I’ve been teaching research since way back in student teaching when I chose “The Research Paper” as one of the two formal units I completed for my final education course. Even after all these years, though, it’s not been fun or easy to get through.
Last year, I changed up my approach a little, opting to take more time with the process. We got through the library and computer lab research fairly quickly, but all of the other steps we took more in stride. And it was better for me.
Instead of having a big PLAN, I just knew what needed to come next and fit it in where I saw fit. This was confusing to my students, so this year, I decided to break the research process down into modules, each covered during a subsequent grading period.
My English 10 students will have pretty much free reign over their choice of topic, as long as it’s academic and they can make a point about it. This ensures (or aims to ensure) that they’ll be working with a subject that will keep their interest.
I’ve added several new elements to my plan this year.
One is starting with a research question or questions about the topic. This way, when students look through sources of information, they have a more specific goal: to answer the questions they have. This should also help us avoid the fake presupposition that’s inevitable from having to state a thesis before any research takes place. My goal is to try to make this process as close to “real life” as possible.
Another addition is an annotated bibliography of the initial batch of sources. This will include the source information in MLA format, a summary of the source, and an evaluation of its relevance to the student’s research question.
And after the final research paper has been submitted, students will debrief in a couple of ways. They’ll present their research to the class with visuals (which I hope to record, since I’m planning to have a FLIP video for my class by then!), and they’ll also write, blog, and/or podcast about their research experience. =)
I’m planning to make a project sheet for each six-weeks grading period, so students can see what they’re expected to get done by when and keep in mind where they are in the overall process.
Here’s my draft so far:
- 1st Six Weeks
- Process
- Brainstorm topics
- Choose one topic
- Develop at least five research questions
- Skills
- Assessing research topics
- Writing research questions
- 2nd Six Weeks
- Process
- Library: Find at least five sources and print/copy all
- Annotated bibliography: source info + summary + evaluation
- Skills
- Library
- Etiquette
- Computerized card catalog
- Using databases
- MLA source formats
- Reading comprehension
- Summary and evaluation
- Embedding quotations
- Using citations
- Library
- 3rd Six Weeks
- Process
- Working thesis and rough outline
- Additional research, if necessary
- Source cards
- Skills
- Three-part thesis
- Subtopics
- Outline format (incl. Roman numerals)
- MLA source format
- Source card format
- 4th Six Weeks
- Process
- Note cards
- Body paragraphs
- Skills
- Note card format
- Topic sentences
- Support/evidence/proof
- Citations and embedding quotations
- Transitions
- Interpreting ideas and using them to support own ideas
- 5th Six Weeks
- Process
- Introduction
- Conclusion
- Skills
- Writing introductions and conclusions
- Editing and revising
- MLA paper format
- Turnitin.com submission
- Self-evaluation
- 6th Six Weeks
- Process
- Project presentation
- Debriefing: write/blog/podcast about experience
- Skills
- Oral communication with visuals
- Feedback
- Reflection and self-evaluation
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Most of my teaching resources are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License, which means you can feel free to use them with attribution as long as you don’t use them commercially. If you’re not sure, don’t hesitate to ask me. Unfortunately, I am currently unable to send out my tests and quizzes, but I am hoping to establish a less time-consuming alternative for this in the near future. Sorry!!
