Week 1
Lesson 1
Introductions and Project Topic Selections
In the first week of the course, students will start with an overview of the classroom rules and expectations, as well as the weekly schedule and upcoming assignments, to ensure everyone is prepared for the upcoming course. Students will spend the majority of class going over the overall research project assignment, what the requirements are, and how to choose an appropriate topic for their project. 
 Week 2
Lesson 2
Finding Credible Sources 1--Print Materials
In this first of two weeks on source selection, students will begin with an overview of how to evaluate a source's credibility, including author or organization evaluation, determining potential bias, and using up-to-date information. This will be built upon over the following  weeks when we discuss specific source materials. Today's focus will be print materials, like books and academic journals, why they are important, and where to access them
 Week 3
Lesson 3
Finding Credible Sources 2--Using the Internet Responsibly
This class focuses entirely on using the internet responsibly for academic research projects! First, students will cover the basics of identifying credible source materials on the web, including how to identify the sponsor of a website, how to identify biased sources, and using Wikipedia effectively and appropriately. Students will be provided with a rubric they can use when engaging with websites to identify if they are credible resources. 
 Week 4
Lesson 4
Week 4: Writing an Effective Thesis Statement and Organizing an Argument
This week, students will work on developing the thesis statement and introduction to their paper. Students will discuss how to develop a clear thesis statement that guides their readers through their research project. They will also think about the organization for their paper and be introduced to several styles of organization for argumentative papers that may help them to communicate their views to their audience effectively. 
 Week 5
Lesson 5
Bias in Argumentative Works and Ethos/Pathos/Logos
This week, students will dive into writing their paper and cover the basics of effective argumentative language. First, students will discuss how to identify bias in a piece of writing and how to avoid it in their own work. Further, we will discuss the argumentative approach of ethos/pathos/logos and why each is significant for effective argumentation. 
 Week 6
Lesson 6
Supporting Your Argument, Using Formal Language, and Avoiding Logical Fallacies
In this class, students will discuss how to effectively support their argument with a balance of their own ideas and their outside sources. 
To communicate effectively, they will learn how to avoid logical fallacies within their writing to ensure a strong discussion, as well as the use of formal language. This will allow students to avoid using emotionally charged, biased language that could, ultimately undermine their own argument.
 Week 7
Lesson 7
Addressing Conflicting Viewpoints in Your Writing and Citation Crash Course 
In today's class, students will learn about addressing opposing viewpoints in their work. We will discuss why it is important to acknowledge the other side of an argument, how that adds to the strength of your own work, and how to do it effectively. We will also have a short crash course on MLA citations and how to incorporate them in your work to provide credit to others' opinions and make sure no part of the work is plagiarized.
 Week 8
Lesson 8
Research Project Peer Share/Editing and Wrap-Up
In the final class of the course, we will start by discussing the final expectations for the course, review the requirements for the final project and the due dates for the paper itself. We will spend the majority of the course in an open-forum-style class where students can ask questions they may have about their projects and can share what they have been writing with the group.  Students will have the opportunity to participate in peer review at the end of class