Investigative Journalism and the QBT

Tomorrow is almost here and that means that the investigative journalism paper will soon be published and submitted to me.  You'll be giving me a typed, double-spaced, hard copy tomorrow when you walk into class.  Please print it at home as our school printer is not prepared to handle an onslaught of student printing.  It'll wear out quicker than  Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s tires.

Do yourself a favor.  Give your paper and the rubric to a trusted editor and have him/her give it one final read and assessment.

Double check to be sure your Works Cited page is attached.

Did you identify all your sources?

Be sure not to stack your quotes.

Make sure your points are clear.

Then print it and bring it to class.

Now onward! To the QBT!

I still say the the QBT is as fun to present as it is to say: Quickie Bookie Talkie! I'm even laughing as I type it!

Here's what I'm expecting you to do for the QBT. IN 60 SECONDS!

1) Pick the book.  (should be already completed)

2) Read the book. (should be already completed)

3) Start planning the following parts of the QBT:

     A) Your introduction-it needs to be brief but catchy in some way; be clever but quick
   
     B) Title and author-do not forget to say these two; that will be a an error proportionate to eating seven chili dogs 30 minutes before running a marathon (trust me...not a good idea)
   
     C) Organize your ideas on the plot of the story into a couple sentence summary.
     Use just the highlights.
     Then cut those down to the highlights of the highlights.
     And then use only the key highlights of the highlights.
     Remember your whole speech is only 60 seconds!
   
     D) Now you are on your selling point or points (no more than 2).  You need to figure out what makes this book of yours special.  What makes it unique?  Why should someone read it? Don't say it has a lot of action.  Tons of books have a lot of action.  Find something different about your book. Then discuss it efficiently and effectively.  Convince people to read your book (or not read your book if you are going in that direction).

     E) Time is running out.  The seconds are whizzing by faster than a Katniss arrow.  But you still have to wrap up the QBT.  No you can't say any of the following:

I'm done.

That's it.

I'm finished.

The end.

Time to clap.

Or anything like those.

Make it clear that you are finished and none of those will be necessary.  Offer one good closing sentence; you know, end with a jolt or a clever twist.  Make it good!

That's the QBT.  We'll start as early as Wednesday (depending on volunteers) and as late as next Monday.  I'll give a sample tomorrow or Tuesday.  We ALL need to be ready to go by next Monday.
60 seconds.

30 points.

The QBT.

Until next time...