Research Task: "Passion Projects"

Important Dates:

• Planning deadline: 22 February - end of Page 8 in our Delve Deeper booklet

• Drafting feedback deadline (first draft to be submitted for feedback): 8 March (2 weeks later) - end of Page 17 in our Delve Deeper booklet

• Final submission due: 15 March (1 week later)

Activity Outline:

This task requires you to carry out an independent inquiry into the ideas behind a text that you have studied in class.

1. Choose a piece of literature (film, novel, short story, non-fiction piece) that you have studied in class. Explore material and articles linked to your chosen text.

2. Formulate an inquiry based around the assertion you have chosen and your background reading.

3. Develop at least 3 key questions to break down your hypothesis and base your research around. Allocate each of your questions a colour, to co-ordinate your information.

4. Gather your resources. You must try to have a variety of sources (primary or secondary) and you should not use online sources exclusively. You must have at least 4 resources. Skim and scan your written resources. Listen to any oral resources you are using.

5. Create an evaluation sheet for each of your resources.

• Complete the bibliographical information and decide whether each resource is reliable and relevant. Decide whether they are useful.

• Complete the evaluation sheets to take notes from each resource against your key questions. Write notes about your own reflections on the material provided by each resource.

6. Use the Report Planning grid to organize all the information on your Evaluation Sheets to answer each of your 3 questions. Keep your hypothesis in mind – does your information support or oppose your hypothesis?

7. Using the information you have gathered, you are now ready to write the report. Use the writing templates to draft your research report.

Examples of hypothesis questions/statements and guiding questions:

A) Hypothesis: ‘It is worth investing time and money into rehabilitation programmes for criminals.?’

Guiding question 1: ‘What is rehabilitation and what does it actually involve?’

Guiding question 2: ‘How effective are the current rehabilitation programmes vs. the negative aspects (such as cost) of these programmes, and how could these be improved?’

B) Hypothesis: That current animal testing is unnecessary and therefore unethical.

Guiding question 1: Why do we test on animals?

Guiding question 2: What are the advantages / disadvantages of animal testing?

C) Hypothesis: Are reality TV shows a good depiction of real life and are they harmful to viewers?

Guiding question 1: Does reality television reflect real life?

Guiding question 2: Is reality TV harmful?

NZQA Information:

• Standard Clarifications: https://www.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/subjects/english/clarifications/level-2/as91105/

• NZQA Exemplars: https://www.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/subjects/english/annotated-exemplars/level-2-as91105/

Our Google Classroom has supporting documents, Youtube clips and information to support you. I will load these as we move through the Research Task.