12/16/2008

YOUR LAST CHANCE FOR HELP IN CLASS:

EQ:
How do we write paragraphs? What information belong in each paragraph?
How do we write quotes within a paragraph?
What is flow? What is voice?

DO NOW:
Paraphrase the following information:

"Mayan life was dominated by the Sun and Venus, both of which the Maya connected to warfare. Venus, a fearful power, was also associated with sacrifice, fertility, rain, and maize (corn). Maya writings have been interpreted to indicate that raids were undertaken during important Venus positions, such as its first appearance as the morning star or the evening star. These raids have come to be called star war events. Ancient manuscripts also suggest the Maya had the ability to predict solar and lunar eclipses, accurate to within a day."

Once you are finished, work on finishing up your information for your paper. Again, the first ROUGH DRAFT is due January 6, 2009. Everything will be due that day - information, notes, and rough draft.

If you would like to meet with me today, we should have time in class AND I will be here until 5:30pm tonight.

A look ahead to after break: Keep in mind that we will be working on citations and peer editing when we return from break.

12/09/2008

Continue Reading and Start Researching

DO NOW:
Figuring out what to do now. Look at the research that you have accumulated.
IN AN EMAIL TO ME...
Create a list of words that you would put into a google search.
Search google for those terms.
Next to each term, write 4-5 website results that you found.

Agenda:
DO NOW.
Keep using the websites from last week.
I'll be coming around to help students with their outlines and paragraphs.

HW:
From the list of websites that you found, skim the information and determine WHAT would be useful from the site. You can continue the email that you created before.

12/02/2008

DO NOW: Using the outline that you constructed last week, start to fill in the outline with quotes/paraphrases that you have found during the last couple weeks of research. Email me your results.

Essential Questions

• How do we start to turn an outline into a paper?
• How do I glean notes from the internet?

HW: Write a rough draft of ONE body paragraph for your paper. This paragraph should be between 150-200 words.

Today, you will use websites to get information for your paper. The expectation is that you are looking at these sites and jotting down notes on them. You will turn in these notes with the paper you turn in after break.

Select one of the following sites are as follows:

http://www.ancientscripts.com/maya.html For this site, you will simply read what is there.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/mayacode/ For this site, I would like you to focus on the following sections, A Masterpiece Revealed, Decode Stella 3, and Map of the Maya World.

EVERYONE NEEDS TO GO TO THIS SITE:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/mayacode/pod-spea.html

November 25, 2008

DO NOW: In an email to me (franklin.pcs@gmail.com), please answer the following questions:

1) What would you consider an exciting project? If you were given a project to do for a grade, what would it be? The stipulation is that you would have to present it. This does not mean you would have to write a paper on it, but be able to talk academically/professionally about your project.

2) Create a VERY basic topic outline for the Christmas break paper. When you are finished, start looking for quotes that will work in each section.

11/19/2008

Using databases:
The goal for today's assignment is to understand how to use databases for our Passages. In order to be comfortable with the sites, we need to use and analyze them. When you start Passages, already knowing the sites will make researching easier.

Guiding Questions:

• What types of information can databases available to the school provide me?
• How do I use these databases?

What I want you to do:

1. Go to http://perspectiveslibrary.wordpress.com/
2. Select the tab, Library Resources.
3. Click on the "Electronic Resources..." hyperlink.
4. Use, explain, and evaluate the following databases:

• Student Resource Center Gold
• FirstSearch
• Newsbank
• ABC-Clio (Search one of the sites, then explain the differences with the others)

Answer the questions (BE SPECIFIC):

• When you log in, what does the database do?
• Are there hyperlinks that you can click on?
• Are there special searches you can do?
• What types of information can you get with this database?

11/18/2008

More articles about the Mayas to read and take notes on.

Guiding Questions/Thoughts:
1) Think of the assignment as a puzzle. Last week, you received the box that the puzzle went in. This week, you are given the first piece of the puzzle. For these new notes, you should incorporate the REFLECT sections.
2) How do the two articles relate to one another?

Assignment:
1) Read the articles and THEN take notes using the Cornell Note Taking System.
2) Write me an email detailing what about the Mayas you would like to know about. franklin.pcs@gmail.com

Homework 11/11/2008 - Classroom

Product: 750-word paper incorporating ONLY the information that you researched in class.

You will be given articles from various types of sources (electronic and print). In class, you will be reading the articles and taking notes on them. To complete your paper, you will use the notes that you take in class - nothing else.

You will write your paper during Christmas break. The editing process and final product will be turned in a week after we get back, January 15.

Everything that you do for this project (save the actual typing of the paper) will be done IN CLASS.

Topic: Mayas

Blogs!

Setting up a blog for Research Class.
1) Login to your gmail/google account.
2) Once you're logged in, open a new window/tab.
3) Go to blogger.com.
4) Since blogger.com is owned by Google, it might only ask you for your password.
5) Your display name is of no matter. Just make it "school-friendly".
6) The blog should be named "Research - (last name)"
7) Once you've finish, view the blog.
8) Email me the URL of your blog.