|
Purpose
|
- To explore a particular current event, and its controversial issue, from various points of view.
- To find sources related to a topic, assess the validity of those sources, and respond critically to those sources.
- To learn and apply MLA standards of integrating outside sources into your writing and citing those sources.
- To demonstrate that you are thinking critically about an issue by engaging in conversation with other opinions.
- To combine research skills and composition skills into an extensive and thorough presentation.
|
| Instructions
|
- Design another blog for an extended research survey on one of the current events you followed in your Reading Blog. Save your Research Blog as a bookmark in Delicious and tag it F09.9:00.Research or F09.11:00.Research so that I can see them all in one place in my Delicious account.
- Develop a topic related to the current event that most interests you. This topic must revolve around a controversial research question that intelligently relates to the current event. Be sure to run your current event and research question by me before you begin extensive work on your project.
- Find sources that answer this controversial question in various ways, especially if they disagree with the way you would be inclined to answer it.
- You must find at least 10 sources (two books, two newspaper editorials, two magazine articles, two reputable websites, and two videos).
- The 10 sources you find must represent various different points of view on your controversial question.
- Each of those different points of view must be represented by at least TWO of the sources for which you decide to write commentary.
- As you collect and read sources, create the MLA citation and take research notes that you will use in your commentary on each source.
- Your first posting in your new blog should be a Works Cited list (MLA format), to which you can add each additional source that you decide to use.
- For each source you find, create a separate post in the blog you design for this research project.
- Each posting should have a smart title, the MLA citation of the source, and a three-quarter page commentary on the source.
- The video postings should also contain the video itself, playable right there in your blog (I will show you how to embed a video this way).
- Each commentary should explain (1) the point(s) of view promoted by the source, (2) the arguments made in support, and (3) why you think the source should be consulted by an intelligent person interested in answering your research question. In other words, you will NOT defend your own point of view or simply summarize the content of the source. Instead, inform your reader about WHY this particular source will help them answer your research question more intelligently. Each commentary has to be at least 3/4 page long; the first half should cover (1) and (2), and the second half should cover (3).
- Connect and relate your blog postings to each other in logical ways that will make sense to your reader (use the labeling function for this requirement). Labels help categorize your various posts using short descriptive words and phrases. Use labels that be repeated across multiple posts but not all the posts, and be sure to add the "Labels" gadget to your blog so that your audience can see a list of your labels.
- Finally, you must create one last posting in which you introduce your annotated bibliography. Explain the current event, give a general impression of what you found in your research, point out prominent trends you noticed, suggest connections between the various points of view that are represented, etc.--this posting will serve as an introduction to your research blog and should be posted last. This posting should be closer to a page in length.
- You should create a table of contents for your finished blog so that the reader can see a list of all your postings (use the "Link List" gadget for this requirement). Your link list will include links to each individual posting. Your introduction will come first, and your works cited will come last, but you can put the commentary posts in any order that makes the best sense to you.
- As much as you can, enhance your blog with pictures, videos, and links to other websites, etc. Remember, this blog is your creation, so you should be proud of your work and reach beyond the minimum requirements.
|
|
|