The Goal

What is the goal of this assignment?

The goal of this assignment is to come to a greater understanding of the 
Church's moral teaching, especially by material offered on the internet.  To
do this you will be asked to read and reflect upon articles, letters, images 
etc. that deal with Catholic moral teaching.  

What does this last sentence mean?

It means that you will be reading things like the Catechism, websites about 
the Church, saints, Jesus and His Law, religious paintings, poetry, 
lives of saints, and issues about virtue.  In short, everything dealing with 
morality and moral living as it is found on the internet.

What is the point of this assignment?

The point of this assignment is to help to save your soul by learning the 
tools to help the accomplishment of this end.

Will this be a difficult assignment?

That all depends on you.  If you read the instructions well, follow each 
phase step by step, ask lots of questions of your teacher, and take time to 
read and reflect, then the answer is "no".  In fact you may find this a very 
enjoyable and rewarding process. 

If, on the other hand, you don't read the instructions, take time to reflect, 
and rush your work, this will be an unnecessarily difficult task.

Will I be doing everything by myself?

You will see as yo read through, there are two parts to this assignment. The 
first part is done by yourself.  Time will be given in class to do this, but 
because it is web-based, you may also work at home.  

The second part of this project will be done in groups of four.  Each member 
will have a specific task to fulfill for a presentation.  

The first mark will be based on individual work, the second on group effort 
and quality.

How will I know what internet sources are credible and which ones are not?

This will take some discernment.  You will need to evaluate and critically
think about what you read.  Does this site have a lot of advertising for
casinos or mortgage companies on it?  Is the author a Catholic?  Is he/she
representing what the Church believes?  What are the links like?  Is the site
run by a credible institution or just some guy ranting?  All these questions
and more will have to be thought about.

Why do you want me to keep a record of handwritten notes?

These are to help you engage with what you are reading or viewing on the
computer, or in other books or articles.  It shows that you are reading the
material and also provides a record to help you recall what you read at a
later time.  Your notes will become very useful as you confer with your team
mates for part two of the project.  

What should I include in the notes I keep?

1) Exact references of sites you have viewed or articles or books you have
read.  Web address, title, author, year, copyright, and the date you viewed
the material. 

2) Key Words.  These might be important words or concepts that the author is
dealing with, words you don't recognize (use a dictionary), key words that
might be useful in helping someone understand their most important job etc.

3) Summaries of what you read.  Use point form, long form, diagrams, pictures
etc. just make sure that you are expressing to your teacher that you are doing
research.

4) Personal responses.  The teacher wants to know whether you liked what you
read or not, was it helpful or not, how will this or that piece of information
help you to achieve your goal of convincing people about saving their souls.

5) Legibility!  Make it readable.  Yes, you are doing handwritten notes as you
read and view information, but take time to ensure that what you are writing
can be read by others besides you.    

Do I have to do anything at home?

This would be a good idea.  Your teacher will provide time in school to do
some work on this project, but this should not be the only time you do work. 
The project is based largely on morality information accesible online,
therefore you are only limited by your access to a computer, not by the school
day.

What is the marking procedure and due date?

Specific information will be provided by your teacher.  However, if you have
read everything carefully you can probably get a reasonable idea of how this
project will be graded.