Poet Research Paper

Poet Research Paper

Biography of a Poet

STEP 1: Topic and Questions

We are exploring the biography of a poet. Here are the research questions collected from all four class periods:

Data Chart #1: Life of Poet

Data Chart #2: Career of Poet

Data Chart #3: Interpretation of Poem

Save three separate charts to your H:drive in a folder labeled "Poet Biography Project"
Remember to write your source in the left column!

STEP 2: Seeking Information Sources

Print:

Biographies
Non-fiction books
Encyclopedia

DATABASE:

GALILEO Databases (Note: If you are at home, you will need to log into www.galileo.usg.edu and use the school password!)

Encyclopedia Britannica Online (on GALILEO) - You may also use the recommended websites listed on the right of the article. (NOTE: If this does not have your poet, please check the "Individual Poet Pages" below!)
Literary Reference Center
SIRS Discoverer
Searchasaurus: Middle Search Plus

INTERNET:

Individual Websites

1. Shel Silverstein

· www.shelsilverstein.com

· www.poets.org

2. Robert Louis Stevenson

· http://www.nls.uk/rlstevenson/index.html

· http://people.brandeis.edu/~teuber/stevensonbio.html

· www.poets.org

3. Christina Rossetti

· http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/rossetti.htm

· http://anglicanhistory.org/bios/cgrossetti.html

· http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/crossetti/index.html

· http://www.humanitiesweb.org/human.php?s=r&p=a&a=i&ID=782

· www.poets.org

4. Roald Dahl

· www.roalddahl.com

· www.poets.org

5. Rudyard Kipling

· http://www.kipling.org.uk/kip_fra.htm

· http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1907/kipling-bio.html

· www.poets.org

6. Maya Angelou

· www.mayaangelou.com

· www.poets.org

· http://www2.oprah.com/xm/mangelou/mangelou_about.jhtml

· http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/ang0bio-1

7. Walt Whitman

· http://www.whitmanarchive.org/

· http://www.waltwhitman.org/AboutWhitman.asp

· www.poets.org

8. Carl Sandburg

· http://carl-sandburg.com/

· http://www.nps.gov/carl/forkids/thepoetsjournal.htm

· http://poetlaureate.il.gov/sandburg.cfm

· www.poets.org

9. Edgar Allen Poe

· http://www.online-literature.com/poe/

· http://www.poemuseum.org/poes_life/index.html

· http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/eapoe.htm

· http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/poe_e.html

· www.poets.org

10. Gary Soto

· http://www.garysoto.com/index.html

· http://content.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=3642

· http://www.kidspoint.org/columns2.asp?column_id=972&column_type=author

· www.poets.org

11. Emily Dickinson

· http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/dickinson/dickinson.htm

· www.poets.org

12. William Shakespeare

· http://www.shakespeare-online.com/

· www.poets.org

13. Robert Frost

· www.poets.org

· http://www.frostfriends.org/

· http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/frost/life.htm

14. Theodore Seuss Geisel

· http://www.catinthehat.org/history.htm

· www.poets.org

· http://www.nea.org/readacross/resources/seussbiocomp.html

· http://www.seussville.com/seussentennial/resources1.html

15. William Blake

· http://www.online-literature.com/blake/

· http://www.britainexpress.com/History/bio/blake.htm

· www.poets.org

16. Edward Lear

· http://www.nonsenselit.org/Lear/h

· www.poets.org

· http://www.bencourtney.com/ebooks/lear/

17. Robert Browning

· http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/rb/rbbio.html

· http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/browning.htm

· www.poets.org

18. William Carlos Williams

· http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/williams/

· http://www.poemhunter.com/william-carlos-williams/biography/

· www.poets.org

19. Lewis Carroll

· http://www.lewiscarroll.org/carroll.html

· www.poets.org

· http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/carroll/carrollov.html

· http://lewiscarrollsociety.org.uk/pages/lewiscarroll/life.html

20. Nikki Giovanni

· http://nikki-giovanni.com/

· www.poets.org

· http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/jul00/giovanni.htm

21. Anne Morrow Lindbergh

· http://www.greatwomen.org/women.php?action=viewone&id=98

· http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lindbergh/sfeature/anne.html

· http://www.lindberghfoundation.org/

22. Paul Laurence Dunbar

· http://www.dunbarsite.org/

· http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/302

· http://www.coax.net/people/lwf/DUNBAR.HTM

23. J.R.R. Tolkien

· http://www.tolkiensociety.org/tolkien/index.html

· http://www.indepthinfo.com/tolkien/biography.shtml

· http://www.poemhunter.com/jrr-tolkien/

· http://www.leaderu.com/humanities/wood-biography.html

24. Phyllis Wheatley:

· http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2p12.html

· http://womenshistory.about.com/od/aframerwriters/a/philliswheatley.htm

· http://www.masshist.org/endofslavery/?queryID=57

· http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/whea-phi.htm

25. Mattie Stepanek

26. Langston Hughes

· http://www.kansasheritage.org/crossingboundaries/page6e1.html

· http://www.galegroup.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/hughes_l.htm

· http://www.howard.edu/library/reference/guides/hughes/default.htm

· http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/hughes

· www.poets.org

STEP 3: Locating Information in Your Sources

Skim and scan your sources for the answers to your questions.
Remember to focus on answers, but also remember to include interesting details!
Use the table of contents and the index to help you locate answers.

STEP 4: Use Information

Collect notes on your note-taking graphic organizer.

Remember - avoid plagiarism:

Quoting (primary sources only!)
Paraphrasing
Summarizing

Citation examples

Citation Machine - Please note your teacher has chosen to italicize titles instead of underlining. You may copy/paste entries, but be sure to change this is in your final paper! Also note that Citation Machine is a tool like Grammar Check and Spell Check on the computer. It can make mistakes! Please check each entry.

STEP 5: Synthesize

Rough Draft Organizer (Outline)

Outlining (use the outline of your notes!)
Rough Draft
Peer Editing (Revising, Editing)
Final Draft

STEP 6: Evaluation

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4	Score
Note taking	Minimal notes turned in, no sources noted, disorganized	Adequate Notes taken, few sources noted, somewhat organized	Notes taken, sources noted on most, organized	Thorough notes taken, sources noted on each, well-organized
Rough Draft	Draft is missing required information and is difficult to read.	Draft includes most required information and is legible.	Draft includes all required information and is legible.	Detailed draft is neatly presented and includes all required information.
Revising and Editing	Paragraphs do not “flow” (poor sentence structure). No use of transitional words. Many grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.	Sentence structure could be improved. Some transitional words. Some grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.	Sentence structure is adequate and flows. Includes transitional words. Few grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.	Sentence structure is varied and flows well. Transitional words add interest. Almost no grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.
Written paper	Paper unorganized, no original ideas. Poorly written, missing bibliography much too short or long	Paper somewhat organized, some original ideas, adequately written, bibliography included, within correct length	Paper organized and written with adequate original ideas, bibliography included, correct length	Paper well-organized and thoughtfully presented, containing many original ideas, bibliography included in MLA style