teaching middle school students how to write a research paper

Scaffolding Methods for Research Paper Writing

Resources & Preparation
Instructional Plan
Related Resources

Students will use scaffolding to research and organize information for writing a research paper. A research paper scaffold provides students with clear support for writing expository papers that include a question (problem), literature review, analysis, methodology for original research, results, conclusion, and references. Students examine informational text, use an inquiry-based approach, and practice genre-specific strategies for expository writing. Depending on the goals of the assignment, students may work collaboratively or as individuals. A student-written paper about color psychology provides an authentic model of a scaffold and the corresponding finished paper. The research paper scaffold is designed to be completed during seven or eight sessions over the course of four to six weeks.

Featured Resources

Research Paper Scaffold : This handout guides students in researching and organizing the information they need for writing their research paper.
Inquiry on the Internet: Evaluating Web Pages for a Class Collection : Students use Internet search engines and Web analysis checklists to evaluate online resources then write annotations that explain how and why the resources will be valuable to the class.

From Theory to Practice

Research paper scaffolding provides a temporary linguistic tool to assist students as they organize their expository writing. Scaffolding assists students in moving to levels of language performance they might be unable to obtain without this support.
An instructional scaffold essentially changes the role of the teacher from that of giver of knowledge to leader in inquiry. This relationship encourages creative intelligence on the part of both teacher and student, which in turn may broaden the notion of literacy so as to include more learning styles.
An instructional scaffold is useful for expository writing because of its basis in problem solving, ownership, appropriateness, support, collaboration, and internalization. It allows students to start where they are comfortable, and provides a genre-based structure for organizing creative ideas.
In order for students to take ownership of knowledge, they must learn to rework raw information, use details and facts, and write.
Teaching writing should involve direct, explicit comprehension instruction, effective instructional principles embedded in content, motivation and self-directed learning, and text-based collaborative learning to improve middle school and high school literacy.

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
2. Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Materials and Technology

Computers with Internet access and printing capability

Research Paper Scaffold
Example Research Paper Scaffold
Example Student Research Paper
Internet Citation Checklist
Research Paper Scoring Rubric
Permission Form (optional)

Preparation

1.	Decide how you will schedule the seven or eight class sessions in the lesson to allow students time for independent research. You may wish to reserve one day each week as the “research project day.” The schedule should provide students time to plan ahead and collect materials for one section of the scaffold at a time, and allow you time to assess each section as students complete it, which is important as each section builds upon the previous one.
2.	Make a copy for each student of the , the , the , the , and the . Also fill out and copy the if you will be getting parents’ permission for the research projects.
3.	If necessary, reserve time in the computer lab for Sessions 2 and 8. Decide which citation website students will use to format reference citations (see Websites) and bookmark it on student computers.
4.	Schedule time for research in the school media center or the computer lab between Sessions 2 and 3.

Student Objectives

Students will

Formulate a clear thesis that conveys a perspective on the subject of their research
Practice research skills, including evaluation of sources, paraphrasing and summarizing relevant information, and citation of sources used
Logically group and sequence ideas in expository writing
Organize and display information on charts, maps, and graphs

Session 1: Research Question

1.	Distribute copies of the and , and read the model aloud with students. Briefly discuss how this research paper works to answer the question, The example helps students clearly see how a research question leads to a literature review, which in turn leads to analysis, original research, results, and conclusion.
2.	Pass out copies of the . Explain to students that the procedures involved in writing a research paper follow in order, and each section of the scaffold builds upon the previous one. Briefly describe how each section will be completed during subsequent sessions.
3.	Explain that in this session the students’ task is to formulate a research question and write it on the scaffold. The most important strategy in using this model is that students be allowed, within the assigned topic framework, to ask their research questions. Allowing students to choose their own questions gives them control over their own learning, so they are motivated to “solve the case,” to persevere even when the trail runs cold or the detective work seems unexciting.
4.	Introduce the characteristics of a good research question. Explain that in a broad area such as political science, psychology, geography, or economics, a good question needs to focus on a particular controversy or perspective. Some examples include: Explain that students should take care not to formulate a research question so broad that it cannot be answered, or so narrow that it can be answered in a sentence or two.
5.	Note that a good question always leads to more questions. Invite students to suggest additional questions resulting from the examples above and from the Example Research Paper Scaffold.
6.	Emphasize that good research questions are open-ended. Open-ended questions can be solved in more than one way and, depending upon interpretation, often have more than one correct answer, such as the question, Closed questions have only one correct answer, such as, Open-ended questions are implicit and evaluative, while closed questions are explicit. Have students identify possible problems with these research questions
7.	Instruct students to fill in the first section of the Research Paper Scaffold, the Research Question, before Session 2. This task can be completed in a subsequent class session or assigned as homework. Allowing a few days for students to refine and reflect upon their research question is best practice. Explain that the next section, the Hook, should be filled in at this time, as it will be completed using information from the literature search.

You should approve students’ final research questions before Session 2. You may also wish to send home the Permission Form with students, to make parents aware of their child’s research topic and the project due dates.

Session 2: Literature Review—Search

Prior to this session, you may want to introduce or review Internet search techniques using the lesson Inquiry on the Internet: Evaluating Web Pages for a Class Collection . You may also wish to consult with the school librarian regarding subscription databases designed specifically for student research, which may be available through the school or public library. Using these types of resources will help to ensure that students find relevant and appropriate information. Using Internet search engines such as Google can be overwhelming to beginning researchers.

1.	Introduce this session by explaining that students will collect five articles that help to answer their research question. Once they have printed out or photocopied the articles, they will use a highlighter to mark the sections in the articles that specifically address the research question. This strategy helps students focus on the research question rather than on all the other interesting—yet irrelevant—facts that they will find in the course of their research.
2.	Point out that the five different articles may offer similar answers and evidence with regard to the research question, or they may differ. The final paper will be more interesting if it explores different perspectives.
3.	Demonstrate the use of any relevant subscription databases that are available to students through the school, as well as any Web directories or kid-friendly search engines (such as ) that you would like them to use.
4.	Remind students that their research question can provide the keywords for a targeted Internet search. The question should also give focus to the research—without the research question to anchor them, students may go off track.
5.	Explain that information found in the articles may lead students to broaden their research question. A good literature review should be a way of opening doors to new ideas, not simply a search for the data that supports a preconceived notion.
6.	Make students aware that their online search results may include abstracts, which are brief summaries of research articles. In many cases the full text of the articles is available only through subscription to a scholarly database. Provide examples of abstracts and scholarly articles so students can recognize that abstracts do not contain all the information found in the article, and should not be cited unless the full article has been read.
7.	Emphasize that students need to find articles from at least five different reliable sources that provide “clues” to answering their research question. Internet articles need to be printed out, and articles from print sources need to be photocopied. Each article used on the Research Paper Scaffold needs to yield several relevant facts, so students may need to collect more than five articles to have adequate sources.
8.	Remind students to gather complete reference information for each of their sources. They may wish to photocopy the title page of books where they find information, and print out the homepage or contact page of websites.
9.	Allow students at least a week for research. Schedule time in the school media center or the computer lab so you can supervise and assist students as they search for relevant articles. Students can also complete their research as homework.

Session 3: Literature Review—Notes

Students need to bring their articles to this session. For large classes, have students highlight relevant information (as described below) and submit the articles for assessment before beginning the session.

1.	Have students find the specific information in each article that helps answer their research question, and highlight the relevant passages. Check that students have correctly identified and marked relevant information before allowing them to proceed to the Literature Review section on the .
2.	Instruct students to complete the Literature Review section of the Research Paper Scaffold, including the last name of the author and the publication date for each article (to prepare for using APA citation style).
3.	Have students list the important facts they found in each article on the lines numbered 1–5, as shown on the . Additional facts can be listed on the back of the handout. Remind students that if they copy directly from a text they need to put the copied material in quotation marks and note the page number of the source. Students may need more research time following this session to find additional information relevant to their research question.
4.	Explain that interesting facts that are not relevant for the literature review section can be listed in the section labeled Hook. All good writers, whether they are writing narrative, persuasive, or expository text, need to engage or “hook” the reader’s interest. Facts listed in the Hook section can be valuable for introducing the research paper.
5.	Use the Example Research Paper Scaffold to illustrate how to fill in the first and last lines of the Literature Review entry, which represent topic and concluding sentences. These should be filled in only all the relevant facts from the source have been listed, to ensure that students are basing their research on facts that are found in the data, rather than making the facts fit a preconceived idea.
6.	Check students’ scaffolds as they complete their first literature review entry, to make sure they are on track. Then have students complete the other four sections of the Literature Review Section in the same manner.

Checking Literature Review entries on the same day is best practice, as it gives both you and the student time to plan and address any problems before proceeding. Note that in the finished product this literature review section will be about six paragraphs, so students need to gather enough facts to fit this format.

Session 4: Analysis

1.	Explain that in this session students will compare the information they have gathered from various sources to identify themes.
2.	Explain the process of analysis using the . Show how making a numbered list of possible themes, drawn from the different perspectives proposed in the literature, can be useful for analysis. In the Example Research Paper Scaffold, there are four possible explanations given for the effects of color on mood. Remind students that they can refer to the for a model of how the analysis will be used in the final research paper.
3.	Have students identify common themes and possible answers to their own research question by reviewing the topic and concluding sentences in their literature review. Students may identify only one main idea in each source, or they may find several. Instruct students to list the ideas and summarize their similarities and differences in the space provided for Analysis on the scaffold.
4.	Check students’ Analysis section entries to make sure they have included theories that are consistent with their literature review. Return the Research Paper Scaffolds to students with comments and corrections. In the finished research paper, the analysis section will be about one paragraph.

Session 5: Original Research

Students should design some form of original research appropriate to their topics, but they do not necessarily have to conduct the experiments or surveys they propose. Depending on the appropriateness of the original research proposals, the time involved, and the resources available, you may prefer to omit the actual research or use it as an extension activity.

