Primary Sources

Have you ever read a diary? If so, you have already consulted a primary source. This type of source is a valuable tool to get the researcher as close to the original thoughts or events as possible.

If you really want to make your research project stand out, it’s a good idea to take the necessary time to find a good primary source that reflects something relevant to your topic.

Most primary sources are unpublished materials, although they don’t have to be. A letter, memoir, or even some government records are all examples.

Several libraries have “special collections” or archives where they keep just such records. But sometimes, you don’t have to go that far. Primary sources can also show up in your grandmother’s attic!

Here’s an example of a primary source that would make your research project zing. Imagine that you’re doing a research paper on “Women in the Vietnam War.” Do you have a relative who served? If so, you may find a diary or letter in your family collections that reflect the feelings of women who went—or even those who stayed at home, worrying about a loved one.

That letter would make a great contribution to your paper! But you don’t have to worry if your family didn’t write things down. If you know someone who had a relevant experience, you can interview that person. The interview would be considered as a relevant source, sometimes called an oral history.

No matter what topic you choose, you’ll improve your paper with diverse sources. A first-hand account from your elders would likely enhance your paper and your grade!

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Brave New World

Title Author and Publication:

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley was published in 1932 by Harper & Brothers of New York.

Setting:

Brave New World is set primarily in London of 2540 AD, though a portion of the novel transpires in the New Mexico Savage Reservation. The world is now governed as one state. This futuristic setting is home to a very technologically advanced society in which people are engineered to be born as members of one of five different castes. The technology utilized in this society plays a very significant role in the novel.

Main Characters:

John the Savage, considered an outsider to the World State. Born on the reservation to a citizen who became lost there during a visit, John is the ultimate example of the alienated man. He can not fit into the life of the Indians on the reservation, nor can he assimilate into the dehumanizing society of the State.
Bernard Marx, an alpha male who does not quite measure up to the standards of his class. Bernard wants more than anything to belong and he strives to bury his feelings of inadequacy and difference.
Helmholtz Watson, also an alpha male who seems a misfit to society, but because of his superior ability. Helmholtz is a philosopher and deep thinker who would like to have more meaning in his life than the shallow world he occupies will allow.
Mustapha Mond, one of the World Controllers and a very powerful man who sold out his beliefs in science and advancement to save himself from exile. Linda, John’s mother, Linda desires more than anything a return to the life she once knew as a member of the World State.

Plot:

Brave New World begins as a futuristic story of a Utopian society. As the story unfolds and the true nature of this ‘ideal society’ is revealed, it looks less and less appealing.

The story really begins with Bernard Marx’s discovery of John the Savage and his mother, Linda, on the reservation. John’s celebrity and the scandalous nature of his birth are used by Marx to guarantee his safety and to give him the popularity he craves. The degree to which people have had their humanity stripped from them causes John great distress and he must eventually find a way to reconcile the world as it is with his own ideals.

Ultimately all the characters of the novel are forced to either assimilate or to accept exile from the World State. Each character must examine their value systems and their consciences in order to come to terms with the events of the story.

Symbols

Symbols are objects, people or ideas which represent an abstract concept. Consider the importance of the following symbols as you read the novel.

Soma, the drug used to supply happiness to the population
Fordism, the new religion of society
Shakespeare, the works of which are often quoted by John
The Class System, society is divided into 5 castes, the highest being the most intelligent and the lowest the least intelligent.

Questions to Ponder:

Consider these questions as you read the novel. The topics will help you form a thesis for your report.

Relating to the thematic idea of technology vs. humanity:

• Soma is said to provide happiness to the people. What is its larger purpose?
• In what ways does the state control the individual?
• Would you like to live in Huxley’s Brave New World? Why or why not?
• Why is consumerism so important to the state?

Examine the idea of Man’s need to belong.

• How do the different characters interpret the idea of belonging and to what lengths are they willing to go to achieve it?
• What role does religion play in the world Huxley draws?
• How has human sexuality changed and what is its fundamental purpose?

Beginning Sentences for Your Report:

If you have trouble getting started, you can consider the following suggestions to get you started.

”What is happiness?”
“A real Utopian society is only possible in theory.”
“Without individuality, society stagnates.”
“Freedom always has its price.”

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Response Paper

A response or reaction paper is a bit of a twist on a formal review of a book, artwork, or article, because response papers are written from the first person point of view, which simply means that you can and should use phrases? like “I thought” and “I believe” when reviewing.?

1. Read and Respond

Copyright Grace Fleming

In a response paper, you do assess the item you’ve been assigned to observe, but you add your personal reaction and impressions to the report.

