Day+by+Day


 * Day 1: Cinco de Mayo!!!**

Objectives: Gain an understanding of the overall project, begin to think about possible inquiry choices, and learn the ins and outs of Wikipedia and "authority" in order to become better evaluators of information.

Overview: Today, after hearing an overview of Project Wikipedia, you will be partnering up to take the Wikipedia online quiz, which will be a quiz grade.

Directions:
 * 1) Go to @http://www.quia.com/quiz/2165889.html
 * 2) Enter yours and your partner's first names in the first and last name blanks so that Mrs. Cato will know whom to assign the grade.
 * 3) Tips:
 * Don't use Internet Explorer's "next" or "back" buttons. Use only links within the quiz. If you get "bumped out," you will have to start over.
 * Use correct grammar and conventions. This is English class, after all!
 * You must use your own words. You cannot copy and paste. This requires actual brain processing by you! Imagine that.
 * Let us know if you have any questions. We are here to help!

After the quiz, we will have a class discussion about what we discovered.


 * Day 2: May 6, 2010**

Objectives:


 * Use critical thinking skills to explore and evaluate possible inquiries based on available information, determining whether or not there is enough reliable and relevant, authoritative sources to compose or add content to a Wikipedia article.
 * Compose a research plan to strategize information-seeking methods and sources in order to be more successful in researching the selected inquiry.

Overview: Today you will be looking at the Cross Timbers Wikipedia draft as well as stub articles on Wikipedia in order to determine possible inquiries. You will rank your top two choices and compose a research plan for each. Mrs. Brem and Mrs. Cato will look at your choices and determine which will be most appropriate.

Directions:


 * 1) Look at the following Wikipedia pages to get ideas for possible inquiries. Also look at the Citizendium page.
 * @http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Stub_sorting/List_of_stubs
 * @http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Requested_articles
 * @http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Most_wanted_articles
 * You might want to poke around at Citizendium. It was started by one of the cofounders of Wikipedia. There are many articles available for development. See: @http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Welcome_to_Citizendium
 * This is the Cross Timbers draft. It is on Mrs. Brem's Wikipedia user page. Notice that the references often lead to blank CTMS web pages. We will need to help the teachers and coaches add this information to their web pages so that the sources will be viable. (I know this is sort of backwards, but our sources, CTMS people, are reliable, but we just can't cite them on Wikipedia!) Look at the missing information to get ideas for possible inquiries. @http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Juliebrem

2. Once you have your two top inquiry choices, go to your wiki page on Endless Questions and compose two research plans, one for each inquiry. Use the example below as your model:

Please include: 1. Your topic 2. What you already know about your topic: · Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? 3. Your research questions: · Who? What? Where? When? How? 4. Your research strategy: · Who? What? Where? When? How? · Key words for searching You will be evaluated according to the daily grade rubric. ** Example: ** 1. My topic is the orphan trains of the Great Depression. 2. **What I already know:** 3. **What I want to know (research questions):** 4. **My research strategy:**
 * Who? ** Orphans during the Great Depression and families who adopted them.
 * What? ** Trains took orphans to different stops across America and families picked them out.
 * Where? ** Train stops and farms across America.
 * When? ** Sometime during the 30s.
 * Why? ** Many parents abandoned their kids, I think, because they couldn’t afford them?
 * How? ** I’m not sure. I know trains took them, but I’m not sure who organized this.
 * Who? ** Where did these orphans come from? Were they really orphans? Who took them in? Who organized this?
 * What? ** What kinds of trains were they? What was it like for them? Did they enjoy their new families?
 * Where? ** Did this happen all over America? Where were these kids from? Where did they go?
 * When? ** At what point did this start and end?
 * Why? ** Why were all of these children being orphaned? Why did people want them if they were poor?
 * How? ** How were the kids taken care of?
 * Who? ** I’ll ask Mrs. Cato and Mrs. Brem for help in locating information. I could ask Ms. Brolan or Mr. D. I could ask the public librarian.
 * What? ** Expert websites, databases, encyclopedias, books, textbook.
 * When? ** During class or outside of class if needed.
 * Where? ** The CTMS and public library, on any other computer for online resources.
 * How? ** I’ll use my thesis statement and research questions to figure out what to look for and what to take notes on.
 * Key words for searching (to be used in search engines): ** “orphan train”, “orphan trains”, “children during the Great Depression”, orphan and Great Depression, orphans and Great Depression, abandoned children and Great Depression and other variations of this. The quotation marks are important because the search engine treats the content inside the quotation marks as a phrase. The "and" is important because the search engine will only pull up results with both of those words or phrases.


