American Voices Research

TURNING IN YOUR PAPER

Your paper is due at the beginning of class on Monday, even if you are absent.  You will have approximately fifteen minutes to download your paper from Google Drive, check the formatting in Microsoft Word and upload your paper to Turnitin.com.  So your paper should be entirely written -- including the conclusion and the works cited page (see the MLA formatting document below).

Please note that very few questions will be answered on Monday as the expectation is that your paper is complete when you walk in the door.

Late papers will be deducted 5% for every day they are late:
  • 5% deduction -- submitted after class on Monday 4/21 until Tuesday 4/22 at 11:59 pm
  • 10% deduction -- submitted on Wednesday 4/23 until 11:59 pm
  • 15% deduction -- submitted on Thursday 4/24 until 11:59 pm 
  • 20% deduction -- submitted on Friday 4/25 until 11:59 pm 
  • 25% deduction -- submitted on Monday 4/28 until 11:59 pm 
  • 50% deduction -- submitted after Monday 4/28

WRITING AND REVISION RESOURCES 

As you write your rough draft, I strongly recommend that you get your ideas down on paper before you start working on style -- fully elaborating and explaining each point should be your number one goal.  If you work efficiently and steadily, you will finish the first draft by Thursday or Friday giving you much time to revise over the weekend.


Revision and proofreading -- remember that re-vision is about seeing your work anew, so you need to take a break from your paper so that you bring fresh eyes to it so that you can recognize the areas where you need to add more detail, elaboration, thought, and commentary. Also, you might recognize areas that now seem out of place or unrelated. I will go to my grave saying that good writing happens on revision. So be sure to give yourself time to write and rewrite. Use the following revision steps to start with big picture concerns like depth of thought and development; then you can work on style and mechanics.
  1. Drafting to express your point with four introduction options
  2. Basic Paper Requirements Checklist
  3. Peer Revision Checklist -- Big Ideas, Cohesion and Development
  4. Self Revision Checklist -- Lead-Ins, Citations, Word Choice
  5. Quote Blending and Lead Ins
  6. Revising wordiness into conciseness
  7. Paragraph Logic and Transitions
  8. Strong Verbs
  9. MLA Formatting and Works Cited page  --
    To cite your interview, use the following format:
    Last Name, First Name. Personal Interview. Date of Interview. For example:
    Swift, Taylor. Personal Interview. April 16, 2014.
  10. Rubric
  11. Turnitin.com instructions -- you will first need to download the paper from Google drive -- be sure you resolve all comments first.  Choose File > Download as Microsoft Word.  Then check your MLA formatting and save the file under your number. 
  12. Research Skills Test 
    • Open the document and download to Microsoft Word -- enable editing in the yellow bar at the top of the page and save it to your number (not in the downloads folder)
    •  You may use the following resources, but please do not just copy and paste -- that would sort of defeat the purpose of our research skills test.  You know that whole plagiarism thing and all -- 
    • When you finish, print your test, works cited page and first page of your essay -- check your formatting before you print.
And then if you would like to look at a few sample papers, here are some good student models:
  • "Beating the Odds" about a man in the Nashville music industry --  this one starts with an informational introduction and then introduces the interviewee in the second paragraph. It does a good job of keeping focus on the interviewee throughout the paper and then supplementing and synthesizing that information with research.
  • "American Voices: A Story of American Moralities" about a Rwandan refugee and immigrant -- this one starts with commentary and information and then introduces the interviewee.  It includes compelling writing with lots of pathos.
  • "A Change in the 'American Dream'" about a family who has relocated several times for work.  This is one of the best papers I received last year.  The writer started with a tough interview and really had to think about what her point would be -- she brought a lot of complex thinking and good research to her project.
  • "The Real Life of a Soldier" about a man with PTSD.  This paper starts with a great narrative introduction and then works to make a point about trauma and also about the violence of war -- and the impacts on the interviewee.
Also you might continue to look at either of the professional models for good writing techniques. As well any of your research articles would be able to give you a model for using informative, argumentative and sometimes narrative writing techniques.

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STEP 3: SET UP INTERVIEW WITH INTERVIEWEE AND WRITE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Our goal this week is to prepare for your interview.  To that end you need to continue refining and defining your trend and your view of the trend.  And you need to continue "fishing in different ponds" to identify different aspects/angles on the trend to have a few options when you interview your interviewee.  The point is that your interviewee may have more experience and more thoughts about one of your angles over the other so it gives you more options.
  • Pre-Interview Survey -- 
    • download this word document
    • add some details about your particular trends on the second page
    • email or hand deliver the document to your interview subject; ask them to return it to you by Wednesday
    • turn it in to Ms. Bowen and Mr. Wheeler by Thursday (either by email or in person)
  • Complete the interview questions on your Step 3 Google drive document -- due on Thursday at 8 pm
  • Remember that you will need good, specific and narrative details from your interviews so make sure you are preparing enough (good questions, good thought) to get that information. 
    • go back and look at the model essay, "Imam in America" -- note the level of descriptive and narrative writing at the beginning of the essay.  These vivid details make readers feel as if they are there.  Here are the note on the three modes of writing for reference.  Then that will help you think about the kind of detailed information that you will need from your interviewee in order to bring this issue to life.  Remember that you are looking to put a face on this trend and so you will want to ask your subject about big events in his or her life that connects with your trend, but also his or her day-to-day life.  Both have lots of opportunity.
    • Also here are the videos about good interview techniques -- we took some notes on what to do to make for a good interview and what to avoid.


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STEP 2: FOCUS YOUR TOPIC AND DEFINE AN (initial) RESEARCH QUESTION

If your goal last week was to expand your options, the goal this week is to narrow your options.  You will choose one or two trends that show the most promise, narrow the topic down to a manageable point, and start to develop a research question that will lead to the main point your project will argue.

Here is what you need to complete in this step; you need to finish by Wednesday 2/26 at 8 pm:
  • Review background information on this step of the assignment
  • Complete your Google drive document --
    • Find two additional arguments that add to  your background knowledge about this trend
    • Focus your topic down to a trend that you can argue in the scope of this project
    • Write research questions that guide you to collecting information that supports the argument you will make about the significance of this trend

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For the next few weeks, we will be exploring trends in American life, looking at how our societal structures and cultural norms have been shifting over the past twenty years or so.  You will explore a trend that fascinates you but also locate someone in your community who has first-hand experience with the trend.  For this project, there are so many options -- you can choose any phenomena you want to explore.  The only catch is that you need to think critically, gather lots of information and plan ahead.  Let's get started.

This page will be your main information hub for the project.  We will be linking you to lots of resources and will provide step-by-step planning.

STEP 1: BRAINSTORMING AND TOPIC SHOPPING

In this step, you will start to expand your perspective on life in America.  The wider your horizons, the greater your choices.  One of the big questions in this step is whether you start by selecting a trend or by selecting a person.  And the answer is really both: you will want to come up with lots of possibilities and then focus down to the trend and the person that fit the best.

Here is what you need to complete in this step; you need to finish by Monday 2/24 at 8 am:


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CONTACT INFO

Please email me freely with your comments and questions at krista.bowen@cobbk12.org. Although the school does provide me with voicemail, I have access to email much more readily. Please extend me the courtesy of one or two days’ time to respond. I also encourage students to speak with me directly as I will typically coordinate with students to handle resolutions.