1.5: Research Report Develop a topic for a research report that will be due at the end of the course. Research Report: Choosing a Topic You will be required to submit one typed lesson to me, the instructor. The purpose of this is to assess your writing ability. The research report will count twice as much as the Speedback lessons, so it is worthy of your best effort. In order to help you do well, there are certain things you should know. First of all, there are three types of reading and writing. They are referred to as literary, informational, and functional. Literary Reading and Writing Most of the reading you have done in this lesson would be considered literary. In other words, the events and characters you read about in the short stories, the play, and the poems were created in the mind of the author. Informational Reading and Writing Informational reading and writing consists of those types of writings you read in order to access more information or understanding about a particular subject(s). The introduction to this lesson and my comments on the selections you read were informational text I wrote to help clarify your understanding. Functional Reading and Writing Functional reading and writing consists of directions on how to do something, steps on how to put something together, reading a map, or explanations on how something works. As you read instructions in this lesson on how to answer questions, or how to read poems and plays, you were reading functional writing. Obviously, no reading or writing can fall in one category exclusively. For example, literary reading and writing can also give us information (as you read the short stories you should have gained some insights into what a small town at the turn of the century was like). Informational reading and writing can also use some literary techniques (images, etc.) to get across the message. (For example: When the cake is baked, it should have a smooth, glossy look to the top of it.) Functional reading and writing can also be very informative. (For example: The recipe that follows was used by my second great-grandmother as she traveled across the plains with her husband and seven children.) Understanding the authors purpose in writing something helps us understand how to read the material. Now you understand that, let me tell you that you will access all three types of reading as you complete the research report. Your writing assignment for this course is to create a problem-solution research report. You are to choose a topic that is of concern to you. This may be a local, state, national, or international problem. What do you care about? Jot down problems that you are aware of that really concern you. You are to have a personal interest in this problem because you will be expected to explain why you have chosen the subject that you have. Do you have personal problems that you want to find out more about? Do you know of someone who has a problem/condition/challenge that you would like to understand better? Do you get particularly upset by any issues that are in the news? In this report, you will explain why you are interested in this particular problem. You will then explain the problem and discuss all you have learned about it. Then, you will write of what is being done to correct the problem, or what could be done to make the situation better. It is important that you choose a subject that can be researched, but also choose a subject narrow enough that the problem/solution can be presented in just 4 to 6 pages. Let me give you an example: You cant just say, Ill do my research on drug abuse because I know some kids that are using drugs. That topic is much too broad. Are you talking about illegal drug abuse? Marijuana? Heroin? Prescription drug abuse? Do you want to discuss all types of drug abuse? Do you want to explore why people choose to use drugs? Do you want to focus on only teen-age drug abuse? Do you think the real problem is that there is not effective treatment for drug users? As you can see, choosing a subject is a very small first step. You must narrow your area of concern because you are not going to write a book. You will not use your own ideas or opinions. Instead, you will present the facts and/or ideas that you discover while you are researching your topic. In a word-processing document, write the topic you have chosen at the top of the page. Then, under the topic you have chosen, write down four or five questions or ideas you have about the topic (in an attempt to narrow your focus). If you cant think of four or five questions, you dont know enough about the subject to consider it for this assignment. Go back, choose another topic that you care about and that you know a little about, and then generate four or five questions. After you have written the four or five questions, you need to think more about the subject and focus on a particular topic. Be sure to include the ideas of finding solutions to the problem. Write this in a complete sentence. For example: I want to know what kind of people become addicted to drugs and what treatment works best to help them overcome their addiction. I want to know why it is so easy to get drugs into the United States and what can be done to stop the drug trafficking. I want to find out the consequences to drug users, and what happens to their lives. Now, I have given you three examples of possible thesis statements. This is the statement that will lead you while you do your research. You may have to revise the sentence later, but once you have created this initial sentence, you have a guide so you can begin your research. The next thing you need to do is decide on some key words that will help you in your research. For instance, if I want to focus on what treatments there are for drug abuse and which method(s) seems most successful, I could probably find information using these key words: drug abuse, drug treatment, rehabilitation, drug therapies, and treat methods. There are probably many others, but that should give you an example of what you need to do. Write as many key words (phrases) as you can think of that will help you find the material you will need to write this research report. Note: I know there are Internet sites that provide research reports. After teaching for twenty-four years, I am well aware of what is available. In fact, Ive even had some students submit reports taken from the Internet. Please, dont try to cheat on this assignment. If I suspect you havent done the work yourself, I will go to the sites, and if I find you have used someone elses work, you will receive a 0 on this lesson and not be allowed the opportunity to resubmit. I know what high school students are capable of. Dont insult me by trying to use someone elses work. Because of the examples I have used, I expect you to choose a topic other than those I used above. It wouldnt help you to use my ideas. You have too many good ideas of your own. Once you have formulated the sentence which will give your research direction, you may go on to lesson 2. At the end of lesson 2 there will be some questions about the information/assignment you have just read/completed. Please make sure you understand all of it so you can do well on those Speedback questions. The end of each future lesson will lead you through the steps you will need to take to complete this research project. Please do as you are instructed. The paper will practically write itself if you will do so.

