WORD PROJECT GUIDE

Word project

Guide

START

Overview

• You will gather information from ten different sources and you will write about the information you learn through each of those sources.
• Most likely, this paper will be longest document you’ve ever had to write.
• You’ll gain more practice explaining and developing your thoughts and integrating direct quotes to support your thoughts.
• Finally, through the research and writing process, you will improve your ability to manage and organize your time and materials.

to the sources

Guide to the Sources - Click the image to be brought to the information page

Bible

The Bible is the oldest source you’ll use for this paper. (If your word is very specific or very recent, you might not find it in this source. If that is the case, see below.) This research requires a two-step process. First, look up your word in a concordance to the Bible. Find a verse that contains your word. Then look up that verse in the coordinating Bible. Copy the concordance and the section of the Bible. Copy enough of the chapter to have something to write about. You don’t need to write about the concordance, just the Bible passage. IF your word isn’t in any version of the Bible, then you will consult the mission statement of our school OR the Essential Elements of an Edmund Rice school. Consider how your word and your future plans will fulfill an aspect of our mission or the larger Essential Elements. TIPS:

• Read through various results until you find one that you connect with (don’t just pick the first one in the list)
• Still have to look up your word in the Bible and copy the entire passage

Links

Dictionary

Look up your word in one of the unabridged dictionaries in our library. Copy or scan the word’s etymology (original language) and definitions. This source gives you many ways to define your word. In your paragraph, you’ll want to focus on both the expected and unexpected definitions. You might want to explore your word as it is used in different parts of speech (for instance, as a noun and as a verb). TIPS:

• Copy or scan the word’s etymology (original language) and definitions.
• This source gives you many ways to define your word.
• Focus on both the expected and unexpected definitions.
• Explore your word as it is used in different parts of speech (for instance, as a noun and as a verb).

links

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations

Look up your word in Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations. Read several before you find a quote that resonates with you. Do you know the speaker or author? Do you fully understand the importance of the quote? A short quote can be a very powerful set of words that can help guide you, empower you, comfort you, etc. So find a quote that you really like, copy it and all relevant information such as the author of the quote. Do not use a quotation from the Bible because you don’t want to duplicate any of your source material. TIPS:

• Use the search bar
• Do you know the speaker or author? Do you fully understand the importance of the quote?
• A short quote can be a very powerful set of words that can help guide you, empower you, comfort you, etc.

links

Research Database

Our library holds subscriptions to several online databases to assist you in all types of research. These databases will help you find quality information in the fields of science, social studies, and literature. First determine which database you’d like to explore, and then find a full article that sheds some new light on your word. Do not use a brief entry (which are often definitions or overviews). You are looking at the published articles from the leading experts in the field of your word. Print or save the entire article. The article must have an author, or a series of authors.

General

Science

Social Studies

Literature

TED Talk

TED Talks are short, online speeches, about 15 minutes in length. Experts on a topic have created these talks to share their knowledge and perspective on a very wide range of information. Find a Talk that is related to your word and expands your thoughts. Identify the speaker, explain her or his purpose, analyze the effectiveness of his or her Talk, and your response to their ideas. Highlight any facts or opinions that particularly strike you. Print the sections of the transcript that you will write about.

Links

Post grad source

Every second of every day, our present becomes our future. How will you shape yours? Investigate your future by finding an intersection with your word. Look on college websites, military information, trade organization materials, and dream-job sites. Think about how you will make that dream a reality.

artistic selection

online, book, primary source

Through our daily life, we all interact with creative sources, whether that is a song that we love to listen to, a piece of fiction that we’ve read, a film, or visual art. What inspires you? Find your word in any artistic source. You might use the online poetry index or a lyrics website. Whatever source you use, make sure that you can document it for your appendix. You can print a copy of an image of a painting, for instance, from a website.

links

online trends

Almost every word has a presence on the internet. You will be able to chose from two options to research and analyze how your word appears on the internet. You can either use the google n-gram viewer, which will tell you how many times your word has appeared in google books throughout time, or you can use the google trends feature. What does your words usage tell you about your word itself and how it has changed over time? Why do you think your word has changed or hasn’t changed? How might you see your word being used in the future? You will need a print out of either the n gram or the trends page from google for this source.

Links