Cultural Expressions

Step 1 Questioning and Planning  Step 2 Gathering, Sorting and Sifting   Step 3 Synthesis and Evaluation   Step 4 Gathering, Sorting and Sifting   Step 5 Final Synthesis and Evaluation  Step 6 Preparing the Final Product  Step 7 I-Search Reflection "A few weeks ago the cashier at the grocery store, seeing my dark hair and dark eyes, counted my change back to me in Spanish. Three days later the waitress at the pizza place made the same mistake. Happens all the time since I moved to Miami. As though without buckskin, braids and beads I don't exist." Deloras (Dee) Lane, "Invisible Indian". Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle, 2nd edition.  What is the role of heritage and culture in shaping a person's perspective? Writers are shaped by their own culture and experiences. Representing a different culture in a believable, realistic way requires the writer to conduct research for facts and deeper understanding.  The Task You will be visiting an elementary school to help celebrate their Multicultural Day. You will share a children's story you have written portraying the values of a chosen culture. Before you begin writing your actual story, you will need to research the culture upon which your story will be based and present that information to your classmates. This presentation should enhance your classmates' understanding of that culture and help you to internalize the information in order to incorporate it in your children's story. The Product You will need to create a children's story. In preparation for writing that story, you will present information about your culture to your classmates in a video or other format of your choice. To help you choose a format for your story and a format for your presentation, click here to see a list of possible products.   Your story must demonstrate your understanding of the unique qualities of the culture and your ability to plan, organize, and present a project that interests your classmates. Before you begin your research, think about the kinds of information you need to collect, how you will organize the information and how you will effectively present your project. The Assessment You will be graded on your daily work on the research process as well as on your final product and presentation. Daily (Formative) Research Process- Summative (Student/Self)  Research Process - Summative (Teacher) Items Used in the Research Process  (notes, outline, drafts,works cited, etc.) Final Product  I-Search Reflection
Step One: Questioning and Planning As you look at the task above, list as many questions as you can that will help you to understand and investigate the unique qualities of a particular culture. THINK ABOUT... customs traditions values and/or laws Option: Use this Getting Started worksheet to begin your research process.   Now that you have crafted your questions, you need to develop a plan for locating your information. You must use multiple resources in a variety of formats to ensure complete and reliable answers to your questions. You will have several days to complete your research; however, you will need to budget your time wisely to make sure that the task will be completed on time. Use this calendar to help keep track of research time and due dates.   You are now ready to begin gathering your information! As you decide to use a particular resource, be sure to write down the bibliographic information for each resource. Use this planning sheet or your own source notecards.   As you use your various sources, be sure to take effective,detailed notes. Paraphrase the main ideas to avoid plagarism. You can choose from a variety of tools to record your notes.		Questions to jump start your research: Your research should include information on the customs, traditions, values, and laws of the culture. What are the traditions of the culture? What impact does tradition have on an individual? How do the choices and conflicts a person faces affect his personal perspective? How does the role an individual chooses to play affect his place in society? What factors enable people to change and evolve? How do artists affect the culture? Survey the world of resources   Monitor your progress Keep a working list of the resources that you use.     Choose one of the following note-taking methods: Use a Culture web to record your notes. Design your own graphic organizer for taking notes. (Use this link for ideas and samples). Use note cards for recording your information. (This website will give you tips and examples.)

Step 1 Questioning and Planning

Step 2 Gathering, Sorting and Sifting

Step 3 Synthesis and Evaluation

Step 4 Gathering, Sorting and Sifting

Step 5 Final Synthesis and Evaluation

Step 6 Preparing the Final Product

Step 7 I-Search Reflection

Step Two: Gathering, Sorting, and Sifting

In this step you will be using a variety of library resources to find answers to your questions. Tip:If you did not formulate questions in Step 1, go back and do it now. A topic is not a question. Gather answers from variety of sources. Encyclopedias (print and CD-ROM) Books Magazines Internet websites Electronic databases, such as Electric Library Remember to cite your references. Check the MLA guidelines and examples for citing resources, however, your school may use a different format. Sort your research findings by using note cards or a graphic organizer. Sift through the resources, eliminating those that do not answer your questions.

Print Resources Consider using the following: Automated Card Catalog (LibraryPro) Culturgrams Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures Nonprint Resources Regions of the World World Destinations The Virtual Tourist: Culture in World Search the Internet with AltaVista Search Engine, using a two word search containg the country or region and culture, i.e. India culture France culture French culture Interview Planning and conducting an interview Interviewing via the Internet

Step 1 Questioning and Planning

Step 2 Gathering, Sorting and Sifting

Step 3 Synthesis and Evaluation

Step 4 Gathering, Sorting and Sifting

Step 5 Final Synthesis and Evaluation

Step 6 Preparing the Final Product

Step 7 I-Search Reflection

Step Three: Synthesis and Evaluation

Check point! It is time to assess your progress.You will need to organize and evaluate your research findings.Work individually or with your group to figure out how much you have learned thus far. Have you taken sufficient notes to answer all of your questions in detail? Can you throw away material which is not useful, is repetitive, or does not answer your questions? Do you need to rearrange the information in different categories? Can you condense or combine the information? Do you need to develop new questions to adequately cover your topic? You are looking for insight. What have you learned so far? What pieces are missing? Where do you lack detail? What more do you need to gather? You are trying to develop meaning out of fragments. Synthesis requires rearranging pieces of information until a new version emerges that will lead to your product.

