The purpose of the Annotated
Bibliography is tri-fold:
1.) to keep a
detailed and accurate track of their sources
2.) to reinforce
and augment analytical/evaluative skills
3.) to prepare
students for research elsewhere in the university
Since we are encouraging
close research and analysis, the annotations we are looking for
in the Annotated Bibliography aspect of this Portfolio are more
detailed than students might experience elsewhere in the academy.
Thus, it is important to spend an ample amount of time on teaching
the aspects of annotating so that students have the tools they
need to complete the assignment.
Furthermore, the annotation
should develop three aspects about the source:
1.) summarize the main
points
2.) provide a shorthand
of how effective/reliable/credible the source is and those points
that will be most helpful to the researcher
3.) connect the source
to the researcher's issue/research question
There is a rich opportunity
to connect Portfolios 1 and 2 via the annotations students need
to do for the Annotated Bibliography. Students should draw on
their summary skills first and foremost but also on their analytical/evaluative
response skills. Following the summary of the text's main idea(s)/key
points, students should evaluate the effectiveness, credibility,
strength of evidence, uniqueness of perspective, etc. the source
brings to the conversation surrounding the issue. Lastly, since
students often hesitate to eliminate sources that are only tangential
to their research question, the third part of the annotation should
illustrate how the source answers or furthers the student's research
question (how well could this source play an effective role in
the argument for Portfolio 3?).
You should design an
activity or series of activities that teach, demonstrate, and
apply annotation skills.
You might have students
practice summarizing an article from the NYT or another
source that deals with their issue as we did in Portfolio 1.
Then you might discuss what changes they need to make to that
summary since it is part of an annotation (possibly reduce the
length; it's okay not to use full parenthetical documentation,
etc.) and what can stay the same (it is still effective to use
paraphrases and direct quotations).
You could then model
using your own research or a topic you have been following in
the NYT how to "respond" to the text in a shorthand
manner. Some questions you might answer include:
How reliable is this
source? Do the biases damage the source's accuracy?
How recent is the source?
Will it still bear on my issue in Portfolio 3?
What stands out to me
about this source to make is useful?
What does this source
make me want to know more about?
Finally, have students
practice explaining how a source relates to, answers or furthers
their research question. You might demonstrate this as well
and then have students do a WTL that sets them up for success
in this aspect of the annotation.
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