PLAN OF INVESTIGATION
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PAPERBACK
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PAPERBACK
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A. ORGANIZATION OF GROUPS
The first step in the S.B.A process is to either place students in groups, or allow the students to choose the groups that they join. The creation of a table, at this point, becomes helpful because it organizes the teacher, and, by extension, the groups. The table should, after the formation of the groups, contain (www.bulbsoup.com) important information, such as: the the theme/ event of the group, individual students' names, the individual topic of each student, e-mail address of each student, and the contact number for a parent.
The first step in the S.B.A process is to either place students in groups, or allow the students to choose the groups that they join. The creation of a table, at this point, becomes helpful because it organizes the teacher, and, by extension, the groups. The table should, after the formation of the groups, contain (www.bulbsoup.com) important information, such as: the the theme/ event of the group, individual students' names, the individual topic of each student, e-mail address of each student, and the contact number for a parent.
B. THE THEME/ TOPIC/ ISSUE OR EVENT
THEME - 1. A subject of discourse, discussion, meditation, or discussion, topic.
2. A unifying or dominant idea, motif, etc.
TOPIC - 1. A subject of conversation or discussion.
2. The subject or theme of discourse.
ISSUE - 1. A point in question or a matter in dispute
2. A point, matter, or dispute, the (www.bulbsoup.com) decision of which is of special or public importance
EVENT - 1. Something that happens, or is regarded as happening; an occurrence, especially one of some importance.
2. Something that occurs in a certain place, during a particular interval of time.
Each group must decide on a theme that will form the lynchpin for the S.B.A. Examples of themes, topics or issues are:
While examples of events are:
After the groups have formulated their themes, the individual students, within the group, need to formulate their individual topics. For example, if the group's chosen theme is The Impact of Dancehall Music, then possible topics for this theme could be:
Please note that the process of formalizing a theme, topic, or event for the various groups might take approximately 2-3 weeks. Good luck!
THEME - 1. A subject of discourse, discussion, meditation, or discussion, topic.
2. A unifying or dominant idea, motif, etc.
TOPIC - 1. A subject of conversation or discussion.
2. The subject or theme of discourse.
ISSUE - 1. A point in question or a matter in dispute
2. A point, matter, or dispute, the (www.bulbsoup.com) decision of which is of special or public importance
EVENT - 1. Something that happens, or is regarded as happening; an occurrence, especially one of some importance.
2. Something that occurs in a certain place, during a particular interval of time.
Each group must decide on a theme that will form the lynchpin for the S.B.A. Examples of themes, topics or issues are:
- Discrimination
- Crime and violence
- Drug abuse
- Sports
- The Impact of Dancehall Music
While examples of events are:
- Graduation
- Carnival
- Olympics
After the groups have formulated their themes, the individual students, within the group, need to formulate their individual topics. For example, if the group's chosen theme is The Impact of Dancehall Music, then possible topics for this theme could be:
- The impact of the music of female dancehall artistes on the self-esteem of teenage girls
- The influence of dancehall music on Soca music
- The impact that dancehall music has on a community
- The influence of current affairs on dancehall lyrics
Please note that the process of formalizing a theme, topic, or event for the various groups might take approximately 2-3 weeks. Good luck!
C. RESEARCH METHOD
Before the Plan of Investigation is explored, it is necessary to discuss research methods. This is the means by which the students will acquire the data for their particular topics, which will feed into the general group theme. The student should research, and use secondary sources.
Secondary Research
This is any type of research in which information from an existing research, that others have gathered through primary research methods, is used. Secondary research (www.bulbsoup.com) material can be obtained in books, magazines, biographies, and newspapers, and is probably the easiest, of the two, to conduct. These materials can be accessed from the internet, or directly from a tangible source.
Texts, literary and non-literary, that can be used as secondary resource material are (CSEC Syllabus p.55):
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/559/
http://designresearchtechniques.com/casestudies/secondary-research/
file:///C:/Users/Documents/SYLLABUS/CSEC%20English%20Syllabus.pdf
Before the Plan of Investigation is explored, it is necessary to discuss research methods. This is the means by which the students will acquire the data for their particular topics, which will feed into the general group theme. The student should research, and use secondary sources.
Secondary Research
This is any type of research in which information from an existing research, that others have gathered through primary research methods, is used. Secondary research (www.bulbsoup.com) material can be obtained in books, magazines, biographies, and newspapers, and is probably the easiest, of the two, to conduct. These materials can be accessed from the internet, or directly from a tangible source.
Texts, literary and non-literary, that can be used as secondary resource material are (CSEC Syllabus p.55):
- Biographies
- Histories
- Novels
- Poems
- Plays
- Reports
- Short Stories
- Speeches (public)
- Advertisement
- Brochures
- Cartoon strips
- Diaries
- Magazines
- Newspaper Articles
- Pamphlets
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/559/
http://designresearchtechniques.com/casestudies/secondary-research/
file:///C:/Users/Documents/SYLLABUS/CSEC%20English%20Syllabus.pdf
D. FIRST DRAFT
A possible first step to writing the plan of investigation/ introduction is to allow the student to fill out a form that specifies the exact information that is needed for this portion of the S.B.A. The advantage of doing this is that you, the teacher, will get an idea of the student's thought process in a manageable format, that is easy to correct.
After each student's Plan of Investigation form has been corrected and returned, the student can use their form to produce the introductory paragraph. It should NOT exceed 100 words.