Remember the compelling question guiding your research:  What shapes a person's perspective? Have you gathered sufficient details about the culture of a region to develop a story? Are your details organized in the right categories or sub-topics to make sense for your audience? Which facts are the most compelling and would have the greatest impact on an audience? Evaluate your work thus far Use one of these tools to help you identify additional research needs: Notetaking inventory form Working outline form

Step 1 Questioning and Planning

Step 2 Gathering, Sorting and Sifting

Step 3 Synthesis and Evaluation

Step 4 Gathering, Sorting and Sifting

Step 5 Final Synthesis and Evaluation

Step 6 Preparing the Final Product

Step 7 I-Search Reflection

Step 4: Gathering/Sorting/Sifting 2

Now that you have synthesized your information and evaluated your progress, you are ready to locate additional information to answer your questions and further develop your topic. Try using a variety of search tools for the Internet. Each search tool will produce a different set of results.  Search Tools on the Internet You also might want to try using search tools on the Internet to locate additional websites. A variety of search tools are available and each will produce a different set of results. Keep in mind that when using search tools, you need to critically read and evaluate what you find. Since any person can publish information about your topic on the Internet, reliability can be questionable.

Print Resources Consider using the following: Automated Card Catalog (LibraryPro) Culturgrams Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures Nonprint Resources Regions of the World World Destinations The Virtual Tourist: Culture in World Search the Internet with AltaVista Search Engine, using a two word search containg the country or region and culture, i.e. India culture France culture French culture Interview Planning and conducting an interview Interviewing via the Internet

Step 1 Questioning and Planning

Step 2 Gathering, Sorting and Sifting

Step 3 Synthesis and Evaluation

Step 4 Gathering, Sorting and Sifting

Step 5 Final Synthesis and Evaluation

Step 6 Preparing the Final Product

Step 7 I-Search Reflection

Step 5: Final Synthesis and Evaluation

Synthesis is the act of pulling your research and ideas together to form a new whole. Recall your original essential question.  What shapes a person's perspective? Do you have a fairly complete understanding of the important facts regarding your culture? Have you answered all of your questions? Do you have enough supporting ideas and details for each of your questions? Do you have sufficient facts and details to inform an audience about your culture? Have you decided on a method of presentation that will best represent your information for your audience?

Use a note cards or Culture Synthesis Chart graphic organizer to help you synthesize your research and prepare for your report. Before you begin, recall the items you were asked to consider in planning your report; visuals, unique qualities of the culture, and values of the culture. What information will you include to enhance your classmates' understanding of your chosen culture? How will you organize your information? What plan of action will you follow in crafting your report and creating your children's story?  Begin crafting and refining the report on your culture you will share with your classmates before you write your children's story.

Step 1 Questioning and Planning

Step 2 Gathering, Sorting and Sifting

Step 3 Synthesis and Evaluation

Step 4 Gathering, Sorting and Sifting

Step 5 Final Synthesis and Evaluation

Step 6 Preparing the Final Product

Step 7 I-Search Reflection

Step 6: Preparing the Final Product

Are you ready to prepare your product? Recall your compelling question or thesis statement. Review all of your materials to prepare for your final product. It should reflect your efforts during the past steps in the research process. Questioning and Planning Gathering, Sorting, and Sifting Synthesis and Evaluation Gather all of your materials, decide what are the most important points to support your statement in order to create an effective presentation.  Outline or rearrange your note cards or use a graphic organizer to organize your information. Create your rough draft of your report and a story board for your children's story. Create your Works Cited Draft. Submit your work to a student for Peer Response. Write your final report and children's story. Create your Final Works Cited page. Are you ready to present your report and children's story?

Check out the Guide to Writing a Basic Essay. Learn how to write your Outline, Thesis statement, Introduction, Body Conclusion Check the MLA guidelines and examples for citing resources, however, your school may use a different format.

Step 1 Questioning and Planning

Step 2 Gathering, Sorting and Sifting

Step 3 Synthesis and Evaluation

Step 4 Gathering, Sorting and Sifting

Step 5 Final Synthesis and Evaluation

Step 6 Preparing the Final Product

Step 7 I-Search Reflection

 Step 7: I-Search Reflection

Take time to think about the research process you just completed. Follow these guidelines to help you to prepare your I-Search reflection.

Story of my I-Search process... What changes did you make to your original plan? What worked and what didn't work? What did you learn about yourself as a researcher?