English 102 Sara Zuarri : October 2014

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Chapter 16 Summary

Chapter 16 discusses how you as a writer can write with style. This chapter has two major sections, the first section is how you can start writing with style and the second section discusses how you can polish your style. This is important to keep in mind while writing your paper because you want your voice to be heard and you want to express yourself in your paper. Writing with style will help make your paper stand out compared to someone else's paper. To start developing your style this chapter makes some suggestions on how you can go about that. You first as a writer need to understand your writing situation and that is your starting point. This will help you develop an appropriate style that relates to your audience. For example, if you were writing an essay for 5th graders your sentences would be far less complex then if you were writing to a group of 5th grade teachers. Another tip they suggest is that you should write concisely. This means removing unnecessary modifiers, take out unnecessary intro. phrases and eliminate stock phrases. Next they suggest that you use active and passive voice effectively and stick to the same point of view meaning either consistently writing in first, second, or third person. After that you will want to find words that will keep the audience engaged. This will also help frame your argument. When deciding on what type of vocabulary you should use you should keep in mind the formality, any specialized language and to use a variety of words. After you have developed your style your next step is to polish it. Polishing your style is important because it will make the quality of your paper. One of the tips that this chapter suggests is that you vary your sentence structure. They discuss the four basic structure and go into detail about each one. Next is to use effective transitions, these are essential to the paper because your readers need to be able to see things you are comparing, showing the differences of and when you are moving on to a whole different topic. Another key part of being able to polish your style is to be able to introduce other authors where you attained your information from. These all play into making your paper your own and helping you develop a style that you cam carry on to other papers.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Research Proposal

Research Proposal: Public School Funding

Introduction: For my research project, I am looking into funding of our public school systems. This topic has been a very popular topic in the news with many initiatives trying to be passed to benefit our school systems. For example, in our state Initiative 1351 will help decrease class sizes in our state, which ranks 47^th for having large classes sizes among the other states. This project will help highlight the benefits of funding for our schools and what the outcome would be and also go over where funding should come from and ideas to better budget. Questions that will be kept throughout the paper are: What would the effects be if funding was increased/decreased? What affects the funding of schools? Do cuts benefit schools or do they harm them? How would funding to schools be managed? What models could we follow to improve our school funding? What can individuals do to help improve funding? Improving our funding to public schools will benefit not only our students but also our society.

Review of Literature: Sources reviewed so far include “The Recession and Education: Seize New Opportunities,” by Alan Haskvitz, from a 2011 edition of Education Digest. This describes the benefits the recession can have on education and how instead of being a downfall it could actually improve education. Another source is “No Time for Old Tactics,” by Eamonn O’Donovan, from a 2010 article in District Administration. This article describes budget problems and cooperation between school management and unions needs to occur. Also puts more responsibility on the schools for funding rather then the government. A similar article is “California Districts Used Funding Flexibility to Save Jobs,” by American School & University published in 2012 an article in American School & University. Uses California as an example that uses 4.5 million dollars to save teachers jobs and balance budgets. Another article is “Aid Offers Opportunity to Keep Programs Aloft,” by Michele McNeil, published in 2010 in Education Week. Takes a county from Nevada and how they used federal stimulus funds to improve achievement through tutoring, professional development and credit recovery programs, also shows what funding could provide our schools when it is done right. A similar article to that is “Governors Make Pitch to Obama for Stimulus Money,” by Michele McNeil, published in 2008 in Education Week. Discusses ways US governors were pleading to have Obama pass an economic stimulus package to improve education finance. Another article is “Achieving Public Schools,” by Kathleen Knight Abowitz, published in 2011 in Educational Theory. This article describes what the function of public schools hold and government funding plays into that. The next article is “Beyond Equality and Adequacy: Equal Protection, Tax Assessments, and the Missouri Public School Funding Dilemma,” by Ronald K. Rowe II, published in 2010 in the Missouri Law Review. The article discusses a guarantee under the Missouri Constitution to provide free education to school age children. Another article is “SCHOOL FINANCINIG IN OHIO YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW: SEARCHING FOR A "THOROUGH AND EFFICIENT" SYSTEM OF PUBLIC SCHOOL,” by Unknown, published in 2007 in Case Western Reserve Law Review. Article describes how the financing systems for schools work and what changes have been proposed. Another article is “EDUCATION FUNDING AND THE ALABAMA EXAMPLE: ANOTHER PLAYER ON A CROWDED FIELD, by John Herbert Roth, published in 2003 by the Brigham Young University Education & Law Journal. This article describes how Alabama has proposed programs where students pay fees to participate in certain activities and the example they are leading. The last article is “School Reform: Linking Public School with Human Services,” by Cynthia Franklin and Calvin L. Streeter, published in 1995 in Social Work. This article discusses school reforms during the 90’s and the link between human services.

