Thematic Analysis Research Paper - English 11: Part 1- Thesis Statement
Created By:
Kathy Lehman
Title/Role:
Head Librarian
Organization/School Name:
Thomas Dale High School
Location:
Virginia
Grade Level:
11 Type of Lesson:
Lesson in a unit Type of Schedule:
Flexible Collaboration Continuum:
Intensive Content Area:
Language Arts Content Topic:
British Literature. Developing a thematic thesis statement. Scenario:
This lesson focuses on step 1, writing the thesis statement. To ensure student success, the teacher and librarian jointly plan instruction. Six library instructional periods will be interspersed with classroom instruction by the teacher. Students will be paced through the research process from exploratory reading, to creating a thesis statement, brainstorming questions, locating resources, making source cards and taking notes. Before the first day in the library, the teacher will instruct students on strategies for preliminary reading and thesis writing. The librarian will instruct students in information access, evaluation of sources and citing sources. Both teacher and librarian will circulate in the library to guide students as they begin writing their thesis statement and using print resources. The second and third library days focus on locating online resources and making source cards. The final two library days will be for students to take notes and revise strategies as needed to fill gaps in their research. Synthesizing information and writing will take place after the library periods are completed. Overview:
In preparation for writing a thematic analysis paper, students complete exploratory reading about their author using general reference books. The essential questions are: Which themes common in your author’s life and works do you find applicable to your work? How can you apply your new knowledge to create a thesis statement for your research paper? Once students have constructed a thesis statement, they will be guided to critical literature and begin the research process. Final Product:
Students create a thesis statement which will guide their development of questions to direct their research. The thesis must be broad enough to cover the novel’s theme and narrow enough to be manageable in a 6-8 page paper. It must have solid keywords to achieve successful result lists when using advanced search strategies in online databases. Library Lesson:
● Students will learn to read for general information in the literature reference collection to gain an understanding of their author.
● Students will learn to write a thesis statement based on their prior knowledge of the novel or play and new knowledge they learn from their exploratory reading about their author.
● Students will learn to apply ethical and legal guidelines gathering and using information.
Estimated Lesson Time:
120 minutes Have you taught this lesson before:
Yes Strategies for differentiation:
A student unable to read a print source can be directed to an online reference source to complete the thesis assignment. For students with physical disabilities, the online sources provide audio access and enlarged print. The keyboard helps those with fine motor disabilities. Much of the information gathering and citation collection can be done as point and click with the mouse. - Login to post comments