Introduction, Thesis Statement, and Annotated Bibliography

PART 1 – Introduction, Thesis Statement, and Annotated Bibliography

Prepare: Prior to beginning work on this assignment, review the Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) and Annotated Bibliography (Links to an external site.) web pages, and Evaluating Sources (Links to an external site.) and Annotated Bibliography (Links to an external site.) tutorials.

Reflect: Reflect back on the Week 1 discussion in which you shared with the class the global societal issue that you would like to further address. Explore critical insights that were shared by your peers and/or your instructor on the topic chosen and begin your search for scholarly sources with those insights in mind.

Write: For this assignment, review the Annotated Bibliography Formatting GuidelinesPreview the document and address the following prompts:

  • Introductory paragraph to topic (refer to the Final Paper guidelines for your topic selection).
    • Write an introductory paragraph with at least 150 words that clearly explains the topic, the importance of further research, and ethical implications.
  • Thesis statement.
    • Write a direct and concise thesis statement, which will become the solution to the problem that you will argue or prove in the Week 5 Final Paper. (A thesis statement should be a concise, declarative statement. The thesis statement must appear at the end of the introductory paragraph.)
  • Annotated bibliography.
    • Develop an annotated bibliography to indicate the quality of the sources you have read.
    • Summarize in your own words how the source contributes to the solution of the global societal issue for each annotation.
    • Address fully the purpose, content, evidence, and relation to other sources you found on this topic (your annotation should be one to two paragraphs long—150 words or more.
    • Include no less than five scholarly sources in the annotated bibliography that will be used to support the major points of the Final Paper.
    • Demonstrate critical thinking skills by accurately interpreting evidence used to support various positions of the topic.

The Introduction, Thesis Statement, and Annotated Bibliography

PART 2 – Rough Draft Review Process Evaluation

Purpose: The primary goal of this weekly assignment is to enable you to understand the revision process and revise your paper with the help of a writing specialist.

Prepare:

Step 1: Prepare a shortened version of your Final Paper (at least four pages) by including the following:

  • Introduction paragraph and thesis statement you developed for your Week 3 Assignment.
  • Background information of the global societal issue you have chosen.
  • Brief argument supporting at least two solutions to the global societal issue.
  • Conclusion paragraph.
  • Must document any information used from at least five scholarly sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) Note that you will need at least eight scholarly sources for your Final Paper in Week 5.

Step 2: After you have completed a rough draft of your paper, submit that draft to the Ashford Writing Center by using the instructions found in the Paper Review (Links to an external site.) page. Your paper will be returned within 24 hours, so give yourself enough time to complete and submit it prior to the due date.

Reflect: Carefully review the revision letter and the margin comments that you see on your returned paper. Consider each of the suggestions provided to help you to revise your paper.

Write:

What You Need to Submit to Waypoint:

  • Upload the PDF document that contains the feedback from the Writing Center specialist.
  • Submit the journal assignment answering the following questions in at least 400 words:
    • Identify the top three issues your writing specialist focused on in your rough draft (e.g., paragraph structure, proper use of quotations, thesis statement, etc.).
      • In what ways were those issues surprising?
    • Describe what you learned from some of the feedback your writing specialist provided as explanations.
      • Was this feedback helpful?
    • Evaluate the usefulness of the paper review tool.
      • In what ways did this activity improve your academic writing skills?
      • Will you use the Ashford Writing Center to review your work in the future? Why or why not?
    • Identify Writing Center Video Tutorials (Links to an external site.) that you find most useful and explain why. Also, identify tutorial(s) you found least useful and explain why.

The journal part of the assignment does not need to be formatted in APA style; however, correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation is required.

