Sophomore Environment Research Paper

  • Acid Rain PowerPoint
    Daily Progress Chart

    1. WRITE A RESEARCH QUESTION

    EXAMPLE: What type of practical solution can be implemented
    to solve the problems caused by ____________________?

    In order to answer your essential question, you will have to answer smaller, supporting questions.

    EXAMPLES: 
    What causes this environmental problem?
    What are the effects of this environmental problem? 
    Who is involved in the conflict caused by this environmental problem? 
    Is there a practical solution to the problem?

    2. FIND A TOPIC AND LOCATE SOURCES

    These databases will provide the research you need for this project.
    Gale in Context: Global Issues
    Gale in Context: Opposing View points
    Gale in Context: Science

    Use this list to find topics that can be successfully researched through the Gale in Context databases.

    3. SKIM AND SCAN SOURCES

    • Use your research questions and list of keywords to evaluate the usefulness of a resource. 
    • Gather all the resources that look useful.
    • Let your eyes move quickly. Don't do a slow, careful reading. Look for the words that you circled in the research question.
    SCAN:
    • Look at the index at the back of the book and the table of contents at the front of a book.
    • When you find a heading that looks useful, turn to the page(s) listed and skim to see if that page or section has the information you need. 
    • In print and non-print resources, read the special text features such as bolded text, headings, and subheadings. They indicate large and important sections of information. 
    • Terms or phrases that appear in more than one source indicate that an idea is important. 
    SKIM:
    • Read the first and last paragraph of an article. Read the first sentence of each supporting paragraph.
    • Print articles that appear to answer one or more of your research questions. 
    • Search the website you're browsing for keywords. Hit Ctrl + F and a search bar will appear on your screen. Type in the word(s) you're looking for. 

    4. SORT THROUGH SOURCES BY CREATING A WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SOURCES

    Open a new Word document. For each source that looks promising (after you skimmed, scanned, or did a Find on Page search), do these things: 
    1. Copy the MLA source citation.
    2. Under the citation, copy and paste the URL for the article.
    3. Write an annotation (a short paragraph).
      1. This should be a minimum of 2 sentences. 
      2. Sentence 1: Describe the format (website, database article, video, interview, etc.) of the source and summarize the purpose of the article, website, etc.
      3. Sentence 2: Explain why this source would be useful to your project.
    ​Sample Works Cited
    Sample Annotated Bibliography

    5. ORGANIZE PHOTOCOPIES AND PRINTS FROM INFORMATION SOURCES.

    Click here to learn how

    6. READ, HIGHLIGHT, AND ANNOTATE ARTICLES

    • Now you are ready to do a slow, careful reading of your articles. 
    • As you read look for information that answers your research question.
    • Highlight or underline words and phrases that answer your research question. Highlight sparingly. Too much is almost as bad as none at all.
    • Write an annotation next to the highlighted information. The annotations should include a key word (cause, effect, conflict, solution) from your research question, and a short phrase explaining how it answers the question.

    7. TAKE NOTES USING ONE OF THESE METHODS

    8. SORT AND PUT A SEQUENCE NUMBER ON YOUR NOTES

    9. WRITE A ROUGH DRAFT FROM YOUR NOTES

    10. TYPE THE FINAL DRAFT OF YOUR PAPER

    Click here for a sample MLA formatted research paper.
     
    COMMON CORE LITERACY STANDARDS: WRITING STANDARDS FOR GRADES 9-10
    • Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
    • Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.