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This DOCUMENT CONTAINS THREE PAGES – READ THEM ALL CAREFULLY ----p. 1 – Overview and Topic Choicesp. 2 – Directions/Explanation for EACH ENTRYp. 3 – SAMPLE ENTRY (what each should look like!)Current Event Assignment: In the upcoming semester, we will be assigning groups of 2-4 to research current events for a presentation/peer teaching exercise that will NOT ONLY aid all of you in your writing and responses on the AP Exam, but in your intelligent/cogent discussion and writing in a variety of academic and social contexts (in other words, knowing about what is happening in the world around you is an important skill set and will make you a more interesting and well-rounded person – ultimately, a more successful scholar, as well.)Please choose 5-7 topics from the list below that interest you. During winter break, you will search for/find 3-4 articles per week (min. total of 10) that relate to the topics you think will interest you.Political: Terrorism, Global Warming, Freedom (Human Rights), Competition (Free Market), Use of Torture, Capital Punishment, Education/Standardized testing, Gun Laws, Privacy, Social Security, Lobbying (all types), Corporate Greed, Economics, Investments/Wall Street, Governmental surveillance of citizens, “Stand your ground” laws, Bill of Rights violations, others?Social: Affirmative Action, Cloning, Prejudice, Family, Immigration, Computers/Technology, Reality Television, Advertising/Body Image, Gender Issues, Homelessness, Animal Rights/Testing, Driving/Cell phones, Art, Illiteracy, Prison Reform, Advertising, Police Safety/Misconduct, Fake News, whistleblowers, social media effects, technology pros and cons, and ??? Religious: Euthanasia, Abortion/Family Planning, Marriage/Divorce, Stem Cell Research, Living Will/Do Not Resuscitate, Prayer in School, Marriage of Priests, Sexual Orientation in the Clergy, etc…Health: Aging, National Healthcare, Obesity, Smoking, decriminalization of drugs, alcoholism, Access to Mental Health services, Stem Cell Research, Healthcare profits for private insurance, Smoking bans in the workplace or public, and so on…**Obviously, many of these topics overlap or intersect, just be sure to have a variety of topics (while still focusing and maybe have a few that are of real interest to you be related!)Requirements for EACH ENTRY (all 10):Articles must be from a reputable news source and no more than 12 months old. (The more contemporary the better!)Articles should NOT be from the opinion pages or other sources that do not require any “fact finding” – in other words, it can’t be a blog your Uncle Bob wrote that he believes that global warming is caused by the prolific use of washing machines in America and that women should be washing clothes by hand in the streams to combat this problem.Articles should be of adequate length to be informative and have enough information for you to write about it (2-3 paragraphs is probably NOT adequate.)You will write a summary of the pertinent information from the article. Next, you should write a reaction or series of questions or even your evaluation of the information. Each entry needs to include a correctly documented MLA entry (as it would be seen in a Works Cited page – for help google PURDUE OWL.When we return from break, I will collect projects and will then assign topics and groups based on the depth of ideas and research you have made. (Someone who has done very in-depth reflections and looked at serious articles will be first to choose their topics over people who hand me logs that contain 2-3 sentence reactions to their articles.)For each entry, please follow the example on the next page in both FORMAT and CONTENT.This will be collected the day we return from break.FORMAT/INFORMATION - Directions for EACH CURRENT EVENT entry. . .1st: You must find at least nine articles from 5-7 (this means choose the topics that interest you and do one or two articles from those topics 5-7 topics) of the above categories and make a learning log entry for those 9 articles. Please find a variety of international, national, regional, and local articles on issues of academic merit. 2nd: Write a response to each article, and include the following:Identify the category the article fulfills then, in two sentences or less, identify the purpose (or main idea) of the article.Write a paragraph detailing your argument on the article’s topic. In other words, what do you believe about the topic discussed? Make sure to support your argument with details and examples. 3rd: Create a works cited entry for each article (put this at the top of the article just below the title).4th: Make sure to CHECK YOUR OWN WORK AGAINST THE following scoring rubric at the end of the nine entries to determine your expected score.Scoring Rubric . . . 9 entries that are “A” level (and have MLA/format correct) will get an “A” and so on – points will be deducted for EACH unfinished entry. Overall score in gradebook goes in ASSESSMENT category = 200ElementsABC.DFWorks Cited entries:Flawless1 – 2 errors3 – 4 errors5 or more errorsMissingWritten Responses:All categories met with thoughtful and thorough argumentative responsesAll categories met with adequate argumentative responsesAll categories met with some argumentative responses lackingMissing 1 or 2 categories of articlesMissing more than two categories of articlesAppearance: *Pass/Fail for appropriately organizing your responses and works cited documentation MLA format.MLA DirectionsPlease note that citing an article and citing an on-line periodical have changed slightly. Please see my model below. EXAMPLES OF MLAARTICLE IN A MAGAZINE (Like Time or Newsweek)McEnvoy, Dermot. “Little Books, Big Success.” Publisher’s Weekly 30 Oct. 2006: 26-28. Print.ON-LINE PERIODICAL (Like Time or Newsweek)Lubell, Sam. “Of the Sea and Air and Sky.” New York Times. New York Times, 26 Nov. 2008. Web. 1 Dec. 2008.Note: Online periodicals include both the name of the website in italics and the website publisher. If no publisher is listed, use N.p. Follow with the date of publication, the medium (Web.), and date of access.ENTRY EXAMPLE LOOKS LIKE THIS and includes:TitleTopicMLA – Works Cited Entry – Correct FormatPurpose/Summary of ArticleStudent ArgumentCopy of the articleCurrent Event Article #1Topic: EconomyGross, Daniel. “The Recession Is Over! Now What We Need Is A New Kind Of Recovery.” Newsweek 3 Aug. 2009: 32-37. Print. Summary/Purpose of Article: Renewable energy is key to improving our economy. Our unemployment rate can be lowered with projects funded through stimulus.My Argument/Reaction/Viewpoint: I believe the author of this article is way off base. First of all, his point that the recession is over does not make sense, because in the last few months, according to a report on CNN last week ….. <This paragraph should consist of a minimum of 10 COMPLETE and COMPLEX sentences – use details from the article and your own knowledge, but be sure to cite facts when applicable or necessary.>Be sure to attach a copy of EACH article inside your project, so that I (or other students) will be able to evaluate your summary AND your argument. *if article is too long, you may want to print just the first page or two.BOTTOM LINE - Final Product – This is a formal project and should reflect the work/care you took in creating it:Page 1 – Cover Page with information/decorative cover. (you can either create a new “learning log” for this assignment or do it on separate sheets and organize it with a cover before turning it in to me!)Page 2 – Table of Contents that lists each of the articles you reviewed and the order.Page 3-20: Articles and written entries (seen just above) but will have approximately a page of written summary and evaluation for EACH article – Attach hard copy of article if possible – MLA entry (like on a Works Cited page) REQUIRED for EACH ENTRY!Last Page/Conclusion: Summarize what you learned from reading current events. Are there areas of controversy out in the world that you would like to know more about in order to draw logical conclusions? What topics would be beneficial to you in order to prepare yourself for your college, work or intern experiences in the next few years? Explain your ideas! ................
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