1.	During this session, students formulate one or more possible answers to the research question (based upon their analysis) for possible testing. Invite students to consider and briefly discuss the following questions:
2.	Explain the difference between and research. Quantitative methods involve the collection of numeric data, while qualitative methods focus primarily on the collection of observable data. Quantitative studies have large numbers of participants and produce a large collection of data (such as results from 100 people taking a 10-question survey). Qualitative methods involve few participants and rely upon the researcher to serve as a “reporter” who records direct observations of a specific population. Qualitative methods involve more detailed interviews and artifact collection.
3.	Point out that each student’s research question and analysis will determine which method is more appropriate. Show how the research question in the Example Research Paper Scaffold goes beyond what is reported in a literature review and adds new information to what is already known.
4.	Outline criteria for acceptable research studies, and explain that you will need to approve each student’s plan before the research is done. The following criteria should be included: ).
5.	Inform students of the schedule for submitting their research plans for approval and completing their original research. Students need to conduct their tests and collect all data prior to Session 6. Normally it takes one day to complete research plans and one to two weeks to conduct the test.

Session 6: Results (optional)

1.	If students have conducted original research, instruct them to report the results from their experiments or surveys. Quantitative results can be reported on a chart, graph, or table. Qualitative studies may include data in the form of pictures, artifacts, notes, and interviews. Study results can be displayed in any kind of visual medium, such as a poster, PowerPoint presentation, or brochure.
2.	Check the Results section of the scaffold and any visuals provided for consistency, accuracy, and effectiveness.

Session 7: Conclusion

1.	Explain that the Conclusion to the research paper is the student’s answer to the research question. This section may be one to two paragraphs. Remind students that it should include supporting facts from both the literature review and the test results (if applicable).
2.	Encourage students to use the Conclusion section to point out discrepancies and similarities in their findings, and to propose further studies. Discuss the Conclusion section of the from the standpoint of these guidelines.
3.	Check the Conclusion section after students have completed it, to see that it contains a logical summary and is consistent with the study results.

Session 8: References and Writing Final Draft

1.	Show students how to create a reference list of cited material, using a model such as American Psychological Association (APA) style, on the Reference section of the scaffold.
2.	Distribute copies of the and have students refer to the handout as they list their reference information in the Reference section of the scaffold. Check students’ entries as they are working to make sure they understand the format correctly.
3.	Have students access the citation site you have bookmarked on their computers. Demonstrate how to use the template or follow the guidelines provided, and have students create and print out a reference list to attach to their final research paper.
4.	Explain to students that they will now use the completed scaffold to write the final research paper using the following genre-specific strategies for expository writing: and (unless the research method was qualitative).
5.	Distribute copies of the and go over the criteria so that students understand how their final written work will be evaluated.

Student Assessment / Reflections

Observe students’ participation in the initial stages of the Research Paper Scaffold and promptly address any errors or misconceptions about the research process.
Observe students and provide feedback as they complete each section of the Research Paper Scaffold.
Provide a safe environment where students will want to take risks in exploring ideas. During collaborative work, offer feedback and guidance to those who need encouragement or require assistance in learning cooperation and tolerance.
Involve students in using the Research Paper Scoring Rubric for final evaluation of the research paper. Go over this rubric during Session 8, before they write their final drafts.
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How to Help Middle School Students Develop Research Skills

As the research skills you teach middle school students can last them all their lives, it’s essential to help them develop good habits early in their school careers.

Research skills are useful in nearly every subject, whether it’s English, math, social studies or science, and they will continue to pay off for students every day of their schooling. Understanding the most important research skills that middle school students need will help reach these kids and make a long-term difference.

The research process

It is important for every student to understand that research is actually a process rather than something that happens naturally. The best researchers develop a process that allows them to fully comprehend the ideas they are researching and also turn the data into information that is usable for whatever the end purpose may be. Here is an example of a research process that you may consider using when teaching research skills in your middle school classroom:

Form a question : Research should be targeted; develop a question you want to answer before progressing any further.
Decide on resources : Not every resource is good for every question/problem. Identify the resources that will work best for you.
Gather raw data : First, gather information in its rawest form; do not attempt to make sense of it at this point.
Sort the data : After you have the information in front of you, decide what is important to you and how you will use it. Not all data will be reliable or worthwhile.
Process information : Turn the data into usable information. This processing step may take longer than the rest combined. This is where you really see your data shape into something exciting.
Create a final piece : This is where you would write a research paper, create a project or build a graph or other visual piece with your information. This may or may not be a formal document.
Evaluate : Look back on the process. Where did you experience success and failure? Did you find an answer to your question?

This process can be adjusted to suit the needs of your particular classroom or the project you are working on. Just remember that the goal is not only to find the data for this particular project, but to teach your students research skills that will help them in the long run.

Research is a very important part of the learning process as well as being useful in real-life once the student graduates. Middle school is a great time to develop these skills as many high school teachers expect that students already have this knowledge.

Students who are well-prepared as researchers will be able to handle nearly any assignment that comes their way. Finding new ways to teach research skills to middle school students need will be a challenge, but the results are well worth it as you see your students succeed in your classroom and set the stage for further success throughout their schooling experience.

CommonLit 360 How to Teach a CommonLit 360 Research Unit

Olivia Franklin

Engage students with interesting research topics, teach them skills to become adept independent researchers, and help them craft their end-of-unit research papers.

CommonLit 360 is a comprehensive ELA curriculum for grades 6-12. Our standards-aligned units are highly engaging and develop core reading and writing skills.

Want to engage students in independent research? Looking to hook students with interesting research questions and informational texts? CommonLit has your back.

CommonLit’s 360 curriculum provides research units for grades 6-10 that will help students complete independent research and craft evidence-based research papers.

Get students excited about their research with Essential Questions designed around timely topics

Each research unit has an Essential Question that students analyze and discuss throughout the unit. The topics for each research unit are designed to be interesting, timely, and relevant to students’ lives.

Students will learn about the status of the world’s oceans, discuss if social media is beneficial or risky, argue if contact sports are worth the risk, research how branding influences purchasing behavior, and learn about the human costs of clothing.

Here are the research units and their Essential Questions:

Grade	Unit Title	Essential Question
6th	Our Changing Oceans	How are changes in the world’s oceans affecting people and animals? How can we be better stewards of our oceans and waterways?
7th	Social Media: Risks and Rewards	Is social media more beneficial or more risky for teens? How can we promote the benefits of social media over the drawbacks?
8th	Contact Sports: Worth the Risk?	Are contact sports worth the risks? How can we provide a clearer picture of the benefits and risks of contact sports to prospective players and their parents?
9th	The Science of Branding: Why We Buy	How do brands use different tactics to influence our purchasing behavior? How can we make branding tactics and messaging more visible to potential consumers?
10th	The Fashion Industry: Past to Present	What are the true human costs of the clothes we buy?

Get students excited about the research topic with introductory slide decks

Each unit comes with introductory slide decks that preview what students will be learning about over the course of the unit. The slide decks spark classroom discussion, hooking students from the very first lesson.

In Our Changing Oceans (6th grade), students discuss what it would be like to be an oceanographer, preview the texts they will be reading about issues facing our oceans, and hear about the key skills they will be learning throughout the unit.

teaching middle school students how to write a research paper

Informational texts anchor each research unit

CommonLit’s research units are centered around informational texts that provide students with key background information and research to eventually support their end-of-unit essay.

Four core texts make up the Essential Reading Lessons for 6th grade. These texts teach students about the need to protect Antarctica and how plastic debris, sea level rise, and overfishing are affecting the world’s oceans. These texts teach students important facts they will need to cite in their end-of-unit research papers.

A list of the unit texts for 6th Grade Unit 4.

Supplemental texts allow students to dig deeply into independent research

Each unit comes with a large selection of supplemental texts to provide students with more facts and information to use in their research paper.

In middle school, students use the provided supplemental texts to further inform their research. In high school, students learn about finding reliable sources and can use both provided supplemental texts on CommonLit and texts from additional sources in their research.

For example, in Our Changing Oceans, 6th graders choose to research one of three topics related to ocean changes.

A list of the supplemental texts 6th graders are given.

In high school, students are taught about the beginning of the research process, including developing a research question, finding reliable sources, and reading and taking notes. Students in 9th and 10th grade can use the supplemental texts as well as texts found in books or on other online learning platforms.

A screenshot of an independent research lesson for 9th graders.

Students learn about the research process and how to craft research papers throughout the unit

Each unit includes lessons about conducting research so students can be prepared for the end-of-unit research paper. Scaffolded supports help students move through the research process. In lower grades, certain steps in the process, like developing a research question and finding reliable sources, are provided for students.

Students learn about writing research papers during writing lessons. In 8th Grade, students learn how to discuss and outline research papers. Then, they learn how to write a counterclaim, format a Works Cited page, and use in-text citations properly. Each of these research-paper focused writing lessons will prepare students to answer the end-of-unit essay.

A screenshot of the arc of writing instruction for 8th grade.

Students also explore how to conduct independent research in research-specific lessons. In 8th Grade, teachers explain that they have provided the first two steps of the research process for students: developing a research question and finding reliable sources.

In the lesson, students are taught how to use a graphic organizer to take notes on each text they read in preparation for their research paper. Students also engage in an Introduction to Independent Research lesson, where they learn about steps of the research process and begin reading and taking notes on supplemental texts. Later, students engage in a discussion lesson that will help them synthesize all the information they have learned throughout the unit by discussing the research question with classmates.

Related Media Explorations provide even more background information for students

Related Media Explorations are a unique cornerstone of our ELA curriculum. These interactive tasks bring our research units to life and provide background information for students to use in their research.

In 8th Grade, students learn about the way football culture has changed over the past few decades as scientists learn more about the long-term effects of repeated concussions. Students watch three videos that explain the culture of football in the past and present, and analyze statistics about concussions before discussing the question: “Who is most responsible for shaping mindsets about tackling in football: players, coaches, parents, or fans?”

