John Steinbeck Webquest

John Steinbeck Webquest

Essential Learnings:

• Students will apply appropriate strategies and skills to understand a variety of texts.
• Students will appreciate that literature provides an understanding of human experience.
• Students will use critical thinking skills to evaluate a variety of texts.

Background:
- Students have read, discussed, and analyzed Of Mice and Men.

Procedure:
- Students will use suggested websites as well as internet searches to answer the following questions.

Evaluation:
- Students will be evaluated on:

• answering questions correctly
• answering questions in complete sentences
• showing evaluation and synthesis skills for the last question (must be two or more sentences)
• writing neatly on loose-leaf with a proper heading OR
• typing the answers, double-spaced, NO COPYING AND PASTING (plagiarism)!

Websites:
- The following websites will help with some answers. You may also use search engines (google or yahoo) to find other answers.

http://www.steinbeck.org/MainFrame.html

http://www.infopoint.com/mry/orgs/steinbeck/index.html

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/novella


Answer the following questions:

1. When was Steinbeck born?
2. Where did he first attend college?
3. What was his first novel?
4. What was his job during WWII?
5. In what year did he win the Nobel Prize for literature?
6. Describe Steinbeck’s friendship with Edward Ricketts.
7. Describe the effect of Steinbeck's relationship with Ricketts (how did this friendship impact Steinbeck?). Give at least two specific examples.
8. How did Ricketts die?
9. For what book did he receive the Pulitzer Prize Fiction Award?
10. What is a novella?
11. How many times has Of Mice and Men been made into a movie?
12. Who was Steinbeck’s second wife?
13. How many times was Steinbeck married?
14. How many kids did he have? Girls or boys?
15. What factors, places, and events impacted Steinbeck’s writing most profoundly? (this question must be in answered in more than two sentences)
    

Medical Websites- Spring Research Paper

- Students: Please use the following links to start your research. These are all high-quality websites that have been reviewed for you. If you want to use a different website that you find on your own, please ask Mrs. Gaunce, Mr. Goldberg, or Ms. Collopy!

- Searching tips:

1. Keep searches short and concise.
2. Do not type in a long question or idea into any search bar; rather, type in one to three key-words that will help you find good information.
3. All websites are not high-quality. Look at who owns/maintains the website. Be careful of websites that have flashing advertisements and seeem unprofessional.

http://www.medicinenet.com/diseases_and_conditions/article.htm
- scroll down to “browse common topics”

http://www.medicineonline.com/
- Diseases & Conditions
* Allergy * Arthritis * Alzheimer's * Cancer * Cardiovascular Disorders * Cholesterol * Constipation * Diabetes * Eczema* AIDS / HIV
* More Topics...

http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Health/HealthA-Z.shtml
- diseases and health topics alphabetized

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/DiseasesIndex/DiseasesIndex
- very reliable site about diseases; easy links to pages

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/healthtopics.html
- organized by diseases, systems, etc.

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/common-topics/default.htm
- alphabetical list of diseases and conditions; information about drugs and treatment too

http://www.mic.ki.se/Diseases/index.html
- organized by body system/type of disease

http://www.cdc.gov/DiseasesConditions/
- government website on many diseases- general and specific

http://health.yahoo.com/conditions/
- clear topics here

http://www.clevelandclinic.org/heartcenter/pub/guide/disease/default.asp?firstCat=3&secondCat=246
- high quality information and research from the Cleveland Clinic about cardiovascular diseases

http://www.virtualmedicalcentre.com/animations.asp
- 3D animations of how certain diseases and conditions affect the body; may have to be viewed at home due to bandwidth issues, but extremely informative; page links back to a “symptom checker” page

http://www.merck.com/mmpe/index.html
- lists diseases/conditions by category;some drug information available

http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=bc4fbfe82e118010VgnVCM1000000e2015acRCRD
- information about cancers and rare diseases that affect children


http://edcp.org/
- Maryland Department of Health information about diseases, immunizations, etc.

http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH?t=9276
- comprehensive health website; sponsored by Aetna healthcare, but good variety of articles on specific parts of the disease

http://www.healthfinder.gov/scripts/Topics.asp?context=5&keyword=113&Branch=5
- alphabetical by diseases

http://www.medilexicon.com/drugsearch.php
- FDA approved search of drugs

http://www.cancer.gov/
- information about all different types of cancers

http://www.alz.org/index.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alzheimer's_disease
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/health/alzheim/alzheim.htm

- Alzheimer’s information

www.google.com
- in the google search bar, type in the name of the disease you are researching and the word information; for example- lou gehrig's information

http://www.geneticsandhealth.com/2005/07/29/genetics-and-public-health-information-to-trust/
- read about how to evaluate medical websites on the internet
- list of categories with blog entries on different diseases, drugs, and research


http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/alzheimers_disease/
- blog with articles about research and Alzheimer’s Disease from a chemist in the industry
- advanced research only
-

http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/cancer/
- - blog with articles about research on cancer from a chemist in the industry
- advanced research only
-

http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/cardiovascular_disease/
- blog with articles about research on cardiovascular disease and drug research from a chemist in the industry
- * advanced research only
-

http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/infectious_diseases/
- blog with articles about drugs for infectious diseases- viral and bacterial
- * advanced research only
-

http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/diabetes_and_obesity/
- blog with articles about drugs related to obesity and diabetes
- * advanced research only
-

http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/cat_index.php
- complete list of blog topics by this author in categories
- *advanced research only
-

March 18- Citing Internet Sources/Works Cited

Objective/Goal:
- By the end of the day today (Wednesday), you will create three source cards, three note cards (research cards), and a typed Works Cited.
- The typed Works Cited, source cards, and note cards are due at the end of the period today.

