and has a claim of knowledge about the subject • Ex. A professor or journalist • The website information is up-to-date • The article comes from a well-known company or newpaper • There is objective information • The author cites there sources of gives a resource list

6. Notecards This is how your notes will look for this project. Due day after vacation: 35 notecards for your side of your argument/topic Bibliographical Information Ie. Your citation goes here the first time, then afterwards just a number. Example: 1. Marquez, Gabrial Garcia. Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Bogota: Random House, 1983. Author, Page # “Quote from your source” Or Paraphrased Information One sentence on how this supports your argument! Front of the notecard Back of the notecard

7. How do I write a thesis? • Most important things to remember: • A thesis must be able to stand alone • Thus, it must include the title of the work and the author • It is at the end of your introduction • Your entire essay is written to prove that it is true. This is your anchor! • Thus, it must be arguable. It is not a statement of fact! • It must tell the reader both what you are trying to prove and how you are going to prove it.

8. Thesis Formula In (Title of the Work) by (author), (statement of opinion that answers the prompt) is shown by / is proven by example 1, example 2, example 3, etc. • If you have more than 3 examples, you can categorize them or make generalizations. • The most important thing: Tell us your evidence in the order that you are going to write about it. • Order tip: Good, Meh, Best • Protect the weakest link and drive it home in the end

9. Due Dates… • White Day • Crucible Essay and Outline: Thursday, end of day • Research Notecards: Thursday, January 2nd • Maroon Day • Crucible Essay and Outline: Friday, end of day • Research Notecards:Friday, January 3rd