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Template/Exemplar for synthesis question/packet:

Each group needs to create their own synthesis packet and share it with all group members and both teachers. You can use the sample synthesis packets above as models to imitate. Use the email addresses in the tabe "Groups and Email Addresses" at the right side of this page to invite your group members.

This week, you will be selecting your research topics and finding excellent articles related to your topic.

1. Be ready to share your top three choices of topics in class. 2. If you want to work with specific peers from your school, select the same top choices and let your teacher know. 3. Once you have been assigned a research group based on your topic, you will use the wiki to post two excellent sources about your topic.

Directions for posting articles on your group's page:

Post a link to two article/videos/sources you've found that provide interesting, relevant, detailed, and significant evidence about your group's topic. Write a 5-6 sentence paragraph below your link summarizing the key points of the article and also assessing the source's legitimacy. Use the example below as a model

When assessing a source's legitimacy, you want to consider if it is current enough for your topic, if the writer has experiences/education that qualifies him/her as an expert , if the perspective presented is balanced or biased , AND if the article provides relevant/important information.

Example of what you will post for each of the two sources you will contribute to your group:

__NPR story arguing why space exploration is still important--Sybenga__
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National Public Radio interviewed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson about his new book titled: //Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier.// Tyson argues that the idea of space exploration can motivate the best and brightest of future generations to pursue careers in science and math, which will lead to innovations in all fields within science and technology. Because space captures the imagination of the general public, a renewed investment in our space program will cultivate a renewed commitment to the disciplines of science and math. Tyson claims that NASA is severely underfunded, citing the fact that right now, one year of military funding is equal to fifty years of NASA's budget. He also argues that studying problems on other planets (global warming on Venus and the depletion of water on Mars) will help humans to develop creative solutions to similar problems on planet Earth. He also insists that it is imperative to understand the cosmos because Earth is intimately enmeshed in the universe. To illustrate, he notes the relatively small probability of an asteroid crashing into the earth in the next twenty years. Tyson is an expert in the field who recently published a book on the topic, although he takes a strong perspective in favor of the merits of space exploration, without exploring its risks.

= Please compose your summary and critical review offline, and then cut and paste the text into the wiki, as only one person can "EDIT" the page at once. =

Wootton-Chavez Partnership
Although Wootton and Chavez are located less than twenty-five miles apart, in the natural course of things, students from the schools would have very little opportunity to cross paths. Through a “classroom-to-classroom partnership," students and teacher from Chavez and Wootton will be able to share instructional resources, collaborate on activities and projects, and become authentic audiences for each other’s work.

This semester, we will be doing a collaborative research project, where small groups of students from Chavez and Wootton will be grouped together, will select a topic that is interesting and relevant to them, and will research and discuss the topic together. Each student will write a persuasive essay on the topic their group has chosen, and you will be able to give and get feedback from your group mates. At the end of the process, you will create a multi-media presentation together that reflects the best thinking of each member of the group.

Your teachers are interested in exploring how to build community beyond the walls of your classroom and the boundaries of your neighborhoods. We’re interested in helping you share your experience and wisdom with each other. We’re curious how the new social media that your generation loves so much can be used educationally to build bridges between communities.

We will use this wiki as a space to conduct online discussions and to share resources with each other. Wootton students will also get the opportunity to travel to Chavez High School on Capitol Hill, where students will work on their research together. Scroll down for an explanation of Wikispaces and tutorials on how to use this online space.

About Wikis
For those of you who think you've never used a Wiki before, think again. If you've ever looked up anything on Wikipedia (and don't try to tell me you haven't), you've used a wiki. A wiki is essentially a shared online space where people can collaborate to create knowledge. A wiki is an easy to use website that all of us can work on together. For a quick primer on wikis called "Wikis in Plain English" produced by //Common Craft,// please see:

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Wikis can be used for all sorts of purposes in education (collaborative research, giving and receiving feedback, creating shared documents), we will use our wiki for three main purposes:

1. Sharing resources about writing 2. Completing homework exercises 3. Sharing completed work in online portfolio.

Although wikis lend themselves lend themselves to peer review, we will use the more secure environment of Google Docs for this purpose.

This particular wiki is a semi-private space. Only people that have been invited to our classroom community can post content or make edits. However, anyone with a wikispaces account can view the content posted on this site, if they are so inclined. Other students and teachers may be browsing the net, happen across ours, and poke around for a while. Since all work posted here becomes part of the public domain, you will not be required to post your creative work here.

= ‍Guidelines for Using Our Wiki: = 1. Never post personal information (last name, age, geographical identifiers, etc) 2. In the portfolio session of the site, only edit your own page. 3. When viewing others' completed works in the Portfolio section, use the comment feature to provide helpful, honest, respectful, and kind feedback. 4. When contributing to the Resources page, publish accurate, clear, high quality work that will benefit your peers.

Remember that your instructor is the administrator of this site; he can monitor all contributions and edits. Disrespectful or inappropriate content will be deleted and violators rights to access site will be revoked.

= ‍Wiki Resources =

I have posted some links to background information about wikis and education, and also how to navigate Wikispaces, the site that we will be using:

http://rachelboyd.wikispaces.com/wiki+workshop

Since this is a work in progress, I look forward to exploring the capabilities and limits of this collaborative venture with you. Let's take risks together, be kind to each other, and spur each other onto greatness. If you would like to experiment with the look and feel of the site, feel free to improve it.

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