10Th Grade Research Assignment-Controversial Educational Issues

English 10 Research Project Assignment: Controversial Educational Issues

Choose from the topics listed below and take a stance on your chosen topic as it is used in schools today (decide whether you are for that topic or against that topic). Sign up for your chosen topic on the sheet assigned to your class period (these sheets will be posted on the cabinet doors in the classroom). No more than two students may choose any topic for each class period. You may come up with a new topic that is not listed, but you must get my approval for it first. The following topics have already been approved:

Homework (amount and time spent)

Separate Gender Classes

Standardized Testing (OGT / OAT / ACT / SAT / etc.)

Zero Tolerance

No Pass, No Play

Year Round School

Community Service (required to graduate)

School Uniforms

Smaller Classes

Drop Out Prevention

After School Jobs

Pay to Play

Preventing / Punishing Plagiarism

Virtual (Online) Schools

School Vouchers

NCLB (No Child Left Behind)

Mandatory Drug Testing

Post-Secondary Enrollment (attending college while in high school)

This research project will be completed in a number of steps:

1. Choose your topic, and decide which side of that topic you support.

2. Research your chosen topic, and find a minimum of three (3) reliable, valid

sources of information on your topic. Such sources can be found using

INFOhio Research Databases, the media center or public library (books, magazines, and newspapers), and sometimes the Internet.

3. Using 3”x5” note cards, record works cited information for each source

using correct MLA style citation format guidelines.

4. Using a 3”x5” note card, write a thesis statement for your report.

5. Using 3”x5” note cards, record facts, statistics, examples, details,

testimonies, quotes, and other supporting information from your sources.

On each note card, cite your source (using correct MLA style parenthetical

citations). Each note card should focus on only one aspect of your topic and

should contain information from only one source. Also, information on note

cards should be paraphrased or summarized from the original source. A

maximum of two (2) short quotes (no longer than one sentence long) may be

included from each source. A minimum of five (5) note cards containing

information from each source is required, meaning that students will be

expected to have used a minimum of 15 note cards to finish this step of the

project (3 sources X 5 note cards each = 15 note cards minimum).

Remember that to paraphrase means to put into your own words, and

anytime you use three or more words in a row from a source, it is considered

a quote and must be treated as one.

6. Organize your note cards by main idea, and decide in what order they should

be when you begin typing your report.

7. Using 3”x5” note cards, create an introduction card including your thesis

statement, create topic sentence cards for each body paragraph / main idea,

create transition cards to be included between main supporting ideas, and

create a conclusion card.

8. Using your note cards, type your final report in Times New Roman size 12

font, double-spaced, with one-inch (standard) margins. (There is no need for

a written rough draft as students should already have it on their note cards.)

Remember to include MLA style parenthetical citations and a Works Cited

page. Attach all sources to the final paper. Also, turn in all note cards used

in the preparation process with the final paper.

9. Then, using your same note cards, construct a PowerPoint presentation of

your topic to be presented to your class. Remember to include MLA style

parenthetical citations and a Works Cited page.

10. Present your PowerPoint presentation to your classmates.

11. Students must take thorough notes over all presentations as they are

presented to the class.

12. Once all presentations are completed, students will write an opinion essay

focusing on three of the topics presented to the class. Students will need to

use information they wrote in their notes during presentations in order to

construct this essay and support their opinions on the topics presented.

Project Deadlines:

1. Topic choices are due on:

______

2. Research sources are due on:

______

3. Source cards in MLA Works Cited format are due on:

______

4. Thesis statements are due on:

______

5. Note cards (including citations) are due on:

______

6. Introduction, topic sentence, transition, and conclusion cards are due on:

______

7. Final drafts of research reports are due on:

______

8. Final drafts of PowerPoint presentations are due on:

______

9. Presentations will begin on (Be ready to present starting on this day.):

______

10. Opinion essays are due on:

______

Topics:

Choose from the following 18 topics. Sign up on a line beneath the topic of your choice. First come, first served. When the blanks are full under one topic, you have to choose another one! ! ! You may come up with a new topic to research, but you must get my approval first.

HomeworkSeparate Gender Classes Standardized Testing

(amount and time spent)(OGT / OAT / ACT / SAT, etc.)

______

______

Zero ToleranceNo Pass, No PlayYear Round School

______

______

Community ServiceSchool Uniforms Smaller Classes

(required to graduate)

______

______

Drop Out PreventionAfter School Jobs Pay to Play

______

______

Preventing/Punishing PlagiarismVirtual (Online) SchoolsSchool Vouchers

______

______

NCLBMandatory Drug TestingPost-Secondary Enrollment

(No Child Left Behind)(attending college while in HS)

______

______