6th Grade English with Mr. T: Greek Gods Research Project

Aims:

IWBAT finish revising and editing my research report.
IWBAT prepare to present my project in class tomorrow or Friday.

Reports and Projects are due tomorrow!

Tasks:
1. Today's Overview:

Review aims and agenda.
Review required assignments:

read Chapter 17
finish Quill lessons due on May 19, 20, and 21
finish research report

cover page with image
revised and edited seven-paragraph report
bibliography with at least four sources

work on project (to present tomorrow or Friday)

2. Read The Lightning Thief:

Chapter 17: "We shop for waterbeds" -- pp. 266-282
audiobook: Part 7 -- 14:42 to 43:24 (about 29 minutes)

troubles with audiobook? You can also access the audiobook from YouTube:
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / The Whole Book

3. Quill.org: complete the lesson(s) due this week, from May 19th through May 23rd

4. Update Cover Page:

Add an image to your cover page.

Copy and paste an image from the Internet, or:
Click the Insert menu. Select Image.
Select Search on the left side of pop-up window.
Type in the name of your god or goddess and click Search.
Select the image you like and click Insert.

If you wish, you may change the size, font, and layout of your title.

5. Create Bibliography with Every Source Used (at least 3 for research + 1 image!):

A bibliography is a list of sources used writing a research report.
We will cite every source we use, even if it's one small photo or piece of information. We must do this to show that our writing is credible and to avoid plagiarizing.
We must all cite the sources of any images used.
Generally, we start with the author's name, then the article title, then the publication name and publishing information.

example from Encyclopedia Mythica:

Tuccinardi, Ryan. 'Hestia'. Encyclopedia Mythica. N. p., 1997. Web. 12 May. 2014.

We can use a tool, CiteThisForMe, to help us create our bibliography

Press the logo on the site you want to cite
Click MLA and then Cite this page.
Finally, click Add to bibliography.
In your bibliography, edit the citation to make sure that all the information is correct (click the pencil symbol). Update the title of the article, author's name (if given), etc.

When you have finished creating your bibliography, paste it into your research report.

Go to CiteThisForMe.
Make sure the citation style is configured as MLA (7th edition).
Click Download Bibliography.
Select Copy and Paste.
Select all of the citations. Use Ctrl + C to copy.
Paste the citations onto the last page of your research report, under the heading Works Cited. You should replace (or delete) the helper text. Use Ctrl + V to paste the citations.

6. Review Research Report Criteria for Success:

	3	2	1
expectations of the project	exceeds expectations: includes 7 or more paragraphs with abudant information about the god	meets expectations: includes 7 paragraphs with sufficient information about the god	does not meet all of the expectations of the project
use of information	accurate, relevant, and paraphrased information from sources makes the report clear, effective, and informative	information from print or online sources gives sufficient information about the god	information is lacking, incomplete, or plagiarised, or does not clearly relate to the content of the paragraph/report
fluency	writing is interesting and easy to read aloud, with ideas flowing smoothly from one to the next	writing is somewhat interesting and easy to read; may lack effective transitions or variety	writing is choppy or lacks student's voice; sentences may be formulaic or repetitive
bibliography / works cited	four or more sources are correctly cited in MLA format	citations are not in correct MLA format, or lacking one source	citations are incomplete or missing
conventions	strong use of conventions (capitalization, punctuation, spelling, grammar)	contains errors but the writing is still easy to understand	contains many errors in capitalization, punctuation, spelling, or grammar
presentation	writing is consistently neat and professional, using proper MLA formatting; the cover page is complete and attractive	writing is mostly professional; the cover page is complete	writing is not professional or includes many formatting errors; the cover page may be missing or lacking information or an image
on-time		work was completed and submitted on-time

Reminders about your report:

The report should be SEVEN PARAGRAPHS.
Each paragraph should be at least five sentences.
Don't just list information! Make your voice come through in writing. Make it flow naturally. Make it interesting.
We are keeping this professional. Don't change the font, text size, or colors.
Formatting: Keep your report double-spaced. Don't add extra spaces between paragraphs. Indent each paragraph with the TAB key. Add one space after each period.

7. Revise Your Research Report:

Make your report more detailed.

Look for short paragraphs and research more information to add in these paragraphs

Be sure to cite these additional sources and add it to your bibliography!

Make your writing more interesting.

Don't list facts!
Add short myths/stories to better explain your facts.
Add transitions to help guide from one idea to the next, and from one paragraph to the next.

Swap computers with a partner and ask for feedback.

8. Edit Your Research Report:

Format matters.

I have read my report aloud to make sure I am not missing any words and to make sure all of my writing makes sense.
I have written in complete sentences.
I have used academic vocabulary and tone. (no slang!)
I have indented each paragraph
I have not put spaces (gaps) between paragraphs.
I have checked for proper subject-verb agreement.

Capitalization counts.

I have capitalized the first word of each sentence.
I have capitalized all proper nouns: specific people/gods, places, things, and dates.

Spell well.

I have checked the spelling of difficult words or words that don’t look right.
I have checked the spelling of all names, places, and myths.
I have used the correct form of there/their/they’re, to/two/too, and you’re/your.

Punctuate correctly.

I have used end punctuation (. ? !) correctly.
There are no run-on sentences. I have used semicolons or commas and FANBOYS to make these into compound sentences.
I have used apostrophes in contractions and to show possession.
I have added a space after each period and comma.

9. Work on Your Project / Presentation

Finished Early? You may: