[CASL-L] research question

[Tracy Earnshaw]

I had this issue with American History where students had to pick a topic
from the 20th century, but really didn't know enough to pick a topic.  Even
having them browse reference books was tough because the lists of topics
meant nothing until I explained what specific topics were-- Margaret
Sanger, cuban missile crisis, and McCarthyism, for example.  I would
provide a list of teacher-selected high-interest topics and have each
student provide the class with a quick overview of several of them.  By the
end of class they will all have basic knowledge about each one which should
help them decide or help them come up with a similar topic to research.
I've found when you tell students they can research any topic without first
giving them a list of suggestions, it paralyzes them or they pick the first
thing that comes to mind, like you noticed with WWII.  I'd be interested to
hear other people's responses to this issue!

Thanks,
Tracy Earnshaw
Coginchaug Regional High School
Durham, CT

On Thu, Jan 25, 2018 at 9:54 AM, Deborah Sharpe <
dsharpe at woodstockacademy.org> wrote:

> Good morning,
>
>
> I'm reaching out on behalf of one of our social studies teachers.  We just
> started a new semester, and thus new classes.  The freshmen world history
> teachers always assign a research paper at the beginning of the class that
> they will work on throughout the semester.  Because they  assign the paper
> before teaching any of the units, the students always gravitate towards the
> Holocaust or WWII because they are the only topics that they know
> anything about. The teacher is looking for a creative way to expose them to
> all the various topics they'll cover in class in just enough depth that it
> might spark an interest in them for the students.  We were thinking of some
> sort of history fact find/scavenger hunt type activity, but were wondering
> if anyone as any suggestions for activities they have found successful.
>  Thanks in advance for your help!!
>
>
> Thanks & have a great day =)
>
>
> <http://www.woodstockacademy.org/>  *Deborah Sharpe *
> Librarian, Bracken Memorial Library
> The Woodstock Academy
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