English 12B

Unit 1: Jumpstart Unit: Critical Encounters with Texts

Mastery Assignment: Research Source Page
Due: Friday, 4/1/16 11:59 PM E-Mail or Google Drive [andypet@umich.edu austinj@a2schools.org]
Assignment Introduction
During the first unit of the trimester, you have learned and practiced numerous methods designed to aid you in reading,
thinking about, and responding to non-fiction texts about social class. Later in the trimester, you will have the opportunity to
use these strategies to assist you in crafting your own Documented Argument around a topic of your choice. For now, though, it
is time for you to demonstrate the skills youve learned by creating a Source Page: a concise, written document in which you will
apply each of the skills and methods weve practiced to a single text about social class of your choice.
This assignment serves multiple purposes:

It allows you to continue practicing the approaches youve learned, particularly through the process of revisiting your text
and revising your Source Page over the course of several days.
It gives you a chance to critically engage with a single text in a sustained and focused manner, which will allow you to
deepen your understanding of a particular aspect of social class while also helping you to determine which of the methods
youve learned work best for you as a reader and writer.
It serves as a showcase of the skills youve mastered during the first unit of the course; your product will be something that
you can be proud of as well as something that you can return to later in the course to assist you in crafting your
Documented Argument.

Before beginning to develop the nuts and bolts of your Source Page, you will need to find an acceptable article from an
appropriate database and have it approved by Mr. Peters or Mr. Austin. For our purposes, appropriate databases include
Academic OneFile, General Reference Center Gold, and New York Times, all of which can be found at www.mel.org/databases.
The Tasks
The required components of the Source Page are as follows, with point values indicated in brackets:

Full MLA citation [5] for your chosen article. The Purdue OWL website is a great resource to use for help with
creating and formatting your citation. The database you use may provide you with a citation, but it is important that
you check it to confirm its accuracy. You must also provide the stable URL for your article provided by the database.

Notice and Focus [10] on your chosen article.

Analytical Summary [10] of your article (150-250 words). Remember to begin with a discussion of the what before
focusing the majority of your summary on the how and why through the lens of one or two specific details,
elements, or passages from the text. See the Analytical Summary template for more information.

Paraphrase 3x [10] (with written commentary) for five (5) important lines from your chosen article.

You must also include a fully annotated copy [10] of your chosen text to accompany your Source Page. You may turn
in a hard copy of your annotated article, or you may scan your annotated article and submit it electronically. If you
choose to scan your article, it is up to you to ensure that your annotations are legible.
Note: If you plan to submit a hard copy, it must be turned in by 2:40 on Friday, 4/1 in order to ensure that I receive it.
o Remember: For our purposes, fully annotated will mean something different for each individual, since we
each have our own preferences when it comes to reading and writing. What matters is that your annotations
do the following:

Give your audience an idea of your thought process as you actively and critically engaged with the
text. This might involve any combination of the annotation skills we have discussed (see Lecture
Slides from 3/15 for a reminder), along with any other strategies that work for you.

Provide evidence of your process for completing the Notice and Focus, Analytical Summary, and
Paraphrase 3x components of the Source Page. This might include, for instance, clearly identifying
the details you choose for Notice and Focus or the lines you choose for Paraphrase 3x (along with the
specific words and phrases you focus on in your commentaries).

Demonstrate that you have read and considered feedback you have received on your annotation skills
from Mr. Peters.

Reflexive Component [5]: In a brief (150-250 word) response, comment on the process of creating your Source Page.
What did you find rewarding, challenging, or surprising about this experience? Which method did you find most useful
in critically engaging with your chosen text, and why? How has practicing and mastering these skills helped you to
become a more active and engaged reader?

English 12B Spring 2016 Mr. Peters and Mr. Austin Website: tinyurl.com/english12b

Formatting the Source Page

On the Course Website (Mastery Assignments Research Source Page Assignment Template), there is a link to a Google
Doc called Source Page Template. When you click on it, you will be prompted to make a copy of this document; from there you
can begin to craft your Source Page within it. If you prefer, you may also download the document as a Word file and go from
there. This should make formatting the Source Page a very easy task.
Deadlines and Check-In Dates
You will have a substantial amount of time in class to find, read, and annotate your article and to craft your Source Page by
applying the strategies you have learned, but make no mistake: this task involves a significant amount of reading, writing,
thinking, and revision (which will itself involve re-reading, re-writing, and re-thinking). You will need to use your time wisely.
In order to help you accomplish this, there are required milestones you will be expected to reach by the end of each work day for
process credit:

Monday, 3/28/16: Have your article approved by Mr. Peters or Mr. Austin before the end of class.
Tuesday, 3/29/16: Annotate your article fully and completely and complete the Notice and Focus method on your article;
show your work to Mr. Peters or Mr. Austin before the end of class.
Wednesday, 3/30/16: Draft your Analytical Summary and your Paraphrase 3x of five (5) key lines; show your work to Mr.
Peters or Mr. Austin before the end of class.

