PART 1: Story Idea 5%
Due Week 6 Feb 19 FRIDAY 6PM
My topic is: Does participating in sports make kids better students?
My audience would be: Parents of students and National Education
I think this article could be featured in a national paper. Since sports unite a whole nation, when there an event going on no-one looks at who is poor and who is rich. Everybody is the same, which is how it is a privileged element for the equality of opportunities and for the training of young people as citizens.
I want to write about this topic because: I like sports and it is very important for everyone. I believe that sport plays a fundamental role in the development of young children and also gives a sense of purpose to the learning of social life. It contributes fully to the health and preservation of the physical well-being of students. Children who are involved in sports in general use a lot of energy and are most likely in good physical shape; these children tend to do better in school. Compared to children that do nothing at all.
I think if people will read my article and they would learn all about sport, they also will know the benefit of sport.
I plan to find my research to support my purpose (books, websites).
I think this topic is important, and is very beneficial for all of the nation even the government will like it.
Transfer Assignment – (25%)
Terms of Submission: By submitting my work to this online assignment portal, as a student of Seneca College, I have upheld the Academic Integrity Policy and acknowledge that the work submitted is my own and without any additional assistance that would compromise my learning
OVERVIEW
This assignment has three parts: a story idea proposal, an annotated bibliography and a final copy of your article that has been revised and edited. You will be researching a topic of your choice, and transferring your knowledge from various sources, into an article/essay of your own. Here you will decide: who is your audience? (teenagers) What type of publication you’re writing for? (entertainment) Story Idea: (Drake’s influence made Toronto a part of Global Popular Culture).
This is just a fun example
Write a persuasive email/letter to your editor (me) highlighting a story idea that you wish to research and write about. This story idea can be from any genre of journalism, but please remember to keep it realistic and attainable. Genres include but are not limited to; sports, politics, social issues, entertainment, hard news stories, features..etc The outline for part 1 is available in your ASSIGNMENT folder on Blackboard.
**** DO NOT send me an email –emailed assignments will NOT be marked. Please use the appropriate portal
PART 2 and 3
PART 2 Sources (10%)
In order to support your story idea with good research, prepare a more thorough proposal which includes your “actual” research, quotes, facts etc that you will use in your final draft article/essay. Here you MUST include a minimum of
3
sources that relates to your story idea
3) Final Article/essay (10%)
Using feedback from your professor, revise your article.
Incorporate relevant research
from at least three credible sources to support your proposal. Your article should be about 2 pages long (double-spaced). Your research must include sources from PART 2
On the next pages you will find detailed instructions.
PART 1: Story Idea 5%
1.1 IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCE, PROBLEM, SOLUTION AND POTENTIAL RESEARCH AREAS
Your story article idea must be a real life issue/problem that you would like to further your knowledge and research the potential “story” aspect. What is your story idea? Why do you feel it is relevant in today’s societal context? Where do you plan to find your research/sources?
What do you hope to uncover with your research? What is your purpose? What type of article do you think will transpire? Ie/ Editorial, hard news, feature, profile, investigative, “how to guide?”
1.2 DECIDE ON THE APPROPRIATE STYLE / STRATEGIES
Based on your purpose, audience and message, decide what style and tone will be most effective in appealing to your reader. How will you establish a relationship or common ground with the reader? How will you support your argument? How will you establish your credibility?
1.3 Find your focus…start thinking about the options below IF THEY WORK WITHIN YOUR IDEA (THIS SHOULD lead you to focus on part 2 and 3)
First paragraph: Begin with your purpose: tell your reader why you are writing. Consider whether you need to introduce yourself to the reader and how to frame your message. The following sections might be helpful for the rest of your message:
• Background. What situation led to this story idea? What is your personal connection to this topic? (Possible research area!)
• Problem. How will you present the problem to your reader? Will it help to situate the problem in a larger social, economic or political context? THIS IS IF YOU’RE CONSIDERING A GLOBAL PROBLEM-DON’T BE VAGUE-BE SPECIFIC
• Proposed solution. What are you asking for? Propose a specific, realistic solution. (Possible research area!) Or maybe you’re just raising awareness or exposing a problem which you feel warrants attention.
• Benefits. Who will benefit from reading your article? How will the reader benefit from reading about this topic? Is there a change that could occur?
PART 2: Annotated Research/Sources 10%
What research might be helpful in giving your story credibility?
Your research list is an alphabetical list of your research sources (“bibliography”). After each source, you write an “annotation” – that is, a brief summary and evaluation of the source. For this assignment, you require at least five credible sources.
What is it for? The annotated bibliography provides important information about your research:
- Currency (when was your research published?)
- Credibility (how reliable is the source?)
- Relevance (how will you use the information in your assignment?)
How to write one?
- Begin with a full citation (author, title of article, title of source, date of publication, etc.)
- Write a summary of the main arguments of the article (1-2 sentences).
- Include a short critique or evaluation (currency and credibility) (1-2 sentences)
- Explain how you will use this source in your letter (1-2 sentences).
These sources MUST be credible and relevant to your story idea which has been approved by your Professor!
PART 2: Submit 3 relevant sources in an annotated bibliography 10%
Below is a sample. Note that it begins with the citation of the source. After the citation, the first two sentences summarize the article. The next three sentences evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the article. The last sentence explains how it will be used in the writing assignment.
1. Warner, J. (2016, June 16). Why Can't My Students Write [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/just-visiting/why-cant-my-new-employees-write.
In a blog written for other post-secondary educators, John Warner argues against that college students are not being trained to write for real-world rhetorical situations. Instead, they are taught formulas that help them score high on standardized tests and other assessments in the classroom. The article is recent (2016) and Warner is a credible source (a writing instructor, novelist and editor) who has been writing about higher education since 2010. A major weakness is that Warner does not reference any studies to support his views; another is that he does not provide concrete examples to illustrate his proposed solution. I will use Warner’s article in the “problem” section of my letter when I explain why the five-paragraph essay is harmful to student writers.
PART 3: Final Article 10%
You had a great story idea, then you found awesome research to support your idea…now it’s time to write your article!
Please note, you may have more than 3 difference sources for your final article/essay, but it is not required.
Write your article/essay to incorporate at least two of your 3 research sources Use APA to integrate and cite all your research. This means you will have in-text citations in the letter as well as a work cited page. (Please note, this is different than your annotated bibliography).
How to format your assignment/essay?
Consider how to format your article so that it is easy to grasp. Your reader is probably busy. Remember the technique of layering: using headings, and starting paragraphs with the main idea. Set up your message as if it were an actual newspaper, online or magazine article, but because this is also an assignment, please double-space the message.
Write with the PAIBOC model in your mind so that your readers are clear as to what your article/essay is about!
Below are some things to consider, however, the format will be different for each student as topics will differ. For example, if you’re writing about a serious topic such as mental health, you are probably writing in a more professional/academic style. If you’re writing about the influence of Drake on Canadian Popular culture, this may have a more relaxed informal approach.
Some helpful tips:
Essentially this is an essay, however, depending on your topic…it can range from humorous, to professional, to academic, to serous…etc Think about the weekly readings we’ve covered, and their message and their tone…purpose/genre/audience/tone etc.
Start with your Introduction (thesis)
Background
Research
(Always use transitional sentences and use research to back up your point).
Topic sentences
Body paragraphs
Concluding paragraphs
***** Think about the various weekly readings from the semester….all of these were at ONE POINT story ideas….which turned into articles J
You MUST use in text citation APA style for Part 3 as well as include a works cited page at the end of your assignment.