English 10 4-1 Research Paper/Finding Support

English 10 4-1

The Research Paper

Finding Support

4-1 Due date ​3/19

4-2 Due date 3/22

4-3 Due date​ 3/28

​4.4.3 CST Due 3/28

​Objectives

• Recognize the characteristics of a good research question.

• Find sources through research, evaluate their credibility, and cite them using MLA format.

• Plan an expository research essay by gathering information from authoritative print and digital sources and following a standard format for citation.​

​4.1.2 Read Fast Food Nation

Read the Introduction to Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser​ -- starts around page 9

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Be sure to Complete the Reading Guide​

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http://jhampton.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/51769044/FastFoodNation.pdf

Research Questions

• What they are ...

• What they're NOT!

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They guide your research and keep you on track -- they remind you of what you're trying to learn.​

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In his introduction to Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser gives us some hints about his research questions:

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This is a book about fast food, the values it embodies, and the world it has made.

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In other words: "What values does fast food embody? What kind of world has fast food made?"​

​4.1.3 page 2

​Research Question

The most important part of a productive research process is asking a good research question. Research questions guide your research and keep you on track — they remind you of what you're trying to learn.​

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Your own research question, like Schlosser's, won't have a straightforward, obvious answer, and it will push you to ask more questions, make connections between bits of evidence, and ultimately come to understand your topic.​

4.1.3 page 2​

What makes a good research question?

Great research questions will ...

+ be about a SPECIFIC topic

+ be OPEN-ENDED

+ be interesting to YOU!

​Good research questions push you to explore and genuinely learn about the topic. They are challenging and they don't have one right answer. There will usually be a larger debate or a conversation about these questions. Often, these questions start with "what kind," "what impact," "how," or "why."

​4.1.3 page 4

​Possible Research Questions

• ​How has the fast-food industry affected and reacted to the obesity epidemic? This research question is just right because it requires research to attempt an answer. There is certainly lots of debate about the role of fast food in causing obesity.

• How could the fast-food industry improve working conditions in the larger service industry? This research question is just right because it pushes you to explore the wider impact that fast food could have on working conditions in other types of jobs. There's no easy answer here, but some research would help you come up with ideas.

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4.1.3 page 4​

​4.1.3 page 5

​Keep and open mind as you research. You may find information you didn't expect. A result of your research will be that you'll come to some conclusions -- or answers. Then you can start to develop a claim about your topic.

​4.1.3 page 6

​The Claim

When you make a statement about something you know or believe, you're making a claim.​

Both informative writing — as in how most zoos support global efforts to preserve endangered species — and argumentative writing — as in the best method for making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich — involve making claims.​

----- sometimes called a thesis statement-----​

4.1.3 pages 6-8​

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Eric Schlosser's research process took him two years, and it led him to make multiple claims. Most of them are informative, although some actually make a direct argument. Here's an informative one:

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The McDonald's Corporation has become a powerful symbol

of America's service economy.

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This claim is informative because it's an observation, not something that most people will take sides on. An argumentative claim, which Schlosser usually doesn't come right out and state, might look like this:

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​Informative or Argumentative? 4.1.3 page 8

​The government should place stricter rules

on fast-food companies.​

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Obviously, there are going to be some strong feelings about this statement. The fast-food industry will certainly be against it, while many consumers might think it's a good idea. You can identify an argumentative claim by asking, "Who might disagree with this?" If there's an easy answer to that question, the claim is probably argumentative.

​ 4.1.3 page 8

​Support = Evidence from research

4.1.3 page 10​

​The process so far...... 4.1.3 page 11

​4.1.5 Read

​This module says you read Part 1 of Fast Food Nation.

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Well Part 1 is Chapter 2

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Don't forget to fill in the Study Guide!!!​

​4.1.7 page 2 Types of support

< ​statistic

< Claim​

< statistic​

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​< statistic

<Quotation​

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< Fact​

​Sources... must be credible/reliable

4.1.7 page 3​

​This page offers some helpful tips.......

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IMPORTANT NOTE!! Wikipedia​

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Wikipedia itself is not usually considered a credible source because anybody can write entries anonymously, but its References section can help lead you to sources that are more credible.

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​4.1.7 page 6 Searching online

​Finding good sources

Date is important.... more recent the better​

• Check a website's domain, or the last few letters of its web address. Generally, .edu (education) and .gov (government) websites are more reliable and transparent (and less biased) than their cousins .com and .org.

• Check for sponsors and publishers. Articles and websites sponsored or published by a fast-food company will probably be biased, whereas articles and websites sponsored by an independent organization tend to be more neutral.

• Check the facts. Do some reading to make sure the source uses accurate information. Find another source about the same topic to see if the facts agree.

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4.1.7 pages 8-9​

​Check the author's authority.

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You want to make sure that whoever wrote the piece in your source knows what he or she is talking about.​

​4.1.7 page 10

​1. Write a research question about any topic that Schlosser addresses in Fast Food Nation.

2. Find five sources that help answer the research question in some way (one of which may be Fast Food

Nation itself). The rubric asks for one print source and one online source.

3. Provide your sources in a works-cited list that follows MLA guidelines.

4. Write a short paragraph next to each source that does the following:

a. Summarizes the purpose of the source ("This source argues that fast food has benefited the

country overall.")

b. Evaluates its credibility ("This source is not very credible because it does not list an author or

state where it got its information.")

c. Explains how it helps answer the research question ("This source has no information about

​ salmonella, which is my topic, but it does give information about E. coli, which might still be

useful.")

5. Present your research to the class and exchange advice with your teacher and other students about

where good sources can be found.

​4.1.9 & 4.1.10

​4.1.9 Write

​Follow the Writing Guide Step by Step.

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Be careful when you copy and paste your sources..... MLA is very strict about its commas, periods etc. Don't accidentally cut anything off.​

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Be sure to check your work against the rubric!!!​

4.1.9 Instruction before assignment​

Takes you step by step through the expectations.

MLA Documentation--​ helps prevent plagiarism.

Sources on Works Cited page..... the link is not the citation. It is in the

citation, but is not the whole thing. ​

Page 6 gives the model for a book.​

Page 7 gives the model for a periodical.​

Pages 8 and 9 give models for online sources.​

Pages 10 - 12 explains annotations.

Page 14 explains how to put together the Works Cited page.​

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​Respond to ME in the CHAT


Why can we not rely on Wikipedia for scholastic research?
What credible assistance CAN Wikipedia offer?