English writing
Essay 1:
Topic: Whether stress is good for children's learning Three important ideas: 1. A stressful learning environment can cause children to have learning problems and a series of negative emotions. 2. Compared with the stress-free learning environment, the teaching results of the high-pressure learning environment are better. 3. Children have different personalities and respond differently to high-stress environments. Questions: 1. Does reducing learning pressure improve children's learning attitude? Will children reduce their investment in learning because of reduced stress? 2. Will the negative emotions generated by the high-pressure environment not help learning? 3. Will a high-pressure environment promote children's learning? Does a high-pressure environment cause the child to behave in reverse?
Overview
For Module 5 you will write an argument essay on a topic that interests you. That essay is many steps away, though. In Module 4 you will begin with exploration, preliminary research, and brainstorming.
Consider this assignment an anti-essay. For this essay, you aren’t supposed to have a thesis, you won’t write an introduction or a conclusion, and your body paragraphs won’t be focused on supporting a main argument or claim.
Wait. What?
You heard me right. This paper is not about reporting on an idea or arguing a position. This paper is about you satisfying a genuine curiosity using the research process.
Your goal is to explore. Choose a topic you are genuinely interested in learning more about. Think of questions you want answered. Be curious. For this essay, you start by researching the answer to one question, and that question/answer should lead you to other questions. Follow them and see where they take you. Research is recursive. The knowledge of the answer to one question leads you to the next question.
In this essay you will narrate your research process, and explain what you learn and how it helps answer your research question.
Instructions
1. Pre-Write: Start with the research questions you developed for Discussion 1: Research Brainstorming. That is it. This anti-essay does not require pre-writing. The essay is about exploring the idea.
2. Write:
· List your initial research question(s).
· Write out your process – exactly, and step-by-step. (Yes, you’ll say: “The first thing I did to find information was to…)
· Explain what you learned from each source you consulted and how the information connects to your research question.
· Your initial research should lead you to more questions. Start following those and duplicate the process: ask the question, do more research, write about it. Ask good questions and pursue them until you run out of questions.
· Rather than writing a conclusion, end the essay with an argumentative thesis developed from the information you found on your exploratory journey. This thesis will become your working thesis for your Module 5 researched argument.
3. Tips for Success:
· Don’t try to look for a thesis as you research. Simply ask and answer questions. Don’t try to figure out where the research is taking you. Let your questions lead the way.
· You must cite 7-8 sources in your text. Create a correctly formatted (MLA Style) Works Cited page that lists your cited sources.
· At least three of your sources should be academic journal articles. You should use at least three different types of sources. Think back to your scavenger hunt activity. Your research should rely heavily on academic journal articles, but also consider magazines, news articles, podcasts, documentaries, government sources, and internet sites. Pay attention to the credibility of the sources you consult.
· This essay should be approximately 1,300-1,500 words.
4. Please be sure to use correct MLA Style for your essay and to create an MLA Works Cited page..
5. Once your essay is written, revised, and proofread, you may submit it to the Module 4 Assignment folder 1: Exploratory Essay and Research Proposal.
Assignment 2:
Overview
When you have a complex research project, it can be difficult to keep track of your sources. The more sources you consult, the more complicated keeping track of their main ideas, relevance, and credibility can be. Organizing your research makes the project easier and less stressful. One of the best ways to keep track of your sources is to create an annotated bibliography as you consult them. For each source create an MLA Works Cited entry (so you don’t have to worry about this when you draft the essay), a short summary of the source’s main and most relevant arguments, and a short analysis of the source’s credibility (the annotations). Then, as you begin to draft, you can consult your annotated bibliography to help you keep track of which sources you wanted to use for each section of your argument. Your annotated bibliography will tell the story of your research and the perspectives you have consulted.
In this assignment you will create an annotated bibliography of the sources you plan to use for your Module 5 Assignment: Researched Argument Essay.
Instructions
1. Research: Continue to find sources to help you research your working thesis. You may use some or all of the sources from your exploratory essay and research proposal, or you may decide that some of those sources are no longer relevant to your refined thesis. For your annotated bibliography, include only sources you think you might actually use for your Module 5 Assignment: Researched Argument Essay. You will need at least eight relevant, quality sources for this assignment.
2. Pre-Write: Read each source carefully, noting its main arguments and relevant support. Evaluate each source for credibility, argument, support, and relevance.
3. Write: Construct your annotated bibliography. Each source should have its own annotated entry. For each source’s entry, you should write:
· An MLA Style Works Cited entry
· 3-4 sentences of summary
· 3-4 sentences of evaluation
· 2-3 sentences of reflection on the usefulness/relevance of the source to your research project/working thesis
4. Tips for Success:
· Your annotated bibliography should have 8-10 sources (no more, no less). Of those eight sources, at least four of them should be academic journal articles. The other sources should be a mix of magazine, news, internet, podcast, TED Talk, documentary, or other less traditional source types. No more than two sources should be general websites.
· Carefully follow the formatting guidelines in the resources found on the Exploration page. Annotated bibliographies should be alphabetized and should use a hanging indent.
5. Please be sure to use correct MLA Style for your essay and to create an MLA Works Cited page.
6. Once your essay is written, revised, and proofread, you may submit it to the Module 4 Assignment folder 2: Annotated Bibliography