Category: Unit 2 (Page 1 of 2)

1. Read “Using Sources Ethically” by Marcia Muth and respond to the Questions below. 

• Choose one to two pieces of information that you found interesting or learned from reading this piece? Why was it interesting? Explain!
• How can you use what you learned to help as you begin to write your feature articles?

2. Choose a Mentor Feature Article! (Remember it can be one of the class texts!)

3. Begin to find information to Quote, Summarize and Paraphrase from in your sources. You have already written some summaries, you may want to write more!

QUOTE

• Look through your sources
• Think about your Research Questions  (Your KWL Chart!)
• Find AT LEAST one quote from your sources that you think meets the criteria of what to quote. Highlight it!
• Introduce it using a signal word (he argued, she said, etc).
• Think about WHY you would quote from this source and not paraphrase or summarize the section.

PARAPHRASE

• Look through your sources.
• Think about your Research Questions. 
• Find at least one place in one of your sources that you would like to try to paraphrase and then paraphrase the section!
• Explain WHY you would paraphrase this section (not quote it or summarize it).

HOMEWORK DUE Wednesday, MARCH 30th Complete the sheet below for AT LEAST 2 Sources (preferably ALL 4!) 

PROJECT 2 – Source Analysis and Evaluation Sheet! 

Analyze EACH SOURCE

Write a Brief Summary / Description 

Write a short (2-3 sentence) summary or description of your source. A summary describes what the source is mostly about– its thesis or main idea. 

You should: 

• Captured the author’s ideas accurately and succinctly
• Avoided inserting your own ideas/ opinions (we want to hear what the AUTHOR thinks/says)
• Avoided plagiarism (borrowing words/ ideas that are not your own)

Identify and Analyze Genre and Rhetorical Situation (audience/ purpose)

Genre: What is the GENRE of the piece. Be VERY specific (ex. not just article, but feature article)

Audience: Who is the intended audience? Explain. How does the author hope the reader will react? Is the genre or format of the source the author chose the appropriate format to reach the intended audience?

Identify and Analyze Rhetorical Appeals (ethos, pathos, logos)

How does the author establish their credibility (ethos)?

How does the author appeal to the audience’s emotions to help persuade them

(pathos)?

How does the author use logic (facts, data, statistics) to help convince the audience (logos)?

Analyze Author’s Craft (how the author presents the message-tone, style)

An analysis of the author’s craft looks carefully at how and why the author presents the information.

• What is the tone of the piece (formal, academic, serious, humorous, scientific, etc.)
• What is the author’ style (for example, does author use figurative language, descriptions)

Evaluate EACH SOURCE for Credibility

WHO

• Who is the author?
• Is the author recognized as an expert on the topic? 
• Is there a bibliography? If so, who is listed? Are the sources listed reputable sources?

WHAT

• What is fact or opinion in the text?
• What are the main ideas and arguments ? Are the arguments backed up with sound reasoning and evidence?
• Do you agree with the ideas in the text based on your own knowledge?
• Is it a primary, secondary, or tertiary source?
• Can you find other credible sources that confirm the same information?

WHERE

• Where does this information come from? Where was it published? (website, organization, magazine, newspaper, etc.)
• Did a reliable source link me to this site? (For example, did you find it on Google or on the CityTech Library?)

WHEN

• When was it published?
• Is it up to date?

WHY

• Why did the author/ producer publish this? (Think PURPOSE)
• Does the author / text appear to be selling something?
• Is there an obvious agenda or bias?

HOW

• How is the material presented?
• Is the text well edited and free of errors?
• Is the formatting well designed and professional looking?
• How is the subject described?

Homework!

1. Find 3 additional sources for your project. 
2. For ALL 4 sources write down:
   1. The title and author of your source
   2. The genre of your sources (be VERY specific) 
   3. The proper MLA citation of your source
   4. The reason you think this source might be helpful–explain WHAT research question it answers or what piece of information it provides that might be useful. THINK fact, statistic, data, story, etc. .