Mysteries of Life and Beyond

An ELA A10 Research Project

Until we accept the fact that life itself is founded in mystery, we shall learn nothing.
- Henry Miller
PROJECT OVERVIEW:

Part One: Choosing a Topic

The first portion of this project will focus on choosing a topic which you find interesting. If
one of these topics is not of interest to you, you may get a topic of your choosing approved by
Miss Fry.
*A note on how you will be picking your topic: Miss Fry will randomly pull names out of a
hat, whoevers name is drawn gets to pick, once a topic has been chosen once, no one else may
choose it. Please make sure you have a few choices you would like in mind so that when your name
is drawn you can quickly tell me which project you would like to do. You will also need to hand in
a Topic Proposal Sheet after you have selected your topic (this is an easy 5 marks!)
Choices:
1. The Lock Ness Monster 11. Phantom Limb Pain
2. Ogopogo 12. Multiple Personality Disorder
3. The Salem Witch Trials 13. Amnesia
4. Vampires 14. Aliens
5. Werewolves 15. St. Louis Ghost Train
6. Zombies 16. UFOs
7. Big Foot 17. Dj vu
8. Bermuda Triangle 18. *Pick your own topic subject
to teacher approval*
9. The Dropa Stones
10. Memory
 Part Two: Research
Once you have selected your topic, or had it approved by Miss Fry, you will start to
research your topic and make jot notes. During this time, you will be given a brief assignment
which focuses on the credibility of your sources. As well, you will be expected to complete a
Works Cited Page, listing all the sources you used for this project. Remember you must give credit
where credit is due!

A Resource Credibility Check will be due by Friday, September 5th.

Your Works Cited Page will be due by Tuesday, September 12th.
Presentations will be Wednesday, September 13th and Thursday, September 14th.

Part Three: Presentation Using Visual Supports

You will be presenting your research findings to the class with the help of a poster. Your poster
will be hung up in the classroom following the presentations so make sure you take pride in your work.
Your poster should include visual supports as well as some text (full sentences but a shortened version
of what you will present). You do not need to submit a written report (other than the writing on your
poster and your Works Cited Page).
You will be required to use a minimum of 3 sources! These can be online sources or books
found in the library it does not matter which. Remember that Wikipedia and Reddit do not count as
creditable sources and will not be counted as one of your 3 minimum sources.
 How you will be graded is no
mystery

Mark Breakdown:

Topic Proposal 5 marks (CC)

Resource Credibility Check 10 marks (CR)

Works Cited Page 10 marks (CC)

Presentation Skills 32 marks (CC)

Poster 30 marks (CC)

TOTAL WORTH = 87 marks (This assignment is a pretty big deal!)

ELA A10 MYSTERY PROJECT

TOPIC PROPOSAL

Name(s):

Proposed Topic:

Explanation of why I chose this topic and what aspects of this mystery intrigue me:

What I already know about this topic:

Questions I have about this topic / Questions my research needs to answer:
(Make sure there is a lot here you will need a lot of material for this project!)

Key words, phrases, ideas, and resources that might help me to search for information about my
topic:

_
Signature of Miss Fry

Comments from Miss Fry:

 MLA CITATION OF WEBSITES AND PAGES

Basic Style for Citations of Electronic Sources (Including Online Databases)

Here are some common features you should try and find before citing electronic sources in MLA style. Not every Web page will provide
all of the following information. However, collect as much of the following information as possible both for your citations and for your
research notes:

Author and/or editor names (if available)

Article name in quotation marks (if applicable)
Title of the Website, project, or book in italics. (Remember that
some Print publications have Web publications with slightly
different names. They may, for example, include the additional
information or otherwise modified information, like domain
names [e.g. .com or .net].)
Any version numbers available, including revisions, posting
dates, volumes, or issue numbers.
Publisher information, including the publisher name and
publishing date.
Take note of any page numbers (if available).
Medium of publication.
Date you accessed the material.
URL (if required, or for your own personal reference; MLA does
not require a URL).

Citing an Entire Web Site

It is necessary to list your date of access because web postings are often updated, and information available on one date may no
longer be available later. If a URL is required or you chose to include one, be sure to include the complete address for the site. (Note:
The following examples do not include a URL because MLA no longer requires a URL to be included.)

Remember to use n.p. if no publisher name is available and n.d. if no publishing date is given.

Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Version number. Name of

institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource

creation (if available). Medium of publication. Date of access.

The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, 2008. Web. 23

Apr. 2008.

A Page on a Web Site

For an individual page on a Web site, list the author or alias if known, followed by the information covered above for entire Web sites.
Remember to use n.p. if no publisher name is available and n.d. if no publishing date is given.

"Athlete's Foot - Topic Overview." WebMD. WebMD, 25 September 2014. Web. 6 July 2015.

Lundman, Susan. "How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow. Demand Media, n.d. Web. 6 July 2015.
Student(s): Date:

Evaluating Student Presentations

1 2 3 4
Audience cannot Student presents
Audience has Student presents
understand information in
difficulty following information in
presentation logical, interesting
Organization presentation logical sequence
because there is sequence which
because student which audience
no sequence of audience can
jumps around. can follow.
information. follow.
Student
Student does not Student is demonstrates full
Student is at ease
have grasp of uncomfortable with knowledge (more
with expected
Subject information; information and is than required) by
answers to all
Knowledge student cannot able to answer only answering all class
questions, but
answer questions rudimentary questions with
about subject. questions. fails to elaborate. explanations and
elaboration.
Student Student maintains
Student reads all occasionally uses eye contact most Student maintains
Eye Contact of report with no eye contact, but of the time but eye contact with
eye contact. reads
still most of frequently returns audience, seldom
report. to notes.
Student
mumbles, Student's voice is Student uses a clear
Student's voice is returning
incorrectly low. Student voice and to notes.
correct,
clear. Student
pronounces incorrectly precise
pronounces most
terms, and pronounces terms. pronunciation of
Elocution words correctly.
speaks too Audience members terms so that all
Most audience
quietly for have difficulty audience members
members can
students in the hearing can hear
hear presentation.
back of class to presentation. presentation.
hear.

Mark = /16x2