SPN Fic: Research Projects (Gen; Pre-series; Sam, OFC)
Wow, life has been BUSY recently. I really did not think I was going to complete this fic in time, but I have made it, just.
Sorry if I owe you comments or otherwise appear to be neglecting you: I have been incredibly busy of late. I should get caught up soonish, though, so please bear with me :D
Title: Research Projects
Fandom: Supernatural
Rating: G
Genre: Gen
Pairing/Characters: Sam, OFC
Wordcount: c 1400
Disclaimer: Nancy is mine, but all the rest belongs to other folk, and I sure ain't making money from it.
Beta: I sing parenthetical's praises with every fic I write, and for good reason. She is an awesome beta of wonder, and on this occasion beta-ed at the speed of light *loves on her*.
Warning/Spoilers/Notes: No spoilers: pre-series.
Notes/Summary: Written for thespn_outsidepov challenge, based on the prompt 'Sam and/or Dean's school librarian, commenting on their research skills (or lack thereof)'.
Research projects.
It had seemed like such a good idea at the time. The ideal way to make the kids take research skills seriously: make them do proper projects which would count towards their final grades. Of course, that meant actually grading all those projects, which turned out to involve reading fourteen papers on the care and feeding of various small animals, and sixteen about the intricacies of the kind of sports which generally involved serious risk to life and limb. In retrospect, perhaps it had been a bad idea to let the kids choose their own project topics. The only thing more boring than reading papers about the hobbies of the average twelve-year-old was thinking up ways to vary the grading comments on said papers.
Still, that wasn't exactly the problem with this one.
Nancy filled in the space for the student's name - Winchester, Samuel - then chewed on her pen and stared at the grading sheet. No way were the standard feedback comments going to work here. Which meant that it would take about four times as long to grade this one as it had any of the others. Still, that probably reflected how much more time the kid had spent on researching the project, so it was only fair. Besides, there was a good chance that Sam might actually read the comments, rather than just looking at the grade like most of the other kids.
Locating appropriate information sources
The range of information sources you have used shows a remarkable facility for using all the reference materials at your disposal. I am particularly pleased to see that you have used periodicals and websites as well as the books held in the school library. A wide range of resources is essential for good research: keep up the good work!
The truth was, Nancy wasn't sure that she would have found all the resources Sam had used for his project. She was pretty certain it would never have occurred to her to use trade magazines in this context - although it made a lot of sense, when she thought about it - and the websites he'd cited weren't exactly the first ones which turned up in any search Nancy could think of doing. She knew: she'd checked. Most of the other kids seemed to think that citing three sources was enough to qualify them for the honor roll; Sam had enough citations for a thesis.
Evaluating bias and credibility
You demonstrate a good understanding of how information sources may be biased and how to use potentially biased sources to good effect. However, you should spend more time considering the credibility of some of your sources. Even when the author of a source is apparently trustworthy, you should consider whether the information in the source is likely to be true. Sometimes common sense is your best guide.
And it was strange that she needed to tell Sam that. He had grasped all the nuances of bias while the rest of the class were still debating the question of whether advertisements constituted reliable sources of information. So why was he so credulous about sources that the other kids would have laughed out of town without a second thought? He was normally so sensible that his unblinking insistence that a website which was clearly run by cranks was on a par with the other sources he'd cited... well, it was almost enough to make Nancy doubt her own judgment. Still, he was only twelve - it stood to reason he'd have some blind spots.
Content and presentation
The research topic you have chosen is original and interesting, and the material well-selected. Your presentation is clear and well laid-out. However, given the topic of your report, a less 'scientific' style might have been more appropriate: in many cases you provide the 'bare bones' of a story, concisely and well, but it would have been interesting to read a narrative. However, this is a minor criticism of a very well-researched and fascinating report. The skills you have demonstrated in this project should serve you well in your future studies: keep up the good work!
Nancy stared at what she had written. It read more like a comment on a college paper... but then Sam's project was more like a college paper than a junior high report. No use in patronizing him. Now all that remained was the grade. It should have been an 'A', without question, except that he'd turned the report in late. Her general rule was that late work resulted in students being docked a grade, unless they could prove that they had good reason for the delay. Which Sam hadn't been able to do: no excuse slip, no note from his father. When she'd asked him about it, he'd muttered something about his brother being sick, but there was no reason his brother's illness should have affected Sam, surely? She would have heard if it had been something serious. 'My brother was sick' had all the hallmarks of a typical student falsehood.
