Research Paper Presentation

Instructions for the research paper presentations are below. The rubric will include preparedness, visual, presentation skills, response to questions, and conventions. Click here to view the draft rubric. Please email me your slides before your presentation so that I can load them onto the computer and we don't waste class time; send a copy to yourself as well in case there are technical problems, or save them in your student folder.

You should plan a short presentation of your research – no more than five minutes – for the class. Begin by briefly discussing your initial interest in the subject; your early questions, hypotheses or opinions; what you expected to find. You might comment on the process: challenges, surprises, or breakthroughs in your research. Finally, give a synopsis of your findings, which might come in the form of an overview of arguments for and against a certain position, and share your recommendations and suggestions.

Create a few short slides to accompany your presentation. I recommend not going overboard with text, but make the slides visually interesting with any images or other graphics that will help you clarify your position. Bring some notes, but resist the temptation to read directly from a script.

Be prepared to answer a few friendly questions from your peers.

We will begin the oral defense presentations on Thursday, January 3rd.

Before we wrap all this up, you will also have the opportunity to write a letter to someone in the community – local, state, or national – to present your point of view on the topic. I’ll give you the details on that when we get back from the holidays, but you could start thinking about a potential audience.

Week of January 2nd

Wednesday, Jan. 2nd (W)
• Due: Read the first half of your lit circle pick.
• Class: Literature circle discussions.

Thursday, Jan. 3rd (H)
• Due: Prepare research paper presentation and keep reading your books.
• Class: Begin research paper presentations; wrap up Fitzgerald episode of Biography.

Friday, Jan. 4th (F)
• Due: Keep reading those books!
• Class: Continue research paper presentations.

Monday, Jan. 7th (S)
• Due: Finish reading your lit circle pick.
• Class: Literature circle discussions.

Literature Circle Picks

Assuming they are all available (I have a date with the book room on Monday morning), the following titles will be options for our second term literature circles. If you will be out of class on Wednesday, you must email me your rankings (top five, please) by Tuesday evening or I will assign you to whichever group needs another body.

• The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker
• Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
• Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
• Huck Finn by Mark Twain
• Intruder in the Dust by William Faulkner (or The Sound and the Fury?)
• My Antonia by Willa Cather

I will describe each book in class on Wednesday, so if you'll be in school then you don't need to do anything.

Homework: MLA Exercises (Part II)

Note: Some people have pasted the exercises right into an email for me and that's working out fine. I'll send you a confirmation of receipt as usual, if you go that route.

Same deal as before. Click here, navigate to the MLA exercises and complete the following for practice:

• MLA 2-4: Avoiding plagiarism in MLA papers
• MLA 2-5: Avoiding plagiarism in MLA papers
• MLA 4-2: MLA documentation: in-text citations

You can either email or print your results. If you are not scoring near 100% on these quizzes, then I would highly recommend you take a few more between now and your final draft!

Homework: MLA Exercises (Part I)

As you begin drafting, it will be important to review the particulars of MLA citation (it's so, so much better to get it right from the start than to go back and fix it all, trust me).

Click here or navigate to http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/writersref6e/Player/Pages/Main.aspx to get to the main page for A Writer’s Reference by Diana Hacker. Click on the link to “Research exercises” and then click “Cancel” to proceed without entering your personal information. Click on the “MLA” tab. You should complete the following three exercises:

• MLA 2-6: Recognizing common knowledge in MLA papers
• MLA 3-3: Integrating sources in MLA papers
• MLA 4-1: MLA documentation: in-text citations

Print your results for me both so I know you finished and so I can identify any lingering points of confusion. Remember that you can print two or more pages per page to save on the paper!

Instructions for instant tree karma improvement follow:

In Internet Explorer, when you are ready to print … select “Print” from the “File” menu to pull up the print options. Choose the tab marked “Finishing.” Look for the option that says “Pages per Sheet and Posters” and select “Two Pages per Sheet.” Miracle of miracles, you’ll use half the paper! If you feel like living on the edge and want to go for four pages per sheet, I’m down.

Model Papers

Drafting is a daunting process. Looking at a couple of model papers can take that edge off.

Diana Hacker's website (surprise!) has several sample papers in MLA format. Click here to go to her site. If this doesn't take you there automatically, click on the "Model Papers" link and select any from the first two sections (make sure you're looking at MLA formatted papers). I would recommend the paper "Performance Enhancement through Biotechnology Has No Place in Sports" for starters; click here to download the .pdf.

You might also want to see an example of a great paper from this class in particular. Click here to learn about universal health care from one of last year's students.

Note that you will need Adobe Reader (it's free!) to open these files. If you need help (or a printed copy), shoot me an email.

Updated Calendar

Wednesday, December 5th: As Time Goes By: Gatsby Meets Daisy (continued)
Finish and perform oral interpretations. Discuss.
Homework (due Thursday, December 6th):
· Read Chapter Six of The Great Gatsby.

Thursday, December 6th: Time, J. G., and the American Dream
Tracing Gatsby’s past. Time as motif and theme in Gatsby.
Homework (due Friday, December 7th):
· Finish timeline and questions if not done in class.

Friday, December 7th: Drafting & Citations
Drafting the research paper: synthesis of sources, integrated quotations, and parenthetical citations.
Homework (due Monday, December 10th):
· Complete first set of assigned MLA exercises (will post URL on blog).
· Email a specific question about your draft for our MLA workshop on Monday. Please try to send your email by Saturday night so that I can set them up for class. Attachments are fine.

Monday, December 10th: Stump the Teacher: More Fun with Responsible Research
Possible quiz on MLA basics. Answering your drafting and citation questions.
Homework (due Wednesday, December 12th):
· Complete second set of assigned MLA exercises.
· Read Chapter Seven of The Great Gatsby and complete email assignment.

Wednesday, December 12th: Drama at the Plaza
Clip from The Great Gatsby (1974). Discussion.
Homework (due Thursday, December 13th):
· Complete first draft of research paper. You must bring a printed copy to class for credit.

Thursday, December 13th: Peer Consultation
Peer consultation on research paper drafts (high level revising).
Homework (due Friday, December 14th):
· Read Chapters Eight & Nine of The Great Gatsby and complete email assignment.

Friday, December 14th: The Holocaust is Complete
Socratic seminar or class discussion using student questions.
Homework (due Monday, December 17th):
· Revised rough draft of research paper. You must bring a printed copy to class for credit.

Monday, December 17th: Peer Consultation
Peer consultation on revised research paper drafts (close editing).
Homework (due Tuesday, December 18th):
· One-pager responding to literary criticism and The Great Gatsby.

Tuesday, December 18th: Responding to Literary Criticism
Sharing one-pagers; jigsaw with literary criticism. Introduction of literature circles for winter break.
Homework (due Thursday, December 20th):
· Final research paper emailed to skitsis@arlington.k12.ma.us and smkitsis@gmail.com by the end of day. I will send confirmation of receipt.

Wednesday, December 19th: Hollow Men
Wrap up details of literature circles. Connections to The Great Gatsby.

Thursday, December 20th: Class Does Not Meet
But research papers are due to me by email at the end of the day. Unless you preferred Wednesday?

Friday, December 21st: Loose Ends
Self-assessment of research papers. Wrap up the A&E Biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Have a great vacation! Upcoming deadlines to be aware of:

· Wednesday, January 2nd: Read first half of lit circle book with 10 substantial sticky notes.
· Thursday, January 3rd: Begin presenting research briefs to class.