 * Day 3: May 7, 2010 ** (Nevermind! Everyone was absent) **May 10, 2010**

Mrs. Cato and I reflected a bit after Thursday's class and decided that we needed to go back to the beginning a bit and look at the WHY behind this assignment. As you know, most 8th graders compose a traditional research paper in order to prepare for ninth grade. Here are some of the skills you will be expected to have at least partially mastered by the time you enter ninth grade Pre-AP or G/T English:


 * Ability to analyze a topic and strategize search techniques, if applicable, or your argument
 * Ability to locate and determine authoritative sources
 * Ability to compose an effective thesis statement
 * Use evidence from the text being analyzed or from authoritative outside sources (whichever is applicable to the assignment)
 * Knowledge of how to compose and format a formal research or analytical paper (including parenthetical citations as well as a works cited)

So how are we accomplishing this through this assignment? Let's talk about this....

We're also going to share your research ideas so far and how you feel about research at this point, as well as the skills mentioned above.

Today we're going to conference with each of you regarding your two research plans and decide which one will be best.

After that point, your challenge is to begin researching, finding authoritative sources and information on your topic which answers your research questions. You will probably end up writing more research questions (inquiries) as you research. Be sure to cite each source in MLA format (see Noodletools or BibMe on the electronic resources page, or ask a teacher). Take another look at the Project Overview. Be sure to use a variety of sources, including the research databases which you will use heavily in high school and almost solely in college.

You will be documenting your research so far, as well as your draft, on your wiki page. Again, see the Project Overview for rubrics and daily grade information.


 * Days 4 & 5: May 12 & 13, 2010**

At this point your topic should be approved by Mrs. Brem or Mrs. Cato. Here are some guidelines for your progress right now:


 * You should be working with your research plan, adding inquiries as needed, and finding answers to those inquiries using **valid and** **authoritative** sources (i.e. proven expert authors).
 * Record your progress on your wiki page.
 * Place quotation marks around any pasted material (quotes) and keep your citations with these quotes. This will help you cite your sources formally later. (So you can remember which piece of info is from which source.)
 * Use Bibme.org or Noodletools to create MLA standard citations.
 * Once you feel like you have exhausted your topic, you may begin writing up your article. This should be formally written. Look at sample Wikipedia articles to get an idea of the style.
 * See Mrs. Brem or Mrs. Cato if you have any questions, or send us a message or email.


 * Day 6: May 14, 2010**

See the directions above. Mrs. Cato will be giving you a grade over the weekend using the daily grade rubric, so be sure to post your latest progress! See the bullet points above for what Mrs. Cato will be looking for as she gives 1s, 2s, 3s and hopefully mostly 4s!


 * Day ???: May 20, 2010**

As of now you should be editing and on your way to publishing. There are several ways you can "publish":


 * To Citizendium. Catch.a.pirate is experimenting with this, so talk to her or Mrs.Brem if you are interested in this.
 * To Wikipedia, either via Mrs. Brem pasting it from your wiki or you may experiment with creating your own Wikipedia account. Either way, see Mrs. Brem if your ultimate publishing method is Wikipedia
 * The CTMS website. Again, see Mrs. Brem and she will get you logged in so you can edit the CTMS website.

Today, be sure to check in with Mrs. Brem or Mrs. Cato and let one of them know how you are doing and where you are thinking of publishing. Look back over all of the instructions you have received to make sure you are on the right track.

Once everyone has published, we will have a day to "click around" and look at everyone's work and discuss.