Class
In this blog, I would like you to evaluate the research process that you completed during Quarter 2 in Accelerated English III. Think about the beginning of the process and the need to select a topic. What did you learn in the Research Process in this class? Be specific. By the end of the process, how did you feel about submitting your final paper? Why? How will this benefit you in the future? Be sure to offer suggestions for improvement for next year's research paper if you believe something else will help this process. Respond to two of your peers also (more than a simple agreement).
The first thought that crossed my mind when I was handed the research packet at the start of the second quarter was oh no Rachel you are done for. I looked at the list of things that we needed to complete over the course of the second quarter and I realized that this paper wasn’t going to be easy. I knew that it would be a daunting task, something that I wasn’t sure I could accomplish. As I continued to read down farther onto the point sheet I came to realize that this paper had to be ten pages long, another task I was sure I wasn’t going to be able to finish. Soon when I began researching topics for my paper, I realized that if I picked a subject I was passionate about, the task wouldn’t be so difficult. In fact, it might actually be fun to write about something that I cared so much for. Once I started the research and the actual process I started thinking to myself that this paper may not be too hard to write after all. I started changing my whole outlook on the paper by just completing the first few assignments listed on the point sheet. The way that the paper was broken down into different parts was EXTREMELY helpful! By having just one small part of the final process due once a week I felt like the task at hand was much smaller than it actually was. I didn’t feel stressed at all like I thought I was going to be. Every time you hear the “Dr. Pam Research Paper” mentioned, people always make it out to be this terrible awful paper that is impossible to get an A on. This statement is not true at all! People told me things about the paper that made it seem terrible, but as I was doing the paper I kept thinking they must be crazy if they really thought that this paper was that awful. By doing this research paper I learned so much about writing and how I myself can break the paper down into smaller sections that will make the paper easier to write in the end. By the end of the research process I was so satisfied with the work I did. I felt extremely confident that I would get a good grade on the paper and I was proud to have accomplished such a large task. In the future this paper will help me because it has taught me so much about the writing process that I didn’t know. I know what credible and non-credible sources of research are, I know how to cite references properly, and most importantly I know that if I set my mind to working hard on something I can accomplish it. I would just like to thank you Dr. Pam, if you are reading this, for being so helpful during this process and taking the time to help us in the various steps along the way. I am now confident that I can produce many other papers that I can be proud of.
ReplyDeleteRachel, I agree with just about everything in your blog. I think that the whole class felt that this research paper was going to be a total bust. I like your statement about dividing the paper up into smaller parts so it doesn't look as daunting. I also agree with the idea of being proud of the paper. The day that we turned in the complete project, a sense of accomplishment came over me. The whole class worked hard on the papers and we should all be proud. I do think that we were a little rushed towards the end of the quarter and we had a couple of items due each week. I am glad that all of your hard work paid off in the end.
DeleteNice blog, Rachel. Thanks also for your appreciation of the research process. I believe this will be very beneficial to all of you students when you write research papers in college. Keep up the good effort.
DeleteRachel, I think that I went through almost the same exact emotions and thoughts that you had when dealing with the research paper. I had that awestruck feeling of the "oh my gosh 10 pages!" and also could not think of what to write about. What i also found most helpful was how the paper was broken down into different parts, making the paper much more managable and easier to understand. When the paper was finally done and I had the chance to turn it in on that particular Monday, I felt like a giant weight was lifted, yet still gave me such a large sense of accomplishment. The only thing that needed pointed out was how we were a little rushed near the end with the quarter end dates changing on us. I am proud of your accomplishments and so proud of the rest of the class!!
ReplyDeleteOnce the second quarter of Accelerated English III had started, I realized what task was lying ahead of me that would come any day: the dreaded research paper. I had witnessed kids struggle and complain about this paper the year before, so I did not expect anything less than a difficult task. I tried to find a topic before the time so I would have an edge on the rest of the class and not end up falling behind and risk losing points or struggling. As it turns out, that did not happen and I found a topic just a day or two before it was due. I could not decide, but I thought that if I picked something that would also be worthwhile to learn for my own life, then the process would be much more interesting and fly by. When the packet was finally given out and I took a glance at all of the work that needed to be done, my feelings were confirmed; the research paper would be a daunting assignment that required more work than I have ever previously performed. However, when the due dates were given and I really had a chance to examine all of the criteria and examples that were given in the packet, I realized that Dr. Pam was truly on our side with the paper the whole time. She scheduled reasonable due dates that gave us time to change or develop our ideas further. I admit that I struggled on some parts and thought that her rejecting my ideas were sometimes unreasonable, but then I realized that she was just pointing out the correct way to write that I would have never noticed. By the time i had one thing approved, I noticed how fast items were being checked off of my list and how many points I was able to earn by only having parts of research due once a week. The breakdown might have been my favorite part of the research paper. Not only were parts of the paper due about once a week making it easy for me to manage my time, but it also gave me time to really focus on that one certain area of the paper and give it time to be approved with the correct format. In no time I found myself to be counting up all of my process points and realizing that half of my list was gone. I only needed to write the paper and I was done. Sure, 10 pages does not sound like a breeze, but in some ways it was. With everything performed in the process, all of the pieces I conducted and found were able to flow into my paper very easily and create a document that I already knew she at least half-way approved through the process. The words were able to just flow off of my fingers with every piece of research and help laid out in front of me. At the end of the whole project, I am happy to say that I am proud of the work I did. The only slight problem I had was having the paper due a little sooner than anticipated, but everything worked out in the end. Dr. Pam was right. I feel like the paper was able to write itself, that I am a better writer, and that I would feel a sense of accomplishment. Good job to everyone!