Plan to Collect Information: In addition to the sources collected so far, I will be looking for articles dealing with what is going on at state level to improve funding to our schools and what can be done. I will also be looking for more peer-reviewed articles like Education Week and Education Digest. Additionally to that, I will also be looking at scholars articles from JSTOR on the topic of funding of public education. I also am hoping to find some data about what the lack of funding does to our schools and show where the funding that is provided is used for. I would also like to find a table that shows class sizes and relate them to our state and other states surrounding us. I am hoping that I can find some of these visuals with more research done into Initiative 1351 and also find surrounding states that are taking similar action that our state is.

Project Timeline: This coming week, I will spend a lot of time looking for additional sources that will help build my claim. I will also be working on my Annotated Bibliography that I will finish by November 4. For my Annotated Bibliography I will have to have at least 20 sources. I have most of those sources already, but doing some additional research will benefit me. After that, I will be working on my Lit Reviews, which I will have done by November 13 with at least 20 sources again. After finishing both of those I will begin to start my outline, rationale and abstract, which will be due on November 20. In-between working on these assignments it will help start to form my paper which I will need a Rough Draft of by November 25. Lastly, my final paper will be due on December 5 at midnight.

Working Bibliography:

Abowitz, Kathleen Knight. "Achieving Public Schools." Educational Theory 61.4 (2011): 467-489. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.

Arocho, Joshua. "Inhibiting Intrastate Inequalities: A Congressional Approach To Ensuring Equal Opportunity To Finance Public Education." Michigan Law Review 112.8 (2014): 1479-1505. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

"Budget Woes Could Mean School Cutbacks." Education Week 28.15 (2008): 14. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

"California Districts Used Funding Flexibility To Save Jobs." American School & University 84.11 (2012): 50. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

Chakrabarti, Rajashri, and Sarah Sutherland. "New Jersey's Abbott Districts: Education Finances During The Great Recession." Current Issues In Economics & Finance 19.4 (2013): 1-11. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

Franklin, Cynthia, and Calvin L. Streeter. "School Reform: Linking Public School With Human Services." Social Work 40.6 (1995): 773-782. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.

Gibson, Mark T., and Tom Bisschoff. "'Successful' Schools As Agents Of Inner City School Transformation In England." International Studies In Educational Administration (Commonwealth Council For Educational Administration & Management (CCEAM)) 42.1 (2014): 3-16. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

Green III, Preston C., Bruce D. Baker, and Joseph O. Oluwole. "Having It Both Ways: How Charter Schools Try To Obtain Funding Of Public Schools And The Autonomy Of Private Schools." Emory Law Journal 63.2 (2013): 303-337. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

HASKVITZ, ALAN. "THE RECESSION AND EDUCATION: Seize New Opportunities!." Education Digest 76.5 (2011): 57-59. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

Jaekyung, Lee. "Dual Standards Of School Performance And Funding? Empirical Searches Of School Funding Adequacy In Kentucky And Maine." Education Economics 18.2 (2010): 207-228. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

Lytton, Michael. "Have All The Costs Of Closing A School Been Considered?." CELE Exchange. Centre For Effective Learning Environments 2011.5-8 (2011): 1-4. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

McNeil, Michele. "Governors Make Pitch To Obama For Stimulus Money." Education Week 28.15 (2008): 14. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.

O'Donovan, Eamonn. "No Time For Old Tactics." District Administration 46.5 (2010): 56-57. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

Roth, John Herbert. "Education Funding And The Alabama Example: Another Player On A Crowded Field." Brigham Young University Education & Law Journal 2 (2003): 739. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.

ROWE II, RONALD K. "Beyond Equality And Adequacy: Equal Protection, Tax Assessments, And The Missouri Public School Funding Dilemma." Missouri Law Review 75.3 (2010): 1037-1066. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.

"SCHOOL FINANCINIG IN OHIO YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW: SEARCHING FOR A "THOROUGH AND EFFICIENT" SYSTEM OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS. (Cover Story)." Case Western Reserve Law Review 57.3 (2007): 671-716. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.