Nancy looked over the paper again - better written than some things she'd received from students twice Sam's age - and thought about the way he'd looked when he turned it in, eyes standing out dark against pale skin. Then she picked up her pen and wrote in the grade, carefully: 'A'. The other kids would cry favoritism if they found out... but she was pretty sure Sam wasn't the kind of kid who compared grades with his friends. She wasn't even sure the poor child had any friends: the family hadn't really been around long enough for him to make any.
Papers graded, Nancy capped her pen and glanced up at the clock, then jumped to her feet. Lunch recess in five minutes and pouring rain outside: time to prepare for the influx of lunatic students. Just as well that Sam's was the last report: she was supposed to be giving out the marked papers to his class after lunch.
The kids filed into class noisily, full of end-of-term high spirits. They settled down pretty quickly, though, keen to get their reports back and happy to read quietly if it meant a better chance of eavesdropping on her comments to other kids. Nancy worked her way down the register, calling students to the front one by one. Finally she was down to the last paper, although not before she had dealt with more than one pouting face and wobbly lip from kids with grades they hadn't expected. She mentally thanked the accident of fate that had put Sam Winchester at the end of the list.
'Sam, your turn.' Nancy looked towards Sam's usual spot, but it was empty. She scanned the rest of the room. 'Sam Winchester?'
'He's not here,' one of the denizens of the back row volunteered.
'Evidently not,' Nancy commented drily. 'Is he sick? Does anyone know?'
'No, Ms Webb, didn't you hear?' The girl - Amanda - sat up a little straighter, evidently enjoying the attention. 'He's not coming back to school - his folks have left town.'
The news caused a small buzz of conversation. It was rare enough for a new family to move into this town, never mind for them to move on again after barely six months.
Amanda looked around at her audience gleefully. 'His older brother told my big sister that their dad's got a job in Texas and they wouldn't be coming back after summer recess.' She paused for effect before adding meaningfully, 'My sister cried all night.'
A few kids snickered and there were one or two whispers about Amanda's sister and Dean Winchester.
'Thank you, Amanda,' Nancy said repressively. 'In that case, there are no more papers to be returned. Nice work, all of you. Since it's our last class of the year, you may leave early.'
The kids clattered out of the room with cries of 'Thanks, Ms Webb! Have a great summer!', leaving Nancy alone in the room.
'Texas, huh?' she said softly to herself, turning back to the title page of Sam Winchester's paper.
Hauntings and disappearances in San Antonio, TX.
She gazed thoughtfully at it for a long time. Then she flipped to her grading comments, and carefully struck out one line.
Maybe common sense wasn't always the best guide after all.
Sorry if I owe you comments or otherwise appear to be neglecting you: I have been incredibly busy of late. I should get caught up soonish, though, so please bear with me :D
Title: Research Projects
Fandom: Supernatural
Rating: G
Genre: Gen
Pairing/Characters: Sam, OFC
Wordcount: c 1400
Disclaimer: Nancy is mine, but all the rest belongs to other folk, and I sure ain't making money from it.
Beta: I sing parenthetical's praises with every fic I write, and for good reason. She is an awesome beta of wonder, and on this occasion beta-ed at the speed of light *loves on her*.
Warning/Spoilers/Notes: No spoilers: pre-series.
Notes/Summary: Written for thespn_outsidepov challenge, based on the prompt 'Sam and/or Dean's school librarian, commenting on their research skills (or lack thereof)'.
Research projects.
It had seemed like such a good idea at the time. The ideal way to make the kids take research skills seriously: make them do proper projects which would count towards their final grades. Of course, that meant actually grading all those projects, which turned out to involve reading fourteen papers on the care and feeding of various small animals, and sixteen about the intricacies of the kind of sports which generally involved serious risk to life and limb. In retrospect, perhaps it had been a bad idea to let the kids choose their own project topics. The only thing more boring than reading papers about the hobbies of the average twelve-year-old was thinking up ways to vary the grading comments on said papers.
Still, that wasn't exactly the problem with this one.
Nancy filled in the space for the student's name - Winchester, Samuel - then chewed on her pen and stared at the grading sheet. No way were the standard feedback comments going to work here. Which meant that it would take about four times as long to grade this one as it had any of the others. Still, that probably reflected how much more time the kid had spent on researching the project, so it was only fair. Besides, there was a good chance that Sam might actually read the comments, rather than just looking at the grade like most of the other kids.
Locating appropriate information sources
The range of information sources you have used shows a remarkable facility for using all the reference materials at your disposal. I am particularly pleased to see that you have used periodicals and websites as well as the books held in the school library. A wide range of resources is essential for good research: keep up the good work!