ReplyDeleteCarli, I think that you have some really good detail in your blog. It sounds like you put a lot of effort into writing you paper and I am sure that your grade reflects the hard work. I agree with you about Dr. Diiulio saying something was wrong, but it turned out to make the paper better. She was very helpful and was willing to answer any questions that we had. I however think that it was a good idea to have the paper due a little sooner because we didn't have to take a midterm. I think that the time allowed for us to be pro-active and really push ourselves to get the work done. I think that you did a good job at pointing out how fast the time was going. As the points started to add up, that really helped us to feel like we were getting somewhere. Good job on your research paper Carli!
DeleteCarli, I really liked the way that in your blog you told the story of how you felt from the beginning to the end of the paper. I liked how I could see your views changing as your told us about the blog itself. I think that everyone in the class put forth so much effort into making their research paper the best that they could make it. I think that even though Dr. Pam did reject some of your ideas during the paper this could have been beneficial to you. Some teachers don't really take the time to check everything over as well as Dr. Pam does. I think a lot of times they just give students good grades on something because they don't want to go into detail about what they could improve on. I don't feel that way with Dr. Pam at all. I agree with you when you say that Dr. Pam was on our side the whole time. She really wanted us to do great on this paper and I feel like because of all her help and time she put in with us everyone did a good job on the paper. They way the paper was set up really allowed us to pace ourselves, yet we were still pushing ourselves to get the paper written correctly and as well as we could. I also agree with you that the time seemed like it went fast in the sense that it didn't feel like it took us long to write the paper. On the other hand, the time didn't go fast because we weren't rushed into writing the paper as some other teachers may have done. Great job Carli!
DeleteCarli - yes, I apologize for the due date change which was necessary to get the research paper included on this second quarter. I do hope it did not take too much time away from finishing up. I am very proud of all of the student accomplishments this year on this paper. Good job!
DeleteWhenever a student receives a packet of papers that is about twenty pages long, they start to panic. Once the packet was in my hands, Dr. Diiulio started to give us the dates of when our assignments were going to be due. My brain started to hurt after thinking about all of the work that was going to have to be done. As we started to turn in little piece of information, I started to relax a little bit. I had never found research before so this was something that was completely new to me. After my research got approved, I started to make my sentence outline and research proposal. I didn't realize how much these two pieces of paper would help me in the end. The research proposal helped me to write my outline and the outline pretty much wrote my paper. About a week before Christmas break, Dr. Diiulio said that we had to move the date of the due date for the paper up about a week. I started to panic because I was planning to write the paper over break and I didn't start it yet. I later realized that I was glad the due date got moved up. It pushed me to write most of the paper before Christmas and the class ended up not having to take a midterm! Overall, I really liked the process of how the research paper was done. My grade turned out really good because I was able to take my time with it. I suggest having the paper due the same week as midterms because I liked not having a midterm. I was able to really focus my attention on the paper and not have to worry about a test. Writing the paper makes me feel good about college and writing papers there. I was happy with my grade and happy to learn how to correctly write a research paper.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to add a couple of other pieces of information that I forgot to mention in my blog. I picked the National School Lunch Program as my topic. This was an issue that was taking place in my school and I really wanted to find out more information on the topic. I have since realized that a lot of hard work goes into making the school lunches everyday and it is hard for them to meet the national standards. I want to stay up to date on the changes and see how the President will work with the changing standards. I also wanted to say that the way in which the paper was done was excellent. Dr. Diiulio was right in saying that it is a great method. I also felt comfortable turning in the paper because I was able to have Dr. Diiulio help me when I needed it.
DeleteCamille, I just wanted to tell you that the next time you want to add something into your blog instead of adding it as a comment, you can delete the blog and re-post it. You can only do this though if the blog is in a word document so you don't lose your changes. I think that it is great that you want to keep up to date on the changes in the school lunch program. I feel like maybe if you didn't write this paper, you wouldn't have even cared about the changes that President Obama is making to the lunch program. I think that by writing these papers, not only is our writing skills better, but we want to stay up to date on recent news. I like how you included the fact that the lunch staff puts forth a lot of hard work to meet the national lunch standards. I feel like everyone started to panic when they received the research packet, and by the end of the paper were thinking to themselves, I don't know why I thought this paper was going to be so difficult. I also liked how the date had to be changed because it pushed me to write my paper sooner. By making the first draft due the day we came back from Christmas break I think it made me more efficient. I knew that instead of wasting time on my break I would have to work hard to finish that paper and I believe I did just that. I think that you, me, and the rest of the class can confidently state that we are all happy with the final product and it was definitely not as hard as we thought it would be. Great work Camille!