Works Cited:

Abowitz, Kathleen Knight. "Achieving Public Schools." Educational Theory 61.4 (2011): 467-489. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.

"California Districts Used Funding Flexibility To Save Jobs." American School & University 84.11 (2012): 50. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

HASKVITZ, ALAN. "THE RECESSION AND EDUCATION: Seize New Opportunities!." Education Digest 76.5 (2011): 57-59. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

McNeil, Michele. "Governors Make Pitch To Obama For Stimulus Money." Education Week 28.15 (2008): 14. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.

O'Donovan, Eamonn. "No Time For Old Tactics." District Administration 46.5 (2010): 56-57. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Chapter 15 Summary

Chapter 15 discusses how to use your sources effectively. This is very important because your sources provide your paper with knowledge that you may not have known otherwise and when you don't use them properly they aren't as effective anymore and bring your paper down. Being able to use your sources and use them in a effective way is key to show your audience you know what you are talking about and then back it up. This chapter has three major chapter which breakdown how you can use your sources to accomplish your purpose, how to integrate sources into your draft and how to document your source. To begin with, your sources to help you as writer accomplish your purpose. You can use your sources to help you introduce ideas, contrast ideas, provide evidence, define specific evidence, clarify, set a mood you want your audience to feel and provide an example. The next step with this is how you introduce it into your paper. The book suggests that you use a quotation, paraphrase, summary, illustrations such as images or videos. Using this will help you accomplish your purpose. Another problem very many people have is how you integrate your sources into your draft. This can be tricky because you don't want your paper to seem choppy and "cut and pasty." Some ideas to make it sound more fluent is you should first identify your source, by doing this you will be able to tell if this source will fit into this part of your paper. This also helps reduce your risk of plagiarism. Another key thing to keep in mind is that you want to quote strategically. This means you don't want over half of your paper being in quotes you want to place quotes in that will benefit your paper. Another way to incorporate your sources is you can paraphrase the information where you restate the information you discovered from your said source. Lastly, you will need to document your sources. By doing this you are giving credit to where credit is deserved and you are providing where your information came from and making yourself reliable. As you do this you want to keep in mind what type of documentation system you are using, for this paper we will be using MLA format. Make sure you clearly distinguish between your own ideas and ideas of your sources. All of these are to help you make sure your paper is providing credit where credit is deserved and that you are given credit for your own ideas.

Chapter 9 Summary

Chapter 9 discusses how to search for information using print resources. The chapter is broken down into three which are, how you can use library stacks to locate sources, how you can use a library periodicals room to find sources and lastly how you can use a library reference room to locate sources. These play a huge role in producing a paper because you need to find as many sources as possible, but you also want them to be credible and reliable. To start off, you need to first know where to locate sources using the library stacks. You want to start off with browsing the stacks, which you will look at how the sources are classified. Many sources are classified by subject which they may use the Dewey decimal system or the Library of Congress. Another great thing about finding a publication that may work is you can check their work sited page which can send you in the right direction of finding more related sources. One issue with using the library is an article that may have benefited your paper may not be available but there are ways you can get around that speed bump. You can also do an Interlibrary loan which means you borrow the book/periodical from another library that has it. Next this chapter discusses how you can use the library periodicals room to find sources. In this room you will find newspapers, magazines and scholarly/professional journals. Among these sources you will discover the work sited list which will help you find "key voices" that some of the sources share. This will help you because it will point you in another direction to find a source that seems to be reoccurring and may have beneficial information provided. Lastly, this chapter discusses how you can the library reference room to help locate sources also. These reference rooms contain a wide variety of topics. The one key thing about the reference room is you can get your hands on bibliographies, indexes, biographies, encyclopedias, handbooks, almanacs ands atlases. This sections goes into detail about where you can find the bibliographies in these sources and breaks down each field. This chapter is very beneficial because it discusses ideas for research that I hadn't though of before reading.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Chapter 3 Summary

Chapter 3 discusses how to develop your research question and your proposal. This is another vital part of this paper. Being able to distinguish what you are trying to convey to your audience is very important. This chapter breaks it down into two parts, the first is how you develop your research question and the second one is how to create your research proposal. To help develop your research question you should first start by reflecting on your writing situation. This is where you pick a side to take your topic. Your decision can be made from the research you have found and where you want your paper to go. Next, think of possible research questions that relate to your topic. You can come up with those from the information you know or don't know, history relating to your topic, assumptions people tend to make about your topic, goals that you as a writer have for your readers to understand, what outcome you want to gain and lastly, how is this going to be carried out. These are just the starting questions to ask yourself when you are trying to discover your research question. After running through of a list that could help generate questions start to think of questions that will reflect your writing situation. After going through that process you should go back and select a research question that best suits your topic and will reach you to your end goal. After finding a research question you must make a research proposal. A research proposal is a plan for your research writing assignment. This typically includes a title page, an intro that will identify your topic (issue) and the research question, a review of literature, how you collected your info, a timeline and a working bibliography. This will benefit you when it comes to writing your essay.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

