Riggio Current Events Research

The examination of current events is an important component of World History. It is beneficial to study the past in order to gain background information to help understand the present, but it is also important to look at modern issues and conflicts. During this project, you will take an in-depth look at a current issue that you find interesting or meaningful. After you select a topic, you will track that subject and look for newspaper or magazine articles to analyze.

Choose a topic of personal interest. It must be of national or international importance and broad enough that you will be able to find up-to-date information. Some suggestions include (But are NOT limited to)…

- International Conflict

- Revolution and Civil War

- Global Issues

- Medical Issues (cloning, new cancer treatments or Stem Cell Research)

- Environmental Issues

- Human Rights Abuses and Genocide

- Military Dictatorships

- Terrorism

Research: Find at least 5 relevant articles that are connected to your topic. Articles should come from reliable sources (Newspapers, news magazines, online news outlets).  All articles must be dated.  Depending upon your topic, you may be able to find two different articles about the same event, but written from different points of view. For example, CNN might offer a different interpretation of a suicide bombing in Iraq than would Al Jazeera. You may wish to include a political cartoon.

 

Recommended Resources for this assignment: You can access numerous articles from magazines and newspapers using the VRC  

• eLibrary 
• Opposing Viewpoints in Context 
• Gale Newstand
• SIRS Discoverer (Click on the date link to bring more recent articles to the top of your search)
  

Mrs. DiIorio~The Literary Lens: Exploring Truths in the Worlds of Fiction

Assignment:

Feed is a book about the future. MT Anderson asks us to explore the relationship between technology and humanity. While MT Anderson’s book may exaggerate some visions of our society and future, he does raise questions about our reliance on technology and the possible consequences. For this assignment, you will research key topics related to the novel.

The goal of this assignment is to analyze a current issue/event/trend that suggests a theme from Anderson’s novel. Consider the work to be a mirror of an issue we wrestle with today or a trend we should approach cautiously. Describe how the themes in Anderson’s fictional world are seen as true and relevant in our society.

Here is a list of possible themes:

• The effects of technology on language. Think of how language has evolved or devolved because of technology. What does it mean to be a language purist? Why is language “morphing” good or bad?
• Explore corporate influences on public education (think about scholarships for athletes, advertisements in school settings, etc.)
• The effect of industrial production on the environment (think BP Oil Spill of 2010, pollution, deforestation).
• Marketing bombardment (the consequences and its prevalence)
• The effect of technology on relationships and socialization. How does our collective use of social media make our world larger? Smaller?
• The need to “buy” or purchase. (Our visions of self worth through material possessions) Explore teenage spending habits. What do the statistics suggest about young people’s “investments”? What accounts for these habits?
•  Consider the ethics of a certain company or the idea of outsourcing.
• Technology and privacy.  Many websites track your online activity. For what reasons? Is it entirely ethical?
• Technology replacing humans. (Think of Google cars and even drones (if you want to go there)).
• America’s self-centeredness (I know it seems unfair but…)

Your essay must conform to current MLA formatting. Your final paper should be 4-6 pages, double spaced, 12-font.

Recommended resources for this assignment: 

In the VRC:  See the following databases located in the Pro/Con section

• SIRS Discoverer
• eLibrary
• Opposing Viewpoints in Context)  

Websites:  Evaluate all websites!  Look for reliability, credibility, authority, and perspective. 

Note: You need to narrow your topics and also choose keywords or descriptors that work best when searching.  

Here is an example from your assignment handout.   

Explore corporate influences on public education (think about scholarships for athletes, advertisements in school settings, etc.)

Keyword descriptors -    Corporate sponsorships; Sports sponsorship;  Advertising, schools

A.P. Literature & Composition~ Research Paper~ McAuliffe, Cerola, Cowan

 Research Paper

Assignment.  Find a topic that derives from something we have studied this year. Choose a major work or an author we have read, a novelist, playwright, or short story writer.  Or choose a poem or poet we have studied.  Consider literary theories, such as New Criticism, Reader Response, or any that have derived from Deconstruction Criticism. The topic should be suitable for a 5-7 page research paper using a minimum of three legitimate outside sources.  Your paper must follow MLA guidelines for manuscript format and citation conventions.

Getting Started.  Begin with a topic that interests you. Then follow a “true inquiry” process: ask a difficult question, offer a hunch or hypothesis, test it and ask, What else do I need to find out? Then visit a school-sponsored site (e.g. Bloom or Gale Group) or begin with a book or article.  The topic may be one that you have already thought about  (female characters in Hamlet), or it may be a question you have not yet considered ( How did a particular closed form – e.g. villanelle – develop over time?)