DeleteCamille, by seeing you in class and reading your blog, I could honestly tell how much you cared about this entire project. It was not only you, but everyone in the class was always talking about it. I found your topic to be fantastic because it was a subject that you could relate to. The topics a person can relate to come out to be the best research papers. I liked that fact that you admit that you had trouble with the part about finding the research. I myself was also nervous about the criteria for usable research because I have never had to find credible sources before this paper either! I like how you describe your nervousness and shock for when you first received your packet. It really puts the intimidation factor into perspective. However, when you mention the point about the paper being due exam week, I think that you should make it a little more clear as to have it due BEFORE all the exams start, like we had it on Monday! Having it due Monday could not have been better. I think you did a fabulous job and I cannot thank you enough for all the help you gave me with the paper. Great work Camille!!
DeleteMy first thought of the research project was I’m never going to be able to do this! I saw my sister go through this whole process last year and I knew how stressful it was for her. I knew I wasn’t a good writer and this whole thing scared me. I knew it was going to be our whole grade for the second quarter and I had to get a good grade. When I started thinking about what I should do my report on I had no clue. As I got thinking I wanted to do something that affected more than just me. I was doing my news for Cultures one day and found that the talk of Year-Round schooling was still being talked about. I knew right when I saw it that this is what I wanted to do for my paper. I could not imagine going to school all year. Summer is one of my favorite times, and I know that many students my age would hate going to school too. As I started doing research on this topic I realized that maybe this won’t be so hard after all. When looking at the grading sheet I got nervous that there were so many parts to it. But as the process went on it made it so much easier. Instead of just having to hand everything in at once you could pace yourself and just do parts at a time. I found this to be very helpful. I feel like if I was just given a due date to hand everything in I would have waited till the last second to do everything. Even though this process caused a lot of stress I was very impressed with myself at the end. I felt very accomplished that I had done my first real research process. I feel this whole process will help me when I get further into my schooling. I will know a lot more about the whole research process. By just doing each step and going for extra help the research paper is a very good learning experience.
ReplyDeleteHayley, I would also hate going to school year round because it is also one of my favorite times. I wish I could have read your paper because I would like to see what topics would be included. When Dr. Pam said that it was going to be mainly our whole grade for the second quarter, I realized how hard I am going to have to work to finish the semester on a strong note. Your topic was one that would have much research incorporated with it, so your paper probably had many valid sources with it. Don't worry, I also stressed out a lot because of the research paper. My brother told me though that it is something that I will have to do when I go to college. This paper was very useful in breaking down the steps to do a proper paper. It was indeed a very good learning experience. Good blog and an even better job on your paper!
DeleteHayley, the research paper was stressful, but you chose a great topic. School year round would be awful. Summer is my time to relax and earn money from my summer job. School is sometimes overwhelming and summer break is exactly what I need to breathe. As for the research process I also thought they way it was broken down was helpful. Also just knowing the fact that the research paper was the deciding factor for my grade in the second quarter was never racking. Five hundred points, I wanted to make sure I did not screw that up. The research process break down helped assure myself to relax and to put my best effort into this project. The research paper was a great learning experience.
DeleteI also saw that other people were struggling with it, but I feel as though we always think that it's much harder as we go through it than when we look back at what we did. I'm sure that its the same here as it is in many other situations.