"Incorporting Sources Effectively"

1. According to Alan Haskvitz, a teacher who is a member of the National Teachers Hall of Fame, “The recession presents a rich opportunity for teachers to work in the community and, most important, for the community to get to know the teachers. This builds stronger support for public schools.” (58)

In an article done by Education Digest, Haskvitz writes, “In this bad economy that holds little hope for obtaining a job—especially for those without a high school diploma—students may stay in school longer. As unemployment figures remain high, staying in school may look more attractive to potential dropouts.” (59)

2. Eamonn O’Donovan is a superintendent of human resources in California. In Eamonn O’Donovan’s article titled “No Time For Old Tactics,” which appeared in the District Administration in 2010, he states, “Districts have already cut down to the bone. They can reduce the number of employees who serve children—this means teachers mostly, thereby raising the number of students assigned to remaining teachers—or they can cut salaries and/or health and welfare benefits for all employees.” (56) Stating a solution for this problem O’Donovan proposes, “In these scenarios, management and

unions each identify common core interests and use them as a platform to develop solutions. Bargaining is seen as an ongoing process to create solutions that address the content of agreements, the process through which agreements are reached, and the relationships that need to be developed to implement successful agreements.” (57)

Michael Lytton is a consulting school facilities planner that was two decades of experience in public education. In Michael Lytton’s article titled, “Have all the costs of closing a school been considered?” which appeared in the CELE Exchange in 2011, he states, “The consequences impact on both schools and the community, and include: one-time expenditures to make an existing school ready to accommodate additional students; lost funding if students leave the public education system; diminished education outcomes; and multiple impacts levied on a community when a neighbourhood school is shuttered.” (3) With regards to the impact that school closures have on students and the community there could also be a bright side according to Alan Haskvitz, a teacher apart of the National Teachers Hall of Fame, he claims, “The recession presents a rich opportunity for teachers to work in the community and, most important, for the community to get to know the teachers. This builds stronger support for public schools.” (58)

3. Work Cited

HASKVITZ, ALAN. "THE RECESSION AND EDUCATION: Seize New Opportunities!." Education Digest 76.5 (2011): 57-59. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

Lytton, Michael. "Have All The Costs Of Closing A School Been Considered?." CELE Exchange. Centre For Effective Learning Environments 2011.5-8 (2011): 1-4. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

O'Donovan, Eamonn. "No Time For Old Tactics." District Administration 46.5 (2010): 56-57. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

4. http://ezproxy.olympic.edu:2257/ehost/detail/detail?vid=2&sid=0318a7d5-d358-4242-b868-21c3156e7206%40sessionmgr113&hid=125&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=94635635

http://ezproxy.olympic.edu:2257/ehost/detail/detail?vid=3&sid=0318a7d5-d358-4242-b868-21c3156e7206%40sessionmgr113&hid=125&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=51095478

http://ezproxy.olympic.edu:2257/ehost/detail/detail?vid=7&sid=0318a7d5-d358-4242-b868-21c3156e7206%40sessionmgr113&hid=125&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=96257444

http://ezproxy.olympic.edu:2257/ehost/detail/detail?vid=8&sid=0318a7d5-d358-4242-b868-21c3156e7206%40sessionmgr113&hid=125&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=96192409

http://ezproxy.olympic.edu:2257/ehost/detail/detail?vid=9&sid=0318a7d5-d358-4242-b868-21c3156e7206%40sessionmgr113&hid=125&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=88300343

"The Ins and Outs of School Finance." GreatSchools. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

http://www.greatschools.org/improvement/volunteering/101-the-ins-and-outs-of-school-finance.gs

"How Should Schools Be Funded?" Washington Post. The Washington Post, n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2012/11/02/how-should-schools-be-funded/

"Business-Managed Democracy." - School Choice. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

http://www.herinst.org/BusinessManagedDemocracy/education/choice/private.html

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/public-schools-are-hurting-more-in-the-recovery-than-in-the-recession/

http://seattletimes.com/flatpages/local/balance-washington-state-budget-game.html

