Checking for Fake News - Due March 3

Fake news is a problem in our world and it is something that you will need to be aware of when writing your research report.  This week I want you to find a story, a statistic or an example that you are suspicious about and do a little research to see if it is real or fake news.

Things to consider:

• Evaluate the quality of a website (urls, authors, layout, etc).  Does this website seem to have an ulterior motive?  Are the other stories on site credible?
• Identify the author and/or website publisher.  Are they credible?  How do you know?
• Cross-check the information against other sources and/or fact checking sources such as Factcheck.org, Snopes or the  Washington Post Fact Checker.  This article provides links to a few other fact checking and/or bias checking websites which you might find helpful.
• Analyze what you read on one source against what you are learning other places in your research.  Identify any differences and check them out.  Are they due to bias or facts that are wrong.
• Dig deeper.  Do more research to identify what is included in statistics, etc.

As usual, the blog will need to be 300-500 words and supported by at least two sources that are cited both within the text and at the bottom of the blog.

Two Sides of an Issue - Due February 24

One of the most important aspects of research is to

understand different sides of an issue.

For this blog, you will be reading two essays or articles about your topic and evaluating the author's ideas.  Both of the articles/essays should be from reliable sources and should be long enough to fully develop an idea.

This blog post will need to be 300-400 words. Be sure to cite your two articles within the text as well as in a Works Cited section at the bottom of your blog (include the URL in your citation). 

Ideas for this blog include:

• research one conflict related to your topic and choose a pro and a con article (http://www.procon.org is a resource)
• choose one recent article and another from a few years ago and compare how the two authors discuss the issue as it relates to their time/place
• compare how two authors from different countries/cultures discuss an issue
• compare how a liberal and a conservative publication cover an event

In the introduction paragraph include a thesis statement that clearly states your evaluation of the essays/articles.  Depending on your issue and the articles selected, this can include an evaluation of which author did a better job discussing the topic, a reflection on how cultures differ on your issue or an analysis of how two different political publications cover an issue.  I expect you to take a stand and then fully support it in your analysis of the two articles.

Statistic - Due February 17 at midnight

Understanding your issue is one of the first steps to writing any type of research paper.

For this post, you will need to find and interpret data and/or statistics. Do some research on your topic and find a chart or statistic that refers to your question. In the blog, interpret the data and explain the connection to your topic. What lessons can we take away from the statistics? What questions do the statistics generate?

Remember that each post must include: 

• Two properly cited sources (Cite within the text and also in the Works Cited section at the bottom of your blog. Include the url.)
• 300-500 words
• An image (In this blog that will probably be a chart.)

You are being graded on:

• The depth of your research (the reader should learn from your blog)
• Level of professionalism (grammar and spelling, word choice, etc.)

Introduction to your topic - Due 2/10 by midnight

The purpose of your blog is to educate yourself and also other students about a topic. This is important: your audience is the other students in class. You need to carefully select information and present it in interesting ways that will help other students understand and make decisions about their world-- don't waste their time! Also, the information on this blog can be used for your research report, so be sure to take the time to really research and learn about your issue because it will save you time when you are writing the report.

So, what should you write in your first blog? An introduction. Not about you, but about your topic-- tell us: the background information you know about this topic, the current state of affairs for your topic and any future projections about your topic.


Your thesis question should include the BIG question you hope to explore and maybe answer during your research this semester. Remember that a BIG question does not have an easy yes or no or factual answer. A BIG questions makes you think and really have to dig in to figure it out.

The blog should be 300-500 words in length and include at least two reputable sources that are cited both within your blog and also in a Works Cited section at the bottom of your blog. It should also contain at least one graphic.