DeleteI will admit, last year when people talked about Dr. Pam, I never wanted to take that class. Well here I am doing a blog for her, and it has been an interesting first semester. By far, the research project was the most difficult project that I was ever required to do for any teacher. Whenever we received the first packet of papers on the first day of the second semester, the thought in my mind was “you have got to be kidding me!” I never thought that I would do well on this project because I was aware that I had some difficulties writing papers like this. I had to choose between two topics for my research paper. It would have been about steroids, but then I realized that there is more research about concussions. After I selected my topic, it was officially time for me to begin starting with the thesis. It took me a long time to think of what my thesis would be. I finally got it approved, and continued with my research. I really appreciated the way that the paper was broken down into different steps. That makes the research project a whole lot easier. Most teachers just come out in class and say when a paper is due, and then they let you do the work yourself, not knowing if you have viable resources. I learned many things about how to do a proper research paper. I learned how to construct a thesis, write APA citations, and do a sentence outline and many more things that will be useful for me in college. The toughest step was having to find the proper sources. We had to have three internet sources, along with three non-internet sources. I was looking on the internet for hours to find official documents about concussions. When it was time to turn in the final copy, I was ecstatic. I have never worked so hard on any school project like the one I did for English class. I was ecstatic because my many hours that I put into the project paid off in my final grade. This research paper is something that I am not going to lose and I will bring it to college with me. I am sure it will come in handy. I was a little upset when we had to switch the date that it was due. I did realize that I did not want to take a midterm either so I was fine with it in the end. This project gave me the skills I need to write a proper research paper in college, and that is something that I am very thankful for.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with saying this is the most difficult project that I have ever done in school. I do not remember what my mind said when I first looked at the packet, I think it was "aw crap," but I could be wrong on that. If my brain did not think that it probably just went blank for a moment. You talked about having difficulty with finding sources, this is an issue I did not encounter. We were looking at different topics though and I will not doubt that there were a different level of good sources for our topics. I had some issues finding the non-internet sources, but I was not looking for hours like you were. I remained unfazed when the due date or the research paper changed, unlike you. Most of the other topics you put into this blog are similar to the ones I put into mine. How the paper will benefit us in the future is one that we both wrote similar things about. I have to agree on how the paper will be helpful in college, since it is very likely that multiple research papers will be assigned then. We should in a way be thankful for having to do this monster of an assignment.
DeleteAndrew, I would have to agree that this was one the most difficult projects I ever had to complete in my high school career, and that many teachers in the past would just tell us to write it. This process was well structured for us, and one could easily tell that Dr. Pam probably spent a lot of time and effort into laying out a structured process that we would not just be able to write a paper from, but actually learn from! I agree that this is something that people should consider keeping for college, especially the packet with the different hand outs and any notes taken in class. I also agree with you about the date change being slightly inconvenient, but it we cannot not do anything about it now but be glad that it is all handed in and taken care of.
DeleteI completely agree with your first impression of our research paper. I thought that it was going to be e hardest thing I had ever done, but it ended up being so much easier than I originally anticipated. It just goes to show that you can't automatically assume something from someone else's experience.
DeleteAt the end of the first quarter, we were given an intimidating task. The task was to write a ten page research paper. What made this daunting assignment much less threatening was that the entire project was broken down into much simpler steps. All of the steps were relatively simple, but still had a big part in the final result. The very first part was to pick a topic and decide on a research question. This was an important decision since this was what all the work in the future was going to be revolving around, as well as being one that is hard to go back on. Making a bad choice so early on in the process could have ended with a negative effect in the end. Most of the steps following the topic were similar in helping for much later in the process. The thesis statement was also an enormous part in the paper, since it was what the paper was specifically debating. I will assume that its importance in the paper is why you were very picky about it Dr. Pam. The same was with picking sources for the paper. A bad source could ruin the credibility of the paper, or of a specific topic in the paper. The paper also taught me how to write a research proposal, annotated bibliography, and how to cite in APA style. The most important of these is probably learning how to cite sources in a method other than MLA, which is what we always did before the research paper. College are likely to request citation in a style other than MLA. However, I think that APA is mainly applied in medical fields, and I think that Chicago style would be more likely to be used in college. Turning the paper in in the end left a good feeling afterward. Although it was mainly a feeling of "Its finally done," since it had been going on for so long. Putting so much work into something then turning it in and having a good end result is still a good feeling though. Accomplishing a difficult task is always a nice thing to do. For benefits in the future, the several varied steps in the process add many important parts of writing to the list. Learning how to find credible research from bad research is among the most useful. Citing references in the future will be easier thanks to the research paper, as well as the books we received earlier this year. Writing a research paper will probably happen again once everyone goes off to college. We might have to write four different ones in a semester, and not have anyone to hold our hands through it, but the fact we did one in the past will make the entire thing easier. For recommendations for the future, I personally think that some of the due dates were longer than they need to be. A couple of the assignments could have been given shorter due dates to decrease the overall time spent on the paper. Ultimately, the research paper was a huge assignment, and one that can be used again in the future.
ReplyDeleteTyler your blog was very well written. The difference between MLA and APA was confusing and different. Learning the different types of citation was knowledgeable. The little book that Dr. Pam gave us was extremely helpful. The research paper was a great experience. Learning the different parts of the research process was helpful. The feeling of accomplishing that research paper cannot not even compare to any other project. The difference in using APA formatting was one of the greatest factors I learned during this process as well. Up until now the only citation I have ever used was MLA. I appreciate that Dr. Pam is getting all of us ready for college. This research paper is unforgettable.
DeleteTyler, you did a good job with your blog. I think you made very good points. I think that you did a good job at explaining how the paper was done. Also I felt the same way when I handed my research paper in. I never thought I was going to be able to something like this. I was very proud of myself! One thing however is I think that APA was very useful. Although it might be used in the medical field. I still thought it was very helpful. Also by just doing this research paper I feel as with no matter what type of citation other papers are in knowing how to do APA will be very useful. I also agree with how you said that some of the dates were longer then they needed to be. I feel like at the end when we had to switch things up that we should have evened the dates out. Some weeks we had one thing due that did not take that much time and other weeks we had multiple items due. I do believe however that the process of handing things in on time made it easier and less stressful for everyone.
