Day 28: Assessing Reliability (Part 2)

                           

Objectives
Students will be able to

• experience the process of evaluating sources and the various aspects that should be considered (location of the source, author, date, etc.) 
• write a reliability statement for one of the GRP sources.
• identify the elements involved in relevancy and apply them to the writing of a relevancy statement.

I. Review
a. Corrections to Reference Page
GRP Reference Page

b. Assessing Reliability (part 1)   

                                                                                          Discussed:  

• what reliability means and why it is important to have reliable sources when writing academic papers.         

• What the process is to assess the reliability of a source.      

II. Assessing Reliability 

a.  What's the purpose of a reliability statement in an annotated bibliography?

The purpose of a reliability statement is not merely to state an evaluation, but rather to JUSTIFY why the source has been deemed reliable enough to include in the research paper. It may include a description of the weaknesses of the sources and a defense of its strengths in order to justify its use.

b.  Here is a template of an annotated bibliography you can use to guide your writing.
c.  Here is an example of an annotated bibliography. Check the reliability and relevancy statements.
d.  APPLY what you have learned today: 

                  1) Assess this source using the various aspects presented in the PowerPoint above.
                     

                  2) Open a Word document. Label it GRP Annotated Bibliography. Write a 2-3 sentence  
                       reliability statement that answers the question: Why is this source reliable for the GRP?

III. Assessing Relevancy

a. What does relevancy mean?
b. Why do you think we should include a relevancy statement in an annotated bibliography?

 The purpose of a relevancy statement in an annotated bibliography is to convey the value of the source to the investigation: why is it of value, what are its limitations? how good is the evidence? would you draw the same conclusions from the evidence?  It presents how the author of the paper intents to use this particular source and what part(s) of the paper this source will help to build up. A relevancy statement may explain how a source presents an analyzes a particular body of evidence the author wants to use.    

Check the annotated bibliography template above for more ideas in what to include in a relevancy statement.

Thus, it becomes essential that before we assess the relevancy of a source, we keep in mind the project we have in mind for our paper. In the case of the GRP we are trying to analyze a solution to the problem of Light Pollution (its strengths and weaknesses) and to be able to improve this solution.

GRP Solution we are assessing:

GRP Solution 1:  Using shielded lights for outdoor lightning                                 

After reading this article, do you think it is relevant? Why? What are its strengths, weaknesses?

On the Word Document, GRP Annotated Bibliography, write a relevancy statement for this source.

Homework: 
A. Write the IRP  Reference Page (this page is tentative; after you evaluate your sources, you may like to use some, eliminate others, or get new ones.) Due: Sunday, March 31.
 
B. Finish everything you couldn't finish in class. By next class you should:

1. Finish reading  the source we assessed today.

C. Do the same for one of the sources you have chosen for you IRP (read the article, assess its reliability,  if you think it is reliable start a Word document, label it IRP Annotated Bibliography.

On this document write this source's APA citation and a reliability statement; start working on locating the most important ideas so you can later write a summary of this sources.

There is no dateline for this yet but sometime next week you will have to have a first draft of your IRP Annotated Bibliography.



SOURCES:

The picture "RELIABLE" was retrieved from:   info.bluelinkerp.com 

Ideas for the purpose of relevancy taken from University of Toronto Writing at http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specific-types-of-writing/annotated-bibliography

Day 27 : Evaluating Source Reliability

Objectives
Students will be able to 

• experience the process of evaluating sources and the various aspects that should be considered in such an evaluation.
• examine good and bad examples of sources.
• learn strategies to investigate information about their sources.   

I. Review: (15 min)

1. Writing bibliographic information using APA:  Creating a tentative Reference Page for the GRP

 GRP Source Chart
Check your homework from last class (Writing a Reference Page for your GRP). Use the APA Handbook to make necessary changes. The final version should be uploaded on Dropbox by next class. 

     2.  Chosen sources for the IRP 
a.  Open the document where you've listed your IRP sources. Review them and get ready to explain why you chose this source and how it is going to help you develop your IRP.
b.  Get in groups of two:
     Student A presents his/her list and explains:
                                                        -origin of source
                                                        -who are the authors?
                                                        -is it peer reviewed?
                                                        -what part of your paper will this source help you develop?    