Discussion lessons help students synthesize information in preparation for their research paper

Discussion lessons in each research unit provide students with the opportunity to practice citing evidence from sources, explain their evidence to classmates, and practice synthesizing information. These conversations give students the chance to gain new perspectives, receive feedback on their ideas, and boost their confidence before delving into the research paper.

In 8th Grade, students synthesize their ideas about the research question through a class discussion. After the discussion, students have an opportunity to outline their research paper using both their discussion notes and the note-taking graphic organizer they have used throughout the unit.

Participate in an optional final project that fosters creative thinking and collaboration

Each research unit comes with an optional end-of-unit project to further engage students through project based learning. These optional projects help foster student creativity and collaboration. Students can work with a partner or group to complete the task.

In 8th grade, students must make a brochure providing prospective parents and student athletes with factual information about the benefits and risks about contact sports so families can make an informed decision about participating. Students must work with a peer with an opposing view on the topic so the brochure is factual and unbiased. This task encourages teamwork and collaboration between peers with differing views.

Grade	Unit Title	Optional Final Project
6th	Our Changing Oceans	Create 1-3 mock social media posts about ocean conservation
7th	Social Media: Risks and Rewards	Create 2-3 mock social media posts that promote positive usage of social media
8th	Contact Sports: Worth the Risk?	Create a brochure to provide prospective parents and student athletes with factual information about the benefits and risks of contact sports
9th	The Science of Branding: Why We Buy	Make a Brand Strategy and Messaging Video Blog to help prospective buyers of a brand make informed decisions about the company they are putting their money behind
10th	The Fashion Industry: Past to Present	Put together a presentation about the humaneness of a chosen clothing brand for an audience of potential consumers

Vocabulary and grammar lessons build student comprehension and writing skills

Each 360 unit comes with vocabulary and grammar lessons. Vocabulary activities help students internalize high-impact academic vocabulary words they will see in the texts they are reading. Grammar activities help students improve their writing skills, teaching students valuable skills to construct carefully crafted, grammatically correct paragraphs.

Want to learn more about research units and CommonLit 360? Register for a free, 30-minute webinar today!

Interested in learning about our affordable support packages? For just $6,500 per school, School Essentials PRO Plus provides teachers with three benchmark assessments, two unit skill assessments per 360 unit, personalized professional development, school-wide data reports, LMS integrations, and more.

We are eager to support your team!

Chat with CommonLit

CommonLit’s team will reach out with more information on our school and district partnerships.

Research Skills

50 Mini-Lessons For Teaching Students Research Skills

Please note, I am no longer blogging and this post hasn’t updated since April 2020.

For a number of years, Seth Godin has been talking about the need to “ connect the dots” rather than “collect the dots” . That is, rather than memorising information, students must be able to learn how to solve new problems, see patterns, and combine multiple perspectives.

Solid research skills underpin this. Having the fluency to find and use information successfully is an essential skill for life and work.

Today’s students have more information at their fingertips than ever before and this means the role of the teacher as a guide is more important than ever.

You might be wondering how you can fit teaching research skills into a busy curriculum? There aren’t enough hours in the day! The good news is, there are so many mini-lessons you can do to build students’ skills over time.

This post outlines 50 ideas for activities that could be done in just a few minutes (or stretched out to a longer lesson if you have the time!).

Learn More About The Research Process

I have a popular post called Teach Students How To Research Online In 5 Steps. It outlines a five-step approach to break down the research process into manageable chunks.

Learn about a simple search process for students in primary school, middle school, or high school Kathleen Morris

This post shares ideas for mini-lessons that could be carried out in the classroom throughout the year to help build students’ skills in the five areas of: clarify, search, delve, evaluate , and cite . It also includes ideas for learning about staying organised throughout the research process.

Notes about the 50 research activities:

These ideas can be adapted for different age groups from middle primary/elementary to senior high school.
Many of these ideas can be repeated throughout the year.
Depending on the age of your students, you can decide whether the activity will be more teacher or student led. Some activities suggest coming up with a list of words, questions, or phrases. Teachers of younger students could generate these themselves.
Depending on how much time you have, many of the activities can be either quickly modelled by the teacher, or extended to an hour-long lesson.
Some of the activities could fit into more than one category.
Looking for simple articles for younger students for some of the activities? Try DOGO News or Time for Kids . Newsela is also a great resource but you do need to sign up for free account.
Why not try a few activities in a staff meeting? Everyone can always brush up on their own research skills!

Choose a topic (e.g. koalas, basketball, Mount Everest) . Write as many questions as you can think of relating to that topic.
Make a mindmap of a topic you’re currently learning about. This could be either on paper or using an online tool like Bubbl.us .
Read a short book or article. Make a list of 5 words from the text that you don’t totally understand. Look up the meaning of the words in a dictionary (online or paper).
Look at a printed or digital copy of a short article with the title removed. Come up with as many different titles as possible that would fit the article.
Come up with a list of 5 different questions you could type into Google (e.g. Which country in Asia has the largest population?) Circle the keywords in each question.
Write down 10 words to describe a person, place, or topic. Come up with synonyms for these words using a tool like Thesaurus.com .
Write pairs of synonyms on post-it notes (this could be done by the teacher or students). Each student in the class has one post-it note and walks around the classroom to find the person with the synonym to their word.

Explore how to search Google using your voice (i.e. click/tap on the microphone in the Google search box or on your phone/tablet keyboard) . List the pros and cons of using voice and text to search.
Open two different search engines in your browser such as Google and Bing. Type in a query and compare the results. Do all search engines work exactly the same?
Have students work in pairs to try out a different search engine (there are 11 listed here ). Report back to the class on the pros and cons.
Think of something you’re curious about, (e.g. What endangered animals live in the Amazon Rainforest?). Open Google in two tabs. In one search, type in one or two keywords ( e.g. Amazon Rainforest) . In the other search type in multiple relevant keywords (e.g. endangered animals Amazon rainforest). Compare the results. Discuss the importance of being specific.
Similar to above, try two different searches where one phrase is in quotation marks and the other is not. For example, Origin of “raining cats and dogs” and Origin of raining cats and dogs . Discuss the difference that using quotation marks makes (It tells Google to search for the precise keywords in order.)
Try writing a question in Google with a few minor spelling mistakes. What happens? What happens if you add or leave out punctuation ?
Try the AGoogleADay.com daily search challenges from Google. The questions help older students learn about choosing keywords, deconstructing questions, and altering keywords.
Explore how Google uses autocomplete to suggest searches quickly. Try it out by typing in various queries (e.g. How to draw… or What is the tallest…). Discuss how these suggestions come about, how to use them, and whether they’re usually helpful.
Watch this video from Code.org to learn more about how search works .
Take a look at 20 Instant Google Searches your Students Need to Know by Eric Curts to learn about “ instant searches ”. Try one to try out. Perhaps each student could be assigned one to try and share with the class.
Experiment with typing some questions into Google that have a clear answer (e.g. “What is a parallelogram?” or “What is the highest mountain in the world?” or “What is the population of Australia?”). Look at the different ways the answers are displayed instantly within the search results — dictionary definitions, image cards, graphs etc.

Watch the video How Does Google Know Everything About Me? by Scientific American. Discuss the PageRank algorithm and how Google uses your data to customise search results.
Brainstorm a list of popular domains (e.g. .com, .com.au, or your country’s domain) . Discuss if any domains might be more reliable than others and why (e.g. .gov or .edu) .
Discuss (or research) ways to open Google search results in a new tab to save your original search results (i.e. right-click > open link in new tab or press control/command and click the link).
Try out a few Google searches (perhaps start with things like “car service” “cat food” or “fresh flowers”). A re there advertisements within the results? Discuss where these appear and how to spot them.
Look at ways to filter search results by using the tabs at the top of the page in Google (i.e. news, images, shopping, maps, videos etc.). Do the same filters appear for all Google searches? Try out a few different searches and see.
Type a question into Google and look for the “People also ask” and “Searches related to…” sections. Discuss how these could be useful. When should you use them or ignore them so you don’t go off on an irrelevant tangent? Is the information in the drop-down section under “People also ask” always the best?
Often, more current search results are more useful. Click on “tools” under the Google search box and then “any time” and your time frame of choice such as “Past month” or “Past year”.
Have students annotate their own “anatomy of a search result” example like the one I made below. Explore the different ways search results display; some have more details like sitelinks and some do not.

Find two articles on a news topic from different publications. Or find a news article and an opinion piece on the same topic. Make a Venn diagram comparing the similarities and differences.
Choose a graph, map, or chart from The New York Times’ What’s Going On In This Graph series . Have a whole class or small group discussion about the data.
Look at images stripped of their captions on What’s Going On In This Picture? by The New York Times. Discuss the images in pairs or small groups. What can you tell?
Explore a website together as a class or in pairs — perhaps a news website. Identify all the advertisements .
Have a look at a fake website either as a whole class or in pairs/small groups. See if students can spot that these sites are not real. Discuss the fact that you can’t believe everything that’s online. Get started with these four examples of fake websites from Eric Curts.
Give students a copy of my website evaluation flowchart to analyse and then discuss as a class. Read more about the flowchart in this post.
As a class, look at a prompt from Mike Caulfield’s Four Moves . Either together or in small groups, have students fact check the prompts on the site. This resource explains more about the fact checking process. Note: some of these prompts are not suitable for younger students.
Practice skim reading — give students one minute to read a short article. Ask them to discuss what stood out to them. Headings? Bold words? Quotes? Then give students ten minutes to read the same article and discuss deep reading.

All students can benefit from learning about plagiarism, copyright, how to write information in their own words, and how to acknowledge the source. However, the formality of this process will depend on your students’ age and your curriculum guidelines.

