Time To Complete
I Can Statements
- I can conduct research by:
- gathering relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively. (6-8.WHST.8)
- assessing the credibility and accuracy of each source. (6-8.WHST.8)
- I will know my research is of high quality if it:
- provides me the opportunity to learn more about my topic
- challenges me to deepen my thinking about my topic by asking questions for clarity and understanding
- comes from multiple relevant, current, reliable, and varied sources, while favoring primary sources over secondary sources
- has been systematically recorded and organized to support the proper citation of sources
Suggestions for Assessing Student Readiness to Move Forward:
- Confer with students, asking probing questions about their research process to gauge how well their research meets the quality criteria.
- Ask students to list their sources and explain (orally or in writing) how they meet the quality criteria for a high quality research.
- Ask students to show you their notes and briefly describe (orally or in writing) their system for recording and organizing the results of their research.
- Ask students to self-evaluate their work after completing one of the activities below.
Have students complete the first columns of a KWL/KWHLAQ chart (http://www.flickr.com/photos/langwitches/5958295132/ ). If you have a set of class resources for research you might have them preview the books on their topic to frontload as a scaffold.
Model for students how to take notes. You can offer students several graphic organizers for note taking, or teach them one strategy, such as Cornell. There are some middle school level resources that could easily be modified for upper or lower grade students. See http://infotech.spsd.org/MS/ms_research_step4.html.
Ways To Generate Research Questions
- Create Research Questions: http://www.d214.org/district_library/create_research_questions.aspx
- Asking Higher Level Questions to Improve Reading: http://lessonplanspage.com/LAAskingHigherLevelQuestionsToImproveReadingComp612.htm/
Citing Your Research
- Identifying Reliable Sources and Citing Them:http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2010/11/reliable-sources-and-citations
- Info Tech/Info Lit. for Middle School: Use of Information http://infotech.spsd.org/MS/ms_research_step4.html
How To Model Cornell Notes (Videos)