The Crucible Research Project

Annotated Bibliographies, Outline, and Presentation DUE: ______

After deciding on a topic, your group is responsible for completing the following tasks:

· Each group member must be responsible for one aspect of the research and must use at least TWO sources for his/her research

§ Each group member is expected to turn in their own Annotated Bibliographies for their research

§ Each source used must be correctly cited using MLA format

· Each group is expected to have an outline of their research/presentation. Presentations should be approximately 10 minutes in length

§ Mrs. Garrison must be able to approve all outlines prior to the day of presentations.

· Your presentation should be interactive for the entire class. This can include a game, a worksheet, audience participation, etc., but must include every single person in the class and be focused on helping the class remember the information you are presenting.

Topic 1 – Arthur Miller
Topic 2 – Related Persecutions / Topic 3 – The Salem Witch Trials
Topic 4 – McCarthyism / Topic 5 – Communism
Topic 6 – Puritanism

Guiding Notes

Group 1 – Arthur Miller

· Key Events in his life

· Overview of other works (including Death of a Salesman)

· His beliefs/political outlook, including communist connections

· Arraignment by the House Un-American Activities

Group 2 – Related Persecutions

· What are the causes? Focus on the beliefs of the society and the leading characters

· What are the consequences (both for the individuals accused, the accuser, and the society)

· What are some possible ways to have avoided these situations? Be sure your solutions are applicable to the people at that time and in that situation

Groups to Consider:

· the Holocaust, Japanese Internment Camps, Segregation

Group 3 – The Salem Witch Trials of the 1690s

· What events led to these trials?

· Who was involved – as prosecutors? Victims?

· What were the outcomes of the trials?

· How do historians interpret these events?

Group 4 – McCarthyism and the crack-down on communists in the 1950s

· Changes to the American lifestyle

· Background information on McCarthy

· What were his aims? Methods? Who were his victims?

Group 5 – Communism

· What is communism?

· Where did it come from?

· What is the Cold War?

· Who was involved in the Cold War?

· What was the outcome of the Cold War?

· What is the American Communist Party? How did it impact the lives of Americans?

Group 6 – Puritanism

· Give an overview of the Puritan lifestyle

· Consider the beliefs of the Puritans

· The Great Awakening

Annotated Bibliography Notes:

Bibliography- is a list of sources that have been used to research a topic. This usually includes author, title, publisher, and copyright date.

Annotation- a summary and/or evaluation of each of the sources used to research a topic. An annotation will be written in paragraph form and will include the following:

· Summarizing: Some annotations simply tell the main arguments, the purpose of the article or book, or the topics covered. The length of your annotation will depend on how detailed you are in your summary.

· Assessing: After summarizing you may evaluate by asking how is it a useful source? How does it compare to other sources or information you have found? Is the information reliable? Who is the intended audience of the literature?

· Reflecting/Judging: You need to ask how this fits into your research. Was the source helpful? How does it shape your argument? How can you use the source? Has it changed your thoughts on the topic? What is your overall reaction to the source?

Purpose:

· To Learn about your topic: It is one of the best ways to get information for a research project. You can collect sources and keep track of what they are about without having to go back and re-read all of them.

· To help you formulate a thesis: This will help you to understand what is being said about your topic allowing you to write a thesis statement that is informed and thoughtful.

Format:

· Format can vary so make sure you know the teachers guidelines before starting an annotated bibliography

o Bibliography format= MLA

o Annotation format= paragraph form