Statement Of Intent

Overview

This activity allows you to begin the process of research for your Independent Study Project. In order to do this, you will be introduced to two key documents: the Statement of Intent and the Initial List of Works Cited. You will also learn about primary and secondary sources. Your assignment for this activity will involve the creation of a Statement of Intent and an Initial List of Works Cited for your own ISP.

Expectations

 

Overall Expectations:

RLV.01 read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary, informational, and graphic texts, using a range of strategies to construct meaning; WRV.01 generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and audience; WRV.02 draft and revise their writing, using a variety of literary, informational, and graphic forms and stylistic elements appropriate for the purpose and audience; WRV.03 use editing, proofreading, and publishing skills and strategies, and knowledge of language conventions, to correct errors, refine expression, and present their work effectively.

Specific Expectations:

RL1.05 extend understanding of texts, including complex and challenging texts, by making rich and increasingly insightful connections between the ideas in them and personal knowledge, experience, and insights; other texts; and the world around them; RL1.07 evaluate the effectiveness of texts, including complex and challenging texts, using evidence from the text insightfully to support their opinions; WR1.03 locate and select information to fully and effectively support ideas for writing, using a variety of strategies and print, electronic, and other resources, as appropriate; WR1.04 identify, sort, and order main ideas and supporting details for writing tasks, using a variety of strategies and selecting the organizational pattern best suited to the content and the purpose for writing; WR2.04 write complete sentences that communicate their meaning clearly and effectively, skilfully varying sentence type, structure, and length to suit different purposes and making smooth and logical transitions between ideas; WR2.07 produce revised drafts of texts, including increasingly complex texts, written to meet criteria identified by the teacher, based on the curriculum expectations; WR3.05 regularly proofread and correct their writing; WR3.06 use a variety of presentation features, including print and script, fonts, graphics, and layout, to improve the clarity and coherence of their written work and to heighten its appeal and effectiveness for their audience; WR3.07 produce pieces of published work to meet criteria identified by the teacher, based on the curriculum expectations.

Content

 

The Statement of Intent

The Statement of Intent is a document that outlines the topic and scope of your Independent Study Project. It should be approximately 250 words in length and contains the following aspects:

· An explanation of why you have chosen your topic. · A tentative thesis or at least an explanation of what you hope to prove in your essay. · An outline of the major points which you will consider when writing your essay. · A paragraph in which you state the aspects of your essay which you will find most challenging.

The statement of intent is not meant to be a binding contract but it is meant to be a serious attempt to begin the research process for your ISP. As you refine your research, you may need to change some of the ideas contained in your statement of intent. This is perfectly acceptable – even desirable in some circumstances. At the end of this project, you will be required to write a final evaluation in which you indicate how your understanding of the topic has changed over the research process. Remember, the Statement of Intent is not engraved in stone, but the example that follows will give you some idea of what is expected here.

 Example

Statement of Intent

Independent Study Project Romeo and Juliet

October 23, 2006.

by

Thomas Stratton

My topic for this ISP will be Shakespeare’s use of minor characters in Romeo and Juliet. In this play, Shakespeare uses Tybalt and Mercutio to highlight aspects of Romeo’s character. Juliet’s character is made clearer through her relationship with the Nurse, and her parents. Friar Lawrence is used to shed some light on both the main characters of this play. Given the above, it is clear that Shakespeare uses the minor characters in Romeo and Juliet to provide the audience with a deeper understanding of these “star-cross’d lovers.”

In this ISU, I will try to demonstrate that Tybalt, Mercutio, the Nurse, the Capulets and Friar Lawrence exist to deepen the audience’s understanding of Romeo and Juliet as their love matures. To prove this tentative thesis, I will trace the changes in the relationship of each of these minor characters with either Romeo or Juliet. In doing this, I hope to show that, as Romeo and Juliet fall more deeply in love, their relationship with each of these minor characters changes.

The major points I will consider in this paper are:

Romeo’s attempt to stop Tybalt and Mercutio from fighting with Mercutio after he falls in love with Juliet Juliet’s changed relationship with the Nurse after she falls in love with Romeo. I will focus on her changing view of the Nurse as a kind of mother, to friend and at the end, to someone whom she can no longer trust. Juliet’s relationship with her parents also changes as she matures in her love for Romeo. Before she meets him she is behaves like a child. After they fall in love, her behaviour towards her parents changes as she realizes their intention to marry her to Paris. Friar Lawrence’s relationship with the two lovers changes from friend and helper to someone who provides morals in a funeral sermon after they die.

The major challenges that I will face will involve limiting my ISP to the required word limit given the large size of this topic. Also, I will have to work on my approach to Friar Lawrence. I am not sure that I entirely understand his function or role in this play, especially as it applies to highlighting the characters of Romeo and Juliet.