II.  Assessing Source Reliability (Part 1)
a. Check this  template you can use for writing your annotated bibliographies

b. Think about the following questions for a few minutes: 

• What is reliability?   
• What makes a source reliable?
• Why do we need to make sure our sources are reliable before we even begin writing?

C. EVALUATING SOURCE RELIABILITY

a. Evaluating Websites for Reliability (15 min)

b.  Evaluating books, journal articles, newspaper articles, magazine articles, etc. (10 min

D)  APPLY (10 min)

1) Assess this source using the various aspects presented in the PowerPoint above.

2) Write a 2-3 sentence Reliability Statement that answers the question: Why is this source reliable?

3) Check this template that can help you develop your GRP/IRP annotated bibliography. We will be filling it out next class.


III. Homework

Diagnostic Essay Analysis (2-3 pages)	10%
Pre-research Portfolio	5%
Annotated Bibliography - Guided Research Paper (3 sources)	10%
Annotated Bibliography - Individual Research Paper (5 sources)	15%
Guided Research Paper (3-5 pages)	15%
Individual Research Paper (5-7 pages)	20%
2 Reflective Assignments	5%
Participation & Homework	10%
Attendance	10%

1. GRP  Reference Page:  If the GRP reference page you did for homework needs corrections, please do so by next class. Upload this final version to Dropbox as well.

2.  Use the GRP Reference Page as a guide to start working on a tentative Reference Page for your IRP. It should be reviewed and ready for me to see by next class as well.

3.  If you didn't finish your assessment of the source today, please do so by next class. Make sure you have:  a) the bibliographic information in APA and b) a reliability statement (2-3 sentences).

Sources
Materials for this class taken from:  Lesson: Annotated Bibliography: Source Evaluation (Part1) created by Kayla Hewitt, adapted by Cassandra Rosado, and supplemented by Michelle Castro and Natalie Lloyd. UIUCESL 115 TA Resources website. 

Ideas for the template taken from  Annotated Bibliographies at OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab.

Day 26: Creating a Reference Page using APA

Objectives:
Students will be able to
a)  discuss different aspects of Reference Pages written in the APA Format.
b)  start the discussion on in-text citations.
c)  write a tentative reference page for the GRP.

Before we start today's class, let's reflect a little on what is this we are doing.

• What's a research paper?
• What is the role of research in the writing of a research paper?
• What is the role of the sources?

I.  Writing bibliographic information using the APA Format

 

Checking homework assignment:

1.  This handout was part of your homework.  Tell me what is the pattern you observed about the entries on this Reference Page:
 Do you notice this pattern on all of the entries or some of the entries?
What about spacing?  Text font?  Italics?
What are those numbers at the very end of those entries?
What kind of punctuation do you see? 

 2.  You also should have reviewed the UIU ESL APA Handbook

What does the acronym APA stand for?

What is APA Format?

What are the sections in this Handbook?

What is meant by "Reference Page citation"?  What is the relationship between a text citation and the reference page?

How can this Handbook become a valuable tool in the writing of  the GRP and IRP papers? 

3.  There are other sources for learning about APA. Check the links on top of our class website.
 

II. Types of Text Citations

a)  Quotes 

b)  Paraphrases

c)  Summaries

 Important to remember:  There is a relationship between the citation provided in the text and the Reference Page at the end of the paper.

   

III.  Writing a Reference Page using APA  

Make sure you understand these concepts:

• Reference Page
• Reference Page entry
• APA Format

This is  the chart that contains the five sources you think are the best from our pre-reserach for the writing of our GRP. 

a)  Use this information to write a tentative Reference Page for the GRP.  Open a Word document and, with the help of the APA Handbook, or the use of any of the Useful Links in the class website, write a Reference Page that meets the criteria established by the American Psychological Association (APA) Format for Reference Pages.
b)  When you finish, name your file:  GRP_Reference Page and upload it to Dropbox.
  