The steps for completing a reaction or response paper are:

• Observe or read the piece for an initial understanding
• Re-read the piece and stop to reflect often
• Record your thoughts and impressions in notes
• Develop a thesis
• Write an outline
• Construct your essay

2. The First Paragraph

Copyright Grace Fleming

Once you have established an outline for your paper, you'll need to craft an essay using the basic elements of every strong essay, including a strong introductory sentence.

In the case of a reaction paper, the first senetence should contain the title of the object to which you are responding, and the name of the author.

The last sentence of your introductory papragraph should contain a thesis statement.

3. Stating Your Opinion

Copyright Grace Fleming

There's no need to feel shy about expressing your own opinion in a position paper, even though it may seem strange to write "I feel" or "I believe" in an essay. The instructor is actually looking for this.

In the sample here, the writer does a good job of analyzing and comparing the plays, but also manages to express personal reactions.

4. Sample Statements

A response paper could address any type of work, from a piece of art or a film to a book. When writing a response paper, you can include statements like the following:

• I felt that
• In my opinion
• The reader can conclude that
• The author seems to
• I did not like
• The images seemed to
• The author was [was not] successful in making me feel
• I was especially moved by
• I didn't get the connection between
• It was clear that the artist was trying to
• The sound track seemed too
• My favorite part was...because

You can think of a response paper as a review that is part analysis and part opinion.

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How to Study Spanish

Some Spanish words sound just like other words, and they're spelled pretty much the same, too. The only difference is that an accent distinguishes one from the other. The image above shows a list of these words. To memorize them, just print up a list of words without accents.

Then, write in your own accent marks in freehand, as you say the meaning out loud. This is a good combination of visual, auditory, and tactile learning.

More Spanish Homework Tips:

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Why Math Is Difficult

In 2005, Gallup conducted a poll that asked students to name the school subject that they considered to be the most difficult. Not surprisingly, mathematics came out on top of the difficulty chart. So what is it about math that makes it difficult? Have you ever wondered?

Dictionary.com defines the word difficult as “not easily or readily done; requiring much labor, skill, or planning to be performed successfully.”

This definition gets to the crux of the problem when it comes to math—specifically the statement that a difficult task is one that is not “readily” done. The thing that makes math difficult for many students is that it takes patience and persistence. For many students, math is not something that comes intuitively or automatically, with little effort. It is a subject that sometimes requires students to devote lots and lots of time and energy. This means, for many, the problem has little to do with brain power; it is mostly a matter of staying power.

And in this world of instant gratification, when we can quickly find answers to our deepest questions and solutions to our most vexing problems with a fast Google search, patience is a big problem.

Math and Brain Types

But there is also an element of brain power in the big picture, according to many scientists. There will always be opposing views on any topic, and the process of human learning is subject to debate, just like any other topic. But many theorists believe that some people are wired with better math skills than other students. According to some brain science scholars, logical, left-brain thinkers tend to have stronger math ability than artistic, intuitive, right-brainers. So left-brain dominant students may grasp concepts quickly while right-brain dominant students don’t.

But in a culture where students are already short on patients and persistence—extra time just isn’t going to happen. So we move on, ready or not.

Math as a Cumulative Discipline

Math know-how is cumulative, which means it works much like a stack of building blocks. You have to gain understanding in one area before you can effectively go on to “build upon” another area. Our first mathematical building blocks are established in primary school, when we learn rules for addition and multiplication, and those first concepts comprise our foundation.

The next building blocks come in middle school, when students first learn about formulas and operations. This information has to sink in and become “firm” before students can move on to enlarge this framework of knowledge.

The big problem starts to appear sometime between middle school and high school, because students very often move on to a new grade or new subject before they’re really ready. Students who earn a “C” in middle school have absorbed and understood about half of what they should, but they move on anyway. They move on or are moved on, because

1. they think a C is good enough;
2. parents don’t realize that moving on without a full understanding poses a big problem for high school and college;
3. teachers don’t have time and energy enough to ensure that every single student understands every single concept.

So students move to the next level with a really shaky foundation. And the outcome of any shaky foundation is that there will be a serious limitation when it comes to building—and real potential for complete failure at some point.

Making Math Less Difficult

We have established a few things when it comes to math and difficulty:

• Math seems difficult because it takes time and energy.
• Many people aren’t patient enough to give math time and energy, and they become satisfied “just getting by.”
• Many move on to study more complex concepts with a shaky foundation.
• We often end up with a weak structure that is doomed to collapse at some point.

Although this may sound like bad news, it is really good news. The fix is pretty easy—if we’re patient enough!

No matter where you are in your math studies, you can excel if you backtrack far enough to reinforce your foundation. You must fill in the holes with a deep understanding of the basic concepts you encountered in middle school math.

