Research Project Page

Much of the materials for this document are available on line at the following link: Research Project Page.

Since this is only a template, the first thing you should do is save it to a file on your server. Give it a name you'll recognize such as Name's Research Project.doc.

You are discouraged from printing this document. It is intended to be used while you are on a computer connected to the net. Instructions on how to open this document from home are at Today in Class at Creating Worlds.

When you are ready to print out a report from this document. Copy and paste your paragraphs from the Answer section of this document. Use Word to format and add transitions to improve the readability of your paper.

If you are going to do a major project from this document, be sure to preview Presentation link. You will probably find yourself moving back and forth throughout the document. You may do some of the later steps before completing number 2 Getting Organized. This doesn't mean you aren't organized. It means that research is messy. You may not be able to answer all the items in Get Organized until you have made a decision about number 7 presentation.

Answer a question by making a choice or creating something new.

Index

1.  Question
2.  Get Organized
3.  Gather Information
4.  Sort and Analyze
5.  Answer
6.  Evaluation and Presentation

Top Get Organized Gather Information Sort and Analyze Answer Evaluation and Presentation

Question

Use this step to review the several topics you have selected as ones about which you might wish to become an expert.
When you think you have settled upon your topic, jot down the questions this topic seems to lend itself to.
Convert one or two of these questions to a debate proposition with an agent, action, and some limitations.
1.  Get this proposition approved by Mr. Rosetti. / Approved
2.  Check that someone hasn't already signed up for your survey topic (one of the propositions you created above. If yours is taken, can you find another on your chosen topic? If not, pick another topic just for this survey. You may continue with your approved topic and proposition for further work.
3.  Take a few minutes to write down your own response to your proposition before you begin the research or do the Class Pass Survey
4.  Prepare a Class Pass Survey Form

Get Organized

Top Question Gather Information Sort and Analyze Answer Evaluation and Presentation

Who is working on this project with you?
Who is going to be primarily responsible for these tasks?
You may wish to come back to this page to complete some of the items after you have decided what your final project will be.
The Research
Writing the survey form (if appropriate)
Doing online research.
Doing community research (interviewing members of the community)
Doing library research
The Writing
Writing the introduction
Writing the proposition
Writing the summary
Writing the pros and cons
Writing the conclusion
Writing the bibliography
Final project
What is your schedule for each piece?
Get permission to use online materials

Top Question Get Organized Sort and Analyze Answer Evaluation and Presentation

Gather Information

Gather the facts and opinions that will help you make your own choice about the proposition.
Rewrite your Proposition here:
Document your finds
1.  Read this article on using PowerPoint to collect your data.
2.  Put a check in the column next to each resource you document.
3.  Overall tendency: Does this piece tend to support or argue with my proposition?
4.  Do I need permission to use graphics and text I have found?
5.  Rank confidence you have you each source from 1 to 5 with one being the highest.
You can insert more rows by using select row/insert row from the table menu.
Drag and drop or copy and paste the URLs directly to this form. Type in names of magazines, texts, encyclopedias, newspapers and people. Use The Citation Machine or NoodleBib to help you know what information you need to record. / Mostly pro / Mostly Coin / Neutral / Permission / Rank Quality
1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 
7. 
Resources
NoodleBib (You can do Electric Library searches for free if you start from NoodleBib.
Get permission to use Web resources in your work
The Citation Machine This is easier to use than NoodleBib.
Research Project Page
IKeepBookMarks check out what other Lincoln students may have already found.
User: Lincoln Middle School Password: lancer
Vivisimo A search engjine that organizes the results into folders.

Top Question Get Organized Gather Information Answer Evaluation and Presentation

Sort and Analyze

Write your Proposition here:
What are the reasons for and against your proposition? Use Table/insert row if you need more space.
Pro / Con
For every citation you have in Gather Information, ask yourself the following two questions:
Paste a few words or lines from the source in the wide column below.
Paste a reference in the last column. Build it with The Citation Machine
The table will expand to accept your text. You may add more rows using table/insert row.
Paste quotes from your sources here! / Paste a citation here.
1.  Pro: Which parts of this piece support the proposition? Why?
2.  Con: Which parts of this piece argue against my proposition? Why?
1.  How do you feel about the proposition now that you have done the research?
2.  Did you change your mind from what you thought at first? Why?
3.  What surprised you about the things you learned?
4.  What do you think everyone should know about your topic?

Top Question Get Organized Gather Information Sort and Analyze Evaluation and Presentation

Answer

Write your Proposition here:
1.  Introduction: The reader should have some idea of what the debate is about before getting into the details.
Write a summary of the material you have found on your proposition here: This is often called a review of the literature. Just indicate the main points of the discussion here. Save your detailed arguments for the body.
Tell us whether we should enact the proposition or forget about it.
2.  Body : Site your evidence (refer to the documents and quote their authors). You may have only two reasons for and one against. You may also add more reasons by inserting new rows.
Reason One:
Reason Two:
Reason Three:
Show the other side:
3.  Conclusion

Top Question Get Organized Gather Information Sort and Analyze Answer

Evaluation and Presentation

Evaluation Rubric for persuasive writing Use this to evaluate how well you have done with the Answer step. If you have done well, you should be ready to tackle a major project. It should also be simple to convert your answer to a letter or newspaper story.
Major Projects
Debate
Web Page
Power Point or slideshow presentation
Intermediate Projects
Essay for Writer
Smaller Projects
Letters to the Legend, Persuasive Letter help
Letter to the Tribune
Letter to a political figure
Something else?
.