Homework:

1. Finish the GRP's tentative Reference Page. It's due Sunday, March 24. Please upload the reference page to Dropbox. Name the file: GRP Reference Page.
 
2. Have the sources (a minimum of 5) for the IRP ready by Sunday, March 24. Upload a document that lists them on Dropbox by this dateline. Name this file:  IRP sources. 
  
3.  I've been checking your work these past few days and some students' folders are not organized; this makes it difficult for me to locate assignments. Please, if your Dropbox folder is in this situation, devote some time to organize the different folders and files.  One suggestion is one folder for each topic:
 
Diagnostic Analysis.  Inside this folder, there should all files related to this topic (diagnostic test, audience analysis, P.I.E. etc.)
Pre-Research Portfolio
Guided Research Paper (GRP)    Everything related to the writing of the GRP should be placed here in files clearly labeled. 
Individual Research Paper (IRP), which should contains only and all IRP assignments and drafts.
Reflective Essay for all reflective papers.
 
 

Day 25: Reviewing Sources (cont.) and Learning to write a Reference Page

Objectives 
Students will be able to
a) continue evaluating sources for the GRP.
b) write a tentative Reference Page for the GRP using APA Format.
  
I. Reviewing Sources (cont.)      
Remember:  We need sources that help us develop our GRP on Light Pollultion:

•  background information

•  Solution 1:  Using shielded lights for outdoor lightning 

                               


a)  Please go to Day 24 in our blog. 
b)  Individually, take a quick look at the source you have been assigned. Use the following tips to assess your source. Take notes because you need to discuss this source with other students later. (6 min)

• what type of source is it? (book, article from journal, magazine, etc.)
• read the titles
• read the abstract/subject terms                                                                          
• skim through the introduction
• skim the text, read the first line of every paragraph
• if you find a topic sentence that interest you, read the paragraph
• skim conclusions
• Can we use this source for the GRP (background info/support solution1)? Why?
• check the origin of this source (UIUC, Internet, professional association, etc.) 

Sources 1 and 2           Maggie, Siwei, Star
Sources 3 and 4           Anne, Jae, Zigang
Sources 5 and 6           Joane, Yifan, Yuanpeng
Sources 7 and 8           Chuck, Fuyuan
Sources 9 and 10         Yuanyi, Raoyan, Sharon

c) In group, discuss your findings.  Each student will present what he/she found out about the sources assigned. As a group,  decide which of these two sources is more appropriate for the GRP. State your reasons for your choice. (10 min)

d) Go to the whiteboard and write the information about your source.

II. Writing a Reference Page
 a)  In your groups, discuss the following questions:  (10 min)

What is a Reference Page? Why do writers need to include a Reference Page? Where is the Reference Page located in a source?

What's the difference between Reference Page and Bibliography?

What is APA Format (American Psychological Association Format)? 

b) Take a look at the handout containing an example of an APA Reference Page. 

  

Pattern Review:

What is the pattern used in each of the entries of the reference page?

Do you notice it on all of the entries or some of the entries?

What about spacing?  Text font?  Italics?

What are those numbers at the very end of those entries?

What kind of punctuation do you see? 

Check the annotated bibliography sample I gave you last class.  

  

APA Manual Distribution:

Now we have a “gift” to help you remember all these rules –the APA Manual. Remember that is not an official reference, but a helper. Notice how the sections of the manual match the two topics we discussed earlier - in-text citation and reference page citations. Today we are just going to focus on reference page citations for certain types of sources (books, articles and webpages).

c)  Write the sources listed on the board using the APA format.

Homework:
1.  Write the list of sources on the board using APA Format.

2. Continue with the collection and reviewing of your sources. Remember, you have to have a minimun of five academic sources. You should have all of your sources by Sunday, March 24.

3.  Go over the APA Manual to familiarize yourself with its contents.

Sources  
Boyd, R. and Lawson, L. UIUC ESL APA Student Handbook. 
Image, evaluating sources, taken from Clark College Website, http://www.clark.edu/Library/iris/evaluate/evaluate_intro/evaluate_info_intro.shtml
  Lawson, L. (2012).  Lesson: APA Research Formatting. Retrieved from esl115ta.blogspot.com