• If you’re in middle school right now, do not attempt to move on until you understand pre-algebra concepts fully. Get a tutor if necessary.
• If you’re in high school and struggling with math, download a middle school math syllabus or hire a tutor. Make sure you understand every single concept and activity that is covered in middle grades.
• If you’re in college, backtrack all the way to basic math and work forward. This won’t take as long as it sounds. You can work forward through years of math in a week or two.

No matter where you start and where you struggle, you must make sure you acknowledge any weak spots in your foundation and fill, fill, fill the holes with practice and understanding!

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Nominate Your School for a $50,000 Grant

Would you like to win a $50,000 grant for your school? The Clorox Company is hosting the Power A Bright Future program, which will enable students to do just that.

Students are invited to nominate a school and explain how it could use $50,000 for improvement. You have a few more weeks to nominate before voting begins in October.

This is a great opportunity for you and your school!

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5 Bad Study Habits

Have you ever wondered how you can bomb a test after studying for hours? A poor test result after many hours of faithful studying is a real confidence buster!

If this happens to you, it’s possible that your current study habits are failing you! But you can turn it around.

The process of learning is still a little mysterious, but studies do show that the most effective process for studying involves highly active behavior over a period of time. In other words, to study effectively, you must read, draw, compare, memorize, and test yourself over time.

The following study habits are least helpful when used alone.

1. Taking linear notes

Linear notes are lecture notes that students take when they attempt to write down every word of a lecture. Linear notes occur when a student tries to write every word a lecturer says in sequence, like writing a rambling essay with no paragraphs.

You may be wondering: How can it be bad to capture every word of a lecture?

It’s not bad to capture every word of a lecture, but it is bad to think you’re studying effectively if you don’t mess with your linear notes in some way. You must revisit your linear notes and make relationships from one section to another. You should draw arrows from one related word or concept to another, and make a lot of notes and examples in the margins.

Solution: To reinforce information and to make it sink in, you must also recreate all your class notes in another form. You have to revisit the information and put it all into a chart or shrinking?outline.

Right before every ?new lecture, you should review your notes from days past and predict the next day’s material. You should reflect and make relationships between key concepts before you sit down for? a new lecture.

You should prepare for your exams by creating a fill-in-the-blank test from your notes.?

2. Highlighting the book

Are you guilty of highlighter abuse? Reckless highlighting is the root cause for many bad test grades!

Bright colors on a page make a big visual impact, so it seems like a lot of good studying is going on when you read and highlight.

Highlighting does make important information stand out on a page, but that doesn’t do you? much good if you don’t do something active with that information. Reading highlighted words again and again is not active enough.

Solution: Use the information you highlight to create a practice exam. Put highlighted words onto flashcards and practice until you know every term and concept. Identify key concepts and use them to create practice essay questions.

You should also develop a color-coded highlighting strategy. Highlight new words in one color and new concepts in another, for example. You could also highlight separate topics according to a color code for more impact.

3. Rewriting notes

Students rewrite notes under the assumption that repetition is good for memorization. Repetition is valuable as a first step, but it’s not that effective all alone.

You should rewrite your notes in the shrinking outline method, but follow up with self-testing methods.

Solution: Switch class notes with a classmate and create a practice exam from his/her notes. Exchange practice exams to test each other. Repeat this process a few times until you are comfortable with the material.

4. Rereading the chapter

Students are often encouraged to re-read a chapter on the night before an exam to reinforce what they’ve learned. Rereading is a good tactic as a last step.

Just like the other study habits mentioned above, rereading is only one part of a puzzle.

Solution: Make sure to use active steps like charts, shrinking outlines, and practice tests and follow up with rereading your chapter.

5. Memorizing definitions

Students spend a lot of time using flashcards to memorize definitions. This is a good study method, as long as it’s a first step in the process of learning. As students progress through the grade levels, they are expected to progress in cognitive skills.

Once you've exited middle school, you can't expect to do well on an exam by memorizing the definitions to terms. You must learn to memorize a definition and then define the significance of the new vocabulary terms you encounter. If you're in high school or college, you should be prepared to explain how terms are relevant in the subject, compare them to similar concepts, and explain why they matter at all.

Here's a real life example:

1. In middle school you might learn to memorize the definition of propaganda.
2. In high school you might encounter this as a term, but you'll need to memorize the definition and learn to recognize propaganda materials from World War II and other times.
3. In college you should be able to define propaganda, come up with examples from the past and from today, and explain how propaganda has affected different societies at different times.

Solution: Once you have memorized the definitions of your terms, give yourself a short essay practice test. Make sure you are able to define a term and explain why it is significant. Be able to compare and contrast your term to something or someone of similar significance.

The act of testing and retesting yourself somehow makes the information stick.

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