Watch the video Citation for Beginners for an introduction to citation. Discuss the key points to remember.
Look up the definition of plagiarism using a variety of sources (dictionary, video, Wikipedia etc.). Create a definition as a class.
Find an interesting video on YouTube (perhaps a “life hack” video) and write a brief summary in your own words.
Have students pair up and tell each other about their weekend. Then have the listener try to verbalise or write their friend’s recount in their own words. Discuss how accurate this was.
Read the class a copy of a well known fairy tale. Have them write a short summary in their own words. Compare the versions that different students come up with.
Try out MyBib — a handy free online tool without ads that helps you create citations quickly and easily.
Give primary/elementary students a copy of Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Citation that matches their grade level (the guide covers grades 1 to 6). Choose one form of citation and create some examples as a class (e.g. a website or a book).
Make a list of things that are okay and not okay to do when researching, e.g. copy text from a website, use any image from Google images, paraphrase in your own words and cite your source, add a short quote and cite the source.
Have students read a short article and then come up with a summary that would be considered plagiarism and one that would not be considered plagiarism. These could be shared with the class and the students asked to decide which one shows an example of plagiarism .
Older students could investigate the difference between paraphrasing and summarising . They could create a Venn diagram that compares the two.
Write a list of statements on the board that might be true or false ( e.g. The 1956 Olympics were held in Melbourne, Australia. The rhinoceros is the largest land animal in the world. The current marathon world record is 2 hours, 7 minutes). Have students research these statements and decide whether they’re true or false by sharing their citations.

Staying Organised

Make a list of different ways you can take notes while researching — Google Docs, Google Keep, pen and paper etc. Discuss the pros and cons of each method.
Learn the keyboard shortcuts to help manage tabs (e.g. open new tab, reopen closed tab, go to next tab etc.). Perhaps students could all try out the shortcuts and share their favourite one with the class.
Find a collection of resources on a topic and add them to a Wakelet .
Listen to a short podcast or watch a brief video on a certain topic and sketchnote ideas. Sylvia Duckworth has some great tips about live sketchnoting
Learn how to use split screen to have one window open with your research, and another open with your notes (e.g. a Google spreadsheet, Google Doc, Microsoft Word or OneNote etc.) .

All teachers know it’s important to teach students to research well. Investing time in this process will also pay off throughout the year and the years to come. Students will be able to focus on analysing and synthesizing information, rather than the mechanics of the research process.

By trying out as many of these mini-lessons as possible throughout the year, you’ll be really helping your students to thrive in all areas of school, work, and life.

Also remember to model your own searches explicitly during class time. Talk out loud as you look things up and ask students for input. Learning together is the way to go!

You Might Also Enjoy Reading:

How To Evaluate Websites: A Guide For Teachers And Students

Five Tips for Teaching Students How to Research and Filter Information

Typing Tips: The How and Why of Teaching Students Keyboarding Skills

8 Ways Teachers And Schools Can Communicate With Parents

Learn how to teach research skills to primary students, middle school students, or high school students. 50 activities that could be done in just a few minutes a day. Lots of Google search tips and research tips for kids and teachers. Free PDF included! Kathleen Morris | Primary Tech

10 Replies to “50 Mini-Lessons For Teaching Students Research Skills”

Loving these ideas, thank you

This list is amazing. Thank you so much!

So glad it’s helpful, Alex! 🙂

Hi I am a student who really needed some help on how to reasearch thanks for the help.

So glad it helped! 🙂

seriously seriously grateful for your post. 🙂

So glad it’s helpful! Makes my day 🙂

How do you get the 50 mini lessons. I got the free one but am interested in the full version.

Hi Tracey, The link to the PDF with the 50 mini lessons is in the post. Here it is . Check out this post if you need more advice on teaching students how to research online. Hope that helps! Kathleen

Best wishes to you as you face your health battler. Hoping you’ve come out stronger and healthier from it. Your website is so helpful.

Comments are closed.

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Teaching ELA with Joy

Middle School ELA Resources

10 Ideas to Make Teaching RESEARCH Easier

By Joy Sexton 1 Comment

Need teaching ideas to help students succeed on research assignments? Read about 10 ideas that will make teaching research easier and more manageable. TeachingELAwithJoy.com #research #researchprojects #middleschoolenglish

I enjoy diving into research units with my students because they get to learn new things, and I do, too! But teaching research skills is a gigantic task! And one thing’s for certain: I’ll have to break the research process into steps to keep my middle school students from feeling overwhelmed. I want them to have that “I’ve got this” attitude from the moment I introduce the project.

Of course, as teachers, we need to be prepared and have our research assignments clearly-designed. But a big key to making the process easier for me and my students, what makes the most impact I think, is modeling . If you can model what you want students to do (as opposed to just telling them), your expectations become clearer. Not everything can be modeled, but whenever the opportunity arises, it’s powerful!

Here are 10 ideas to make teaching research skills manageable and successful:

1. Make sure students start out with more than one topic option . What I mean is, it helps for each student to have “back up” topics ready to go in case the first choice isn’t panning out. For example, I’ve had students who chose a topic they were very passionate about. But it turned out that once they got searching, not enough information was turning up. In most cases, these students had decided to research very current topics like a YouTuber or a new version of iPhone or even a specific automobile. They searched and searched, but the few sites they located just repeated the same smattering of facts. It REALLY helped that the assignment required three topic choices, with students prioritizing their choices . Instead of getting all stressed out, the students just went with their second choice, and got right into note-taking. Or let’s say you are assigning topics, for example, for Holocaust research. Once they start researching, students may find a certain topic too complex and would feel more supported if they had other options.

Research Q & A is a motivating short research project based on inquiry! Organizers, mentor text, and an editable template for typing guide students through the process

2. Don’t rule out books and other print sources. Now that so many students carry laptops, we’ve come to expect research to be Internet-based. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that! With just a few clicks, students have access to SO MUCH information. But some of my students come and ask if they can go to the library for printed sources because they prefer taking notes from books. That reminds me that we all learn differently. It might be to our amazement, but library research is alive and well for a portion of our students. Sometimes it’s my struggling learners who go for the printed sources, but I’ve also had more advanced learners hit the books as well. Even if you’ve got kids on their laptops or in the computer lab, find a way to incorporate different types of sources in their search so you differentiate . FYI, the Common Core Standards for W.8 (the research writing) state “Gather information from multiple print and digital sources . . .” So, it looks like using some print sources is still an expectation (but not for every assignment) if you follow Common Core. Definitely let your librarian in on whatever type of research assignment you have going on. They’re usually very eager to provide support !

3. Emphasize the need to narrow search terms . So often, students just want to plop their main topic into the Google search bar, right? Unfortunately, what comes up is usually current information that is not necessarily going to hit what they need. That’s how time gets wasted. You can quickly model this skill for students with an example using a celebrity. Say you are needing information on a certain celebrity’s life—some facts about their rise to fame. Place just the name in the search bar, and what most likely comes up are articles that have been in the news about the person. Then place the name with the word “biography” in the search bar and have students notice the difference.

4. Explain the connection between research and reading . Once they have a topic, students are so ready to start note-taking! But wait, do your students understand that research starts with careful reading? First, they’ll need to preview several websites before taking any notes. I call it “Ten Minutes, Reading Only.” That’s the least they can do to look for sources that not only match their topic but meet their readability needs . Let’s face it, many websites or even printed sources are written well above some of our students’ reading levels. Let them know that if they are finding long sentences with numerous unfamiliar words, it’s time to move on. Then, once they do locate a few good sources, they still need to read! When they come upon information they understand that really hits the topic, BINGO. That’s when note-taking should begin.

5. Model note-taking using a bulleted list of short phrases . One thing is for sure: we don’t want students to copy full sentences, word for word, when they take notes. So modeling this when you’re teaching research skills is huge. I always tell students that they will create their own complete sentences when they are drafting . Note-taking is for short phrases . Just give them a heads up that they have to be able to understand the shortened information! I’ve had students who wrote phrases too short for the complex information they represented. A problem arose, of course, when trying to draft sentences. The students couldn’t remember what was actually meant by the few words they had copied down.

You can easily model note-taking by choosing a paragraph of nonfiction from a website or online encyclopedia. Project it on your whiteboard or pass out copies to the class. You can have students work with a partner to take notes in short phrases on a bulleted list. Students could then exchange papers several times to see what others came up with, and then share out what they noticed. Or, you may prefer to make the notes on your whiteboard with whole-class participation.

6. Show students the citation generator you want them to use and how it works. Teaching research skills always includes citing sources. So if you approve of students having citations created for them, I’m with you! Just be clear on which citation generator to use. I’ve always preferred www.Bibme.org , but now with all the ads on these sites, and Google Docs’ own generator, there are other options. Again, you can do a quick modeling on your Smartboard using a website. It’s a good idea to walk around during note-taking and check that each student is comfortable using the citation generator. Sometimes students are unsure but might not want to ask.

7. Offer creative formats for students to use as their research product. If you can, let them infuse some of their own passion into the topic. Let’s face it, teaching research skills is easier when students are personally invested. Your standards or district curriculum may require a research-based essay , and that’s fine. With lots of scaffolds and modeling, the results can be awesome! But how about having students report out in a newsletter format? They can break the information down into four short articles and give each one a title. Now the assignment becomes more motivating. Or require a slide presentation, with a paragraph of text on each slide along with visuals.

Another creative format is a Q & A page . My students enjoy a short project called Research Q & A , where they choose a topic they’d like to learn more about and create two questions to research. They report their findings on a Q & A sheet, using a template they type into, along with visuals.

Here's a short, motivating research project where students create a Q & A page! Full research process with step-by-step PowerPoint introduction. Perfect for middle school ELA! www.TeachingELAwithJoy.com #middleschoolresearch #shortresearchprojects #middleschoolela

8. Have students color code their notes . This is an incredibly helpful scaffold to producing an organized draft! Once the research is completed, students should look over their notes and on a sheet of paper, list the “sub-topics” they have covered. For example, if they are writing an informational article about an athlete, their list might include childhood, training, early career steps, and best achievements. Then, with 4-5 colored pencils, they underline each sub-topic with a different color. Students then read through their notes, placing a colored bullet to match as they find content corresponding to the sub-topic.

