STAGE THREE

1.  Once you have a clear idea what you want to write about you need to find answers to your questions using a variety of methods: the Internet, newspapers, libraries, interviews, etc.

2.  Write an outline for your project and divide your material into sections.

3.  When you begin to write your project you must not copy directly from another person's writing - this is called Plagiarism and is illegal.  You can use someone else's writing if you quote it using quotations marks and stating clearly where it is from.

CHECKLIST for STAGE 3

SUMMARISING

There is an important skill which you will probably need to use when writing your project.  You will need to summarise because very often you will have too much material to put into your project.  Here is a brief description of the art of summarising.

This teaches you how to summarize a paragraph and gives you an exercise to check your summarizing skills.

HOW TO WRITE A SUMMARY:

The first sentence of the first paragraph of your summary should state the author's name, the title of the article and the author's purpose in writing.

Use the present tense when writing about someone else's work.

Write one sentence only for every idea that the author has written.

First find the:

main point - What is the most important thing that the author wants the reader to know about the topic?

....then the supporting point(s) - What two or three important facts does the author use to convince the reader about the main idea? If the author gives contrasting ideas
 (advantages and disadvantages of something, or comparing points of view), make sure you write down important facts for both points of view.

..... and then finally the conclusion

Use connectors
(eg. because, although, in addition, moreover) to help join the ideas together.

Check your spelling and grammar.

Now practice your summarizing skills:
Go to the Famous People Site (http://history1900s.about.com/library/misc/blpeople.htm)
 and choose one famous figure to read about.
Make a short summary about this person.

Write your summary on a page and hand it in to your teacher.

CHECKLIST for STAGE 4

1	My project contains all required parts	YES	NO
2	My project is printed in the correct format	YES	NO
3	I have written a suitable title above each section	YES	NO
4	I have divided my writing into paragraphs	YES	NO
5	Each paragraph deals with only ONE main idea	YES	NO
6	All names and all sentences begin with a capital letter	YES	NO
7	I have checked that my sentences are in the correct tense	YES	NO
8	Each sentence has a helping verb (exc. positive, Pr. & Pt. Simple)	YES	NO
9	I have paid attention to the correct word order (SVO)	YES	NO
10	I have used punctuation correctly (Beware of Run-ons!)	YES	NO
11	I have checked that my sentences are not too long	YES	NO
12	I have used sentence connectors (conjunctions)	YES	NO
13	I have used the right prepositions (at, in, to, for...)	YES	NO
14	I have checked for grammatical agreement	YES	NO
15	I have checked my paper for spelling mistakes	YES	NO
16	My paper looks presentable (neat and orderly)	YES	NO
17	I have not copied directly from someone else's material.  I know and understand that plagiarism is not allowed.	YES	NO

 The final draft must include

Cover page:-  which consists of Title of paper, your name, the class year, the name of your English teacher and the date.  All this must be in English

Table of Contents

Introdution

Body

Conclusion

Reflection Page

Bibliography - sources

  Appendices

Writing a Source List  - Bilbliography  (written alphabetically according to the author's name):

BOOKS: author, title, publisher, place of publishing, date of publishing, page(s) where you found the information

EXAMPLE: Hooper, Henry., and Gwynne, Peter., The Missing Umbrella, Harper and Row, New York, 1997, pp 120-127

NEWSPAPER MAGAZINE ARTICLE author, title, name of publication, date of publication

EXAMPLE: Anderson, Kevin., "Home Computers: Who's on Top?", Washington Post, 26 July 2002

WEB SITES: name of the site; name of the article; author; date written; URL (Internet Address) - .,

PLAGIARISM POLICY STATEMENT

Plagiarism is the act of taking the ideas or words of

someone else and passing them off as one's own.

The most common types of plagiarism are as follows:

1. Sections (words, phrases, sentences or paragraphs) copied verbatim without quotation marks and proper documentation;

2. Sections copied with quotation marks but without citation;

3. Language copied directly from a source with occasional substitution of words or phrases without documentation;

4. Ideas which are paraphrased or summarized without citation;

5. Failure to provide a page of works cited;

6. The use of ideas or themes in any form, including poems, short stories, essays, research, music and art without giving due credit;

7. Turning in another student's paper, or any part of it, as one's own;

8. Any other act which effectively "steals" from another source.

.

Plagiarism in any form is stealing.

It is our goal to prevent this type of dishonesty. Plagiarized papers should be corrected and resubmitted or given a failing grade.

Below are additional pages for you to use.

Reflection and Feedback Page

Please answer the following questions about the Project and add the questions with the answers to your paper.

·        Have you enjoyed working on the project?

·        Have you enjoyed working in pairs (if you worked with someone)?

·        Have you found out information you did not know before the project?

·        What new skills have you learnt?

·        What part of the project was the most difficult for you and why?

·        What part of the project was the easiest for you and why?

·        Next time you do a project what changes would you like to make?

·        In what area do you think your English has improved? (think of reading;  writing; spelling; new vocabulary; grammar; speaking)

• In what way do you think your learning strategies have improved?

• I have become more independent.

• I am more organized.

• My partner can rely on me to do my share.

• I have more confidence in my abilities.

• I know how/where to get help if I need it.

• I have learned how to work with a partner.

• I am no longer afraid of long or difficult texts.

• I know how to use a dictionary to help me.

• I understand the importance of writing a draft first.

• I have learned to be critical about my work.

·        What part did you enjoy most?

o       Creative writing

o       Doing research

o       Reading about my subject

o       Putting the information together

o       Presenting

o       Other: ________________________________________________