Irvington High School

Table of Contents

Second Semester Timeline 2

Essential Question Draft 4

Non Profit Organization Interview 6

Annotated Bibliography 7

Source Check Directions 8

Source Check Sample 9

Thank You Letter 10

Policy Paper 11

Policy Paper Simplified Diagram 13

Policy Paper Rubric 14

Service Project Requirements 16

Service Verification Form 18

Documenting Your Service 20

Policy Presentation 21

Policy Presentation Rubric 24

Answer to Essential Question 26

Government Advocacy Letter 27

Sample Government Advocacy Letter 28

QUEST Binder Checklist 30

QUEST Testimony 32

QUEST Testimony Rubric 34

Citation Examples/References 35

Simple QUEST Rubric 36

QUEST 2015-2016 Timeline (2nd Semester)

Irvington High School

Feb 16th

Non-Profit Interview Notes (Eng)

Essential Question Draft (Econ/Eng)

Feb 23rd

Source Check #5 (Econ)

Thank You Letter (Eng)

March 8th

Source Check #6 (Eng)

March 22nd

Policy Paper (Econ)

Final Annotated Bibliography (Eng)

April 5th

Service Verification (Econ)

April 5th to April 22nd

Policy Presentation (Eng)

April 12th

Answer Paper (Eng)

Government Advocacy Letter (Econ)

April 19th

Binder Check (Eng)

April 29th

Last Day to Turn in Work!

May 18th and 19th

Testimonies (Grade in Eng)

Irvington High School

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

Remember that your final Essential Question should have a “solution” component added to it (ie “How do we fix this?). Some essential questions may already have this component.

Student Name ______

English Teacher ______

Government Teacher ______

ESSENTIAL QUESTION:

SUBMIT THIS AND EACH EQ REVISION TO YOUR ENGLISH AND GOVERNMENT TEACHER. Save each draft submitted. Your final essential question should be written in italics, centered above the first line of your Policy Paper (Due March 22nd).

Your essential question may change many times. Keep all copies of attempted essential question with the teachers’ comments on them. Only final draft receives the signature of both English and government/economics teacher.

Non-Profit Interview

Due February 16, 2015 (English)

Your Non-Profit Interview is the second formal interview with your Consultant and/or contact person at the non-profit. Turn in your signed and dated (by the contact person at your non-profit) notes from this interview to your English teacher by February 16th. For this interview, you will need to create 10 new and relevant questions guide your research to for a successful Policy Paper and Advocacy Letter.

Guidelines:

1. Make sure you take your 10 questions with you to have your Non Profit Contact Person sign and date them as proof you did the interview.

2. You do not need to write a word for word account (no transcript). Write the answers or the main ideas as the response to your questions.

3. Make sure your questions are relevant. You already have 8 Research sources to prepare questions that are specific and focused on finding solutions to your social issue.

4. Refer to the first semester packet for interview hints and suggestions.

Turn in: 10 questions, typed; notes from Consultant interview; and Consultant signature and date on the bottom of the page Remember: You are interviewing this person as an expert on the content of their field, not their personal or work life. Try to write questions that your consultant would know from his or her expertise and experience.

Many students find it awkward or uncomfortable to interview an adult in the professional world. Being prepared and organized will help to alleviate such feelings. You have completed somewhat extensive research on your topic, gathered your conclusions and made connections in writing as well as presented your findings to your peers and teachers. You now have the ability to ask specific, probing questions based on the work you have completed. If you ask questions of the same depth and ignorance as your first interview, this will seem like an exercise in redundancy. However, if you ask questions that demonstrate how much your knowledge and interest has evolved, the interview will reveal your aptitude and dedication. Your consultant will feel like they have played an important role in your achievement, which is never embarrassing.

Irvington High School

QUEST Annotated Bibliography

(see chart for due dates)

An annotated bibliography is a works cited page that includes a summary for each source, along with commentary on how you plan to use it in your research. For the QUEST project, you will gather sources in order build an annotated bibliography over time by completing “Source Checks” (see directions for creating these on the following page). In each source check you will be responsible for reading, summarizing and citing two or three different sources. By the end of the first semester, you should have at least 8 different sources summarized, and by the end of the project you should have a minimum of 12 different sources summarized.