Read pages 2179-2184 in your textbook.  This will give you an overview of what this kind of paper entails.  It also addresses important issues like internet reliability and plagiarism.

Mrs. Hatcher will provide you with an overview of school-sponsored sites.  She will also be on hand to answer any questions that you may have about work citations.  

Review the hand out, “Sample Research Topics.”  This will give you some idea of suitable topics for this assignment.  It may also stimulate ideas of your own.  Whatever topic you choose must be related directly to this course; it should not derive from a class you took previously (e.g., A.P. Language, 11 H, or 10H).

Work will be submitted through Turnitin.com. Some will be done in school, though you will have to do much of the drafting on your own time.  Steps along the way will be graded. These grades will count for Quarter 4.*

Schedule.    Note: Due dates may vary depending on which teacher you have. 

Wed. May 14          Topic due*

Fri. May 23             Tentative thesis statement and Preliminary Works Cited due*

Tues. May 27          Rough draft peer review*

Mon. June 2            Paper due

Database of the Month~New York State Newspapers

 

Our database of the month is New York State Newspapers.  It is located under the magazine/newspaper section of the VRC.  

This database contains: 

"Full-text articles from ten major newspapers published in New York State, including Newsday, New York Times, and the New York Post. These are selections of news, opinion and commentary sections, not every page from every edition"

 It's a good place to research information for current events, pro/con research, location information, etc.

Sussin/Jourdain- APES~ Pesticide Periodical

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines a pesticide as “any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest.”

A pesticide may be a chemical substance or biological agent (such as a virus or bacteria) used against pests including insects, plant pathogens, weeds, mollusks, birds, mammals, fish, nematodes, and microbes.  These organisms may compete with humans for food, invade lawns and gardens, destroy wood in houses, spread disease, or just be a general nuisance in our everyday lives.  Pesticides are usually, but not always, poisonous to humans.

There are 5 major types of pesticides you will encounter: insecticides (insect killers), herbidicides (weed killers), fungicides (fungus killers), nematocides (roundworm killers), and rodenticides (rat and mouse killers).  Be aware that although the 5 are listed here, there are many others (e.g. algicides, miticides).

Your school librarian, Mrs. Hatcher, recommends the following information resources that will be helpful.

Library Databases (VRC):

• Gale's Health Reference Center Academic
• eLibrary Science
• Science Online

Print Collection: 

• ebook and print resources available by searching the WMHS library catalog in Destiny

Kunkel~ I-Search Research Paper

For class, you will be required to write a formal research paper. The format of this paper is based on The I-Search Paper (1988) by Ken Macrorie. The I-Search Paper requires you, the researcher and writer, to search for information and write about your findings and search process.

The I-Search Paper requires you to document, interpret, and present information from reliable and credible sources, but it is unique in the sense that it affords you the opportunity to speak directly about your research process and what you’ve learned using the pronoun “I.” This means that you will be allowed to utilize first person narration in certain sections of your research paper.

The paper will have five written components:

1.    My Question   (The essential question you are trying to answer and the reasons why you decided to research this particular question/topic.)  “I” format

2.    My Search Process   (The story of your hunt for information.)  “I” format

3.   What Has Been Learned (Connect your findings to the original question.)

NOT “I” format

4.  What This Means To Me (How has researching this question influenced you?)  “I” format

5.  Works Cited Page (Reference sources in alphabetical order using MLA format.)

MLA info: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl

Recommended Information Resources:    

• SIRS Researcher- located in Pro/Con section of VRC
• Opposing Viewpoints in Context Issues- located in Pro/Con section of VRC

Muller ~ Indigenous Tribes of Latin America Research

Poster Group Project: Qt. 4   Due Date: April 24th

Indigenous Tribes of Latin America



Kaqchikel girls

1.  Research the following Tribes according to your assigned country.  There will be 4 days in the library.
2. Include pictures of the tribe and village.
3. You need to report on the following:

1. language
2. culture
3. history
4. list of 5 indigenous words and their meanings

All information must be done on a poster and presented orally as a group (3-4 people).

Country: Tribes (Click on a tribe's link to get started)

• Panama: Guaymi
• Guatemala: Kaqchikel
• Paraguay: Guarani
• Colombia: Achagua
• Mexico: Amuzgo
• Honduras: Garifuna
• Puerto Rico: Taino
• Venezuela: Akawaio

Additional Information Resources you can consult:

VRC databases: Click on this link to open it up.  Use the username & password provided by your librarian, Mrs. Hatcher

• CulturGrams World Edition (located under History/Geography section)
• World Atlas- World Geography & Culture (located under History/Geography section)
• Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia  (located under Encyclopedia section)