Monday, October 13, 2014

Chapter 7 Summary

Chapter 7 discusses how to avoid plagiarism. It starts off with discussing what plagiarism is, what research ethics are, common knowledge, what is fair use and what should you ask for permission to use, avoiding plagiarism and lastly what you should do if you are accused of plagiarism. It first start out we should define what plagiarism is, plagiarism is using work of someone else's and not giving them credit for doing that said work. It is easy to accidentally take someones else's idea and give them no credit for it actually being their own. I know a story of where two classmates of mine were working on a paper together, but with them working on it together both if their papers sounded very similar causing the teacher to believe they copied. It can be done with not even meaning to done. So for the cases of unintentional plagiarism it could include quoting a passage but neglecting to use proper punctuation, using a paraphrase that doesn't really differ from the original phrase, you don't clearly distinguish your ideas separate from your sources and you don't list where your sources come from in your works cited page. When doing research you should follow these ethics to stay away from plagiarism, acknowledge the sources, accurately represent information and provide citations for your sources. Another thing to remember is that not every little thing must be documented. Because that would take forever and we all have a handy dandy thing called common knowledge where we know it wasn't your idea or thought. Lastly, you can avoid plagiarism easily by making a list of what you already know, have carefully written notes, distinguish between your ideas and your sources, cite sources and realize misconceptions about intentional plagiarism and unintentional plagiarism.
Plagiarism is important to be aware of while writing, but you shouldn't fear it. Just remember to give your sources credit where they deserve but also give yourself credit where you deserve.

Chapter 5 Summary/ Thursday Lab 10/9

Chapter 5 goes into detail about how to evaluate your sources. It starts out with what factors you should take while evaluating and should you evaluate all your sources the exact same way. This is key because doing research is one thing but if your sources aren't credible and aren't up to par your paper will fall short. To begin you should evaluate your sources for relevance which means that whatever information your source is providing you can make a strong link to your project. Next is to evaluate the evidence being discussed, you can look at it this way; is there enough evidence being provided, is it the right type of evidence, is it used fairly, and is the source of the evidence provided. Next you should evaluate the author, making sure the author is knowledgeable on the topic, author's affiliation and any biases that could affect the information. After evaluating the author you should evaluate the publisher by locating information about the said publisher and how the publishers biases could affect the information. You should also look at when this source was published and if the information being provided is still relevant. Looking at the genre of the piece will also help you, look at the style of writing uses, how evidence is used, how it's organized, type of citations used and the way the document is designed. Not all sites should be evaluated the same way. The process doesn't differ greatly from one source to another but you should keep in mind some key ideas when you evaluate them. For example, when looking at websites and blogs look at the sites domain (.edu, .com, ect.) and look into the website read the 'About Me' section. Keeping these key things in mind when evaluating your sources can help you get rid of sources that are weak and find the sources that are strong.

Evaluating a Web site:

Link: http://www.governing.com/news/politics/gov-biggest-problem-for-public-education-lack-of-funding-poll-says.html

1. Domain is .com which means it's a business purpose.

2. The title bar reads, "Biggest Problem for Public Education? Lack of Funding, Poll Says"

3. Author: Dylan Scott

4. Published: August 23, 2012

5. Illustrations that are provided show relevance in topic. They allow a more visual picture to understand what is going on. Also discuses a poll taken to see what the public actually thinks about the biggest problem our education is facing.

6. About this site and further information was provided.

Chapter 8 Summary

Chapter 8 discusses how to search for information with digital resources. This chapter goes into depth discussing how you can prepare your search, how to search for sources on a online library catalog, how to find sources on a database, how to find sources on the Web and how to search for sources with media search sites. This chapter helps you understand the importance of finding reliable sources and how to go about doing that. I have found this chapter extremely helpful since finding sources is just half the battle of writing this paper. Without having sources that provide me with the essential information it would make my paper not as a effective. With all of that being said, to begin any research you must make a research plan and proposal. That means you are going to explore your said topic and this will help provide you with guidance as you begin your research. Another key thing to remember when you are beginning to start your research is that you will want to identify keywords and phrases that are linked to your topic so you get less broad results. Using online library catalogs can be very beneficial. Library catalogs provide information from materials in a library's collection. They can help you locate books, journals, newspapers/magazines, documents, multimedia (such as videotapes, audiotapes, CDs and DVDs), maps and theses and dissertations completed by the colleges graduate students. Another good source for information is databases which work very similarly to online library catalogs. With databases the information falls into five categories; news and information, subject, bibliographies, citation indexes and media. Lastly Web search sites and media search sites can provide you with the much needed information that you need. The tricky thing with that is you will need to filter through it to find sites that meet your topics expectations and provide you will proper information. All in all, this chapter is another piece to the puzzle in helping us develop our papers further.

