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Taking Notes

I can gather relevant information from multiple authoritative sources

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Research Process

Topic

Search for and evaluate sources

Notes

Writing Process

    • Brainstorm
    • Plan
    • Draft
    • Revise/edit

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1. Know what kind of ideas you need to record

  • From University of Toronto (Proctor)
  • Review project overview – Have a final product in mind
    • Explain background
    • Explain two different perspectives
    • Write an argumentative essay making a claim about your topic
  • Narrow/revise your topic as your research
  • Look for and record FACTS, OPINION, QUOTES, and THEORIES that help you answer your research question from the different perspectives

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2. Don’t write down too much

  • From University of Toronto (Proctor)
  • Use Copy and Paste, but be judgmental of the info you copy.

Whether or not the targets make sense, there tend to be a lot of them, and the effect is counterproductive. A state's standards-based tests are intended to evaluate schools based on students' test performances, but teachers soon become overwhelmed by too many targets. Educators must guess about which of this multitude of content standards will actually be assessed on a given year's test. Moreover, because there are so many content standards to be assessed and only limited testing time, it is impossible to report any meaningful results about which content standards have and haven't been mastered.

A state's standards-based tests are intended to evaluate schools based on students' test performances, but teachers soon become overwhelmed by too many targets.

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3. Write a quick reflection why this is important

  • From University of Toronto (Proctor)
  • NOTE REFLECTION

A state's standards-based tests are intended to evaluate schools based on students' test performances, but teachers soon become overwhelmed by too many targets.

Testing has good goals (seeing where students are), but when the test is the focus, students and teachers suffer.

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4. BE ORGANIZED!

  • From University of Toronto (Proctor)
  1. Find and evaluate all initial 4 sources (you may need to find more as you write)
  2. Then take notes on each one
    • Make sure to sort by source
    • Add subheadings underneath sources to help direct your attention later

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Select 3 relevant notes - explain in margins

  • FOCUS: Is homework an effective way to increase student academic learning and success in high school?
  • Find answers to question
    • Quotations
    • Statistics
    • Ideas/details