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ExampleIncorporating Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, CitationsResearchWriting

The ResearchQuestionWhat is a common theme that I see in ALL the regions that we studied?

Introduction ExampleEvery time my Language Arts class starts studying a new region, I realized that although there were differences in cultures, there also seemed to be things I was encountering over and over. I know, of course, that there are things common to all human experience, like birth and death. I saw in my literature studies that there was also conflict and relationships. So I asked myself, what is a common theme that I see in ALL the regions that we studied? And you know what? I realized that the struggle for freedom was something that I saw in all the literature and all the cultures.

Introduction ExampleEvery time my Language Arts class starts studying a new region, I realized that although there were differences in cultures, there also seemed to be things I was encountering over and over. I know, of course, that there are things common to all human experience, like birth and death. I saw in my literature studies that there was also conflict and relationships. So I asked myself, what is a common theme that I see in ALL the regions that we studied? And you know what? I realized that the struggle for freedom was something that I saw in all the literature and all the cultures. Hook!What I knew!Research Question!Thesis!

MethodsExampleMy Research Question took me back to the literature that we read over the course of the class. First, I looked through all the pieces that I had read, then sorted them by relevance to my theme. It was difficult to have to sift through all of the readings again, and some of the ones that I had chosen didn’t really help me in my search. I was, however, able to find clear examples from all regions of study. It was most effective for me to select pieces by using summaries of them that I found online, so that I could determine if the theme I needed was prevalent in it.

MethodsExampleMy Research Question took me back to the literature that we read over the course of the class. First, I looked through all the pieces that I had read, then sorted them by relevance to my theme. It was difficult to have to sift through all of the readings again, and some of the ones that I had chosen didn’t really help me in my search. I was, however, able to find clear examples from all regions of study. It was most effective for me to select pieces by using summaries of them that I found online, so that I could determine if the theme I needed was prevalent in it. Approach!Roadblocks!Successes!Evaluation!

Results ExampleAnd this is where it gets really good! My search wove me through the literature with ease. In a lecture by Valladares, I found “One school of thought some years ago was that a dialogue with Fidel Castro would somehow move the old dictator and give way to democracy. I believe that any solution that puts in Castro's hands the illusion of a change toward freedom is just that, an illusion. It would be like putting in Hitler's hands a solution that would be respectful and humanitarian for the Jewish people, or putting in the hands of racial extremists the life of African Americans, or in the hands of Pol Pot and Ian Sari the democratization of Cambodia.” The people of Cuba along with many, many other Latin American peoples living under dictatorships or military states were screaming for freedom from their rooftops. Or what about in Murakami’s After Dark? Where the main character is stifled by cultural expectations, her future predetermined by her parents. A different cry for freedom, but no less present and powerful! Realizing that my idea might be right, I looked into the Russian literature. I again found political oppression in Everyday Stalinism, “Soviet citizens attempting to live ordinary lives were continually running up against the state [1] in one of its multifarious aspects. Their lives were tossed around by Communist policies; their tempers were tried on a daily basis by incompetent and arbitrary officials, clerks, and salespeople, all working for the state. This was the omnipresent context of Soviet everyday life; there was no way to live without it.” Controlling entire lives? Not just one person’s future, but all people. Finally, looking into the Middle East and Africa with Nelson Mandela’s Nobel Speech, I found, “When that moment comes, we shall, together, rejoice in a common victory over racism, apartheid and white minority rule. That triumph will finally bring to a close a history of five hundred years of African colonization that began with the establishment of the Portuguese empire.” Colonialism, Racism, Segregation… such ugly words, so present in the history and present.Note that I am being suuuuper brief here as it is just an example! ☺

Results ExampleAnd this is where it gets really good! My search wove me through the literature with ease. In a lecture by Valladares, I found “One school of thought some years ago was that a dialogue with Fidel Castro would somehow move the old dictator and give way to democracy. I believe that any solution that puts in Castro's hands the illusion of a change toward freedom is just that, an illusion. It would be like putting in Hitler's hands a solution that would be respectful and humanitarian for the Jewish people, or putting in the hands of racial extremists the life of African Americans, or in the hands of Pol Pot and Ian Sari the democratization of Cambodia.” The people of Cuba along with many, many other Latin American peoples living under dictatorships or military states were screaming for freedom from their rooftops. Or what about in Murakami’s After Dark? Where the main character is stifled by cultural expectations, her future predetermined by her parents. A different cry for freedom, but no less present and powerful! Realizing that my idea might be right, I looked into the Russian literature. I again found political oppression in Everyday Stalinism, “Soviet citizens attempting to live ordinary lives were continually running up against the state [1] in one of its multifarious aspects. Their lives were tossed around by Communist policies; their tempers were tried on a daily basis by incompetent and arbitrary officials, clerks, and salespeople, all working for the state. This was the omnipresent context of Soviet everyday life; there was no way to live without it.” Controlling entire lives? Not just one person’s future, but all people. Finally, looking into the Middle East and Africa with Nelson Mandela’s Nobel Speech, I found, “When that moment comes, we shall, together, rejoice in a common victory over racism, apartheid and white minority rule. That triumph will finally bring to a close a history of five hundred years of African colonization that began with the establishment of the Portuguese empire.” Colonialism, Racism, Segregation… such ugly words, so present in the history and present.Text Evidence from Latin America!Text Evidence from Asia!Text Evidence from Russia!Text Evidence from Africa & Middle East!

Discussion ExampleCan you see it? See what I saw? That ALL people struggle for freedom. That “freedom”, as a concept, takes many forms. Almost innumerable forms! The text examples that I found were not limited to what I have given you. They were in ALL the texts that I looked at. I understand now that it is human to struggle for freedom. Your freedom will be different from mine. I think I have proved my thesis that the struggle for freedom is present in all cultures, but I didn’t realize the scope. That this is a human trait, I had missed. So, now what? I need to pay attention. The struggles of others are no less than my own and to see inside their struggle will provide me insight into them and, well, me. What remains is for me to build my awareness of the struggles that are in the world. To find my way, what I believe in, what I can do to support others as I would want them to support me.

Discussion ExampleCan you see it? See what I saw? That ALL people struggle for freedom. That “freedom”, as a concept, takes many forms. Almost innumerable forms! The text examples that I found were not limited to what I have given you. They were in ALL the texts that I looked at. I understand now that it is human to struggle for freedom. Your freedom will be different from mine. I think I have proved my thesis that the struggle for freedom is present in all cultures, but I didn’t realize the scope. That this is a human trait, I had missed. So, now what? I need to pay attention. The struggles of others are no less than my own and to see inside their struggle will provide me insight into them and, well, me. What remains is for me to build my awareness of the struggles that are in the world. To find my way, what I believe in, what I can do to support others as I would want them to support me. Conclusions!Applications!Analyzing!Clarify!

CitationsExampleYou will need your list of citations for Ms. A at the end of the unit! However, you will NOT read them aloud during your Capstone! No one wants to listen to that! Haha!

Assess your understanding… What questions do you have?Got it? Carry on and conquer this task!Not sure? Contact Ms. A for help!