Use tab browsing to refer to the directions on my blog and the websites that you need to visit; keep as many tabs open as necessary.

Skim and scan this entire post before you start working today!

Look at the example of what the basic format of a note card and source card should look like (this is the worksheet from class).

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/migraine-headache/DS00120
o Create one source card. At the top, write- Source 1.
o The author is Mayo Clinic Staff.
o Create one note card.
o At the top, write- Note 1, Source 1.
o Migraines
- now write three bullets of research (phrases) about migraines

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/howprotectkids.htm
o Create one source card. At the top, write- Source 2.
o No author is given.
o Create one note card.
o At the top, write- Note 1, Source 2.
o Vaccines
- now write three bullets of research (phrases) about vaccines

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwh/index.html
o Create one source card. At the top, write- Source 3.
o No author is given.
o Create one note card.
o At the top, write- Note 1, Source 3.
o Safe Water
o now write three bullets of research (phrases) about vaccines


Works Cited

Visit these sites to see directions and examples.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/09/
- list of basic characteristics of citing a Web site correctly

http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citmla.htm
- scroll down to find a clear explanation/example of citing a website.

- You are going to type a short works cited using the three sources from class today.

• - The first field/information in a works cited entry is the author; however, these sources don’t have an author given.
• - Follow the basic rules on the hand-out that was given to you in class. You should also refer to the websites given in order to do this correctly.
  
• - Important characteristics:
• • Works Cited – those words must be centered at the top of the paper.
• • Alphabetized by entries (if no author is given, alphabetize by the name of the article).
• • Follow the examples exactly for punctuation (periods, commas, brackets).
• Use reverse indent. Ask for help if you are having trouble doing this on your computer.
• Do not number your entries in the works cited.
• Do not type your name on the works cited page.
  

Mac Lab Proficiency Checklist - March 17, 2009

Students:

Here is the passage that you should copy and paste according to the directions that I gave you in class:

After spring break, seventh grade language arts students will write a formal research paper. Students will start by researching a disease. This research will occur in science, language arts, and at home as homework. To keep track of their research, students will use source cards. Then, they will organize the information into note cards that correspond to these source cards. After the note cards and source cards are organized, students will outline, plan, and draft the research papers. At the end of two weeks, a final draft with a formal works cited will be due in language arts. At the same time, presentations in science will evaluate student knowledge. Overall, students will acquire the knowledge to be experts on the characteristics of one disease.


Link to Google Docs (through the school's website):
http://www.mssd14.org/middleschool/index.html

Monday, February 9- Lumosity!

Read this entire post before clicking on the link to the Lumosity website.

Follow the directions to register (SIGN UP) for the free sample. You may use your own personal e-mail address or your Google docs e-mail address- e.g., aecollopy@student.mssd14.org.

On the second screen after registration, fill in your sex and your age. This enables you to compare your results with other people like you. You can skip the other questions/personal information.

Start playing! Try to play at least 8 different memory games (try to vary which category you play as well) and compare your results to other people's. Feel free to challenge a classmate and play the games at the same time (on your own computer).

* You must also go get an independent reading book from the Media Center and get a stamp for your new reading log from Ms. Collopy or Mr. Goldberg.

Go to the following website by using this link:
www.lumosity.com

January 29- Intel Seeing Reasoning Project

https://ssl.intel.com/EducationUser/student/login.aspx?&LID=en

teacher name: Collopy
team i.d.- team## (given in class)
password- exactly the same as your i.d.

On the Intel website, click on the link (in blue) that says "Jan. 29- TCOCD" on the top of the page in the Seeing Reasoning Projects section.

Intel- Visual Ranking Activity

https://ssl.intel.com/EducationUser/student/login.aspx?&LID=en

- copy and paste that link into your address bar
- use tab browsing (file, new tab OR command+T) to keep this blog page open for the information

Teacher I.D.= Collopy
Team I.D.- you will receive this in class
Password- same as your team i.d. that you receive in class

• Click on The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle- Visual Ranking Project
• Order the 13 qualities of a leader by clicking and dragging the colored boxes up and down. Put the most important qualities at the top and rank the other qualities below that.
• When you are satisfied with the order of your qualities, hit the save icon to share your information with the rest of the 7th grade class.
• Wait for other results to be saved. Then, start using the compare results icon to compare your results to the class average and other teams.
• Follow the directions on your worksheet to process and analyze these results.
• One worksheet with both names and both students' handwriting must be turned in by the end of the class period.