Task: This project will take place in 5 steps.
- Step 1: Write an initial statement of your research topic. In about 300 words, describe your research topic, why you are interested in this topic, and what specific question(s) you want to explore through your research.
- Step 2: Collect six sources for your research project and write a citation for each source.
- Step 3: Write your six annotations, saving them in a Microsoft Word document. For each source, you will write an annotation that is at least 200 words and includes the following:
- A summary of the main ideas of the source
- An explanation of how the source relates to your research topic
- An explanation of how the source relates/does not relate to your other sources
Describe what new/different information this source provides, explain weaknesses/strengths of the source, and/or tell what about the source you find interesting.
- Step 4:Design your Annotated Bibliography. Read over the Prezi Guide provided for you, and then design a Prezi that showcases the citations and annotations you have written for your sources. You can choose to start with a blank Prezi canvas or with one of the templates provided on Prezi. Either way, you will want to think carefully about how you can visually design the Prezi to best present the sources you’ve found. Specifically, consider the following questions as you design your Prezi:
- Should certain sources appear bigger or smaller than others, based on their connection to my research topic?
- Should certain sources be grouped together, based on how similar or different they are from one another?
- How can I incorporate visual aspects such as images and colors to enhance my written annotations?
- Step 5:Write a revised statement of your research topic and an explanation of your design choices
- In about 250 words, consider the research you’ve done and write a revised statement of your research. Now that you have explored more about this topic, how can you make your research topic more specific and/or more focused? Which of the sources in your annotated bibliography will you most definitely use in your research and why? Which of the sources in your annotated bibliography are you less likely to use and why?
- In about 250 words, explain the design choices you made while creating your Prezi. How does your Prezi showcase the ways in which the sources relate to one another and to the research topic? How does your use of visuals such as images and colors make sense given the content of your annotations and/or your research focus? In this short writing, you should make specific references to your Prezi so that I can see the exact design choices you made.
Criteria for Success:
This writing project will be evaluated based on the following questions:
- Does each annotation summarize the source, focusing in on the main and most relevant ideas?
- Does each annotation relate the source to the research topic and tell how the source relates/doesn’t relate to the other sources?
- Does the design of the Prezi showcase the way in which the sources relate to one another and the research topic?
- Does the Prezi include visual elements such as images and colors that enhance the written annotations?
- Does the initial statement of the research topic offer a thoughtful explanation of the research topic, including why you are interested in the topic and what specific question(s) you want to explore through your research?
- Does the revised statement of research topic highlight the ways in which the research focus has evolved as a result of the research, including an explanation of which sources you will use and those you might not?
- Does the explanation of design choices make specific references to the Prezi so that I can understand your rationale for the design choices you made?
- Does the project show evidence of thorough proofreading and editing?
