We've been trying to convince our teachers, especially the freshman teachers, that not every research project has to be a big, elaborate undertaking. We've been encouraging them to focus on some more isolated skills. It creates a better, targeted practice for the students. It also means that both students and teachers are less overwhelmed. For example:

Given a specific topic to research, generate a research question and find two sources that answer your question. Cite those sources in NoodleTools. In the source annotation include an explanation of why this source has authority and how it answered your research question. (that's it - no presentation, no written paper, etc.)
Students are given a topic to research. Students generate specific research questions for that topic. I provide a set of resources that should answer their questions (a set of books, links to websites and database articles). Students find the answers to these questions and take well-organized notes. They share answers together in class.

For freshmen we focus on:

generating quality research questions
basic citations
source authority
summarizing key ideas / note taking

If they could practice these skills with smaller projects more often, then they'd be better prepared for a full research paper/project in the second half of the year.

On Thu, Jan 24, 2019 at 2:30 PM Michele Eligio <meligio@northbranfordschools.org> wrote:

Hi,

Does anyone collaborate on a 9th-grade science research paper on climate change and if so are willing to share out what they've done? Our 9th graders all complete an argumentative English research paper on an injustice. They learn how to write a thesis statement, MLA formatting, in-text citations, creating a works cited page, etc... This is a semester-long intensive paper. The science teachers now want to have these same students complete some sort of research paper in their classes. I know from a survey that went out to students that they feel they need more extensive instruction on how to use databases. This was part of the 9th-grade research project, but the students were just so overwhelmed that they honestly felt they needed more practice - great that they realize this and want to learn more!!! So, if you have such a unit, I would also be interested in which databases/resources you utilize. As a matter of fact, if you have a database lesson available I would be interested in that too! So much to prepare; so little time!!! Thanks in advance. :)

--

Sincerely,
Michele Eligio
North Branford High School Librarian
49 Caputo Road
North Branford, CT 06471
(203) 484-1465
“Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination. They open up windows to the world and inspire us to explore and achieve, and contribute to improving our quality of life. Libraries change lives for the better.” ~Sidney Sheldon

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