Based on the scoring rubric for the Plan of Investigation, here are a few tips that can help to ensure that the students receive the maximum scores:
1. Reason for choosing the topic and selection title
The requirement for the maximum score is that the student must clearly state the title of the topic and give an insightful and original reason for embarking on their research topic. Therefore, the student cannot simply state that they are interested in the topic. This response is neither original nor insightful. The online (www.bulbsoup.com) dictionary defines insightful as 'having and showing an accurate or deep understanding' while the original is 'created personally, not a copy'. Therefore, if the topic of the research is 'The impact that dancehall music, played loudly, has on a community', the student needs to state some personal interest in it, possibly based on an experience that they have had, not simply state that they are interested in the topic. This will satisfy the criteria for 'original' and 'insightful'.
2. Expected benefits to you as a student of English
The students' answers, at this point, must be specific. He or she must relate this answer to an English Language or Literature skill that will be accessed, or sharpened, during the process of the research. Here are some possible options, based on the CSEC syllabus' aims.
This research will help me, as a student, to:
3. Proposal for collection and use of material
The proposal for the collection of material looks specifically at HOW the student intends to collect the data/ artifact. Since this is a secondary research, the student should not seek to create any original material, but to find material that already exists. The scoring rubric specifies that the type, or nature, of the material (data/ artifact) to be collected must be stated, as well as the sources for these materials (data/ artifact), for example, the internet. Therefore, when approaching the question of HOW the student plans to carry out the research, some possible responses could be:
According to the scoring rubric, how the material (data/ artifact) will be used must be explicitly stated. So the student must indicate how the data will be used in the research. The different sections of the research are the reflection, the written report, the oral report and the oral presentation. Therefore, the student should indicate, generally, how the material (data/ artifact) will be used in these sections. Possible ways to achieve this are:
*The Plan of Investigation is literally a plan that outlines HOW the student plans to proceed with the S.B.A. It is not a conclusion, so it should not be done at the end of the process of writing the S.B.A., but at the beginning. Whether or not the intended process, outlined in this Plan of Investigation, was achieved will be analyzed in the processes and procedures section of the written report. It is important that after each draft of the Plan of Investigation is returned, a log of dates is kept. The dates should be verified by both the teacher and the students. It is also advisable that the teacher collects both a soft copy and a printed copy of the final draft of the Plan of Investigation.
A possible first step to writing the plan of investigation/ introduction is to allow the student to fill out a form that specifies the exact information that is needed for this portion of the S.B.A. The advantage of doing this is that you, the teacher, will get an idea of the student's thought process in a manageable format, that is easy to correct.
After each student's Plan of Investigation form has been corrected and returned, the student can use their form to produce the introductory paragraph. It should NOT exceed 100 words.
Based on the scoring rubric for the Plan of Investigation, here are a few tips that can help to ensure that the students receive the maximum scores:
1. Reason for choosing the topic and selection title
The requirement for the maximum score is that the student must clearly state the title of the topic and give an insightful and original reason for embarking on their research topic. Therefore, the student cannot simply state that they are interested in the topic. This response is neither original nor insightful. The online (www.bulbsoup.com) dictionary defines insightful as 'having and showing an accurate or deep understanding' while the original is 'created personally, not a copy'. Therefore, if the topic of the research is 'The impact that dancehall music, played loudly, has on a community', the student needs to state some personal interest in it, possibly based on an experience that they have had, not simply state that they are interested in the topic. This will satisfy the criteria for 'original' and 'insightful'.
2. Expected benefits to you as a student of English
The students' answers, at this point, must be specific. He or she must relate this answer to an English Language or Literature skill that will be accessed, or sharpened, during the process of the research. Here are some possible options, based on the CSEC syllabus' aims.
This research will help me, as a student, to:
- develop/ enhance the ability to use Standard English.
- develop/ enhance the ability to edit and self-assess.
- develop the ability to inform me about social issues and to contribute reasoned opinions on said issues.
- facilitate an understanding and appreciation for the place and value of varieties of English and the dialects and Creoles of the Caribbean and other regions.
- develop/ enhance writing skills.
- develop the ability to use various forms of information, while acknowledging the contribution of such sources to one's development
- develop the capacity to assess the reliability of sources, especially those found on the internet.
3. Proposal for collection and use of material
The proposal for the collection of material looks specifically at HOW the student intends to collect the data/ artifact. Since this is a secondary research, the student should not seek to create any original material, but to find material that already exists. The scoring rubric specifies that the type, or nature, of the material (data/ artifact) to be collected must be stated, as well as the sources for these materials (data/ artifact), for example, the internet. Therefore, when approaching the question of HOW the student plans to carry out the research, some possible responses could be:
- search the internet for articles
- read anthologies in order to select excerpts from short stories
- read the newspaper in order to procure articles
- search the internet for appropriate comic strips
- search the internet, via YouTube, in order to source music videos
According to the scoring rubric, how the material (data/ artifact) will be used must be explicitly stated. So the student must indicate how the data will be used in the research. The different sections of the research are the reflection, the written report, the oral report and the oral presentation. Therefore, the student should indicate, generally, how the material (data/ artifact) will be used in these sections. Possible ways to achieve this are:
- inform the analysis for the reflection
- inform the processes, procedures, and outcomes for the written report
- inform the content for the written report
- form the analysis for the written report
- provide the summary of sources for the oral report
- inform, generally, the oral presentation
- provide the stimulus for the oral presentation
*The Plan of Investigation is literally a plan that outlines HOW the student plans to proceed with the S.B.A. It is not a conclusion, so it should not be done at the end of the process of writing the S.B.A., but at the beginning. Whether or not the intended process, outlined in this Plan of Investigation, was achieved will be analyzed in the processes and procedures section of the written report. It is important that after each draft of the Plan of Investigation is returned, a log of dates is kept. The dates should be verified by both the teacher and the students. It is also advisable that the teacher collects both a soft copy and a printed copy of the final draft of the Plan of Investigation.