DeleteTyler, I liked how you gave your honest opinion rather than just writing this blog to get it done. I can agree with you that it was a change using APA formatting rather than MLA. Before this year, I wouldn't know what to do if a teacher asked me not to use MLA. I agree that the entire process was a good experience, and I had the same feelings when handing the final paper in. Everyone spent a lot of time and effort into this project, so hopefully no one is disappointed with such a valuable experience.
DeleteIn the beginning of the research process, my thoughts and worries were spinning. I experienced moments of panic and indecision. I have learned that the most important part of any research project is to pick a good topic. The topic of a research paper needs to be able to be explained and expanded. What I mean by this is that a topic has to have creditable research sources and it also must have a ton of resources to choose from. One or two sources will not cut it. Once I picked my topic I was able to take a breath. The next part of the process was creating a thesis statement. In class I thought that Dr. Pam did a great job in explaining how a thesis statement could and should be written. Although her examples made complete sense to me, it seemed I was still having issues writing my own. Thankfully I kept in touch with Dr. Pam and she gave me good advice.
ReplyDeleteThe break-down of the research process into different parts was extremely helpful. The way the research process was broken down enabled me to learn how to fix my mistakes. Also it gave me a chance to ask her questions about a specific part of my paper. One of my few complaints about the research paper was that the final paper due date was moved up a week. This caused me to stress out to the point where I had a never ending migraine until the day handed it in. In the end I realized how much of a learning experience this paper was! Also on a positive note, on the day I handed my paper in I felt accomplished and relieved. I obtained peace of mind, and also was extremely grateful that I did not have to worry about a midterm…..THANKS DR. PAM!!!
Throughout the research paper there seemed to be one element that helped me immensely: communication. In class Dr. Pam always and still does stress the importance of communication. I will admit that I was afraid to ask questions. Once I started to communicate my questions and thoughts to Dr. Pam about my paper, it seemed as though my paper kept becoming easier to write.
Also I began to realize that peer critiquing was a great toll that I should utilize. Once I got to the writing stage of my paper, it seemed as though that the words seemed to become confusing. At this moment a spark went off in my mind. I realized I was spending too much time writing my paper without a break or pause. I decided that it was time that had someone else read over what I had written so far. Luckily my older sister, Julia, was home from college. Julia is very intelligent and knew much about research and proper writing mechanics. My sister’s input helped me greatly throughout my paper. At this moment I realized that more people that critiqued my paper the better it became.
In the end, my research paper turned out great. Once I was completely finished I felt great! I also reread my final paper and I became enthused. I realized that my writing and research skills have greatly improved. Overall I am proud to say that I wrote an amazing paper, and I will never forget it.
I think that when the rubric with everything that we would be doing was handed out, I think that everyone felt overwhelmed by the behemoth of an assignment that was looming ahead. I like how you described how the process was broken down into more manageable parts. We only had one part to worry about at a time making it easier to get help. I also like the feeling that one thing was done and now only had to worry about the next. I was not really irritated by the due date being moved up, it did not bother me at all really. Like you, when the paper was finished I felt achieved that the project was finished.
DeleteMarla, you did a good job on describing how you went through the research process. Do you feel that it helped you better understand how to write your paper? With my paper I definatly felt that keeping in touch with my teacher was a great way to better understand what she wanted grading wise. Also I always thought that the thesis was supposed to go in the fist sentence, not the last sentence of our introduction. THis whole process will help us both in college and throughout life. It helped us better organize our thought also on our papers. Overall I think you must have done a great job on your paper, and it will better your writing skills in the future.
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ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the second quarter, we were handed a huge packet of papers concerning the research paper. Immediately I was intimidated, wondering how would I ever pass this class? Many students had talked about in the past of how difficult writing this paper was, and that the grade we received on the paper would determine the grade we would receive for the second quarter. It was worth 500 points, and I knew I needed a good grade. I had never before written such a lengthy paper before, let alone for a grade.
ReplyDeleteI often feel that English has never been a strong point in my academic career, but the more Dr. Pam explained the research process, the more comfortable I felt with writing a ten page paper. I was actually kind of excited about the research paper, but I was still nervous knowing how important it was to do well on it. When I began researching potential topics, I knew it had to be something I was passionate about in order to be able to meet the ten to twelve page requirement. I immediately knew it needed to be something biology related. I have always loved animals, so a form of animal cruelty was something I knew I could write about. As soon as I got my research question approved, my thesis came to me easily.
The research process I feel was laid out very well and made the entire process simpler than expected. I especially appreciated the fact that we had the opportunity to have our worked looked over before we handed it in. Even after that, Dr. Pam evaluated our work and made sure that it could be improved before the final paper had to be submitted. With so many opportunities to have our work improved, I knew there was no way I could fail the paper. After handing the final paper in, I had a huge feeling of accomplishment. I really did appreciate the entire process, and feel that it was a good experience that will help me in the future.