On Thursday, 3/31/16, you will have the opportunity to work on revision with tutors from the Writing Center, and you will
finalize and submit your work on Friday, 4/1/16.
Extra Credit
Per the Extra Credit Policy explained in the Course Syllabus, you can earn an additional two (2) mastery points for visiting the
Writing Center with work from this course. You can (and should) attend Writing Center as often as you wish, but the amount of
extra credit is capped at six (6) points per trimester. Although we will have an in-class revision day with tutors from the
Writing Center, you are more than welcome to visit the Writing Center for additional assistance with this assignment.
Remember: to receive the extra credit, you must submit your Writing Center receipt to Mr. Peters after your session.

English 12B Spring 2016 Mr. Peters and Mr. Austin Website: tinyurl.com/english12b

Source Page Scoring Guide

45-50
A

Component

Notice and
Focus

Analytical
Summary

Paraphrase 3x

Component

Annotations

Component
MLA Citation

Reflexive
Component

40-44.5
B

9-10
Demonstrates thoughtful
selection and ranking of
details, with thorough
explanation of criteria
used and clear, welljustified explanation of
top three selections.
Response is at least 150
words and provides both a
concise and accurate
statement of the articles
main point(s) and a rich,
analytical discussion of
particular passages from
the text focused on the
how? and why?
Component is fully
completed for five (5)
different lines.
Paraphrases are
adequately distinct from
one another.
Commentaries include
thoughtful reflections on
how understanding of
meaning is affected by
paraphrases. Chosen lines
are among the most
significant in the text.
9-10
Annotations clearly
illustrate critical
engagement with the text
and delineate the
students thought process
in great detail, with
evidence of incorporation
of feedback from
instructor.

35-39.5
C
Total Points: 50 Mastery Points
Major Components
7-8

29-0
E

5-6

Below 5

Demonstrates acceptable
selection and ranking of
details, with sufficient
explanation of criteria
used and of top three
selections.

Demonstrates careless or
incomplete selection and
ranking of details, with
only limited explanation
of criteria used and of top
three selections.

Response is at least 150

words. Discussion of main
point(s) is mostly
accurate, and discussion
of more specific passages
is largely analytical and
mostly focused on the
how? and why?

Response may be too

short. Discussion of main
points includes significant
inaccuracies, and the
response resorts to avoids
laundry list-style
summary (focused
primarily on the what?)

Component is fully
completed for five (5)
different lines.
Commentaries are mostly
thoughtful and
appropriate, though
paraphrases may be too
similar. Chosen lines are
at least somewhat
significant to the text as a
whole.

Component may be only

partially completed.
Commentaries show little
to no evidence of reflection
Response is missing or
on new understandings of
completely off task/topic.
meaning. Paraphrases
may be almost identical;
chosen lines are not
particularly significant.

Major Components (Continued)

7-8
Annotations illustrate
adequate critical
engagement with the text
and delineate the students
thought process in some
detail. Evidence of
incorporation of feedback
from instructor may be
limited.

Additional Components
3-4
Citation is present, but
Citation is fully or mostly
includes significant errors
accurate.
or inaccuracies.
Response is at least 150
Response is too short or
words and answers all
fails to answer all
required questions
required questions
thoroughly and
completely.
thoughtfully.
4-5

30-34.5
D

Response is missing or
completely off task/topic.

Response is missing or
completely off task/topic.

5-6

Annotations demonstrate
little or no critical
engagement with the
text; students process is
not visible in any
meaningful way. No
evidence of incorporation
of feedback from
instructor.

Below 5

Annotations are missing

completely or severely
limited and incomplete.

Below 3
Citation is missing.

Response is missing.

English 12B Spring 2016 Mr. Peters and Mr. Austin Website: tinyurl.com/english12b