The Common Core and
the Dreaded Research Paper
In an
effort to prepare students for the academic writing required to perform
successfully on the end-of year tests required in the new Common Core, teachers
are going to have to go beyond the traditional once a year research paper. What problems do teachers face preparing students? First, students often have depended on the
old copy and paste format, a collage of plagiarism, to prepare these reports
and strongly believe this is an acceptable technique. Secondly, the internet provides a plethora of
ready-to use essays that are available to all students for a nominal fee. Third, parents are more than willing to write
their child’s essay, but have not been trained in the use of parenthetical
footnotes required in M.L.A. citations and still use end-notes. (Should we just retrain parents?)
As a
Language Arts teacher, I have received an assortment of plagiarized or even
fabricated essays over the years? One
was just three pages printed from Encarta with the copyright still printed at
the bottom. Most have been a collage of
stolen quotes and data simply pasted together without footnotes or any form of
analysis. When I have confronted these
children, they seemed surprised because their other teachers have always
accepted these creations. (Seriously, I doubt
that.) When I offered them an opportunity of “re-do” the assignment at a
reduced rate of credit, their parents were often angry. Some even removed their child from my
class. The most humorous paper I ever
received was a research paper on an historical figure who had behaved
honorably. The student had selected
George Washington as his topic. He wrote
about Washington’s valor in the Revolutionary War, The French Indian War, the
Civil War, World War I and World War II.
(I suppose I should have been happy that he didn’t include The Korean
War, the Viet Nam War and the Gulf War.)
When I confronted this student about his lack of footnotes, lack of
accurate information and his outrageous fabrications, he replied that he didn’t
know teachers actually read their essays. (I think he was testing me to see if I read
student papers.)
How do
we teach students to select appropriate and accurate information, synthesize it
into a paper as supporting evidence with proper parenthetical citations
required by the M.L. A. documentation method that supports their analysis of a
problem or a situation? To do this well, the teachers needs to spend a lot of
time and break the process down into small steps. By developing assignments that are unique
with specific guidelines, the student is not as likely to find an on-line essay
to purchase. Teachers need to
communicate to parent that performance on the test is the real goal, not
performance on a particular assignment.
Without completing the practice assignments, it is unlikely that the
student will gain the skills he needs to do well on the state writing test.
(Since the state test does not count on the student’s grade or determine his
advancement to the next grade level, convincing the parents of its importance
may be difficult.)
Another
problem the teachers faces is that student needs to be in attendance every day
because each skill the student learns builds on the next skill and they are all
needed to write this type of essay. Not
only are students excused by parents due to chronic illnesses, but the parents
often take students out of school to go on cruises or visit and ill relative in
another state. When you combine those
absences with the band is playing a concert in New York, the school play needs
five dress rehearsals, the choir will be out for a week singing at every mall
in Utah, the basketball team is in the state finals, and countless other
assemblies, dances, and activities, it becomes increasing difficult to give
each student enough practice to master every skill required to write a research
paper.
Some methods that I have discovered work well
is to begin the first day of school preparing students for this test. Begin your first quarter with argumentative
writing. Get a copy of the book, Teaching
Argument Writing by George Hillock, Jr. It has great exercises and writing
activities and provides a structure to combine facts with analysis, a skill
that most students struggle with. Second,
write a research paper together as a class showing how evaluate reliable
sources and cite them correctly using M. L. A. documentation. After they have successfully created a paper
as a group, have them write their own paper. During the third quarter give them
bi-weekly writing assignments requiring them to read two of three articles,
synthesize the appropriate information into a five or six paragraph essay that includes
parenthetical footnotes and a works cited page.
Most schools give the writing section of state test at the end of third
quarter. Invite as many other
departments to give similar assignments.
Even though it is time-consuming, fewer students plagiarize essays; even
fewer parents compose their student’s essays.
Because their quarter practices are in-class writings, all students get
some practice for the test.
To be
successful on these state tests, language arts teachers need the support of
administrators, parents and actual time in the classroom to develop their
students’ skills. Treating plagiarism
seriously would be a great help, communicating with parents that being
successful on a single writing assignment is not the most important goal. Helping students develop the skills they need
to pass the state tests and perform well in their future academic career is the
most important goal. Remember helping
students become critical thinker, better communicators, and an effective writer
is the entire school’s responsibility.