Maria, I feel like reading all these blogs most of us had the same fear of getting the research packet. We had all heard upperclassman talk about how horrible the paper was and how much stress it caused. I also feel the same way about English. I never really have been good at English and all the writing parts of the class. I feel like in other classes were just told to write a paper and it was never really broken down like Dr.Pam did for us. I am very thankful she did. Also I needed a good grade as well and I Knew this was going to be half our grade for the quarter. I feel like I should have done my research paper I was more passionate about like you and many others did. I feel like that was a good idea. I think you made some very good points in your blog.
DeleteMaria, I feel that you were right when you said that the process was laid out right; however, I didn't find the annotated bibliography a help at all. I felt that it was good to learn how to do one, but I didnt find it necessary to do for this research paper. I also feel that English is my weakest subject, but after I did so well on my paper i think it is actually a stronger subject in my life. I have learned to like writing. I also feel that picking good references is a major point that can help write the paper. If you don't have good sources, you won't be able to obtain enough information to write a twelve page paper.
DeleteDuring the research paper, the first step was to find a research topic. This was very difficult for me to choose from because I knew I had to write twelve pages on the topic, which would be a very difficult task to complete. I was torn between two good topics that are very important in my life. They were about music and anti-bullying in school. I picked bullying in American schools in the end because it had a lot of information that I could use to help me write my paper and keep it interesting for readers. During the whole process many points were given for each piece of information written in the process. One of the main parts was to find at least three internet sources and three non-internet sources that related to my topic. I had three good sources, that gave me a lot of information, but they didn’t have enough work cited information to use as a reliable source. I feel that because those sites didn’t have an author was the only reason why I couldn’t use them even though they were government websites. As a result, I think that I should have been able to use them because they had a plethora of reliable information, just not enough work cited information that could have been used on my reference paper. I also had a very difficult time with following the outline because every letter had to be a new paragraph. I think that a better thing for future research paper projects is to make each Roman numeral on the outline just be one paragraph with the letter sentences included inside the Roman numeral paragraphs. This would be much more efficient and easier to understand.
ReplyDeleteIn the end, the whole process of the research paper was a very time consuming process; however, I know for a fact that doing this will help in college for my future classes that will require me to do much longer research papers. This research paper process will help me go through college easier than me not knowing how to even start a research paper. I also felt that at the beginning of the research paper, it was hard to get everything organized to start and write the paper for the final project. Also when the date to hand in the final paper came, I felt like I had accomplished something great. I actually had a good time writing the paper itself because I was very interested in my topic, but I didn’t like doing all of the extra writing around it such as the annotated bibliography. Therefore, the whole process of the research paper was good, but I felt that some things could be improved such as how much information I needed for the work cited sources. I also felt that the in-text citations could have been more improved by better directions on how to properly write the citations inside the paper because in my final paper they weren’t typed properly even after my teacher checked them on the note cards. I felt like this as because we didn’t show them to her on the paper itself with the information around int. We just showed what they were, not how they were to be used in a paragraph.
Emma, I thought that choosing a topic was hard to do too. I had a few to choose from but was not sure which one to choose from. I also agree with your thought that the research paper was hard, but that it would be greatly beneficial for the future college courses that I would take. I think that since you did not have an author, even though they were government sites, they might not have been the most well-written government sites. A good, credible website is one that has an author and a date as well as important information. APA does not, however, forbid us to use websites that do not have authors, it just requires that you then instead start off with a different thing first for the reference page so I believe that you still could have used the websites if you thought they had really good and valuable information. I do disagree with you however whenever you said that you'd thought it was hard to write a different paragraph for every letter. The Roman Numerals were each a different topic section, and the letters within them were each different topic sentences. Each topic sentence was supposed to be a different topic and a topic that you should have been able to write a full paragraph about.
DeleteEmma, I had the same problem. I found some good sites that didn't have authors or Dr. Pam didn't approve of them. Though the cites were good, there must have been a reason she didn't approve them. You never know, maybe the sites didn't have accurate information. We needed to learn to find good resources, that was something I had a lot of difficult with. I agree with how you felt when you finished, accomplished. I felt like a weight had just been lifted off my shoulders, it's a great feeling of accomplishment.
