Day 28 (Oct 29) - Reflective Writing

Today we will...

1. learn the importance of reflective writing
2. learn how to write a reflective essay on your research paper topic

What is Reflective Writing?

Let's watch a short video first.
What is Reflective Writing?
Why do we need to reflect?
What do we need to reflect on?
How do we do it?

Different Types

What are the different types of writings we have in ESL115? Discuss this in groups.

How to Do it?

So how do we write a reflective essay?
Here are some possible questions you need to think about for your reflective writing.
Here is a sample reflection.

Day 27 (Oct 27) - Choosing Sources & Refining the Topic

Today we will...

1. learn how to choose sources based on the topic selected
2. analyze sources based on differen criteria, such as relevancy, purpose, readability and synthesis; be able to decide the most appropriate sources for a research paper.

Where to Find Sources?

Still remember the concept map?
The first place where you should go look for sources is the EBSCO.

Demo Topic

How to lower college student suicide with Suicide Risk Training for Campus Professionals.

college student teenager university youth

suicide suicide risk suicide prevention

training education workshops seminars prevention

campus professionals counselors advisors administrators

Now use this chart and evaluate each of the sources in it.

Homework

1. Finish your Pre-research Portfolio and submit it to Compass 2g by 11:59pm tonight.

2. Start (if you have not done so yet) to look for sources for your research topic.

Day 26 (Oct 24) - Source Relevancy & Worshop

Today we will...

1. learn to judge how relevant the sources you have chosen are to your research paper topic
2. have a workshop on the pre-research portfolio

Source Relevancy

QUESTION
1. What if you can't find good sources to support your critcal thinking and analysis of the solutions?
2. What if the sources you have found only state good points of the problem?
3. What if you can't find really relevant sources?

Well, that means, you need a little adjustment.

Once you are able to make the adjustments, you will be able to go on with your research process with no problem.

Workshop

Open your pre-research portfolio in googledrive. Work with a partner. Try to evaluate and make some suggestions to your partner's portfolio. Remember, make constructive suggestions. Don't try to crush your partner down.

Submission Guidelines

1. Based on the comments I have given you on your portfolio, make revisions and adjustments.
2. Once you are satisfied with your work, make a copy of the portfolio in your googledrive folder. The naming of the file should be like this, for example if it is my portfolio, I will name it PP_Eric
3. Remember, never delete the comments I have given you in the original portfolio.
4. When you export the file from googledrive, make sure that you change your final file to pdf format.
5. Submit your pdf file to Compass 2g by 11:59 pm, 10/27/2014 (next Monday).

Day 25 (Oct 22) - Source Reliability

Today we will...

1. learn how to locate information about a source that helps determine its credibility and reliability
2. categorize sources along a spectrum of credibility (not credible/credible, not academic/scholarly, academic, peer-reviewed)

Introduction to Website Reliability

When we write our research papers, we may inevitably use some website sources. How do we know if the website source we use is reliable or not?

Here are 2 websites. Work with your partners and check all three of them, then decide whether the 2 websites are good sources to use in your research paper.
1. Website One
2. Website Two

Which one do you think is reliable? Which one is not?

How do we know? Here are some guidelines that we can use to make a good judgment.

Let's Practice

Here is a Website Reliability Checklist. Please use this checklist to examine if the three websites you just browsed are reliable.

Source Reliability and the Annotated Bibliography

We have already learned something in the Library Day. Do you still remember what are the criteria to judge whether a source is reliable or not?

Annotated Bibliography Practice

Read this Sample Annotated Bibliography, and answer the questions.

Homework

Keep working on your pre-research portfolio. Make sure that the organization you found is reliable.

Day 24 (Oct 20) - Rough Outline

Today we will...

1. learn the basic components of APA outline
2. learn to create a rough outline for your research paper

You must be wondering about all these questions.

What is an outline?
Why do we need to create an outline for our research paper? How to do it?

Major Components of an Effective Outline

So what are the major components of an effective outline then?

Sample

Let us see a sample APA outline and you will have a general idea of what you are doing.

Time for You

So now it is your time to create a rough outline for your problem-solution paper. Please open a word document on your computer and start typing.

Survey

Here is a survey from the ESL writing program regarding the Plagiarism Certification Test you took earlier. Please do it and type in your reflections.

Day 23 (Oct 17) - Research Paper Thesis Statement

Today we will...

1. Take a look at the differences between thesis statement for the diagnostic paper and research paper
2. Distinguish the differences between thesis statement for an argumentative research paper and an analytical research paper
3. Try to write a thesis statement for your research paper topic

What are the differences between a thesis statement for your diagnostic paper and the research paper you are going to write? 

What is the Thesis Statement in the Research Paper?

Let's see what Purdue Owl says.

Can you now see the differences between a thesis statement for an argumentative research paper and one for an analytical research paper?

Let's see some samples.

If this is not enough, you will have to read the perfect research paper written by Eric AGAIN!

Hands-on

Now you are all experts of writing thesis statement for a research paper. It is your turn to write a thesis statement for your own topic now. Give it a try.

Homework

1. Please go back home and do the assigned parts on Writer's Help ebook: "Thesis Statement" & "Drafting a Thesis Statement".
2. Write a 1 to 2 page long reflection paper on what you have learned so far about research paper, and what difficulties you are struggling with (due Monday Oct 20 before class time).
3. Work on your Pre-research Portfolio (due Wednesday Oct 22 before class time).

Day 22 (Oct 15) - In-Depth Pre-research: Critical Thinking

Today we will...

1. Explain different aspects of critical thinking: summarizing, analyzing, critiquing and synthesizing
2. Do some analysis of the points of an organization's solutions on your topic from different perspectives: logic, insight, evidence and critique
3. Add the results of your analysis into your pre-research portfolio

Sample Pre-research Portfolio

Here is a sample pre-research portfolio. You all have to document all your research results in a portfolio like this. Remember, this is 15% of your final grade for this course!

Critical Thinking

What is Critical Thinking? Is it the same as criticizing?

When we do analysis, what do we need to focus on? Let's look at these different LENSES.

Okay, now let's take a look at a sample analysis. Don't be scared...

Hands-on

Now, it's your turn to practice. Please open this excel file and add things into different columns based on your own topics.

Homework

Please send me your gmail accounts so that I can create a folder for each one of you. I will put a pre-research worksheet in it, and you will be editing it toward your final submission of the portfolio.