U.S. History (Johanson)
1980s-present: Year End Research Project
Your mission
To choose a topic in U.S. history from the last 50 years, teach yourself about it and share it with your class.
This is a lesson in educating yourself about a current issue. It is a skill you will need for life. It actually involves multiple skills called inquiry learning.
This library guide will help you choose a topic, learn about it and become fluent enough to be able to write or talk about it with others or even create spoken word art piece!
Warm Up!
Watch: Search vs. Research
By How Library Stuff Works, McMaster's University
In what ways is research different from searching? What else is involved?
Two Part Series in the Library
In this two part series, we will visit the library and build research skills.
Bring your laptop, fully charged, each day, as well as a pen or pencil and the list of possible topics provided by your teacher.
You will learn to select a topic and form a research question.
You will use Artificial Intelligence (School AI) to gather basic information and sources for your research.
You will also use the Library Catalog and Library Databases to find books, articles and documentary films on your topic.
After gathering sources and building background knowledge, you will also learn a technique for rapidly reading academic journal articles.
At the end, you will prepare your paper (or presentation or skit) as well as a reflection on what you found via Artificial Intelligence vs. library and other sources.
Part 1: Gather Background Information and Sources
How to choose an essay topic
0. Watch this video How to choose an essay topic by How Library Stuff works.
Use SchoolAI to gather background information
Work with School AI to gather initial facts and sources about 3 topics that interest you from the list of topics your teacher provided.
Your teacher or librarian will provide a link and code to the SchoolAI bot.
Ask SchoolAI about key facts and sources for 3 of your topics of interest. It's easy. Just respond to its prompts.
Read the results for each topic you put in. Ask for more on the one topic that interests you most.
Copy the output from your Artificial Intelligence session on a Google Doc. It will be messy. Don't worry about formatting it.
Type "SchoolAI" and today's date at the top of the document. We'll need that to cite this as a source later.
Use an Encyclopedia
2. Find one encyclopedia entry on your preferred topic.
Use Encyclopaedia Britannica on the Library Subscription Database list (Library home page).
Find Books in the Library Catalog
3. Find one book about your topic in the library and check it out.
Use the Destiny catalog (Library home page.)
Write down the Dewey classification number and find it in the stacks.
Check it out at the front desk.
Find a Documentary
4. Find one documentary film.
Use the PBS Video Collection resource on the library home page.
Watch it for homework!
Choose your topic and the format you will present (e.g. a paper, presentation, skit, etc.)
Complete your teacher's project proposal and turn it in.
Homework:
Read the book you checked out.
Watch the documentary film you found on your topic.
Print out one journal article on your topic. You don't need to read it for homework. Bring it to class and we'll work on it in Part II.
Part 2: Research is a Cycle of Inquiry, Learning and Idea Formation
Watch: Research as Inquiry
Research is an iterative process...
Discuss in pairs:
What steps in the cycle have you worked on thus far? What have you learned? Where do you need more information?
Find journal articles and practice reading for gist
- Find one journal article on your topic in a research database
Use the ProQuest Student Central database on the library home page.
(Use Google Chrome, not Safari.)
Choose scholarly journal articles.
Tips:
Use the peer-reviewed and full-text options to help narrow your search.
Use the facets on the left side to narrow your search more.
Use Boolean operators, keywords (not phrases) and synonyms to improve your search.
Ask the librarian for help and/or a flyer.
2. Watch How to Read a Journal Article and Practice
What are the elements of a journal article in the social sciences?
Read these for gist:
Abstract
Introduction
Conclusion
Glance at the subheadings, data and graphs
3. Find two more articles and read quickly for gist.
Practice again.
After reading for gist, decide: will you read the article fully and use it for your project?
Citing generative Artificial Intelligence in your work
MLA
Guideline: https://style.mla.org/citing-generative-ai/
Examples:
MLA format: “Text of prompt” prompt. ChatGPT, Day Month version, OpenAI, Day Month Year, chat.openai.com.
MLA Works Cited entry: “Explain antibiotics” prompt. ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 16 Feb. 2023, chat.openai.com.
MLA in-text citation: ("Explain antibiotics")
- Cite
In my example, using SchoolAI:
MLA Works Cited entry: “Provide three facts and sources about the history of AIDS and AIDS prevention in the U.S." prompt. SchoolAI, 7 May version, SchoolAI, 7 May 2024, schoolai.com.
MLA in-text citation: ("Three facts and sources about the history of AIDS and AIDS prevention in the U.S.")
- Acknowledge use of AI in the prose of your paper.
Work on your project
- Complete your project and turn it in on your teacher's due date (in Google Classroom.)
Done!
Extras.
If you need more help or want to learn more research techniques
Refining your research question
This video provides tips for refining your question if it is too narrow or too broad. It introduces four techniques to further develop your topic. Try one. See if it works for you. Try another if the first one doesn't work. These will help you develop your unique mode of doing research:
journaling
concept mapping
brainstorming
free writing