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ReplyDeleteWhenever I had been told by Dr. Pam that I was required to write a ten to twelve page research paper, I was speechless. If you had told me this at the beginning of the last year, I would have scoffed at you and walked away. I did not think I was up to the task.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that we were required to do was to choose a topic. Choose a topic? What do you mean? there are so many topics in the world to choose from and Dr. Pam let the whole world of options open to us, no restrictions. How was I supposed to choose a topic? In the end, I ended up choosing a topic that I was passionate about and believed that I could write a good paper about, teenage image as displayed by the media and the problems because of it. An aspect of the research paper that I had a lot of trouble with, even more so than the thesis, was finding three good internet sources. I did not understand what went into finding a credible research site and it took me a long time before I was able to come up with three. The thesis was next and that was hard too. Especially hard because the whole research paper was to be written around the thesis, so if you did not have a strong thesis, you did not have a strong paper. Everything after these three points was actually much easier than I had expected it to be. I think that at the beginning, I was not trying my hardest and giving my best to the research paper. I found that if you follow instructions and do what the teacher told you to do, you were far better off than trying to make up how to do it yourself! After writing it, I could not wait to hand my paper in! It felt like such an accomplishment being able to complete something so large. If you followed the outline, it was not hard at all to come up with ten pages. I was confident whenever handing the paper in, because of the steps we had gone through in the beginning. Without all of the steps, I would not have been able to feel so confident and I would have done much worse on the paper in the end. A note I would give to future people writing research papers is to double check over your work. I didn't realize until after I got my paper back how much I used the word "you" or "yours" in my paper, even after we were told multiple times to watch out for that!
While the process was long and tiring, in the end it ended up helping me and I know that it will ready me for college in a way that I never could have imagined. I am well aware that I will be required to write more than my fair share of research papers in the future and this has done nothing but help me to know how to write them later.
Morgan, I am sure that we all felt the same way that you did when Dr. Pam introduced the research paper to us. You are definitely correct when you express that we were allowed to pick any topic we wanted. Usually a teacher would just give us a topic and tell us to write about it. The thing I liked about this procedure was that it was broken down into simpler steps to make the research process a whole lot easier. I also agree with you on your saying about the thesis. I was very nervous when I emailed my thesis to Dr. Pam thinking that it was going to get rejected and I would have to think about another one. The outline was very useful in the research paper because if you had the outline done, then your paper was practically written. All you you had to do was fill in the gaps and make the paper 10-12 pages. It was not that hard at all. I really hope I have an assignment like this in college because I know I will be prepared with Dr. Pam's research method.
DeleteMorgan, I thought the same thing when she told us that we could choose our own topic. I liked rules and guidelines so that I wouldn't mess anything up. I remember freaking out over credible research. I was constantly throwing away what seemed like a good source. I'd never even considered that there were "uncreditable" sites. Of course I knew Wikipedia was uncreditable, but that was all I ever thought of. No one else had ever told me about creditable sites.
DeleteHere! We are doing a research paper! I had the same reaction that you did, Morgan. I really enjoyed the ability to have a free choice of what we could pick for our research papers. It left a lot of room for thinking and forming our own ideas. This was nice, but it also created a challenge for us. It was nice how the steps were broken down, it made it much easier to write the paper. Also, the thesis was certainly the scariest part of the whole deal. Getting that approved was the most stressful thing next to handing in the paper. Also, the outline was the most helpful part of all, once that was completed, the rest of the paper just fell together.
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ReplyDeleteThe research paper process was interesting and filled with tons if ideas and feelings. The supermassive packet at the start of the quarter was quite a shock. Even though it looked horrible and scary, it did not turn out all that bad. The first challenge was to find a topic to do research on. I started searching common topics but that did not get me anywhere. I looked for arguments going on in the USA and i found what I was going to do. The whole process at the start was pretty easy. As long as everything was done as the packet said, it went just fine. The packet helped tremendously throughout this entire process. Next came the process of gathering research. This process was better then the very start because all we had to do was search, and search for good sources. After this, the packet took over. Following the large pile of papers helped the most. It contained lots of information, and the Easy Writer helped a lot too. Overall, I learned the most about APA style and citations. I have never even heard of APA citations before, until now. Now, I have learned much much more about this system of writing and citations.
ReplyDeleteI think this certainly help me in the future. I learned that the whole process fits together in a way that makes writing a larger paper easier. Because of the way the packet was pit together, I felt much better when I went to hand it in because of the way it has been put together. This will certainly help me in the future. I learned the technique for finding, citing, and then writing down what is needed, to make the paper better and more educated. This, I know, will be helpful i. The future for any further education I follow.
Over all, I feel that this entire project was put together nicely. The packet, and the addition of the Easy Writer book, made a big difference. If it was not for these I would have had much more trouble writing this paper. With the amount of information on the way to write in APA and do research, it became much easier to do a project like this.
Jess, I agree that the packet made it a lot easier to do. I didn't use my Easy Writer all that much... in fact I think I might have only used it two or three times. I agree that the whole process taught me a lot about APA.
DeleteJess, I agree with you that the packet was supermassive and intimidating in the beginning but that it turned out to be very important. I also found the Easy Writer very helpful. It broke down everything into very understandable terms and steps. It truly will help in the future.
