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POL Prep - Day 4 - Research Brief Critiques

11/30/2023

 
DUE DATES- ON TIME- HUMANITIES​​​​​​​
  1. SPAM 1 Meeting and Form. DUE: Friday, 12/1, 3:30 PM. Hard Copy in Basket. 
  2. Final Draft Research Brief. DUE: Monday, 12/3, Start of Class. Google Classroom. 

DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)
  1. Deep Reading Assignment. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Friday, 12/1, 3:30 PM. Hard Copy in Basket. ​
Starter n+1
Open up your research brief (which should be complete). At the top of your research brief, make TWO COMMENTS:
  1. What do you feel most confident about in this paper, and why?  
    1. EX: I feel confident that the first conclusion I talk about in Paragraph 3 is well supported, because I have two pieces of evidence from different sources that point to the same thing.
  2. What is one thing that you could most use feedback on in this paper? Think about where you are unsure. BE SPECIFIC!
    1. EX: I am not sure paragraph 2 gives enough background information for people to understand what is happening in paragraphs 3 and 4. 

Critiques- 2 rounds
  1. These are short, and should be pretty close to perfect when you turn them in.  This is your final writing piece of the semester- impress us.
  2. Take this process seriously, take your time. You have all class tomorrow to revise, so don’t rush this.
  3. Don’t be a freeloader.  Nobody likes those.  Give thoughtful and focused feedback.
  4. Look for things you like or that were effective to implement in your own Research Brief.​

POL Prep - Day 3 - Write Research Brief

11/30/2023

 
Off Campus Work Day

Work Priorities
  1. Finish Rough Draft Research Brief. This means that you have 5 paragraphs written, plus a Works Cited with full MLA citations. You will need these done at the start of class tomorrow for critiques. 
  2. Schedule SPAM 1. Make sure you have your SPAM 1 scheduled before 3:30 this Friday. 
  3. Done? Start work on POL Slides. Start drafting your slides for your POL presentation. ​

POL Prep - Day 2 - Research Brief Paragraphs

11/28/2023

 
DUE DATES- ON TIME- HUMANITIES​​​​​​​
  1. SPAM 1 Meeting and Form. DUE: Friday, 12/1, 3:30 PM. Hard Copy in Basket. 

DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)
  1. Deep Reading Assignment. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Friday, 12/1, 3:30 PM. Hard Copy in Basket. ​
Announcements
  1. Wednesday off campus work time! Durango Public Library or Smiley Cafe  Be there by 9:30 AM, check in with a teacher for attendance.  Lori will email out a to-do list early Weds AM.
  2. Honors- Return My Books!
  3. SPAM Meetings- Get them scheduled and done by this Friday!  Make sure you fill out EVERY PART of the SPAM 1 form, or you will receive greatly reduced credit for these!
  4. Reminder for Hallway Work- Ticket to hallway work from this point forward- leave your phone on Lori’s desk.  No phone?  No hallway.

Starter #whatever
  1. Copy your most current research question into your starter.
  2. As of right now, what’s your 3-4 sentence answer to this question?  Think about what you can state with a fairly high degree of certainty.

Paragraphs 3 and 4: Organization and Brainstorming
Do ONE of the following strategies to prepare for Paragraphs 3 and 4:
  1. Mind Map (visual organization)
  2. Conversation + Notes (verbal organization)
  3. Outline (linear organization)

HINT HINT…your intertextuality paragraphs, if done well, could be a good resource to pull from for these as well!

Work Time
  1. Draft paragraphs 3 and 4. These should be evidence rich and have in-text citations. Remember that you can paraphrase (put in your own words), but need to cite still or it is plagiarism!  See the POL handout for specifics.
  2. Schedule SPAM #1, have your meeting!

​

POL Prep - Day 1 - Overview + Paragraphs 1-2

11/27/2023

 
​DUE DATES- ON TIME- HUMANITIES​​​​​​​
  1. SPAM 1 Meeting and Form. DUE: Friday, 12/1, 3:30 PM. Hard Copy in Basket. 

DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)
  1. Deep Reading Assignment. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Friday, 12/1, 3:30 PM. Hard Copy in Basket. 
​Announcements- 
  1. Wednesday off campus work time! Reed Library, Durango Public Library, or Smiley Cafe.  Be there by 9:30 AM, check in with a teacher for attendance.  TELL US TODAY IF YOU WILL NEED A RIDE!
  2. Honors- Return My Books!  
  3. Deep Reading Missing?  Get it printed and turned in ASAP.
  4. SPAM Meetings- Get them scheduled and done by this Friday!