The color coding helps make drafting each paragraph so much easier! Students just focus on all the green information on their notes pages when drafting the first body paragraph, all the purple information when drafting the second, etc.

A research strategy for organizing notes by color-coding. Great for teaching research skills in middle or high school TeachingELAwithJoy.com

9. Require editing and revising using a different color . As English teachers, we want the revising and editing step to be meaningful. When revisions stand out this way, both students and the teacher get to visibly see a growth process. They understand that they are expected to and can notice weaknesses and make their product better. I always keep red and green pens available. And I sense that kids like using them. Another BIG plus here: individual conferencing becomes quick and easy when you can see by the colored ink which revisions have (or have not!) been made.

10. Work in some peer exchange opportunities . Students benefit from regular check-ins, but you don’t always have the time. So why not have students check in on each other? Decide on a few times in your assignment when students will need to “take stock” of things. That’s when you’ll say, exchange with a partner, and look at x, y, or z. The check can be as simple as the partners write feedback in the margin of each other’s paper, or on a post-it, or have a short discussion. For example, let’s say you allot two periods for research, and you expect three solid pages of notes. When the second class period is drawing to a close, have a partner exchange. Peers have two tasks: rate the quality of the notes on a scale of 1-5 and suggest whether note-taking is complete or more needs to be done as homework.

Students love to read each other’s papers, so work in a peer exchange during revising and editing. Have peers place a question mark in the margin next to any area that doesn’t make clear sense. You could also choose a couple specific topics for their focus, such as capital letters and commas. Students enjoy these roles and checks like these build skills and confidence .

Our goal, of course, is to make research motivating for every one of our students. By using some of these strategies, teaching research skills should become easier! I think your students will experience excitement over all the new learning their efforts bring.

I’ve developed some print-and-go research activities that students enjoy and have success with. They include step-by-step scaffolds and mentor texts to save you time. Just click on the images to have a closer look.

Teach the informative essay with step-by-step guided writing templates for all paragraphs. Students will appreciate mentor texts for all 5 types of essays including research-based. Vivid graphic organizers and rubrics are perfect for middle school ELA!

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April 21, 2021 at 11:47 pm

This looks amazing. I’m so glad I found this article. I am guiding my 7th grader through a year-end research project at home and this is exactly what I needed to help guide me through it first!

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Finally, a guide for upper elementary teachers that will show you how to teach research reports in a step-by-step format!

If you are struggling with teaching the research report process, you are not alone. Seriously, we’ve all been there!

I spent several years avoiding research reports for my 5th grade writers or simply depending on the Library-Media Specialist to teach the research process.

One year, I decided to take the plunge and teach my students how to research a topic and write a research report.

The process was clunky at first, but I learned a lot about how students approach research and how to guide them from choosing a topic to completing their final copies.

Before we discuss the HOW , let’s talk about the WHY .

research reports for 5th grade and 6th grade

Why You Should Be Assigning Research Reports to Your 5th and 6th Grade Students

I have three main reasons for assigning research reports to my students.

First, the skill involved in finding reliable sources and citing sources is valuable.

Beginning in 5th grade, and possibly even before, students need to be able to discern the reliability of a source . They should be able to spot propaganda and distinguish between reputable sources and phony ones.

Teaching the procedure for citing sources is important because my 5th grade students need to grasp the reality of plagiarism and how to avoid it.

By providing information about the sources they used, students are consciously avoiding copying the work of authors and learning to give credit where credit is due.

Second, by taking notes and organizing their notes into an outline, students are exercising their ability to find main ideas and corresponding details.

Being able to organize ideas is crucial for young writers.

Third, when writing research reports, students are internalizing the writing process, including organizing, writing a rough draft, proofreading/editing, and writing a final draft.

When students write research reports about topics of interest, they are fine-tuning their reading and writing skills.

How to Teach Step-By-Step Research Reports in Grades 5 & 6

As a veteran upper elementary teacher, I know exactly what is going to happen when I tell my students that we are going to start research reports.

There will be a resounding groan followed by students voicing their displeasure. (It goes something like this…. “Mrs. Bazzit! That’s too haaaaaaard!” or “Ugh. That’s boring!” *Sigh* I’ve heard it all, lol.)

This is when I put on my (somewhat fictional) excited teacher hat and help them to realize that the research report process will be fun and interesting.

Teach students how to choose a topic and cite their sources

Step 1: Help Students to Choose a Topic and Cite Sources for Research Reports

Students definitely get excited when they find out they are allowed to choose their own research topic. Providing choice leads to higher engagement and interest.

It’s best practice to provide a list of possible research topics to students, but also allow them to choose a different topic.

Be sure to make your research topics narrow to help students focus on sources. If students choose broad topics, the sources they find will overwhelm them with information.

Too Broad: American Revolution

Just Right: The Battle of Yorktown

Too Broad: Ocean Life

Just Right: Great White Shark

Too Broad: Important Women in History

Just Right: The Life of Abigail Adams

Be sure to discuss appropriate, reliable sources with students.

I suggest projecting several examples of internet sources on your technology board. Ask students to decide if the sources look reliable or unreliable.

While teaching students about citing sources, it’s a great time to discuss plagiarism and ways to avoid it.

Students should never copy the words of an author unless they are properly quoting the text.

In fact, I usually discourage students from quoting their sources in their research reports. In my experience, students will try to quote a great deal of text and will border on plagiarism.

I prefer to see students paraphrase from their sources because this skill helps them to refine their summarization skills.

Citing sources is not as hard as it sounds! I find that my students generally use books and internet sources, so those are the two types of citations that I focus on.

How to cite a book:

Author’s last name, First name. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Date.

How to cite an internet article:

Author’s last name, First name (if available). “Title of Article or Page.” Full http address, Date of access.

If you continue reading to the bottom of this post, I have created one free screencast for each of the five steps of the research process!

Teach students how to take notes on their research topics

Step 2: Research Reports: Take Notes

During this step, students will use their sources to take notes.

I do provide instruction and examples during this step because from experience, I know that students will think every piece of information from each source is important and they will copy long passages from each source.

I teach students that taking notes is an exercise in main idea and details. They should read the source, write down the main idea, and list several details to support the main idea.

I encourage my students NOT to copy information from the source but instead to put the information in their own words. They will be less likely to plagiarize if their notes already contain their own words.

Additionally, during this step, I ask students to write a one-sentence thesis statement. I teach students that a thesis statement tells the main point of their research reports.

Their entire research report will support the thesis statement, so the thesis statement is actually a great way to help students maintain a laser focus on their research topic.

Teach students how to make an outline for their research reports

Step 3: Make a Research Report Outline

Making an outline can be intimidating for students, especially if they’ve never used this organization format.

However, this valuable step will teach students to organize their notes into the order that will be used to write the rough draft of their reports.

Because making an outline is usually a new concept for my 5th graders, we do 2-3 examples together before I allow students to make their outlines for their research reports.

I recommend copying an outline template for students to have at their fingertips while creating their first outline.

Be sure to look over students’ outlines for organization, order, and accuracy before allowing them to move on to the next step (writing rough drafts).

Teach students how to write a rough draft of their research reports

Step 4: Write a Research Report Draft

During this step, each student will write a rough draft of his/her research report.

If they completed their outlines correctly, this step will be fairly simple.

Students will write their research reports in paragraph form.

One problem that is common among my students is that instead of writing in paragraphs, they write their sentences in list format.

I find that it’s helpful to write a paragraph in front of and with students to remind them that when writing a paragraph, the next sentence begins immediately after the prior sentence.

Once students’ rough drafts are completed, it’s time to proofread/edit!

To begin, I ask my students to read their drafts aloud to listen for their own mistakes.

Next, I ask my students to have two individuals look over their draft and suggest changes.

Teach students how to create final drafts of their research reports

Step 5: Research Reports – Students Will Write Their Final Drafts!

It’s finally time to write final drafts!

After students have completed their rough drafts and made edits, I ask them to write final drafts.

Students’ final drafts should be as close to perfect as possible.

I prefer a typed final draft because students will have access to a spellchecker and other features that will make it easier to create their final draft.

Think of a creative way to display the finished product, because they will be SO proud of their research reports after all the hard work that went into creating them!

When grading the reports, use a rubric similar to the one shown in the image at the beginning of this section.

A detailed rubric will help students to clearly see their successes and areas of needed improvement.

Once students have completed their first research projects, I find that they have a much easier time with the other research topics assigned throughout the remainder of the school year.

If you are interested in a no-prep, step-by-step research report instructional unit, please click here to visit my Research Report Instructional Unit for 5th Grade and 6th Grade.

This instructional unit will guide students step-by-step through the research process, including locating reliable sources, taking notes, creating an outline, writing a report, and making a “works cited” page.

I’d like to share a very special free resource with you. I created five screencast videos, one for each step of the research report process. These screencasts pair perfectly with my Research Report Instructional Unit for 5th Grade and 6th Grade!

Research Report Step 1 Screencast

Research Report Step 2 Screencast

Research Report Step 3 Screencast

Research Report Step 4 Screencast

Research Report Step 5 Screencast

To keep this post for later, simply save this image to your teacher Pinterest board!

Hi, If i purchase your complete package on grade 5/6 writing does it come with your wonderful recordings on how to teach them? Thanks

Hi Gail! The recordings on this blog post can be used by anyone and I will leave them up 🙂 The writing bundle doesn’t come with any recordings but I did include step-by-step instructions for teachers. I hope this helps!

Thank you for sharing your information with everyone. I know how to write (I think, haha), but I wanted to really set my students up for success with their research and writing. Your directions and guides are just what I needed to jar my memory and help my students become original writers. Be blessed.

