WRA 130 Andrew Colannino

Developing a Reasearch Strategy

1. Find enough information to fully explore a topic 

2. Find varied sources

- Are they primary or secondary sources?

- Are they objective or subjective?

-Are they stable or unstable?

Material Found

1. Publication date

2. Academic journal vs. Magazine

3. Often-cited authors

4. Reading critically

-Don't believe everything you read

Focused Knowlege

1. Be an expert on your topic

2. Look for patterns

Thesis

1. Write your thesis when you have enough information on your topic

Databases

1. Books

2. Articles

Types of Search Engines

1. Interviews and Surveys

-Check your source

- Scan the phonebook for people who specialize on your topic

- Be polite during interview 

- Make a list of open-ended questions

Using What You Have

1. Use solid concrete examples

2. Use examples from what you see and hear

1. Introduction

2. How did lacrosse start?

a. Native Americans

b. St. Lawrence Valley

c. The game was considered major event; lasted many days

d. Goals could be 500 yards to miles apart

e. 100 to 100,000 players at once

f. wooden balls then deerskin

g. games played to toughen young men for war and for recreation and religious

h. 1856 Montreal Lacrosse club was created

i. 1860 became Canada’s national game

j. http://filacrosse.com/origin/

3. How has the game changed?

a. There are 10 players on the field for each team

b. The field is 110 yards long and 60 yards wide

c. The ball is rubber and about the size of a tennis ball

d. The goal is 6 feet tall, 6 feet wide and 7 feet deep

e. organized sport played around the world

f. helmets, shoulder pads, elbow pads, gloves, mouth guards, cups all required

4. How popular is lacrosse in America?

a. east coast; many dominating colleges and high school programs

b. as you move west it becomes less popular

c. Professional level is very limited; rarely televised, player not payed much

d. College level is more popular

e. http://www.ncaa.com/history/lacrosse-men/d1

5. How popular is lacrosse around the world?

a. was dropped from the olympics in 1908

b. still is a world championship

6. How to make lacrosse more popular?

a. play games in big exciting stadiums

b. create more programs for children

This article tries to inform the reader on the best way to teach writing in the English language. It states how a person's culture affects the way he or she writes. By seeing the cultural differences, this article explains the best way to teach, in the world and in the classroom, based on cultural diversity. 

The article starts off explaining how a person's culture can affect the way they write and the way they interpret things they read. The article then explains reader responsibility, where it is up to the reader to understand the concepts being presented by the author. Then there is writer responsibility, where it is the authors responsibility to make sure the reader can understand the concepts presented. The article finally concludes by taking all the information presented and proposes strategies on the best way to efficiently and successfully teach the English language.

I enjoyed this article. It was very informative and brings up many issues that I have never thought of before. The article was set up nicely and easy to follow, although rather long. 

1. How was lacrosse started?

2. When was the first game played?

3. Who played in the first game?

4. How has the game changed over time?

5. How popular is lacrosse around America?

6. How popular is lacrosse around the World?

7. How can lacrosse become more popular?

The main Idea of this article is to emphasize the importance of reading. He says that reading is more important than most people think, that it has a deeper meaning than what the public thinks. 

The author starts off by telling a story of how he learned to read. He goes into deep detail of how a single word has a meaning behind it and how when you read a word you can imagine and interpret it in a unique way. He also talks about how we subconsciously read things like a billboard, for example. He then states how we read in a non-texual context and how important it is that we do this.

This article was very interesting and I believe it has the right idea. It is obviously very important to read but there is a deeper meaning to what we read and how we interpret things than what most people think. The author explains this well and gives many credible examples that made me think about things that I have never thought about in that context. 

The main idea of this article is to inform the reader of the history of basketball, mens and women's, and to give insight on some of the problems basketball has faced since its creation. 