List of Works Cited

Along with your statement of intent, you also need to submit an Initial List of Works Cited. Again, it is not intended to represent every source you will consult; it will serve as a guide for your research process as you continue with the ISP.

This list is approximately ten works long; it may contain books, journal articles, and online sources. There are two important types of sources that are on this list.

Primary Sources are works that are written by the author you are studying. For instance, for an essay on Romeo and Juliet, the primary source would be Shakespeare’s play, itself. Secondary Sources are works of criticism that help you to understand the primary source.

One of the important parts of this activity is the list of works you will use for your ISP. We have already looked at MLA formats, so you will have no trouble here. Look at the list that follows as an example you might follow.

 Example

Initial List of Works Cited

Romeo and Juliet

October 23, 2006.

Primary Sources:

Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. ed. Betty Buley. Toronto: Falcon Press, 1972.

Secondary Sources:

Andrews, J. E ed. Romeo and Juliet: Critical Essays. New York: Garland, 1993. Andrews, John F. “Falling in Love: The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.” Romeo and Juliet: Critical Essays. Ed. John F. Andrews. New York: Garland, 1993. 403-422. Dickey, Franklin M. Not Wisely But Too Well: Shakespeare’s Love Tragedies. San Marino, California: The Huntington Library, 1957. Evans, Bertrand. The Brevity of Friar Laurence. PMLA, LXV, 1950. Everett, Barbara. “Romeo and Juliet: the Nurse’s Story.” Critical Quarterly 14 (1972): 169-82. Levenson, Jill L. Shakespeare in Performance: Romeo and Juliet. Manchester: Manchester UP, 1987. Patricca, Nicholas. “Shakespeare in Love: The Suppressed Italian Connection.” Dramatic Publishing. 20 October 2006. < http://www.dramaticpublishing.com/patricca.cfm> Spurgeon, Caroline. Shakespeare’s Imagery and What it Tells Us. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1935. Watts, Cedric. Twayne’s New Critical Introductions to Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1991.

Assignment 1

Complete the following assignment and submit your work to the dropbox .

Before you upload your file, ensure your name appears on the top of every page of your document.

Now that you are familiar with the Statement of Intent and Initial List of Works Cited it’s time for you to use these tools to begin the research process for you own ISP. Your assignment is to write a 250-300 word Statement of Intent for the topic of your ISP following the criteria and example given to you in the content section of this activity. Once you have completed this, you will also assemble an Initial List of Works Cited following the guidelines and examples given to you earlier. Remember that the list of Works Cited should be at least ten items long and should consist of both primary and secondary sources. Try to vary the type of source – online and hard copy – as much as possible. Be sure to pay attention to MLA citation conventions.

You may need to go to your local library to explore additional resources.

The following chart indicates the areas of achievement that will be the focus of this assignment.

Statement of Intent and Initial List of Works Cited
Categories	Level 1 (50 – 59%)	Level 2 (60 – 69%)	Level 3 (70 – 79%)	Level 4 (80 – 100%)
Knowledge and Understanding -statement and Works Cited demonstrates an ability to locate and select information to fully and effectively support ideas for future writing WR1.03	-statement of Intent and Initial List of Works Cited demonstrate limited understanding of criteria.	-statement of Intent and Initial List of Works Cited demonstrate some understanding of criteria	-statement of Intent and Initial List of Works Cited demonstrate a considerable understanding of criteria	-statement of Intent and Initial List of Works Cited demonstrate a high degree understanding of criteria
Thinking -statement and Works Cited evaluates the relevance of texts RL1.07	-statement of Intent and Initial List of Works Cited assess topic and classify sources with limited effectiveness	-statement of Intent and Initial List of Works Cited assess topic and classify sources with some effectiveness	-statement of Intent and Initial List of Works Cited assess topic and classify sources with considerable effectiveness	-statement of Intent and Initial List of Works Cited assess topic and classify sources with a high degree of effectiveness
Communication -locate and select information to fully and effectively support ideas for future writing WR1.03	-statement of Intent and Initial List of Works Cited organize ideas and information with limited effectiveness	-statement of Intent and Initial List of Works Cited organize ideas and information with some effectiveness	-statement of Intent and Initial List of Works Cited organize ideas and information with considerable effectiveness	-statement of Intent and Initial List of Works Cited organize ideas and information with a high degree of effectiveness
Application -identify, sort, and order sources for future writing task, using a variety of strategies and selecting the organizational pattern best suited to the content and the purpose for writing WR1.04	-statement of Intent and Initial List of Works Cited demonstrates limited synthesis of ideas and diverse sources.	-statement of Intent and Initial List of Works Cited demonstrates some synthesis of ideas and diverse sources	-statement of Intent and Initial List of Works Cited demonstrates considerable synthesis of ideas and diverse sources	-statement of Intent and Initial List of Works Cited demonstrates a high degree of synthesis of ideas and diverse sources