You are very welcome, Andrea! Thank you for this comment 🙂

Hi Andrea, I am a veteran teacher who has taught nothing but primary for 25 years. However, this is my first year in 5th. I’m so excited to have found your post. Can you direct me to how I can purchase your entire bundle for writing a 5-paragraph essay. Thanks, Sue

Sure, Susan, I can help with that! Here is the link for the 5th Grade Writing Bundle: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/5th-Grade-Writing-Bundle-3611643

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This module is designed to help you teach students to write good papers. You will find useful examples of activities that guide students through the writing process. This resource will be helpful for anyone working with students on research papers, book reviews, and other analytical essays. The Center for Teaching and Learning also has comprehensive writing resources featuring general writing tips, citation guidelines, model papers, and ways to get more help at Yale.

There are several steps TFs and faculty can take to prepare students to write good papers. If you are responsible for making writing assignments, remember that most students need to practice the basic elements of writing — purpose, argument, evidence, style — and that these skills are best practiced in shorter, focused assignments. Opt for shorter essays and papers throughout the semester in lieu of long, end-of-semester research papers. Build opportunities for revision and refinement into your assignments and lesson plans.

For each assignment, there are steps you can take to help students produce better writing . First, use strategies for making sure students understand the assignment. Use individual meetings, short, in-class writing exercises or small-group activities to make sure students can articulate what their paper will accomplish (describe, compare/contrast, explain, argue) and to what standard.

Second, guide students in selecting and analyzing primary and secondary source material. Use in-class activities to teach students: the difference between types of sources and their uses; strategies for evaluating a source and its value in a given argument; and examples of how to incorporate source material into an argument or other text with proper citation .

Finally, teach them to construct strong thesis statements and support their arguments with evidence. Use model documents to introduce students to strong, arguable statements. Give students practice developing statements from scratch and refining statements that lack importance or clarity . Ask students to analyze the relationship between thesis statements and supporting evidence in short essays. Teach them to use the active voice .

Students who have never gone through a thorough revision process are used to handing in and receiving poor grades on first drafts. These students will lack confidence in their ability to produce good writing. Do all you can to let your students experience good writing through revision. Require drafts of papers, or parts of papers, so students can learn to apply the standards of good writing to make their papers better. Have students read and comment on each other’s papers to give them practice reading for clarity, style, persuasiveness, etc.

By focusing on the process of writing, not just the product, you will help students write better papers and gain confidence along the way.

For those of you who work with teaching fellows, we also include an agenda for teaching these skills to others and a workshop evaluation form .

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The Daring English Teacher on Teachers Pay Teachers Secondary ELA resources Middle School ELA High School English

Teaching the Research Paper Part 1: Introducing the Research Paper and Preparing Students for the Assignment

There are three things every teacher should do before taking their students to the computer lab to research information for their research papers: teach the difference between reliable and unreliable sources, check to make sure every student has a self-generated research question, and help prepare students with key phrases and words to search.

Whenever I begin teaching the research paper , I always share with my students the story of how I wrote my Master’s thesis paper. It was a 50 page paper with 50 different sources.

I don’t do this to toot my own horn. I don’t do this to scare my students away from post-secondary education. I don’t do this to make the students feel like their research assignment is petty and small. I do this so that I can explain the process of research to them and so that they know I was once in their shoes.

So how exactly do you write a 50-page research paper that has 50 unique, credible sources? One source at a time.

Teaching the Research Paper: 3 Critical Steps to Take

Teaching the research paper: find credible sources.

When teaching the research paper to my secondary ELA students, I first show them about research and credible sources. Before students can even begin looking for their sources, they have to know how to distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources. Being able to do so is the first step in finding a reliable source.

Once I feel my students have a firm understanding of the sources they will be looking at, we then dive into the research topic, and the students select their issues related to the main topic.

Teaching the Research Paper: Create Questions

One of the critical parts of teaching the research paper to students is having them come up with their self-generated research questions. To do this, I encourage students to work collaboratively and talk about their research topics.

Students can work in small groups to see what their peers would like to know about that matter.

Working in small groups first provides extra support for EL and struggling students. From there, students come up with their questions to answer. There is also a graphic organizer in my Research Paper Writing resource that is especially helpful during this process.

Teaching the Research Paper: Brainstorm Key Words

Once students have a self-generated question, it is time to get students to think about keywords and phrases they will use in their search for sources. All too often I see students typing precise, wordy questions into a search engine. This only creates frustration for the students as well as the teacher.

Taking half a class to discuss keywords and phrases helps students tremendously, and it even speeds up the research process because students can find credible sources a lot easier. When teaching keywords and phrases to my students, I encourage them to type no more than four words into the search engine. I tell them that they must think of the most important words directly related to their topic.

To help students think about keywords and phrases they can use in the search engine, have them think about hashtags for their research topic. This fun, easy, and engaging strategy will get students thinking about what to research and what is explicitly related to their subject.

Teaching the Research Paper: A Research Paper Writing Instructional Unit

Take the stress out of teaching your students how to write a research paper with this complete research writing unit ! This comprehensive and complete research paper writing unit will help you teach your students how to write a research paper. Now available in print + digital!

This step-by-step resource teaches your students the eight steps of research writing, and it includes every single thing you could need for a successful research writing unit! Plus, it is updated for 9th edition MLA!

The editable teaching presentation (which comes in both PowerPoint and Google Slides®) is ideal for direct instruction and includes multiple days of guided instruction! The research writing presentation introduces students to the eight steps for completing a research project: selecting topics, generating questions, brainstorming, researching and gathering credible information, organizing and outlining, writing the first draft, peer editing, and finalizing the paper.

Research Paper Teaching Unit

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was

30 total teaching days

One 3-ring notebook or small steno notebook
100 notecards
Box or pencil bag to keep notecards in
Five resources (minimum)

Each student finds his/her “burning interest”
Give personal examples of a “passion” (I tell students that if I didn’t have to do anything else in my life – not even eat or sleep – I would love to study English castles or ghost towns of Colorado! That is how I know these are passionate interests.)
Interview a partner: talk about your interests
Process the interview, i.e., “How did you know this was a “burning interest” or passion? (Did the person talk more excitedly? etc.) Write in your journal how you decided that you have chosen a truly interesting topic to study.

In journal write what you already know about your topic and what you would like to know.
Begin searching for resources
Use librarian to teach library research skills at your school
Handout the Topic Commitment Form, pages one and two (found at the end of this document)

Continue teaching library research skills
Begin collecting resources

Go to the public library and instruct students how to research there
Continue collecting resources
Five resources are due by Day 5
(At this time some students my need to modify their original topic if they are unable to find enough resources.)
Share with the class or in small groups the most interesting or exciting resources they found.

Teach two-column note taking by having students fold a piece of paper and on one side write a quote or some interesting fact from a book and on the other side a personal response (i.e., Why is this interesting to you? Do you agree, disagree? etc.)
Begin researching the information in the books and recording interesting information in their journals.
Share this information with their partners
Begin setting up an interview or a visitation for each student so that they have the opportunity to interview an expert in their field of study or get a first hand look at what they are studying

Continue reading for information
Teach how to read for information
Teach how to write a bibliography (check with your school for the approved bibliography format).

With partners choose 3 – 5 categories into which students can divide their papers.
Label notecards with the title of each category and choose a symbol or picture to represent that category and draw it on the card.
Teach how to write research notes on notecards.
Each notecard should be labeled in the upper right hand corner with the symbol that represents which category the card belongs to. The middle of the card should contain a quote or the main idea from their research text. On the bottom of the card write the name of the book and the page number this information came from.
Students should have 15 to 20 notecards per category.

Work on notecards
Share your progress with your partner

Teach interviewing techniques (perhaps a speech teacher in your school can help with this)
Work on notecards

Work on notecards
On a large sheet of poster paper draw pictures and use phrases to describe what you have learned so far.

All notecards due
Teach how to write good paragraphs with strong topic sentences and good supporting sentences.

Have students arrange notecards in order within their category, then turn them over and “talk out” (explain verbally) their topics. This method helps students see the big picture and to organize information within each category.
Write rough draft of first topic
Practice and share good topic sentences and supporting details
Put examples on the chalkboard for all to see
Partners should check each other’s progress

Continue writing rough drafts and checking topic sentences and supporting sentences.
Teach how to create visuals to enhance their report. Require at least one visual per category.

Continue working on rough draft and sharing with their partner

Write rough draft of second topic (“talk out” the topic first)
Teach transitional words and sentences to use so that the paper flows smoothly from one category to the next.

Share rough drafts and begin third topic (“talk out” third topic)
Teach how to quote when using information from their interviews in their drafts

Continue working on rough draft

Share rough drafts and work on fourth topic, if needed

Teach how to write an introduction and conclusion

Share introductions and conclusions
Remind students that their rough drafts, including visuals, cover page and bibliography, are due the next day.

Entire rough draft due
Peer edit
Final due on Day 25

Teach oral presentation skills
Hand out Speech Preparation Sheet (also found at the end of this document)
- Write presentation on notecards
- Provide a large visual (a poster, video, overhead, slides, etc.)
- Teach an activity to the class (for example students have studied lawyers and set up a mock trial, sports demos and games, cooking activity, drawing techniques, etc.)

Work on presentation and final paper

Work on presentation and final paper

In class do Research Paper Self-Evaluation (also found at the end of this document)
Turn in self - evaluation and final paper

Begin presentations (schedule 4 – 5 presentations a day)

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Grades 6-12
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5 Ways to Help Middle Schoolers Write Beyond the Bare Minimum

Help students go beyond the required word count to create great work.

How to Help Middle Schoolers Write Beyond the Bare Minimum

Teaching writing is not for the faint of heart—especially in middle school! By this age, it’s harder to trick students into thinking writing is fun, and that eagerness to please grown ups may be ancient history. For many students, there is no amount of cajoling, pleading, or threatening that will produce a response other than, “I don’t know what to write.” They seem to want to write the minimum word count and move on to the next task at hand.

It doesn’t have to be this way, though. There are ways to help kids slay the writing dragon while maintaining peace in your kingdom. Er, I mean, classroom.

