Weston High School
Weston, CT
English Department
SOPHOMORE
RESEARCH
PROJECT
GUIDE
2014-2015
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LEARNING EXPECTATIONS
Completion of the Sophomore Research Project is a GRADUATION REQUIREMENT. This benchmark
project is designed to allow you to demonstrate foundational competence in research, synthesis of research,
and its application to a creative piece of writing. The information in this guide will direct you through the
process.
You will select a research topic that is of interest to you from a list provided by your teacher. Making use of the
print and online resources available to you in our school library (and in your public library), you will thoroughly
research this topic, taking careful notes on your topic, and then prepare these notes (along with an annotated
bibliography) for collection/assessment by your teacher. Then, you will produce a work of short fiction in
which you will incorporate aspects of your research.
The following questions will help you as you research:
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What are your initial questions about your topic?
How might you go about finding more information on your topic?
What aspects of your topic might lend themselves to inclusion in a piece of creative writing?
How might the inclusion of your research details lend authenticity to your story?
We believe that successful students:
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Communicate in a meaningful way for a variety of purposes and audiences;
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Demonstrate a sensitivity to the precision and nuances of written, visual, and aural medium through
comprehension, interpretation, and evaluation;
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Employ critical and creative thinking skills to solve problems;
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Pose questions, examine possibilities, apply skills and collaborate to find solutions to authentic issues.
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REQUIREMENTS
There are two parts to this project:
(1) Prepared Notes and Annotated Bibliography. You should have at least three pages of
typed, double-space notes on your topic. These notes should include citations of all
researched information, and a record of all areas of the topic that have been researched
(even if there are details that do not appear in your short story). The annotated
bibliography (you will receive a model from your teacher, which you should follow
closely) should include all sources you have used along with a brief summary of that
source’s information.
(2) The Short Story. You will then produce a short story (four pages minimum, twelve
pages maximum, typed and double-spaced) in which you incorporate elements of your
researched topic. The details of your topic need not be central to the plot of your story,
but should have a significant influence on its events/characters. Your teacher will
provide you with examples of published short stories that incorporate “real world”
research.
Please note:
 The combined grade you earn on the project (which will include the prepared notes, annotated
bibliography, and the short story) will represent a substantial part of your grade for the relevant
marking period, since much of this marking period will be devoted to its completion.
 You will receive a second grade on your report card and final transcript that reflects your work on
the SRP. If you receive the minimum required score (73) or above, this grade will be a P (Pass). If
you receive a grade lower than this minimum score, your grade will be an F (Failure). If you earn
an F on the project, you will be required to revise the relevant part of the project under the
supervision of the Curriculum Instructional Leader or designee until your combined score is a 73 or
higher. Passing this project is a graduation requirement.
 If you are required to revise any part of your paper your initial combined grade will still be the
one averaged into the marking period grade. Your separate SRP grade, however, will be changed
to a P on your transcript.
All papers should follow standard format of 1” margins, 12 point, Times New Roman font, doublespaced.
The standard Weston High School Late Policy applies.
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(1) PREPARED NOTES AND ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
PROCESS
1.____Read over the list of topics provided and select a few that look interesting to you. Get some more
information about it from the internet, your friends, family, staff members, and/or your teacher. Read up on a
few of these topics, and, with the help of your teacher, select one that interests you for this project.
Deadline for topic selection: ______________
2.____Collect references or source titles on your topic. Find at least four sources that you will use to research
your topic. As you work, be sure to record the citations for your Annotated Bibliography.
Deadline for names of sources: __________
3.____Read and re-read these sources. Provide hard copies of all sources—photocopies of print sources and
print-outs of online sources. Highlight or underline those passages you use (you will turn these in with your
notes). Annotate your photocopies and take notes (which you will type up for submission).
4.____ Type up your notes on your four sources (you should have at least three pages) for submission to your
teacher. These notes need not be in paragraph form, but can be written as an outline, a bulleted list, etc. They
should be comprehensible to a reader other than yourself. Please also indicate (by means of quotation marks)
when you have taken the exact words an author has used, and when you have paraphrased an author’s text.
Please note: your teacher will expect a significant degree of paraphrasing in your notes. Putting an author’s
text into your own words will help you synthesize the information you collect at this early stage. Be sure all
sources are properly cited in MLA format.
Deadline for submission of notes: ____________
5. _____ Prepare an annotated bibliography (at least three pages in length). For each source, you should
include three brief paragraphs: 1) a summary of the research, 2) an evaluation of the text, 3) a reflection on its
applicability to your research. This bibliography should be carefully proofread and citations should be in proper
MLA format. Please submit this bibliography to turnitin.com.
Deadline for annotated bibliography: _____________
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ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST for PREPARED NOTES AND ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Standard
NOTES
Notes are the product of thorough, extensive research on the student’s topic.