Remember that we are not expecting you to find 12 different sources all at once! You will be turning in “Source Checks” regularly in order to build your annotated bibliography over time. Your Annotated Bibliography and source check due dates are outlined below:

Annotated Bibliography/Source Check Schedule
Assignment / Teacher / Due Date / Number of Sources
Source Check #1 / English / 10/20/2015 / 2
Source Check #2 / Government / 11/10/2015 / 2
Source Check #3 / English / 12/1/2015 / 2
Source Check #4 / Government / 12/8/2015 / 2
Annotated Bibliography #1 / Government (turnitin.com) / 12/15/2015 / 8 Sources Total
1st Semester Ends January 22nd/2nd Semester Begins January 25th
Source Check #5 / Economics / 2/23/2016 / 2
Source Check #6 / English / 3/8/2016 / 2
Annotated Bibliography #2 / English (turnitin.com) / 3/22/2016 / 12 Sources Total

Annotated Bibliography Requirements:

1. Must be in standard QUEST style

2. All sources from your “Source Checks” must be pooled together and then arranged in alphabetical order

3. Minimum Sources: Annotated Bibliography #1 (1st semester) must have at least 8 (these should be taken directly from your source checks); Annotated Bibliography #2 (2nd semester) must have at least 12 (the first 8 sources will be those from 1st semester, which means you will need to find 4 new sources to include)

You may always include more sources than the required minimum, but all sources submitted for “Source Checks”, must be included in your Annotated Bibliographies.

4. Each source must address a specific question from your RFI questions (“Source Check” instructions will explain how to document this)

5. Annotated Bibliography #1 and #2 must be submitted via turnitin.com and must be present in your QUEST Binder for each of your QUEST presentations

QUEST Source Check Directions

(Remember that second semester sources should be focus on ways that your social issue is being addressed, and whether or not any of these strategies are working)

Objectives:

· Read and reread sources, then annotate and retell the content of the article in your own words.

· Evaluate the source, as well as the author, considering the purpose and any potential biases.

· Figure out the intended audience and interpret the intended purpose the author is trying to achieve.

· Produce a properly formatted MLA works-cited entry for each source.

· Answer questions created in the RFI.

For each source you read, you will need to create a Source Check Entry. This is the same as an entry in your annotated bibliography. It consists of two parts:

1. Citation: This includes all of the same information as an entry in your Works Cited Page in MLA format.

2. Source Description: This is a paragraph that:

a. Summarizes the content of the source (exactly what the source says)

b. Analyzes the validity of the source (what makes it worthy of being in your project?) including information on the author (such as purpose, audience, authority, or bias) and discussion of any rhetorical strategies employed.

c. Reflects on the use or value this source had on your project. It may have answered one of your RFI questions, alerted you to a new issue, debunked a previous misconception, etc.

Reminder!!! Each source check assignment that you turn in will eventually go into your annotated bibliography. As long as you complete your source checks on time, and make corrections suggested by your teachers, all you will have to do for the annotated bibliographies is cut and paste from your source checks! Here is the schedule again to remind you.

Sample Source Check Entry

Nijhuis, Michelle. "When the Snows Fail: The Great Desert State of California and Their Search for Water." National Geographic. Oct. 2014: 58-77. Print.

In the National Geographic magazine article “When the Snows Fail: The Great Desert State of California and Their Search for Water”, author Michelle Nijhuis, science Journalist for National Geographic and The New Yorker, explains the agricultural and water systems in California in relation to the ongoing drought. Using the Diener farming family in the Central Valley as an example, Nijhuis illustrates how water shortages caused by the drought have forced farmers like the Dieners to scrap profitable but water-intensive crops in exchange for drought tolerant crops. The author goes on to describe how farmers rely on surface flows and groundwater, as rain is scarce and inefficient. Given that water is so valuable in California, Nijhuis also defends farmers who gamble on cash crops that yield higher profits despite their high rates of water consumption. She then transitions to the root cause of the drought in California: climate change, or more specifically, the lack of snowfall that gradually melts to supply water into rivers and other sources. Michelle Nijhuis relates this to Australia’s past predicament, ultimately connecting it all to the need for change and adaption, such as water use regulations and reforms. This is an article for citizens concerned about the agricultural market and the drought overall to better understand the root causes of the water crisis and what has been done to adapt to changes. This answers my inquiries as to the environmental and social implications of the current water shortage, thus contributing to the answer of my essential question.

