Thematic Analysis Research Paper - English 11: Part 3 - Note Taking
Submitted by klehman on Sun, 03/06/2011 - 01:03
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. Note taking in support of a thesis.
Scenario:
This is Part 3 Note Taking. In this unit the librarian collaborates with an English teacher to prepare eleventh grade college bound students to write an in depth critical analysis paper on a novel of their choice. To ensure student success, the teacher and librarian have worked together to intersperse classroom instruction and library instruction for each step in the research process. After determining their thesis and locating sources, students are now ready to take notes to support their thesis. In the classroom the teacher will have had them practice reading critical literature and pulling out facts that support a theme. The teacher will have explained the three types of note cards: summary, paraphrase and direct quotation. Students will have practiced making each type of note card. In the library, students will put these skills into practice by reading the articles they located previously and determining which support their thesis and take notes. The librarian will assist them in relocating their articles from their source cards and helping them persist in the sometimes difficult task of finding new sources to fill gaps in their research.
Overview:
In a unit to write a thematic research paper for English, students return to the library for two final 90 minute class periods to access the sources discovered during the location and access days and begin to take notes for their research paper. The essential question is: How well is my theme supported in critical literature?
Final Product:
Students complete note cards from their sources and label each as a summary, paraphrase or direct quote. Students may discover that some of their sources are not approproate or are redundant. The teacher and librarian will work individually with students to help them revise their search strategies and access additional sources to complete their research.
Library Lesson:
• Students will learn to skim articles on their novel or play for key information and take notes according to the guidelines established by their teacher.
• Students learn what plagiarism is and how to avoid it with careful note taking and proper citations.
• Students will learn that they may have gaps in their research that need to be filled with additional resources.
Estimated Lesson Time:
120 minutes
Have you taught this lesson before:
Yes
Strategies for differentiation:
For students with physical disabilities, the databases provide audio access and enlarged text. 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.
When students have difficulty understanding how to find articles from their source cards, the librarian and teacher should check their search strategy and help them revise their keywords. Because this unit is designed for honors level students, the differentiation in instruction is often focused on giving extra help to those who are having difficulty making the leap from direct instruction to guided instruction where they have to think for themselves.
With two teachers, students get much one-on-one guidance to overcome the gaps in their research and to help them persist when they have difficulty finding articles supporting their thesis.
