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**A word document copy of the guidelines for this project is found at the bottom of this page**
State Research Report
Date Assigned: Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Date Due: Friday, March 2, 2012
Dear 5th grade students & families
December 21, 2011
Dear Fifth Grade Parents/Guardians,
This week we are beginning our STATE REPORT PROJECT. It is a long-term project. Both Ms. Lee and I will be working on portions of the assignment during writing class. In order to work on the research paper in class, students will be expected to bring resources to school. Students will be expected to work on revising their writing at home. All hand-drawn portions will be completed at home independently.
The project will be broken down into smaller assignments. Student will be given deadlines for each part of the project. Deadlines will be recorded by the students in the homework calendar and on the guideline section of this packet. Parents, it is important that you check with your child to make sure that he or she is regularly handing in each part. Completed reports are due Friday, March 9.
Our school library has many books available for research but keep in mind that other 5th grade classes are working on state projects as well. It is important to check out books as soon as possible to beat the rush. Also consider visiting libraries outside of Monterey Park.
A page on plagiarism is attached in this packet. I will be discussing this important matter with your child. Last year, in fourth grade, there were several cases of plagiarism. Any assignment that is turned in with plagiarism must be rewritten. If the rewritten assignment continues to contain plagiarized work, the resulting grade will be a 1. If a tutor works with your child at an after school program, please communicate with her or him our policy on plagiarism.
After reading through the entire portion of the packet, please sign and return the form on the last page indicating you have read the packet.
Thank you,
Mrs. Lim
Plagiarism
The following information came from *plagiarism.org
Many people think of plagiarism as copying another's work, or borrowing someone else's original ideas. But terms like "copying" and "borrowing" can disguise the seriousness of the offense:
According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, to "plagiarize" means
1. to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own
2. to use (another's production) without crediting the source
3. to commit literary theft
4. to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.
In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else's work and lying about it afterward.
But can words and ideas really be stolen?
According to U.S. law, the answer is yes. The expression of original ideas is considered intellectual property, and is protected by copyright laws, just like original inventions. Almost all forms of expression fall under copyright protection as long as they are recorded in some way (such as a book or a computer file).
All of the following are considered plagiarism:
* turning in someone else's work as your own
* copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
* failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
* giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
* changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit.
State Report Criteria Guidelines
_______Cover Page
Include the following information on the cover page of your report:
Title (name of your state)
Name (your own, first & last)
Grade (Fifth)
Teacher (Mrs. Lim)
Date (Date report is due)
This information should be centered. You may add pictures, drawings, phrases, or anything else to make your cover page more exciting.
______Table of Contents
List topics and page numbers
Example:
Geography........................................................................1
______Introduction (1/2 page minimum)
-What state have you been given?
-What you thought/knew about the state
-before you started the report?
-Why did you chose this state?
-What will you be writing about and showing in your report.
_____Geography (Map)
A hand drawn state map that includes:
-state capital and at least 3 major cities
-Label physical features (forests, mountains, plains, deserts, valleys, caverns, caves, canyons, etc.)
-Major points of interest (historical and recreation sites)
You do not have to include all the sites, several will be fine.
_______Geography (Extra Credit)
-describe the physical features
-What states, border it?
-What is the state capital?
-Describe 2 or 3 of the larger cities
-name and describe the major land regions
-highest and lowest points in the state
-ranking in size.
-Describe major points of interest included in the map
________History (1 page minimum)
Include the following topics:
-Early Explorer- who were the first people to explore the state?
-Indian Tribes-who were the early native people who first lived in the state?
-Date of Statehood- include information on how it became a state.
Optional- any other important events in the history of the state.
________Climate (1 page minimum)
-annual precipitation (rainfall and snowfall)
-Average temperatures
-Weather extremes (droughts, blizzards, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, etc.) At least 1 paragraph
-How has the climate influenced the people of the state?
_______People (1 page minimum)
-Population (2010 or later) is it growing? What are the cultural backgrounds of people in the state?
-Write about 3 important people from the state
Could be: past Presidents, Indians, Inventors, War Heroes, Authors, etc.
________Natural Resources Picture
A neatly drawn and colored picture of one or more of the state natural resources
________Natural Resources/ Industries (1 page minimum)
-What are the state’s natural resources?
-What are the important industries in the state?
(could be fishing, mining, agriculture, etc.)
-Tourism Industry-what do people like to do when they visit the state?
________Government (1/2 page minimum)
-Who is the governor? Give some background information on the governor.
-Is this state primarily Democrat or Republican?
-How many U.S. House of Representatives members are from this state?
________State Symbols (1 page minimum)
-State bird
-State flower
-State tree
-State song
-State nickname
Explain the story of how each of these items became a state symbol. Each symbol should have its own paragraph.
_______State Symbol- Hand Drawing
-Pick any state symbol and make a hand drawing of it.
-Drawing must be neat and colored.
_______Conclusion ( 1 page minimum)
-What did you like most about your state? Explain why.
-What did you dislike most about your state? Explain why.
-What makes your state interesting for others to want to visit or live there?
-Tell about three things everyone should know and remember about your state.
_____Bibliography
-Include a list of all sources used. Refer to this packet for format.
-List all resources used. You must have at least 5 cited references, using at least three different sources. (encyclopedia, Internet, books, magazines, etc.)
Guide to Writing a Bibliography: This site will help you write a bibliography correctly for ALL projects that require it. You can use many different styles, but PLEASE use the format titled: AP. Click on AP format in the top left corner to begin. Next, select the type of source material (website, book, etc.) you are using from the list that opens beneath the format you have selected and click on that link. Fill in the required information in the boxes on the screens and click send. You will be provided with the correct format that can be copied and pasted into your digital document for printing.
State Report Criteria Checklist
_____Report is either handwritten in pen single spaced or typed in 12-font New Times Roman double-spaced.
_____Complete Sentences are used
_____Spelling, grammar, and punctuation is correct
_____Paragraphs are indented
_____Maps and pictures must be hand-drawn and colored
_____Each category must be titled
_____Pages are numbered
_____Report Cover include all required information
_____Table of Contents
_____Introduction
_____State Map
_____Geography (Extra Credit)
_____History
_____Climate
_____People
_____Natural Resource Drawing
_____Natural Resources/ Industry
_____Government
_____State Symbols
_____State Symbol Drawing (Chose only 1 state symbol)
_____Conclusion
_____Bibliography
Fifth Grade
State Research Report
My child and I have read this packet in its entirety and will refer to it during the report writing process. We know and understand that when each section is due that it is the student’s responsibility to turn it in on time. I will encourage my child to give his or her best effort on each part of the assignment. I also will encourage my child not to plagiarize from any resource.
Student Name:______________
Student Signature:___________
Parent Signature:_____________
Date:______________________
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