Chapter 4 Summary

Chapter 4 discusses reading critically and goes into how reading critically differs from evaluating, how using your research question can hep you read critically, how to read with an attitude, strategies to read actively, how to pay attention as you read and how many times you should read a given source. All of these things add up to knowing your information you will be discussing you your paper. Without doing these key things your paper will sound scrambled and all over the place. Reading critically is to help you as a reader make sense of the information being provided. Your research question is designed to narrow your focus on your issue and makes it less broad. Reading with a attitude is meant to help you keep your mind on the prize. You know what you need/want and reading with that kind of mindset will help you achieve that. Strategies to help you read actively are identify key information, ideas and arguments, write down questions as they occur, write down your reactions to what was being said from information, ideas and arguments, record quotations that could be useful, take notes on how you can use the information in your paper, link other sources together and lastly highlight important passages. Paying attention to what you are reading can be hard sometimes. Especially when everything being said sounds like its on repeat. To help you stay engaged to what you are reading try and think of ways this article can benefit your paper or not. Lastly when reading your sources you should use the three-pass approach. This uses these three steps, 1. Skim the source.
2. Read actively.
3. Reread passages that were promising or hard to understand.

All of these ideas will help you better read your sources and benefit you with your paper since you will better be prepared on your topic.

3 Sources

Topic: Public School Funding

1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/02/05/americas-school-funding-problems-state-by-state/

2. Discusses the funding problems of our schools and breaks it down state by state. Also how certain states have an advantage over other states causing an unfair advantage.
3. Well supported, shows evidence to back up claims.
4. Its and article done by the Washington Post.
5. Most of the evidence provided is a difference from 2007 to 2011. Not as current as I hoped, but can still help provide an understanding.
6. Its brief which doesn't provide me with the full set of facts I'm looking for.
7. It's a blog down on Washington Post. Judgement may be clouded and more opinionated.
8. It could help me show how some states have reaped advantages with more funding while the others that have been under funded are still failing.
9. Likely to use this source.

1. http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=4011

2. Very relevant. Discusses how funding for schools is less than before the recession.
3. Well supported.
4. Published by Center on Budget policy and priories. I accept on what they are saying since they have knowledge on funding and budgets.
5. Very current. Revised on May 20, 2014.
6. It may be one sided not showing the point of view of the other side. For example other reasons for lack of funding, ect.
7. Sources genre makes sense to being useful in project.
8. Help me better understand the funding process and also understand the affects the recession had on the funding to our schools.
9. Likely to use this source.

1. http://www.governing.com/news/politics/gov-biggest-problem-for-public-education-lack-of-funding-poll-says.html

2. Discusses the biggest problem with our schools is the lack of funding.
3. Well supported.
4. Published by Governing.com. I accept what they have to say because it answers the questions that many of us have about the lack of funding of our schools.
5. Published on August 23, 2012
6. The article is totally for one side rather than more neutral. It may make it hard to find parts that have been exaggerated.
7. The sources genre fits my project making it useful in that aspect.
8. This source could help me provide my readers with why under funding is such a huge problem.
9. Likely to use.

Chapter 6 Summary

Chapter 6 discusses how you should manage your information and how to take notes that will benefit you. This chapter is very helpful because it starts at the first step of note-taking; how to save and organize them. It gives you suggestions on where place your notes. Such as, a notebook, printouts, photo copies and hard copies of texts from books/magazines. With that being a starting point and collecting information from many sources it can be a bit mind-boggling on how to keep it organized. They suggest that you create a plan to help keep track of your print documents, stick to the same organizational scheme, make sure you have the complete publication information, date your notes and lastly write a note on your material. Even further into saving digital notes it breaks down the process for you by suggesting ideas to save the work, from copying and pasting to downloading. The chapter also goes over the importance of taking notes and the benefits you can gain from them. One important thing about taking notes is that you can find direct quotes that support your ideas and that provide your paper with essential knowledge. Another great thing this chapter does is it also goes over the varies ways you can use quotes, from direct quotes to paraphrasing. These are key elements your paper needs to have to help you build a strong argument. Lastly this chapter goes over organize your bibliography. It provides examples to break down how your bibliography should look and how to construct it that way. This chapter is very important to building a strong paper. It provides you with the means of using your notes and sources to build a strong case.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