1.5: Research Report Develop a topic for a research report that will be due at the end of the course. Research Report: Choosing a Topic You will be required to submit one typed lesson to me, the instructor. The purpose of this is to assess your writing ability. The research report will count twice as much as the Speedback lessons, so it is worthy of your best effort. In order to help you do well, there are certain things you should know. First of all, there are three types of reading and writing. They are referred to as literary, informational, and functional. Literary Reading and Writing Most of the reading you have done in this lesson would be considered literary. In other words, the events and characters you read about in the short stories, the play, and the poems were created in the mind of the author. Informational Reading and Writing Informational reading and writing consists of those types of writings you read in order to access more information or understanding about a particular subject(s). The introduction to this lesson and my comments on the selections you read were informational text I wrote to help clarify your understanding. Functional Reading and Writing Functional reading and writing consists of directions on how to do something, steps on how to put something together, reading a map, or explanations on how something works. As you read instructions in this lesson on how to answer questions, or how to read poems and plays, you were reading functional writing. Obviously, no reading or writing can fall in one category exclusively. For example, literary reading and writing can also give us information (as you read the short stories you should have gained some insights into what a small town at the turn of the century was like). Informational reading and writing can also use some literary techniques (images, etc.) to get across the message. (For example: When the cake is baked, it should have a smooth, glossy look to the top of it.) Functional reading and writing can also be very informative. (For example: The recipe that follows was used by my second great-grandmother as she traveled across the plains with her husband and seven children.) Understanding the authors purpose in writing something helps us understand how to read the material. Now you understand that, let me tell you that you will access all three types of reading as you complete the research report. Your writing assignment for this course is to create a problem-solution research report. You are to choose a topic that is of concern to you. This may be a local, state, national, or international problem. What do you care about? Jot down problems that you are aware of that really concern you. You are to have a personal interest in this problem because you will be expected to explain why you have chosen the subject that you have. Do you have personal problems that you want to find out more about? Do you know of someone who has a problem/condition/challenge that you would like to understand better? Do you get particularly upset by any issues that are in the news? In this report, you will explain why you are interested in this particular problem. You will then explain the problem and discuss all you have learned about it. Then, you will write of what is being done to correct the problem, or what could be done to make the situation better. It is important that you choose a subject that can be researched, but also choose a subject narrow enough that the problem/solution can be presented in just 4 to 6 pages. Let me give you an example: You cant just say, Ill do my research on drug abuse because I know some kids that are using drugs. That topic is much too broad. Are you talking about illegal drug abuse? Marijuana? Heroin? Prescription drug abuse? Do you want to discuss all types of drug abuse? Do you want to explore why people choose to use drugs? Do you want to focus on only teen-age drug abuse? Do you think the real problem is that there is not effective treatment for drug users? As you can see, choosing a subject is a very small first step. You must narrow your area of concern because you are not going to write a book. You will not use your own ideas or opinions. Instead, you will present the facts and/or ideas that you discover while you are researching your topic. In a word-processing document, write the topic you have chosen at the top of the page. Then, under the topic you have chosen, write down four or five questions or ideas you have about the topic (in an attempt to narrow your focus). If you cant think of four or five questions, you dont know enough about the subject to consider it for this assignment. Go back, choose another topic that you care about and that you know a little about, and then generate four or five questions. After you have written the four or five questions, you need to think more about the subject and focus on a particular topic. Be sure to include the ideas of finding solutions to the problem. Write this in a complete sentence. For example: I want to know what kind of people become addicted to drugs and what treatment works best to help them overcome their addiction. I want to know why it is so easy to get drugs into the United States and what can be done to stop the drug trafficking. I want to find out the consequences to drug users, and what happens to their lives. Now, I have given you three examples of possible thesis statements. This is the statement that will lead you while you do your research. You may have to revise the sentence later, but once you have created this initial sentence, you have a guide so you can begin your research. The next thing you need to do is decide on some key words that will help you in your research. For instance, if I want to focus on what treatments there are for drug abuse and which method(s) seems most successful, I could probably find information using these key words: drug abuse, drug treatment, rehabilitation, drug therapies, and treat methods. There are probably many others, but that should give you an example of what you need to do. Write as many key words (phrases) as you can think of that will help you find the material you will need to write this research report. Note: I know there are Internet sites that provide research reports. After teaching for twenty-four years, I am well aware of what is available. In fact, Ive even had some students submit reports taken from the Internet. Please, dont try to cheat on this assignment. If I suspect you havent done the work yourself, I will go to the sites, and if I find you have used someone elses work, you will receive a 0 on this lesson and not be allowed the opportunity to resubmit. I know what high school students are capable of. Dont insult me by trying to use someone elses work. Because of the examples I have used, I expect you to choose a topic other than those I used above. It wouldnt help you to use my ideas. You have too many good ideas of your own. Once you have formulated the sentence which will give your research direction, you may go on to lesson 2. At the end of lesson 2 there will be some questions about the information/assignment you have just read/completed. Please make sure you understand all of it so you can do well on those Speedback questions. The end of each future lesson will lead you through the steps you will need to take to complete this research project. Please do as you are instructed. The paper will practically write itself if you will do so.