Setting a daily intention gives focus to your day. I recommend keeping a journal, which also gives you the opportunity to reflect on where you’ve been and where you’re going. It helps to priortize your day and not let the day get away. Your daily intention should be both small and specific, like “I will read for twenty minutes,” or “I will drink 24 oz. of water.”
Read books
Reading improves your focus and memory, and it also gives you a window (or doorway!) to another world, and insight into another person’s experiences. It can not just make you more knowledgable, it can also make your more empathetic.
More importantly, I find reading to be highly motivating. Whenever I’m learning a new topic or need to accomplish a difficult task, the first thing I do is look for books about it. When I’m depressed, anxious, or struggling with something, a visit to the library or bookstore is motivating and renewing for me. Just smelling books makes me happy.
While I adore my Kindle (I have the e-reader that is a single use device, rather than a tablet) and buy more books than I’d like to admit on Amazon, nothing makes me happier than a visit to a bookstore with a coffee shop. If you’ve never done this, or haven’t done it in a long time, please make time to enjoy a coffee or tea while browsing for books. OR, just as good, buy a new book in a bookstore or get a fresh book from the library, and take it to a coffee shop.
Keep a to-do list
This summer, I’ve really noticed how much my productivity suffers and my anxiety skyrockets when I don’t keep a to-list. For me, the best way to conquer anxiety is to write down everything I have to do. I usually do a brain dump, followed by a big master to-do list, followed by scheduling the week’s priorities in my planning calendar. I’ve also seen people use post-its, or programs like Trello to keep and organize their to-do lists. I’d love to hear about your favorite method!
Practice gratitude
I was always dubious about this one until I started practicing it regularly. For me, I write down five things I’m grateful for every night before I go to bed. I really helps me shift my focus before going to sleep, and it has allowed me to see more positives than negatives in my life and in the world around me. For people who believe in manifesting, it can also be a way to manifest more positive events. Try for it at least a week and I promise you’ll see results.
Research projects are an essential part of the English and Language Arts classroom. These types of projects allow students to develop critical thinking skills, improve their writing, and gain a deeper understanding of the subject they are studying. By focusing on the process of research, rather than just the end product, teachers can help students become more confident and skilled writers.
On the other hand, simply providing students with a large project prompt and little guidance can often result in unweildy papers that contain large amounts of cut-and-pasted information, irrelevant quotes and blocks of text, and pla·gia·rized passages.
One of the key benefits of focusing on the research process is that it helps students develop critical thinking skills. When students are given the opportunity to conduct their own research, they are forced to think for themselves and evaluate the credibility of the sources they are using. This can be a challenging task, but it is an important part of the learning process. By teaching students how to evaluate sources, teachers can help them become more discerning readers and writers.
Another benefit of focusing on the process of research is that it can improve students’ writing skills. When students are given the opportunity to conduct their own research, they are exposed to a wide range of information and ideas. This can help them develop their own ideas and arguments, which they can then use to improve their writing. By focusing on the process of research, teachers can help students become more confident and skilled writers.
Finally, focusing on the process of research can help students gain a deeper understanding of the subject they are studying. When students conduct their own research, they are not simply regurgitating information that has been presented to them by their teacher or a textbook. Instead, they are actively exploring the topic and forming their own conclusions. This can help them develop a more nuanced and sophisticated understanding of the subject.
In conclusion, the process of research is an essential part of the writing classroom. By focusing on this process, teachers can help students develop critical thinking skills, improve their writing, and gain a deeper understanding of the subject they are studying. By providing students with the opportunity to conduct their own research, teachers can help them become more confident and skilled writers.
Classroom activties for students learning the research process:
Brainstorm topic ideas in small groups
Make a mindmap
Develop a list of key words
Find and evaluate at least 3-5 sources on your topics
Learn the difference between primary and secondary sources
Compare the results of different search engines
Take notes on index cards
Write a thesis statement
Make and outline
Give a short talk on your research process and what you’ve learned about your topic so far
ELA Source 
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