1. Offer (lots of) word lists and graphic organizers.

This might seem obvious because we all know these supports make writing more accessible for students. But I’ve been in the classroom, and I know they aren’t used often enough. We need to do this as teachers, though. It’s our job to provide students with a battle plan (because writing is a battle for many kids). There are so many graphic organizers out there, and I recommend trying a few different ones to see what your students like. You also want to make word lists easily accessible. Don’t focus on big or fancy words. Instead, concentrate on offering alternatives to “dead” words like very, a lot, great, etc.

2. Embrace mentor texts.

This is a great way to spur reluctant writers into action because they aren’t starting with a blank slate. Mentor texts are a student’s armor as they attempt more sophisticated compositions, protecting students by giving them a guide to good writing while still requiring them to be creative and use their own words. Over the years I’ve used many mentor texts. One of my favorites is the first vignette from The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. The vignette holds the same title as the book itself, and it describes the different places the main character has lived in her life. Students can model their own writing after Cisneros’ vignette by describing the places they have lived and the people they’ve known in those places along the way.

3. Let the diversity of authors inspire your students.

4. incorporate current events..

Middle school students have lots of opinions, but they often don’t watch the news or get their information from reliable sources. Providing students with a current event article, pairing it with a video, (or song lyrics, or poem, or chapter from a novel or memoir) and then asking them to put down their thoughts really inspire some passionate writing. Current events texts can be paired with nearly any fictitious work to build students’ background knowledge, widen their world view, and yes, nudge them into broadening and deepening their writing lives.

5. Let them choose the adventure.

I know it’s not always possible to let students choose the type of writing they want to do, but when possible, it’s important to let them express themselves. This will definitely help them take ownership of their own work. Think about offering a menu so they have choices—for instance give options such as writing a poem, a chapter in their own memoir, song lyrics, a fictional short story, or even an informative nonfiction article using research (for your fact-loving students!). This will help students see that there are many ways to relate what they know.

Writing is hard, and for many students it can seem like an impossible feat that will never be conquered. However, having your own teacher arsenal of writing strategies and tools will help you lead your mighty army of authors to victory, time and time again. Now, go forth, and WRITE!

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Teaching writing to middle school students: a national survey

Published: 22 December 2013
Volume 27 , pages 1015–1042, ( 2014 )

Cite this article

Steve Graham 1 ,
Andrea Capizzi 2 ,
Karen R. Harris 1 ,
Michael Hebert 3 &
Paul Morphy 4

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A random sample of language arts, social studies, and science middle school teachers from the United States were surveyed about their preparation to teach writing, beliefs about responsibilities for teaching writing, use of evidence-based writing practices, assessment of writing, use of technology, and adaptations for struggling writers. The findings from this survey raised concerns about the quality of middle school writing instruction. Many teachers believed their preservice and inservice preparation to teach writing was inadequate. Middle school students spend little time writing or being taught how to write. While most teachers used a variety of evidenced-based writing practices and made adaptations for struggling writers, such methods were applied infrequently. Most teachers did not appear to use assessment data to shape how they taught writing, and computers played a relatively minor role in middle school writing instruction. Even though teachers generally agreed that writing was a collective responsibility, language arts teachers placed a greater emphasis on writing instruction than social studies and science teachers.

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The Impact of Peer Assessment on Academic Performance: A Meta-analysis of Control Group Studies

Examining Second Language (L2) Learners’ Engagement with AWE-Teacher Integrated Feedback in a Technology-Empowered Context

Reconsidering the Evidence That Systematic Phonics Is More Effective Than Alternative Methods of Reading Instruction

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Langer, J., & Applebee, A. (2011). How writing shapes thinking: A study of teaching and learning. NCTE Research Report No. 22, Urbana, IL.

National Center for Education Statistics (2012). The Nation’s Report Card: Writing 2011 . Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education, Washington, D.C.

National Commission on Writing in America’s Schools and Colleges. (2004). Writing: A ticket to work…or a ticket out. New York, NY: College Board.

National Commission on Writing in America’s Schools and Colleges. (2005). Writing: A powerful message from state government . New York, NY: College Board.

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Michael Hebert

University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA

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Graham, S., Capizzi, A., Harris, K.R. et al. Teaching writing to middle school students: a national survey. Read Writ 27 , 1015–1042 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-013-9495-7

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-013-9495-7

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Fall 2024 Semester

Undergraduate courses.

Composition courses that offer many sections (ENGL 101, 201, 277 and 379) are not listed on this schedule unless they are tailored to specific thematic content or particularly appropriate for specific programs and majors.

100-200 level

ENGL 151.S01: Introduction to English Studies

Tuesday and Thursday, 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Sharon Smith

ENGL 151 serves as an introduction to both the English major and the discipline of English studies. In this class, you will develop the thinking, reading, writing and research practices that define both the major and the discipline. Much of the semester will be devoted to honing your literary analysis skills, and we will study and discuss texts from several different genres—poetry, short fiction, the novel, drama and film—as well as some literary criticism. As we do so, we will explore the language of the discipline, and you will learn a variety of key literary terms and concepts. In addition, you will develop your skills as both a writer and researcher within the discipline of English.

ENGL 201.ST1 Composition II: The Mind/Body Connection

In this section of English 201, students will use research and writing to learn more about problems that are important to them and articulate ways to address those problems. The course will focus specifically on issues related to the mind, the body and the relationship between them. The topics we will discuss during the course will include the correlation between social media and body image; the efficacy of sex education programs; the degree to which beliefs about race and gender influence school dress codes; and the unique mental and physical challenges faced by college students today. In this course, you will be learning about different approaches to argumentation, analyzing the arguments of others and constructing your own arguments. At the same time, you will be honing your skills as a researcher and developing your abilities as a persuasive and effective writer.

ENGL 201.S10 Composition II: Environmental Writing

Monday/Wednesday/Friday 1-1:50 p.m.

Gwen Horsley

English 201 will help students develop the ability to think critically and analytically and to write effectively for other university courses and careers. This course will provide opportunities to develop analytical skills that will help students become critical readers and effective writers. Specifically, in this class, students will:

Focus on the relationships between world environments, land, animals and humankind.
Read various essays by environmental, conservational and regional authors.
Produce student writings.

Students will improve their writing skills by reading essays and applying techniques they witness in others’ work and those learned in class. This class is also a course in logical and creative thought. Students will write about humankind’s place in the world and our influence on the land and animals, places that hold special meaning to them or have influenced their lives and stories of their own families and their places and passions in the world. Students will practice writing in an informed and persuasive manner, in language that engages and enlivens readers by using vivid verbs and avoiding unnecessary passives, nominalizations and expletive constructions.

Students will prepare writing assignments based on readings and discussions of essays included in "Literature and the Environment " and other sources. They may use "The St. Martin’s Handbook," as well as other sources, to review grammar, punctuation, mechanics and usage as needed.

ENGL 201.13 Composition II: Writing the Environment

Tuesday and Thursday 9:30-10:45 a.m.

Paul Baggett

For generations, environmentalists have relied on the power of prose to change the minds and habits of their contemporaries. In the wake of fires, floods, storms and droughts, environmental writing has gained a new sense of urgency, with authors joining activists in their efforts to educate the public about the grim realities of climate change. But do they make a difference? Have reports of present and future disasters so saturated our airwaves that we no longer hear them? How do writers make us care about the planet amidst all the noise? In this course, students will examine the various rhetorical strategies employed by some of today’s leading environmental writers and filmmakers. And while analyzing their different arguments, students also will strengthen their own strategies of argumentation as they research and develop essays that explore a range of environmental concerns.

ENGL 201 Composition II: Food Writing

S17 Tuesday and Thursday 12:30-1:45 p.m.

S18 Tuesday and Thursday 2-3:15 p.m.

Jodi Andrews

In this composition class, students will critically analyze essays about food, food systems and environments, food cultures, the intersections of personal choice, market forces and policy and the values underneath these forces. Students will learn to better read like writers, noting authors’ purpose, audience organizational moves, sentence-level punctuation and diction. We will read a variety of essays including research-intensive arguments and personal narratives which intersect with one of our most primal needs as humans: food consumption. Students will rhetorically analyze texts, conduct advanced research, reflect on the writing process and write essays utilizing intentional rhetorical strategies. Through doing this work, students will practice the writing moves valued in every discipline: argument, evidence, concision, engaging prose and the essential research skills for the 21st century.

ENGL 221.S01 British Literature I

Michael S. Nagy

English 221 is a survey of early British literature from its inception in the Old English period with works such as "Beowulf" and the “Battle of Maldon,” through the Middle Ages and the incomparable writings of Geoffrey Chaucer and the Gawain - poet, to the Renaissance and beyond. Students will explore the historical and cultural contexts in which all assigned reading materials were written, and they will bring that information to bear on class discussion. Likely themes that this class will cover include heroism, humor, honor, religion, heresy and moral relativity. Students will write one research paper in this class and sit for two formal exams: a midterm covering everything up to that point in the semester, and a comprehensive final. Probable texts include the following:

The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Middle Ages. Ed. Alfred David, M. H. Abrams, and Stephen Greenblatt. 9th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012.
The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Sixteenth Century and Early Seventeenth Century. Ed. George M. Logan, Stephen Greenblatt, Barbara K Lewalski, and M. H. Abrams. 9th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012.
The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Restoration and the Eighteenth Century. Ed. George M. Logan, Stephen Greenblatt, Barbara K Lewalski, and M. H. Abrams. 9th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012.
Gibaldi, Joseph. The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 2003.
Any Standard College Dictionary.

ENGL 240.S01 Juvenile Literature Elementary-5th Grade

Monday, Wednesday and Friday noon-12:50 p.m.

April Myrick

A survey of the history of literature written for children and adolescents, and a consideration of the various types of juvenile literature. Text selection will focus on the themes of imagination and breaking boundaries.