Checklist
Both quoted material and paraphrasing are in evidence in the typed notes.
Notes have been organized in a coherent format.
Student has included MLA citations in his/her notes.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Summaries of sources are comprehensive and well-written.
Evaluations of sources are thoughtful, critical, and precise.
The student has carefully considered how the research might be applied to the
second part of the project.
Formatting of bibliography specifically follows MLA guidelines.
The bibliography has been carefully proofread for standards of written English.
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(2) SHORT STORY
PROCESS
1.____ Create an idea for the narrative of your short story along with a brief description of the characters it will
feature; you should also include a description of the way your research will contribute to the story itself. Make
sure your story features some sort of conflict and resolution, along with rising action, climax, and falling action.
When you have settled on these details, complete a short story outline sheet, which you will find in this packet.
Submit short story outline for teacher approval/feedback by: __________
2. ____ Produce a first draft of your short story for use in a peer critique during class time.
Deadline for first draft: ________________
3. ____ Complete a final draft of your short story (minimum four pages) and submit it to your teacher.
Deadline for final draft (submit to turnitin.com): __________
ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST for SHORT STORY
Please note: Because this is a creative piece, you are expected to use your imagination in a variety of ways.
You should keep in mind, however, that the following aspects of fiction-writing will be considered in evaluating
your paper.
Standard
There is evidence of originality in your story.
Checklist
The story has a recognizable, compelling, and well-developed conflict.
The story has an identifiable rising action.
The story has an identifiable climax.
The story has an identifiable falling action.
Characters are well-developed and/or psychologically complex.
The writing includes creative examples of “author’s craft” (metaphors,
personification, etc.).
The relationships between characters are believable and complex.
Research has been purposefully and smoothly integrated throughout the story and
enriches the overall narrative and/or character development.
The imagery in the story is fully imagined and described with precision (it may
include elements from your researched topic).
The story has been proofread for mechanics, including grammar, usage, spellings,
and punctuation. Please note: Because this is a creative piece, at the discretion
of your teacher, you may choose to take purposeful creative liberties with the
language.
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SHORT STORY OUTLINE SHEET Student: _______________________
Possible Title (with an explanation of that title):
Setting (Time, Place):
Point of View (1st person or 3rd person), with some explanation of why you made this choice:
Main Character(s) - names, ages (child, teenager, adult), and identifying characteristics:
Brief Synopsis:
How does the story open?
Main Conflict(s):
Rising Action:
Climax:
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Falling Action:
Main Character’s Growth: As a result of his/her experience with the conflict, what insight or
awareness does this character gain?
Theme: What complex idea about people in general or the way the world is are you trying to get
across using the experience of the main character(s)?
Research: How do you plan to incorporate your research into your story? Be specific.
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Annotated Bibliography
You will write an annotated bibliography for your four sources for your research paper.
A bibliography is a list of sources used in your paper. These sources will be written in proper MLA
format.
An annotation is a summary and evaluation.
An annotated bibliography is a list of sources used in your paper, with a summary and evaluation of
each source listed below the citation.
Requirement: Prepare an annotated bibliography (at least three pages in length, double spaced,
Times New Roman, size 12). For each source, you should include three brief paragraphs (3-4
sentences each):
Paragraph 1: a summary of the research
 What topics are covered?
 What is the main argument/point of this source?
Paragraph 2: an evaluation of the text
 Is the information reliable? Biased?
 How does it compare to other sources you found/used?
Paragraph 3: a reflection on its applicability to your research
 Was this source helpful to you?
 How could you use this source in your short story?
Please submit this annotated bibliography to Turnitin.com.
Example (borrowed from The OWL at Purdue):
Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. New York: Anchor Books, 1995.
Lamott's book offers honest advice on the nature of a writing life, complete with its insecurities and
failures. Taking a humorous approach to the realities of being a writer, the chapters in Lamott's book
are wry and anecdotal and offer advice on everything from plot development to jealousy, from
perfectionism to struggling with one's own internal critic. In the process, Lamott includes writing
exercises designed to be both productive and fun.
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Lamott offers sane advice for those struggling with the anxieties of writing, but her main project seems
to be offering the reader a reality check regarding writing, publishing, and struggling with one's own
imperfect humanity in the process. Rather than a practical handbook to producing and/or publishing,
this text is indispensable because of its honest perspective, its down-to-earth humor, and its
encouraging approach.
This source helped me to understand the triumphs and struggles in a writer’s career. Since I plan to
make the main character of my story a writer, Lamott’s first hand experience will greatly influence the
actions and personality of my protagonist. The writing exercises provided gave me the opportunity to
see what a writer’s process is like, and I plan to incorporate that process into my story.
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