 
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Action Research Introduction Draft

 Critical Friends Forum – Action Research Introduction Draft [WLO: 1, 4][CLO: 3, 5]
Critical_Friends_Discussion_Photo.jpg

This week we will begin our Critical Friends discussion forums. Each week you will have the opportunity to share ideas, create community, and collaborate with your Critical Friends (classmates) in this course. The term “critical friends” refers to colleagues and peers who challenge their own practices to continuously improve through feedback and collaboration. This work is “critical” because it is important, challenging, worthwhile work, but should be neither threatening nor negative. It involves “friends” who share the same mission, values, and goals and who want to nurture collaboration and community within a group. In our Critical Friend Forums we all have the same mission and goal to successfully design a quality action research proposal and we contribute and collaborate as professionals and friends to support growth and improvement. Therefore, feedback to each other should be specific, meaningful, and supported by best practices in action research. You will all benefit greatly by both giving and receiving this type of meaningful, supportive feedback to each other. As a result, you can continuously improve your action research proposal each week and connect and collaborate with each other as professionals and leaders. Read more about Critical Friends in the Costa and Kallick (1993) article Through the Lens of a Critical Friend (Links to an external site.).

In Week One, the focus of your assignment was your Action Research Area of Focus and by now you have received feedback from your instructor that you will use to make revisions and refinements to contribute to your Week Three Action Research Proposal – Introduction and Literature Review assignment. At this point, take a moment to carefully review the Week Three assignment to understand your expectations for this week. To prepare you for this assignment, this discussion forum will provide an outlet for sharing the draft of your Action Research Introduction and obtaining further formative feedback from your classmates and instructor.

Once you have reviewed your instructor’s feedback from the Week One assignment and have completed the weekly readings, make suggested revisions to your Action Research Introduction and post in the discussion to share with your peers and instructor. If you have any particular area(s) that you are struggling with or need more feedback, please request for your Critical Friends to focus their feedback, perspectives, insights, and questions in that specified area. The sections of the Action Research Introduction you should include are as follows:

  • Context for the Proposed Study
  • Purpose and Educational Significance
  • Explanation of Problem
  • Population:
  • One Research Question
  • Locus of Control

One of the qualities of great leaders and professionals is to be open to and objective about feedback – this is something you will likely need to do in your own professional role, so getting used to seeking and considering feedback objectively is a critical skill for all professionals in any field. Remember that when giving and receiving feedback, it is important to be objective and not take feedback personally. All feedback should be geared toward helping each other construct a quality action research proposal, support success, and encourage critical thinking about action research. Once you have thought critically about feedback you have received, if you disagree with it, that is okay. You can continue to respectfully engage in discussion and build understanding by asking questions and sharing insights and perspectives.

 
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Academic Integrity Policy and Student Code of Conduct

Go to the Kean University website and explore the following sections by searching for each in the search bar:

  • Academic Integrity Policy
  •  Student Code of Conduct

Additionally, browse through the website and explore at least three of the following sections that may be of interest to you:

  • Writing Center and Tutoring Services
  • Study Abroad
  • Career Services
  • Counseling Services
  • Kean Arts
  • Veteran Services
  • Cougar Link
  • Student Organization

After exploring the Kean University website, reflect on what new information you have learned. Choose five specific new things you learned about Kean. Write 3-5 sentences discussing what you have newly learned and how that information will help you be successful at Kean. You must include the Academic Integrity Policy and Student Code of Conduct as two of the five things you learned.

 
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Clinical Field Experience A: Physical Activity

Physical activity is a component of children’s development that will be incorporated into everyday learning. Educators find creative ways to incorporate more movement and play in the early childhood classrooms.

Allocate at least 4 hours in the field to support this field experience.

Find a birth to Pre-K child care facility and have a discussion with a classroom teacher to gain insights on the following:

  • How much time children are allowed to participate in physical activity
  • How learning objectives are written to address physical activity
  • How lessons are designed to incorporate physical activity

Observe and take note of the types of physical activity in which the children participate. The birth to Pre-K child care facility that you choose is where you will spend all of your field experience hours for this course.

Use any remaining field experience hours to assist the teacher in providing instruction and support to the class.

Write a 250-500 word reflection based on your experience at the child care facility and your interview. Reflect upon and evaluate personal practice related to including physical activity and play in the lives of young children.

Address the following in your reflection:

  • How lesson plans can include physical activity
  • How educators can address the need for physical activity in the classroom 
  • What you plan to implement into your future teaching practice

APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.

This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite.

Document the locations and hours you spend in the field on your Clinical Field Experience Verification Form.

Submit the Clinical Field Experience Verification Form to the LMS in the last topic. Directions for submitting can be found on the College of Education site in the Student Success Center.

 
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