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)

Mrs. Cameron ~ The Causes of American Imperialism

What are the causes of American Imperialism?

Key Vocabulary: 

• Imperialism: The policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies. 
• Nationalism: A feeling that people have of being loyal to and proud of their country often with the belief that it is better and more important than other countries.

For this assignment you will research the causes of American Imperialism.  

Which of the following factors will influence American Imperialism the most and why? 

• Economic factors
• Nationalistic factors
• Military factors
• Humanitarian factors

Recommended information resources: 

Hawaiian Annexation

Annexation of Hawaii,1898: 

Annexing Hawaii: the Real Story 

The Panama Canal

Imperialism in Latin America: Panama Canal

Declaration for the right to Libraries

Declare your right to Libraries!  

 

Do you love libraries? Do you believe everyone has the right to freely access ideas and information? You now have the opportunity to make a strong public statement about the value of libraries to individuals, communities and our nation.

 

Click here link to sign.