5 Sources

Topic: Public School Funding

Sources:

1. http://ezproxy.olympic.edu:2257/ehost/detail/detail?vid=51&sid=afc39d5f-2aed-4e0c-ac54-8ff6ee2afc59%40sessionmgr114&hid=109&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=56680353

          2. Discusses employment for teachers due to the financial recessions and reducing of funding   for public schools.
           3. Well Supported and can use information
           4. Article comes from Education Digest.
           5. Published in January 2011; still pretty dated for today.
           6. Discuses exactly what my topic is about and gives a good backbone to start with.
           7. Genre is Non-Fiction and uses stats throughout it,
           8. Could provide a good understanding to the problem to help me better relay the information to my readers.
           9. Very likely to use this source in my essay.

1. http://ezproxy.olympic.edu:2257/ehost/detail/detail?vid=39&sid=afc39d5f-2aed-4e0c-ac54-8ff6ee2afc59%40sessionmgr114&hid=109&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=50539822

          2. Discusses budget problems and cooperation between school management and unions needs to occur. Also puts more responsibility on the schools for funding and ect.
          3. Well Supported. Information can help me provide ideas on how to solve and a realistic way to solve the problem.
           4. With the article being a opinion piece it can give me an idea to go with mine. Also the source comes from a district administration giving me the impression that the author knows what they are talking about.
             5. Published in May 2010; info may be slightly outdated. But can still provide a good understanding of the topic and compare it to more recent research,
            6. Helps provide examples and ways to solve problems.
            7. With this article being a opinion piece it is biased. But keeping that in mind I can find key ideas that similar articles have with this one.
           8. Help me form an opinion on the topic.
           9. Likely.

1. http://ezproxy.olympic.edu:2257/ehost/detail/detail?vid=40&sid=afc39d5f-2aed-4e0c-ac54-8ff6ee2afc59%40sessionmgr114&hid=109&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=78113354

          2. Uses California as a example that uses 4.5 million dollars to save teachers jobs and balance budgets.
          3.Can provide an example of how this lump sum of money benefited the schools.
          4. Accept the information provided. Source comes from American School and Universities.
          5. Published in July 2012. Recent
          6. It may not give me broad enough information to affectively provide stuff relating to other states.
          7. Its a article so with that it shall provide me with an understanding of the subject.
          8. Could help me provide California as an example that other states to should model by.
          9. May use it to help provide support for an effort that worked.

1. http://ezproxy.olympic.edu:2257/ehost/detail/detail?vid=41&sid=afc39d5f-2aed-4e0c-ac54-8ff6ee2afc59%40sessionmgr114&hid=109&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=48242744

          2. Takes a county from Nevada and how they used federal stimulus funds to improve achievement through tutoring, professional development and credit recovery programs.
           3. Well supported.
           4.Article is from education week.
           5. Published on Feb.2010
           6.Useful. Provides reader with a plan that actually occurred and worked out.
           7. Its a article and helps inform the reader of a current remedy that occurred and worked.
           8. Can help me provide another way to help solve budget issues for schools and give ideas of where the money could effectively go.
           9. Likely.

1. http://ezproxy.olympic.edu:2257/ehost/detail/detail?vid=46&sid=afc39d5f-2aed-4e0c-ac54-8ff6ee2afc59%40sessionmgr114&hid=109&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=36196262

         2. Refers to what states were discussing at the very beginning when the economy wasn't thriving. And how certain stated are discussing how they will accommodate the lack of funding.
         3. Argument sounds strong and can provide information to support why funding has been cut.
         4. Source comes from Education Week.
         5. Published on Dec. 2008. Even though this is very current it helps give an idea of what schools were thinking of doing when the economy went down.
         6. Useful. Gives an idea of what the states were considering doing when the economy took a downfall.
         7. Again, with this being an article it is meant to help provide the reader with information on the topic and to provide an understanding.
         8. This source could help me by providing details on what at the very beginning the states were discussing on what to do with funding and so forth. I can use this to compare to what actually happened and see if they were successful in completing.
        9. Very Likely. Can help provide the details that many people don't know about and further educate them on the topic.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Suny Jefferson Sample A Paper Review:

Our group reviews of the Suny Jefferson Sample A Paper:

- Reaches the minimum requirement of 3,000 words.