Each source check entry will be scored out of 5 points on the following scale:

Excellent (5) / Good (4) / Acceptable (3) / Redo
Annotations include:
· comprehensive summary of content
· insightful analysis of context and intended audience.
· Meaningful connection to QUEST project.
· Answer to RFI question / Annotations include:
· Adequate summary of content
· Adequate analysis of context/ audience
· Connection to QUEST project. / Annotations include:
· Summary of content
· Accurate analysis of context/ audience
· Connection to QUEST project. / Annotations are
missing one or more pieces (summary, analysis, reflection, connection, quotation/ paraphrase).

*Deductions: (.2) points will be deducted for mistakes in MLA format; (.1) points will be deducted for mistakes in grammar or mechanics

Thank You Letter

Due February 22nd, 2016 (English)

Use the following format for your letter. Your letter should mirror this exactly! Attach your signed letter with a self-addressed (with return address), stamped envelope. DO NOT SEAL THE ENVELOPE.

Your Return Address (no abbreviations for Street, Avenue, etc.)

Your City, ST zip code

Today’s date (write it out, i.e. February 23, 2016)

First and last name of the person you are writing (include forms of address if appropriate, ie. Dr.)

Title (only include if appropriate; i.e. don’t write “Teacher”, but do write “President”)

Company Name

Address

City, ST zip code

Dear Mr./Ms./Dr. Person: [note the colon] (do not put just your consultant’s first name)

Indentations for paragraphs are not used. The body paragraphs are single spaced in a business letter. But, you should double space between paragraphs. In this first paragraph you should thank your Consultant for the valuable time, expertise, and patience he/she has provided you during your meetings. You, hopefully, have a greater understanding of “xyz” (whatever your topic is/their expertise is), ...you want to be making broad statements like these in this opening paragraph.

In the second paragraph, be more specific. Give examples of how you benefited from the time you have spent with your Consultant. Be sure to be positive about your experiences and don’t write them a vague, effortless, boring summary that sounds like a glib form letter. Remember how grateful you were when they agreed to help you earlier? You owe them a sincere thank you.

In the last paragraph, conclude your letter. Thank your consultant one last time. If you wish, invite them to your testimony: “I am not certain of the exact date or time yet, but I would like it if you could attend my QUEST testimony on May 18 or May 19, 2016. I will contact you once I have the specific day and time.” Or, some statement like this.

Sincerely, (appropriate closings include: Very truly yours, Sincerely yours, Cordially)

Sally Student

A business letter is not restricted to one page. Remember that this is a concise, but sincere thank you to your consultant for their time.

Irvington High SchoolSemester 2 QUEST Packet

QUEST Policy Paper

(Due 3/22/2016)

Purpose: The purpose of a policy paper is to propose change in society by building a case that action must be taken, and then suggest specific actions to be taken.

Objectives:

· Establish your social issue in order to convince the audience that action must be taken.

· Investigate 3-4 strategies/policies (government action) for working toward solutions to your social issue.

· Objectively explain/compare/explore/evaluate the varying perspectives on your topic.

· Include your specific Service Plan/Project as one of these strategies to be evaluated.

· Make recommendations as to which strategy or combination of strategies you believe should be used and how this process should be initiated.

Requirements:

· Cite and discuss the work of multiple sources (including at least 2 Scholarly Articles) about your social issue.

· Write a 6-8 page Policy Paper which recommends an action plan meant to help solve your social issue by analyzing the viewpoints of various authors and experts in the field.