The Argumentative Research Project: A Step-by-Step Course (view)

Units included with this Open Author resource:

Unit 1: Introduction to the Research Project
Learning goals:
Discover, discuss, and write about relevant issues and arguments that could lead to a research topic
Keywords:
NE ELA
Alignment:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.1, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1a, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1b, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1d, NE.LA 12.2.1.B, NE.LA 12.2.1.C, NE.LA 12.2.1.I, NE.LA 12.2.2.A, NE.LA 12.2.2.B
Unit 2: Choose Your Research Topic
Alignment:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2
Unit 3: Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Citing Sources
Alignment:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.2, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.4, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.6, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.7
Unit 4: Research and the Annotated Bibliography
Alignment:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.8, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.9
Unit 5: The Thesis Statement: A Crucial Step
Alignment:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.7
Unit 6: Organizing and Drafting Your Argument
Alignment:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.7
Unit 7: Introductions, Conclusions, and the Detailed Outline
Alignment:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1a, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1e, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2a
Unit 8: Drafting, Peer Evaluations, and Revision
Alignment:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1a, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1b, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1d, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1e, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.4, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.5, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.6, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.7
Unit 9: The Service-Learning Presentation
Unit 10: The Final Research Paper and Student Portfolio in Open Author
Alignment:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.4, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.10

Summary

This resource is designed to walk students through the process of completing a research project in any field of study. It covers the earliest stages of brainstorming and discussing, continues through researching and compiling sources; writing, documenting, revising, and polishing a paper; and finally presenting the research topic to a wider audience in a professional manner. The focus is on MLA format, though the course could be modified for other formats. The first unit is an introduction to the project. It asks students to draw on knowledge of issues affecting their own community and world to help generate discussion that could eventually lead to a research topic.