The truth was, Nancy wasn't sure that she would have found all the resources Sam had used for his project. She was pretty certain it would never have occurred to her to use trade magazines in this context - although it made a lot of sense, when she thought about it - and the websites he'd cited weren't exactly the first ones which turned up in any search Nancy could think of doing. She knew: she'd checked. Most of the other kids seemed to think that citing three sources was enough to qualify them for the honor roll; Sam had enough citations for a thesis.
Evaluating bias and credibility
You demonstrate a good understanding of how information sources may be biased and how to use potentially biased sources to good effect. However, you should spend more time considering the credibility of some of your sources. Even when the author of a source is apparently trustworthy, you should consider whether the information in the source is likely to be true. Sometimes common sense is your best guide.
And it was strange that she needed to tell Sam that. He had grasped all the nuances of bias while the rest of the class were still debating the question of whether advertisements constituted reliable sources of information. So why was he so credulous about sources that the other kids would have laughed out of town without a second thought? He was normally so sensible that his unblinking insistence that a website which was clearly run by cranks was on a par with the other sources he'd cited... well, it was almost enough to make Nancy doubt her own judgment. Still, he was only twelve - it stood to reason he'd have some blind spots.
Content and presentation
The research topic you have chosen is original and interesting, and the material well-selected. Your presentation is clear and well laid-out. However, given the topic of your report, a less 'scientific' style might have been more appropriate: in many cases you provide the 'bare bones' of a story, concisely and well, but it would have been interesting to read a narrative. However, this is a minor criticism of a very well-researched and fascinating report. The skills you have demonstrated in this project should serve you well in your future studies: keep up the good work!
Nancy stared at what she had written. It read more like a comment on a college paper... but then Sam's project was more like a college paper than a junior high report. No use in patronizing him. Now all that remained was the grade. It should have been an 'A', without question, except that he'd turned the report in late. Her general rule was that late work resulted in students being docked a grade, unless they could prove that they had good reason for the delay. Which Sam hadn't been able to do: no excuse slip, no note from his father. When she'd asked him about it, he'd muttered something about his brother being sick, but there was no reason his brother's illness should have affected Sam, surely? She would have heard if it had been something serious. 'My brother was sick' had all the hallmarks of a typical student falsehood.
Nancy looked over the paper again - better written than some things she'd received from students twice Sam's age - and thought about the way he'd looked when he turned it in, eyes standing out dark against pale skin. Then she picked up her pen and wrote in the grade, carefully: 'A'. The other kids would cry favoritism if they found out... but she was pretty sure Sam wasn't the kind of kid who compared grades with his friends. She wasn't even sure the poor child had any friends: the family hadn't really been around long enough for him to make any.
Papers graded, Nancy capped her pen and glanced up at the clock, then jumped to her feet. Lunch recess in five minutes and pouring rain outside: time to prepare for the influx of lunatic students. Just as well that Sam's was the last report: she was supposed to be giving out the marked papers to his class after lunch.
The kids filed into class noisily, full of end-of-term high spirits. They settled down pretty quickly, though, keen to get their reports back and happy to read quietly if it meant a better chance of eavesdropping on her comments to other kids. Nancy worked her way down the register, calling students to the front one by one. Finally she was down to the last paper, although not before she had dealt with more than one pouting face and wobbly lip from kids with grades they hadn't expected. She mentally thanked the accident of fate that had put Sam Winchester at the end of the list.
'Sam, your turn.' Nancy looked towards Sam's usual spot, but it was empty. She scanned the rest of the room. 'Sam Winchester?'
'He's not here,' one of the denizens of the back row volunteered.
'Evidently not,' Nancy commented drily. 'Is he sick? Does anyone know?'
'No, Ms Webb, didn't you hear?' The girl - Amanda - sat up a little straighter, evidently enjoying the attention. 'He's not coming back to school - his folks have left town.'
The news caused a small buzz of conversation. It was rare enough for a new family to move into this town, never mind for them to move on again after barely six months.
Amanda looked around at her audience gleefully. 'His older brother told my big sister that their dad's got a job in Texas and they wouldn't be coming back after summer recess.' She paused for effect before adding meaningfully, 'My sister cried all night.'
A few kids snickered and there were one or two whispers about Amanda's sister and Dean Winchester.
'Thank you, Amanda,' Nancy said repressively. 'In that case, there are no more papers to be returned. Nice work, all of you. Since it's our last class of the year, you may leave early.'
The kids clattered out of the room with cries of 'Thanks, Ms Webb! Have a great summer!', leaving Nancy alone in the room.
'Texas, huh?' she said softly to herself, turning back to the title page of Sam Winchester's paper.
Hauntings and disappearances in San Antonio, TX.
She gazed thoughtfully at it for a long time. Then she flipped to her grading comments, and carefully struck out one line.
Maybe common sense wasn't always the best guide after all.