DeleteHonestly? When I first received the research packet I thought, “Oh goodie. Here comes another horrible grade.” I was scared to death that the whole process would be pure torture and that I wouldn’t be able to figure it out. I could tell from the looks on everyone else’s faces that they were thinking the same thing.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started beginning to look for topics I was completely lost. I couldn’t find a single thing on the internet, or in books, or in my own head that I wanted to write about. Everyone else seemed so certain and I was in the dark. I was seriously wondering who let me into this class. But finally, I found a topic that spoke to me.
If it weren’t for our step by step research process I can promise you I would have failed miserably. The process saved my life, and taught me many things about writing that I had no clue about beforehand. For instance, in text citations. I had avoided using them at all costs, and had gotten lucky enough to never had had to use them before. Another thing that I learned from this long two months was the proper way to cite and write in APA style. Before we began this paper I had never even heard of APA really. I knew it was different from MLA and it cost money to use it on Easy bib. Definitely something I wanted to stay away from. But I learned. Through hundreds and hundreds of searches for how to cite in APA and how to write in it I figured everything out.
When I finished my paper a terrible dread filled my body. The first thing I thought was, “Oh no. She was right, I feel accomplished!” It’s a student’s worst nightmare, having to admit that their teacher was right. I was excited to hand my paper in. I was glad to be done and not have to worry about it anymore. It was a weight off my shoulders.
For next year’s research paper I don’t believe that anything needs to be changed or added. Everything was pretty straight forward and easy.
Maddie, I love your blog! I feel as though you read my mind. I am awful at writing, especially if it does not involve anything about my life. With using MLA for everything we have ever done in previous years, I got that "oh no" moment when I found out this was in APA. I also agree that it was a huge weight off of my shoulders and that I do not have to worry about it anymore.
DeleteWriting papers is one thing I absolutely dread, and I hate when teachers say it is time to write a paper. When we got that huge packet of papers at the beginning of the quarter, and seeing all of the steps involved and reading that it was to be at least ten pages, I immediately felt as though my heart was going to fall down to my stomach. Once the process began, I found it very helpful to go in such small steps. That made everything very simple. With the peer critiques, I feel like the person shouldn’t know whose paper they have only because some people feel as though they can’t be honest if something is wrong and just tell them that they did a good job. Then when it is time to turn in the paper, some things might be wrong that was not mentioned by anyone. Personally, I would rather have my peers tell me I did something wrong than a teacher. Also, I would have liked to spend more time on learning how to use an in-text citation because that sort of confused me. Maybe that was explained on a day I was absent, I am not sure. I understood what to do, but looking at the example in the packet we received, I got confused because there were so many in-text citations in each paragraph. At the very end, I was just excited to turn it in. It was a scary thing, especially because I am not the best writer. It was very helpful, as I said, to do each part of the pre-writing in such small steps.
ReplyDeleteNormally, writing papers does not bother me, but this paper was an exception. It was huge, and that packet was scary. It was highly helpful that the process was broken into steps. I liked the peer part of the paper. It was interesting and I found it helpful. Overall, the APA style seems confusing sometimes, but the packet had everything I ended up needing inside of it. It was exiting and scary all at the same time. This overall process, I think, was a good thing, and will certainly help in the future.
ReplyDeleteNicole, I agree that that packet put a lot of stress and doubt on me also. It was so detailed I thought for sure I was going to die! Once I looked at the paper and saw how broken down it was and how there were examples provided, it calmed me down a little bit. Also peers may be a good help with the research paper, but teachers are always a better choice. Students aren't always correct. Teaches know more and are far more advanced than the students, so their help might be harder but in the long run they will help you out more.
DeleteThis research paper involved a lot of hard work and dedication. Selecting a topic was the difficult aspect because it had to be an argument. Sure, I could write anything about a topic of just researching but writing an argument is different, it almost has to be like an opinion. I learned so much throughout this whole process of writing the research paper. I learned how to correctly write an abstract, thesis, outline, and many more things. This will help me so much in college. I also learned about citing in quotations and how to correctly site references in the paper. I've always done this wrong my whole life until, now. I felt really confident by the end of the process when I submitted my paper. I had hours and hours of work put into that paper. I had a lot of help from Dr. Pam so I felt like she would like it a lot. Her help was very hard sometimes but it was worth it in the end. This will benefit me so well in college because Dr. Pam taught at colleges and knows what's up in the real world. Overall, I'm actually very glad I had a chance to experience this sort of challenge because it helped me with assignments for other classes as well. Finally I'm just glad it's over with!
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the quarter, I was positively afraid of the research paper. The packet had too many things that I had to do, and I had too many things that I had to do. After going through a few of the things needed, I realized that it was much easier than people from past years lead me to believe. While it was, at times, very stressful, I believe that you made it so that it was easy to go through the paper step by step. I really appreciated the open communication that you kept with all of us, and I think that was the main thing that kept everyone's up. I'm sure that writing this paper will help me throughout my college career through all of the research and just plain old papers that I need to focus my ideas, such as analysis of literary works. I think that this paper has helped me a great deal in the way of learning how to use different styles of research and focusing my ideas.
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