The project starts off by stating how the game was created, just in a basic gym with a soccer ball and two peach baskets. It then goes on to inform the reader of how college basketball got started and how the NCAA was formed. Women also started playing basketball soon after men. Some of the problems that are mentioned were that people who played basketball in college got poor grades. Many young athletes were getting bad injuries. Also, women's basketball was not getting nearly as much support as mens. Finally, many players have lost sight that the game is a team sport and would rather have individual success than team success.

This project was very interesting and well done. I gained a lot of information about the history of basketball. I also agree with the problems Alyssa stated. Not all, but many basketball players have a low GPA. There are a lot of life-changing injuries on the court. Women's basketball does not get as much attention as it should. And most players do only care about individual success and money.

The main idea of this article is to inform the reader of how food in around the world and mainly America has changed in the past one hundred years.

The Article starts off by stating that every country has its own style of food and it plays a big role in that country’s culture. America started off farming and that all our food was obviously organic and fresh. Home-cooked meals were very popular and sitting at the dinner table was a norm. However, in the mid 1900’s the industrialization of fast food started to grow tremendously. McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s, and many other fast food chains took over the food market. As well as processed food that was cheaper but not as healthy. Home-cooked meals and family dinners started to become less valued. Now, most families go out to eat at least once a week. This change also lead to obesity becoming a problem in America, which makes sense because fast food is cheap and convenient but very unhealthy. This has not gone unnoticed though, recently there have been many programs and ads influencing the public to eat healthy and exercise.

I can relate to this article a lot, as my family does go out to eat around two times a week. However, my parents buy many organic and freshly made produce to try and stay healthy. I believe as long as you limit your intake of fast food you can still enjoy every once and awhile and still maintain good health.

This article's main idea is that most people do not realize it, but many Americans think and perceive things things differently compared to the rest of the world. 

Many specific examples are given in this article to prove this point. The fact that the English language has different words for green and blue, whereas people who speak Turkese have only one word and one meaning for green and blue, araw. From these examples and a case study that this article shows, the author concludes that action and getting things done is more the style of American thinking. Operational procedures are what Americans focus on rather than perceptions of the situation. 

I agree with this article. I have never really thought about this particular subject though. It makes sense, however, because the American culture is very different than some other cultures around the world so obviously our thinking will be somewhat different.  

The main idea of this reading to inform the reader on rhetorical criticism and how to properly use it.The article states that the first step is to formulate a research question and select an artifact. This part of the article helps guide the reader through this step. It gives the reader strategies, such as asking yourself specific questions that will help find the rhetorical artifact being sought after. This section also gives many other helpful strategies that the reader may come across as a critic. According to this article the next step is to select a unit of analysis. This part of the article assists the reader to select a unit of analysis that will be used to answer his or her research question. It gives strong examples to make sure the reader understands. Analyzing the artifact chosen is the third step. This article gives a general idea of what this step entails and supports the reader through this part. The final step of this rhetorical criticism is writing the critical essay. This article gives a detailed outline on how the reader can approach this crucial part of being a critic.This article was fairly interesting and seems to be very helpful to anyone struggling with the rhetorical criticism idea.

The main idea of Obama's speech is the American dream and how John Carrey can help keep it alive and make the country as a whole stronger.

Obama starts by sharing his family's past and how his father followed the American dream through perseverance and hard work. His father started off very poor in Africa and eventually got a scholarship to come study in America, where he met Obama's mother. Obama emphasizes throughout his speech that America is one country, neither conservative nor liberal, and that John Carrey will preserve that belief and keep this country the greatest country in the world. He dismisses the conservatives beliefs that John Carrey and democrats in general will not wage war if necessary. Also, he assures the public that their tax money will go to good use and not be wasted. However, he addresses the issues of hard working people that cannot get proper education because of lack of money and that this should not happen in America.

My comment on this speech is that it is obviously a great speech that gets all of America excited for the future. Obama's speeches are one of the main reasons he is currently president. He does not always follow through with his brilliant ideas that he says in his speeches but overall I think he is a good president.