Powerpoints: 1. The Research Journal; 2. Source Integration; 3. Thesis Tips

Model journals: 1. Student Journal 1; 2. Student Journal 2; 3. Student Journal 3 

Handouts/Worksheets: 1. Research Topics; 2. Journal Template/Scaffold; 3. Invention Activity #1; 4. Invention Activity #2; 5. The Rhetorical Precis; 6. The Comparative Source Report; 7. Thesis Tips; 8. Thesis Examples

Helpful Resources: 1. Purdue OWL Links; 2. City College Library; 3. JSTOR Text Analyzer; 4. hypothes.is annotation extension

Readings/Videos: 1. “The Art of Quoting“; 2. Other readings are to be determined by your research!

Optional Resources for Review: 1. The Research Process

Lesson Objectives: 1. Understand assignment criteria and requirements, and begin to plan and prepare a research-based paper; 2. Develop awareness of the rhetorical situation of your writing; 3. Learn to use research to identify your claims and evidence, and to persuade others of your findings

Connection to Major Paper/Project: These lessons lay the groundwork to prepare for completing the research journal and write-up. We will first start with the journal and then work to incorporate all of the journal items into the research paper write-up.

Connection to Course Goals: 1. In this lesson series, you will show your understanding of the various ways a rhetorical situation can influence a piece of writing; 2. The journal will allow you to build the research paper over time, using best practices for determining the topic and research questions, close-reading of sources, and identifying source material to support your claims; 3. You will practice identifying and engaging with a variety of credible sources to help you make your argument; 4. In these lessons, you will learn to use conventions appropriate to standard U.S. academic writing.

Activities, Day 1:

---

1. Introduce the Research Journal. Using this powerpoint, the instructor will guide the students through expectations and examples of research journals. We will review the main components of the journals and then review these in models.

2. Complete Invention Activity #1 in groups. Instructor will share research topics that connect our course topic of inquiry (Language Politics). Students will break into groups to brainstorm topics of interest. Students will then narrow the topics to three and explore what they know and what they’d like to find out about the topics they’ve selected.

3. Review research questions. Once students have their topics selected, instructor will model ways to create research questions using the Research Question Generator. Students will return to their groups to exchange papers and write research questions for group members.

4. Open discussion of research topics. Collaborative Google Doc.

---

Homework, to be completed before next class: 

—Complete Invention Activity #1.

---

Activities, Day 2:

---

1. Begin working on Invention Activity #2. We will talk about the preliminary stage of research — casting a wide net and deciding what types of sources you are expected to include in the paper, as well as how best each source can be used to answer the various inquiries you’ve posed. We will discuss primary sources and secondary sources, academic sources, and “other” sources.

2. Library intro. Using the City College Library and OneSearch, we will talk about how to best search the library, and the benefits/limitations of academic sources. Students will also see how to ask a librarian (aka a research expert) for help.

3. Introduce JSTOR Text Analyzer for finding academic sources.

---

Homework, to be completed before next class:

—Complete Invention Activity #2.

---

Activities, Day 3:

1. Discuss how we will use our work from Invention Activity #2 Review the aims of the Comparative Source Report. We will briefly look at “The Art of Quoting” from They Say, I Say and this site that succinctly explains how you might integrate sources into your research project. We will go over the art of introducing our sources using the rhetorical precis template. In groups, students will practice filling their own rhetorical precis template using an article of their own choosing.

2. We will practice MLA citations here, in this doc.

Homework, to be completed before next class:

—Complete three sections of the comparative source report.

---

Activities, Day 4

1. Hypothes.is tutorial. Link: https://hyp.is/go?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2022%2F04%2F10%2Fnyregion%2Fmetropolitan-diary.html&group=__world__

Review text annotation. Use this tool as a way to compile the “three annotated textual sources” in the journal.

2. Continue practicing with the MLA citations.

3. Review quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing. Discuss when to do which. Practice quoting / summarizing / paraphrasing the following excerpts.