Starter #?
  1. What food should ALWAYS be on the Thanksgiving table?
  2. What food should be permanently removed from the Thanksgiving table?
  3. What is a positive experience you have had with POLs (or public presentations if you've never done a POL at AHS) in the past?  What made it positive?
  4. What is a negative experience you have had with POLs (or public presentations) in the past? What made it negative?

Goals Today
  1. Understand the purpose of Senior POLS
  2. Understand the structure of Senior POLS, and what is expected of you
  3. Begin outlining and figuring out what you need in the first paragraph of your issue brief, draft that paragraph

POL Guidelines/Requirements (15 min)
Complete the assignment linked on Google Classroom to familiarize yourself with the POL structure and process. Debrief as a class to get any lingering questions answered.

Essential Background Information Brainstorm (15 min)
  1. Freewrite for 5 minutes, on paper- What do people need to understand/know to be able to understand your research?  Think about terms, concepts, history, etc.  This could be in paragraph form, list form, or mind-map.
  2. Take your paper and writing utensil and stand up. Find a new person to talk to.
  3. Each person spends 1 minute giving a quick overview of their general topic/background knowledge
    1. After the first person talks, the partner has 1 minute to ask questions or identify areas of uncertainty
    2. Repeat
  4. Pause. Turn what you said into 3-5 bullet points, note places you need to flesh out
  5. Find a new person. Talk for 1 minute giving a quick overview of your general topic/background knowledge
    1. After the first person talks, the partner has 1 minute to ask questions or identify areas of uncertainty
    2. Repeat
  6. Pause- revise bullet points
  7. Go back to your original seat- add to your freewrite
    1. What do you absolutely need to include in your general overview?  Reference your notes from your conversation, the assignment, etc.

Work Time- 
  1. Paragraphs 1 and 2 of your Issue Brief- outline and draft
  2. Schedule SPAM 1 if not scheduled yet (remember, this is due on Friday!!!
  3. Done with these? Start mind mapping, brainstorming, or outlining Paragraphs 3-4 of your Issue Brief (more to come on this tomorrow)

Deep Reading- Day 8 - Intertextuality Paragraphs

11/16/2023

 
​DUE DATES- ON TIME- HUMANITIES​​​​​​​
  1. Deep Reading Assignment. DUE: Friday, 11/17, 3:30 PM. Google Classroom + Hard Copy. 
  2. SPAM 1 Meeting and Form. DUE: Friday, 12/1, 3:30 PM. Hard Copy in Basket. 

DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)
  1. Nothing currently elegible
STATS SURVEY ABOUT SNOW

Starter: Review the following Intertextuality Example and answer the following questions:
Please note- the prompts are from a few years ago, so are slightly different, but the general idea is the same. 
  1. What stands out to you in the example that you want to integrate into your intertextual paragraphs?
  2. What are two points/arguments from your research you feel would work well together intertextually? Why?

​TOMORROW
I am out for minor surgery tomorrow- Grayson will be overseeing the turning in of Deep Reading.  You will be turning in a hard copy packet in the following order (from top to bottom):
  1. Blank rubric
  2. Annotated article
  3. Lexicon List
  4. Reading Notes
  5. Intertextuality Paragraphs
  6. Bibliography

By the START OF CLASS ON FRIDAY:
  1. EMAIL YOUR SENIOR THESIS ADVISOR NOW NOW NOW
  2. All 5 articles read and annotated (if you are still working on this you are behind)
  3. Lexicon List is typed and completed
  4. Reading Notes for ONE article are completed (the one you are turning in)
    1. You should have your own notes in whatever format works best for you for your other articles
  5. Bibliography is completed for at least 5 sources, and is correctly formatted
  6. At least TWO intertextuality paragraphs are written (got all of them done? Amazing!)

Meet With People Doing Original Research/Interviews
  1. Interview vs Focus Group vs Survey- Pros and Cons
    1. Interview Question Resources
    2. Focus Group Guide
    3. Survey Guide

Deep Reading - Day 6 - Finish Reading, SPAM 1 Email

11/14/2023

 
DUE DATES- ON TIME- HUMANITIES​​​​​​​
  1. Deep Reading Assignment. DUE: Friday, 11/17, 3:30 PM. Google Classroom + Hard Copy. 
  2. SPAM 1 Meeting and Form. DUE: Friday, 12/1, 3:30 PM. Hard Copy in Basket. 

DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)
  1. Deep Reading Example Analysis. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Wednesday, 11/15, NOON.  Google Classroom.
Announcements
Wednesday Off Campus- 
  1. Reed Library (meet here by 9:15, walk over with Grayson, or meet there by 9:30)
  2. Smiley Cafe (meet there no later than 9:30, check in with Lori and Kyle)
  3. We will be at these locations until NOON- if you need things printed to read, make sure they get printed today!
  4. Need a ride?  Talk to Lori TODAY!  Last chance!

Hallway Work
Ticket to hallway work from this point forward- leave your phone on Lori’s desk.  No phone?  No hallway.

SPAM 1 Email
  1. Go to the Senior Project page of my DP, and carefully read the Senior Project Advisor Letter 1 guidelines, and do what it tells you.  Email your SPA following these guidelines.  Not sure who they are?  Look at the document on Google Classroom. 
  2. SPAM 1 forms are on the table by the window

By the START OF CLASS TOMORROW:
  1. Finished with reading and annotating all 5 academic sources
  2. Typed your Lexicon List (10-15 key terms for your research with definitions in your own words)
  3. Finished correctly formatted MLA Bibliography for all 5 sources
    1. Alphabetize
    2. Hanging Indent .5 for all lines after the first one
  4. Choose the source you are going to turn in for Deep Reading.  This is the source you will turn in your annotations and reading notes for.  It should be the source that is MOST FOUNDATIONAL for your research so far.
  5. Start Reading Notes for the source you are going to turn in for this assignment.

Meet With People Doing Original Research/Interviews
  1. Interview vs Focus Group vs Survey- Pros and Cons
    1. Interview Question Resources
    2. Focus Group Guide
    3. Survey Guide
  2. How many?
  3. Who? (what’s your representative sample?)
  4. How will you contact/find them?
  5. Need to write interview questions, have them vetted by Lori
  6. Start interviews when we come back in January

Deep Reading - Day 5 - Read and Annotate #4

11/13/2023

 
DUE DATES- ON TIME- HUMANITIES​​​​​​​
  1. Deep Reading Assignment. DUE: Friday, 11/17, 3:30 PM. Google Classroom + Hard Copy. 

DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)
  1. Deep Reading Example Analysis. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Wednesday, 11/15, NOON.  Google Classroom.
Announcements- 
  1. WEDNESDAY OFF CAMPUS WORK-  Reed Library or Smiley Cafe (NO PUBLIC LIBRARY THIS WEEK).  Be there by 9:30 AM, check in with a teacher for attendance.  TELL US TODAY IF YOU WILL NEED A RIDE!
  2. POL NOTICE- We will be running POLS through the end of the day on Friday before break (December 15).  This means that you should NOT plan on leaving early for winter break.  We have no wiggle room in our schedule, so make sure you are available through the end of the week before break.

NO STARTER TODAY (so sad, so sad)

Work Priorities
  1. Finish reading and annotating your 4th source
  2. Add to your Lexicon List
  3. Started reading and annotating 5th source
  4. Format all 5 source citations into MLA formatted Bibliography (remember to use Semantic Scholar or Google Scholar to help with this!

Deep Reading - Day 4 - Read Source 3 & 4

11/10/2023

 
DUE DATES- ON TIME- HUMANITIES​​​​​​​
  1. Deep Reading Assignment. DUE: Friday, 11/17, 3:30 PM. Google Classroom + Hard Copy. 

DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)
  1. Storytelling With Data. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Friday, 11/10, 11:59 PM.  Google Classroom.
  2. Thesis Example and Notes. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Monday, 11/13, Start of Class. Google Classroom.
  3. Deep Reading Example Analysis. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Wednesday, 11/15, NOON.  Google Classroom.
Announcements
  1. NEXT WEDS- Be at Smiley Cafe, Reed Library, or Durango Public Library NO LATER than 9:30 AM.  You will stay there to work until 12:00.  Make sure to check in with Kyle, Lori, or Grayson when you arrive.  Please carpool with each other!  If there is anyone who needs a ride from AHS to either location, please put your name on the board TODAY.
  2. Reminder- Phones should be AWAY and OUT OF SIGHT during class. 

Starter 21
  1. What is the most interesting thing you have found in your research so far?
  2. How does it help you to answer your research question?
  3. What new directions/ideas does it give you for your research?

BY THE END OF CLASS TODAY
  1. Deeply read and annotate your third source
  2. Add to your lexicon list from third source
  3. Start reading and annotating your fourth source

Deep Reading - Day 3 - Read 2nd Article/Lexicon

11/9/2023

 
DUE DATES- ON TIME- HUMANITIES​​​​​​​
  1. Deep Reading Assignment. DUE: Friday, 11/17, 3:30 PM. Google Classroom + Hard Copy. 

DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)
  1. Storytelling With Data. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Friday, 11/10, 11:59 PM.  Google Classroom.
  2. Thesis Example and Notes. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Monday, 11/13, Start of Class. Google Classroom.
  3. Deep Reading Example Analysis. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Wednesday, 11/15, NOON.  Google Classroom.
Announcements and Reminders
  1. GET YOUR LIBRARY CARD!
  2. Annotation Clarification- Underlining is NOT annotation.  It is related, but not the same.  To ANNOTATE, you need to write substantive comments, either directly on the text or on a separate document.  These should…
    1. Make connections 
    2. Ask questions
    3. Summarize key ideas
    4. Define terms/concepts
    5. Most importantly- show your critical thinking about the text on the page

Starter 5:  Research Quote
Read the quote linked above.  As you read it, make mental notes of sentences or ideas that strike or surprise you.  When you are done reading, respond in writing to the following questions:
  1. What does this professor identify as the thing that hurts much non-fiction writing?  Do you agree or disagree with her assessment?
  2. What sentence in this piece most stood out to you?  Copy it, and explain why it strikes you, and what it makes you think.
  3. Are you guilty of the bad habit she discusses in the second to last paragraph?  If not, how do you avoid this?  If you are, how could you avoid this mindset in the next few months?

Done with the Survey?  Check out this Deep Reading Advice from past seniors!

BY THE END OF CLASS TODAY…
  1. Read and annotate the 2nd article (Done with the 2nd?  GREAT. Start on the 3rd)
  2. Create lexicon list, get words and definitions from your first two articles
  3. Create Bibliography, put in citations ​

Deep Reading- Day 2 - Read Source 1

11/8/2023

 
DUE DATES- ON TIME- HUMANITIES​​​​​​​
  1. Deep Reading Example Analysis. DUE: Wednesday, 11/8, NOON. Google Classroom.
  2. Deep Reading Assignment. DUE: Friday, 11/17, 3:30 PM. Google Classroom + Hard Copy. 

DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)
  1. Transition Assessment. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Thursday, 11/9, Start of Class. Google Classroom.
  2. Storytelling With Data. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Friday, 11/10, 11:59 PM.  Google Classroom.
  3. Thesis Example and Notes. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Monday, 11/13, Start of Class. Google Classroom.
Announcements:
  1. GET YOUR LIBRARY CARD
  2. Remember, there are video tutorials on the Senior Project page of my DP for database access and using Google Scholar!

TODAY’S GOALS: 
In order to leave early today, you must show me proof that you have completed ALL of the following:
  1. Finish finding and saving 5 relevant academic sources
  2. Complete Deep Reading Example Analysis
  3. Read and annotate 1st source
  4. Complete and turn in any missing assignments from the following list:​
    1. Transition Assessment
    2. Storytelling With Data
    3. Thesis Example and Notes

Starter 20:  Independent Work Survey
Take the survey linked above!   Make sure the click the "send me a copy of my results" button at the bottom of the page before you submit- we'll be coming back to these later!  We'll review the results as a class, and then in pairs you'll discuss the following things:
  1. What is your biggest anticipated difficulty in working independently on your thesis?  Help each other develop potential strategies for overcoming your difficulties.
  2. What is your biggest anticipated strength in working independently on your thesis?

Strategies for Reading a Scholarly Article
  1. Read over the handout
  2. In your notes, list 5 things you learned about the process of reading a scholarly article 
  3. Look at one of the articles you found yesterday. 
    1. Find all the sections
    2. Are there any differences in labeling? Anything missing/added?
    3. Read the abstract, and rate this article’s usefulness on a scale of 1-4, with 4 being most useful.

More Resources (these are also on my DP)
  1. Using Google Scholar to research (video tutorial)
  2. Accessing the Public Library Database (video tutorial)

WORK TIME:
  1. Finish finding 3-5 articles
  2. Read abstracts and conclusions- use these to rate articles on a scale of 1-4 (4 = most relevant)
  3. Look at the annotations on a few of the examples on the back wall
  4. Start reading and annotating your first article (ask Lori or Grayson to print if you want a hard copy (highly recommended)!
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  • Daily Lessons
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  • Senior Project Exemplars
    • 2025 Award Finalists
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    • 2018 Award Finalists
    • Early Senior Theses and TED Talks