Thursday, December 29, 2011

IEW U.S. History - Week Thirteen

IEW - Week Thirteen

(Have everyone put away white boards and get out History based student book and SRN.)

Welcome back to IEW. I hope that you all enjoyed writing the Narrative Story reports. I don’t know about you, but I have a harder time writing about Narrative stories than I do writing a factual report. I think the Narrative Story is more abstract in the way that you go about writing it. Anyway, for those of you who are like me, you will enjoy this week’s assignment. We will once again be writing a factual report – a research paper.

Open your SRN to pages 8 and 9. What differences can you see between the model that says 1 – 3 paragraphs and the model that says narrative stories? (Stories follow the story sequence chart and tell about events moving through time. Each paragraph does not really have a topic. In reports, however, every paragraph has a topic; therefore every paragraph must have a topic sentence and a clincher that reflects the topic.)

Now, the reports that you’ve written so far have only had one source text for each report. However, when you are assigned a research report, in any subject in school, you will usually have multiple sources to choose from. In this lesson, you will be learning to write a research paper using multiple sources.

(Hand out three texts to students.)

We will be taking information from these texts for three different paragraphs (for older students) or 1 paragraph (for the younger students). This may seem overwhelming, considering the amount of information that is in these texts. However, we will be learning a system of taking notes that will make it manageable.

First, let’s decide what topics that we want to use for our paragraphs, under the title of Declaration of Independence. Let’s read the first and last sentences of each paragraph (first two sources) and write a list of possible topics. Write the possibilities on page 83. (and board) (First paragraph of first source is just intro.)


The Declaration of Independence

Conflict between America and Britain

Congress decides to declare freedom

Contents of Declaration

The Spirit of Freedom

Problems between America and Britain

Decision to break from England

The Revolutionary War followed


Well, there are some similar topics in both sources. Let’s narrow it down to these three:

A. Conflict between America and Britain

B. Congress decides to declare freedom

C. The contents of the Declaration of Independence

In order to show you how we are going to do this, let’s work on topic C. This is the paragraph that everyone will be doing. Turn to p. 94 in your History Based Student Book and use the source texts that I copied for you (paper clip).

Look at the third paragraph in the paper The Declaration of Independence. Let’s look through here and determine what would go best under Topic C: Contents of the Declaration. (we will learn next week how to include quotes from the source) Then, turn to the back page. We will take any new ideas from this paragraph. Do not repeat the same facts, but find new ones.


Sample Source #1

1. 4 sect, 1st, should, reasons

2. 2nd, decl rights, “created equal”

3. gov’t, protect, rights,

4. takes, people, overthrow

5. 3rd, list, charges, KG, tyrant

6. last, declared, Amer, free

7. end, pledge, “And for the support…”

Sample Source #2

1. begins, “When in the course…”

2. treasured symbol = birth

3. bold ideas, inspiring lang

4. govt, power, by, people

5. considered, treason, risk, lives

6. 56 signed, pledged

7. Wash D.C., w/Const & Bill


After writing the two outlines from the two sources, we will now fuse them together. We want to choose the 7 most important or interesting facts, or combination of facts, and put them into the fused outline, from which we will write our paragraph.

Fused Outline

Topic: Declaration, contains, 4

1. 1st, should, give, reasons

2. 2nd, declares, rights, “created equal”

3. gov’t, protect, take, overthrow

4. gov’t, power, by, people

5. 3rd, list, charges, KG, tyrant

6. last, declares Amer, free

7. 56 signed, risked, treason

Clincher: Treasured document = birth, Wash

Discuss assignment with moms. Hand out alternate texts and assignment sheets to moms.

Declaration of Independence Paper Assignment

Level B

Week 13 Write KWOs and then fused KWOs for three topics (lessons 14/15, p. 88-91 & 94).

Week 14 Write rough draft for the three paragraphs using all elements of style learned to date, including grammar rules we’ll be learning in week 14 (lessons 14/15). Make sure you leave space to add in corrections and dramatic openers and closers that we’ll be learning in week 15.

Week 15 Add dramatic openers and closers to rough draft. Polish your rough draft. Write final draft; include bibliography. Follow checklist on p. 99. Label your paper appropriately.

Level A (It is up to your mother which you choose to do.)

Week 13 Write KWOs and then fused KWO for paragraph about Thomas Jefferson (substitute texts ebook handout).

Write rough draft, using all the elements of style that you have learned (according to mom).

Week 14 Write KWOs and then fused KWO for paragraph about The Contents of the Declaration (lessons 14/15, p. 94).

Write rough draft, same as above.

Week 15 Add dramatic openers and closers to the two-paragraph rough draft. Polish your rough draft. Write final draft. (Include bibliography if your mom wants you to.) Follow checklists on handout

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