- Citations don't correlate with the Works Cited.

- Transitions are overused, ineffective, and unnecessary.

- Personal voice is hidden behind sources.

- At least 10 credible sources are established on the Works Cited page.

- Case isn't built logically and is quite choppy.

- Multiple sentences aren't displayed with correct grammar

-18 sources are cited

-Sources that were cited are all pretty reliable. Some are personal stories where others are news, such as CNN. Example: "Anonymous. Deputy G6, MSE of the 10th Mountain Division. Personal interview. 28 June 2009" "I watch CNN, as previously noted, and the assessment there too is U.S. troop strength is still thin, even with the measures taken to supplement the forces."

-With so many citations throughout the paper it loses the readers voice. Which results in an ineffective paper.

-Signal phases are used. " In support of this analysis, Lawrence Korb, Senior Advisor to the Center for Defense Information, states that the average enlistment period is four years, and most draft proposals call for no more than a two-year enlistment (217)."

-Sources used don't help show both sides of the debate. Clearly is for one side and doesn't show the other.

-Uses similar ways to introduce quotes/ideas from outside sources, "Moreover, draft opponents contend...." "Nevertheless, these same free Americans...."

The first paragraph of page 4 starts off by talking about the United States’ economic suffering and how reinstating a draft would lead to positive economic consequences by lowering unemployment rates and lower the cost per soldier. Then it goes onto the 2nd paragraph of page 4, and the way they introduce the next point makes it seem like they are actually just adding on to the previous issue of the States economic issues. For example,

“Therefore, reinstating compulsory conscription would not only aid America through this economic crisis, but would also increase our force strength during America’s global war on terror.

Additionally, what opponents fail to understand is that compulsory conscription is necessary to reintroduce to American citizens what the true concept of citizenship is”.

The Segway makes the page choppy and hard to follow since they continue to do this for the rest of the paper.

The thesis doesn't introduce the points that the paper will cover; instead it goes over a very brief history of the draft and what some people have gained through it.

"So states Charles Moskos, late professor of sociology for Northwestern University, recipient of the Distinguished Service Award for the U.S. Army, and a draftee for the U.S. Army Combat Engineers (Moskos)."

This example would make more sense with repositioning of words, or breaking the sentence into more.

The text doesn't really build a case for itself... There is a system how things are laid out but the text more or less drifts. The author throughout the essay is obviously pro draft and gives many examples of so. such examples are when it tells about how certain people are protected from the draft and that they argue that no one should be exempt. This is hardly an argumentative piece because throughout the essay, everything is one sided towards the pro draft portion and little to nothing against it. All the author talks about are the benefits of having a forced service military service.

Friday, October 3, 2014

Chapter 1&2 Summaries

Chapter 1:

In Chapter 1 they discuss how to write with confidence and tackle a research paper. They also discuss that you have ownership of your writing. This is meant to help you stay on task and keep track of what is ahead of you. You also need to understand the process of writing a research paper. Those being, learning about the topic, taking a position and lastly being able to share your position with your readers. Another important thing this chapter discusses is finding sources and working with the information you discover. This chapter also goes into depth on how to find an appropriate topic and how to find a topic that suits your assignment. They also discuss ways to help go through topics and pick one. They suggest brainstorming, looping and clustering. I have used all three of these techniques to help narrow down topics. I find them to be helpful and very beneficial in the long run. Lastly, this chapter discusses how to look at your viewpoint you are taking on your topic. Here they suggest to keep in mind your audience and think about what they may or may not know already. But, one thing to keep in mind is to write about a topic you have a passion about.

Chapter 2:

Chapter 2 goes further into exploring your topic and ways that you may go about that. The one thing they suggest is imagine yourself in a public meeting and propose your said topic. This is a great way to look at your topic from an array of angles. It'll allow you to hear all the voices that your topic has attached to it and also make your position easier. This chapter also discusses ways to dig deeper into your topic; those are creating a plan, discussing your topic with others, make observations and find and review sources. Lastly this chapter discusses how to focus your topic on a certain point. They suggest, that you find conversations about issues within your topic by concepts that are repeated, themes that are discussed, disagreements among sources and recurring voices throughout your sources. I found this to be very helpful in the sense that you need understand both sides of an argument and listen to the opposing side to get a well-rounded story. It also helps take your topic and find a more specific issue within. This chapter has helped me take my chosen topic and narrow them down and finding a specific issue I want to focus on. Which is one of the most difficult parts of this paper.