How Do You Eat an Elephant?

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time, of course! When considering how to complete each of your assignments, think of them in terms of progression.

As noted, projects two and three work together. At the risk of being repetitive, however, I want t revisit this one last time.  So, I have included a helpful timeline to help make clear that

1. these assignments rely on one another as they are actually steps in completing a single research project, and

2. you will be doing them simultaneously, with due dates staggered.

In plainest terms: Each project is actually just phases of a larger research project. The research you do for project 2 is the same research you will use for your essay in project 3. Project 2 is the gathering information phase of a research project, while Project 3 is the reporting/communicating phase of a research project.

Projects Timeline

Below is the timeline for your assignments. As you look at these dates, read how they fit together as part of a larger research agenda:

Week 3: Unit 2|Archives Introduction

  • Prepares you to do archival work
  • Offers a practice experience that shares research load
    • Archival Investigation Report
  • Introduces you to the archive you will be working in
    • groups assigned specific archives
  • Moves towards project 3
    • Final project 1-page proposal introduced
    • Annotated Bib of research for project 3 introduced

Week 4: Unit 3|The Research Paper

  • Focuses on developing your research and writing the paper
    • Annotated Bib further discussed
    • Archival Investigation Report due
  • Introduces and discusses Project 3  
  • DUE DATES
    • JULY 2 – ARCHIVAL INVESTIGATION REPORT
    • JULY 3 – RHETORICAL PRECIS

Week 5: Unit 3|The Research Paper

  • Moves from research to writing
    • Project proposal due
    • Annotated Bib due
  • Discusses how to transfer research into writing
    • Identifies methods of outlining and building those outlines out into larger sections
    • Discussion of the hallmarks of academic structures
    • Discussion of in-text citations and ways to identify sources
  • DUE DATES
    • JULY 7 Final Project Proposal
    • JULY 10 Annotated Bib

Week 6: Unit 3|The Research Paper

  • Moves papers toward conclusion
    • Discussion of conclusion section purposes and best practices
  • Discussion of stylebooks and source pages
    • What stylebooks do
    • Why MLA vs. APA, Chicago, etc.
    • Purpose of source pages
    • MLA FAQ for creating a Works Cited
  • Prepares students for peer review
  • Introduces the digital delivery element
    • Website building workshop
    • Structure for site pages
    • Discussion of thinking about delivery
  • DUE DATES
    • JULY 17 Website Building Workshop

Week 7: Wrap Up

  • Offers a peer review for “fresh eyes”
  • Website building to conclude so it is ready to receive content
  • Minimal activity to allow students to finish work
  • DUE DATES
    • JULY 21 Complete first draft submitted for Peer Review (word doc not website)
    • JULY 22 PEER REVIEW
    • JULY 23 Website check

Week 8: “Finals Week” 

  • No final – paper submission is final
  • No extensions – submit your work early, do not wait until the last minute
  • DUE DATES
    • JULY 31 Final paper, completed in website, due to iCollege. Submit URL

Building Out the Work Agenda

You must do the research to write the paper and, working a little each day will help you to keep a handle on the pace of the work. But, another way to organize your time is by building a work agenda.

To build a work agenda, simply begin with your due dates. Write due dates on a sheet of paper, with space between each to add other dates in. These due dates then become deadlines for completing a certain amount of work. Counting back from your nearest due date, begin to think about how to get each task done to make it to your first deadline. 

If you deadline feels more than doable (“I’ve got plenty of time to do that-that’s easy”), then give yourself an earlier deadline on your agenda. So, the Annotated Bib is due on July 10th, but it is July 2 and you have almost all of your citations completed. Give yourself a goal-deadline of July 8th and turn the work in early. This way, you have built in a buffer in case something goes wrong, and keeps you ahead of schedule if everything goes right. 

Build out your entire work agenda from now to the end of the month, considering your due dates and your personal rate of completion (how fast you work). In doing this, you make yourself accountable and do the work in a way that is best for you.

Example

JULY 7 – Final Project Proposal

  • Decide on archival artifact and topic for paper July 2
  • Write intro paragraph on the collection and the artifact July 3
  • Write paragraph detailing the purpose/interest in research July 5
  • Research and select a few preliminary resources to help narrow down questions/thesis July 5
  • Write paragraph detailing two valid research questions that are specific and focused  and concluding sentences that include a thesis and some ideas about sources. July 6
  • Turn in proposal July 6

JULY 10 – Annotated Bibliography with precis’

  • Write citations for all Bib sources – July 7
  • Review guidelines for Bib and writing non-text precis and annotations. Write two annotations – July 8
  • Write last three annotations – July 9
  • Edit, spellcheck, and confirm MLA format for Annotated Bib. Submit early – July 10

Your turn – build out these dates below on your agenda

JULY 17 – Website Building Workshop

JULY 20 – Complet first draft due

JULY 21 – Peer Review

JULY 23 – Website Check

JULY 31 – Final Essay