ENGL 240.ST1 Juvenile Literature Elementary-5th Grade

Randi Anderson

In English 240 students will develop the skills to interpret and evaluate various genres of literature for juvenile readers. This particular section will focus on various works of literature at approximately the K-5 grade level. We will read a large range of works that fall into this category, as well as information on the history, development and genre of juvenile literature.

Readings for this course include classical works such as "Hatchet," "Little Women", "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and "Brown Girl Dreaming," as well as newer works like "Storm in the Barn," "Anne Frank’s Diary: A Graphic Adaptation," "Lumberjanes," and a variety of picture books. These readings will be paired with chapters from "Reading Children’s Literature: A Critical Introduction " to help develop understanding of various genres, themes and concepts that are both related to juvenile literature and also present in our readings.

In addition to exposing students to various genres of writing (poetry, historical fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, picture books, graphic novels, etc.) this course will also allow students to engage in a discussion of larger themes present in these works such as censorship, race and gender. Students’ understanding of these works and concepts will be developed through readings, research, discussion posts, exams and writing assignments designed to get students to practice analyzing poetry, picture books, informational books and transitional/easy readers.

ENGL 241.S01: American Literature I

Tuesday and Thursday 12:30-1:45 p.m.

This course provides a broad, historical survey of American literature from the early colonial period to the Civil War. Ranging across historical periods and literary genres—including early accounts of contact and discovery, narratives of captivity and slavery, poetry of revolution, essays on gender equality and stories of industrial exploitation—this class examines how subjects such as colonialism, nationhood, religion, slavery, westward expansion, race, gender and democracy continue to influence how Americans see themselves and their society.

Required Texts

The Norton Anthology of American Literature: Package 1, Volumes A and B Beginnings to 1865, Ninth Edition. (ISBN 978-0-393-26454-8)

ENGL 283.S01 Introduction to Creative Writing

Steven Wingate

Students will explore the various forms of creative writing (fiction, nonfiction and poetry) not one at a time in a survey format—as if there were decisive walls of separation between then—but as intensely related genres that share much of their creative DNA. Through close reading and work on personal texts, students will address the decisions that writers in any genre must face on voice, rhetorical position, relationship to audience, etc. Students will produce and revise portfolios of original creative work developed from prompts and research. This course fulfills the same SGR #2 requirements ENGL 201; note that the course will involve a research project. Successful completion of ENGL 101 (including by test or dual credit) is a prerequisite.

ENGL 283.S02 Introduction to Creative Writing

Jodilyn Andrews

This course introduces students to the craft of writing, with readings and practice in at least two genres (including fiction, poetry and drama).

ENGL 283.ST1 Introduction to Creative Writing

Amber Jensen, M.A., M.F.A.

This course explores creative writing as a way of encountering the world, research as a component of the creative writing process, elements of craft and their rhetorical effect and drafting, workshop and revision as integral parts of writing polished literary creative work. Student writers will engage in the research practices that inform the writing of literature and in the composing strategies and writing process writers use to create literary texts. Through their reading and writing of fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction, students will learn about craft elements, find examples of those craft elements in published works and apply these elements in their own creative work, developed through weekly writing activities, small group and large group workshop and conferences with the instructor. Work will be submitted, along with a learning reflection and revision plan in each genre and will then be revised and submitted as a final portfolio at the end of the semester to demonstrate continued growth in the creation of polished literary writing.

300-400 level

ENGL 424.S01 Language Arts Methods grades 7-12

Tuesday 6-8:50 p.m.

Danielle Harms

Techniques, materials and resources for teaching English language and literature to middle and secondary school students. Required of students in the English education option.

AIS/ENGL 447.S01: American Indian Literature of the Present

Thursdays 3-6 p.m.

This course introduces students to contemporary works by authors from various Indigenous nations. Students examine these works to enhance their historical understanding of Indigenous peoples, discover the variety of literary forms used by those who identify as Indigenous writers, and consider the cultural and political significance of these varieties of expression. Topics and questions to be explored include:

Genre: What makes Indigenous literature indigenous?
Political and Cultural Sovereignty: Why have an emphasis on tribal specificity and calls for “literary separatism” emerged in recent decades, and what are some of the critical conversations surrounding such particularized perspectives?
Gender and Sexuality: What are the intersecting concerns of Indigenous Studies and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and how might these research fields inform one another?
Trans-Indigeneity: What might we learn by comparing works across different Indigenous traditions, and what challenges do such comparisons present?
Aesthetics: How do Indigenous writers understand the dynamics between tradition and creativity?
Visual Forms: What questions or concerns do visual representations (television and film) by or about Indigenous peoples present?

Possible Texts

Akiwenzie-Damm, Kateri and Josie Douglas (eds), Skins: Contemporary Indigenous Writing. IAD Press, 2000. (978-1864650327)
Erdrich, Louise, The Sentence. Harper, 2021 (978-0062671127)
Harjo, Joy, Poet Warrior: A Memoir. Norton, 2021 (978-0393248524)
Harjo, Sterlin and Taika Waititi, Reservation Dogs (selected episodes)
Talty, Morgan. Night of the Living Rez, 2022, Tin House (978-1953534187)
Wall Kimmerer, Robin. Braiding Sweet Grass, Milkweed Editions (978-1571313560)
Wilson, Diane. The Seed Keeper: A Novel. Milkweed Editions (978-1571311375)
Critical essays by Alexie, Allen, Cohen, Cox, King, Kroeber, Ortiz, Piatote, Ross and Sexton, Smith, Taylor, Teuton, Treuer, Vizenor, and Womack.

ENGL 472.S01: Film Criticism

Tuesdays 2-4:50 p.m.

Jason McEntee

Do you have an appreciation for, and enjoy watching, movies? Do you want to study movies in a genre-oriented format (such as those we typically call the Western, the screwball comedy, the science fiction or the crime/gangster, to name a few)? Do you want to explore the different critical approaches for talking and writing about movies (such as auteur, feminist, genre or reception)?

In this class, you will examine movies through viewing and defining different genres while, at the same time, studying and utilizing different styles of film criticism. You will share your discoveries in both class discussions and short writings. The final project will be a formal written piece of film criticism based on our work throughout the semester. The course satisfies requirements and electives for all English majors and minors, including both the Film Studies and Professional Writing minors. (Note: Viewing of movies outside of class required and may require rental and/or streaming service fees.)

ENGL 476.ST1: Fiction

In this workshop-based creative writing course, students will develop original fiction based on strong attention to the fundamentals of literary storytelling: full-bodied characters, robust story lines, palpable environments and unique voices. We will pay particular attention to process awareness, to the integrity of the sentence, and to authors' commitments to their characters and the places in which their stories unfold. Some workshop experience is helpful, as student peer critique will be an important element of the class.

ENGL 479.01 Capstone: The Gothic

Wednesday 3-5:50 p.m.

With the publication of Horace Walpole’s "The Castle of Otranto " in 1764, the Gothic officially came into being. Dark tales of physical violence and psychological terror, the Gothic incorporates elements such as distressed heroes and heroines pursued by tyrannical villains; gloomy estates with dark corridors, secret passageways and mysterious chambers; haunting dreams, troubling prophecies and disturbing premonitions; abduction, imprisonment and murder; and a varied assortment of corpses, apparitions and “monsters.” In this course, we will trace the development of Gothic literature—and some film—from the eighteenth-century to the present time. As we do so, we will consider how the Gothic engages philosophical beliefs about the beautiful and sublime; shapes psychological understandings of human beings’ encounters with horror, terror, the fantastic and the uncanny; and intervenes in the social and historical contexts in which it was written. We’ll consider, for example, how the Gothic undermines ideals related to domesticity and marriage through representations of domestic abuse, toxicity and gaslighting. In addition, we’ll discuss Gothic texts that center the injustices of slavery and racism. As many Gothic texts suggest, the true horrors of human existence often have less to do with inexplicable supernatural phenomena than with the realities of the world in which we live.

ENGL 485.S01: Undergraduate Writing Center Learning Assistants

Flexible Scheduling

Nathan Serfling

Since their beginnings in the 1920s and 30s, writing centers have come to serve numerous functions: as hubs for writing across the curriculum initiatives, sites to develop and deliver workshops and resource centers for faculty as well as students, among other functions. But the primary function of writing centers has necessarily and rightfully remained the tutoring of student writers. This course will immerse you in that function in two parts. During the first four weeks, you will explore writing center praxis—that is, the dialogic interplay of theory and practice related to writing center work. This part of the course will orient you to writing center history, key theoretical tenets and practical aspects of writing center tutoring. Once we have developed and practiced this foundation, you will begin work in the writing center as a tutor, responsible for assisting a wide variety of student clients with numerous writing tasks. Through this work, you will learn to actively engage with student clients in the revision of a text, respond to different student needs and abilities, work with a variety of writing tasks and rhetorical situations, and develop a richer sense of writing as a complex and negotiated social process.

Graduate Courses

Engl 572.s01: film criticism, engl 576.st1 fiction.

In this workshop-based creative writing course, students will develop original fiction based on strong attention to the fundamentals of literary storytelling: full-bodied characters, robust story lines, palpable environments and unique voices. We will pay particular attention to process awareness, to the integrity of the sentence and to authors' commitments to their characters and the places in which their stories unfold. Some workshop experience is helpful, as student peer critique will be an important element of the class.

ENGL 605.S01 Seminar in Teaching Composition

Thursdays 1-3:50 p.m.

This course will provide you with a foundation in the pedagogies and theories (and their attendant histories) of writing instruction, a foundation that will prepare you to teach your own writing courses at SDSU and elsewhere. As you will discover through our course, though, writing instruction does not come with any prescribed set of “best” practices. Rather, writing pedagogies stem from and continue to evolve because of various and largely unsettled conversations about what constitutes effective writing and effective writing instruction. Part of becoming a practicing writing instructor, then, is studying these conversations to develop a sense of what “good writing” and “effective writing instruction” might mean for you in our particular program and how you might adapt that understanding to different programs and contexts.

As we read about, discuss and research writing instruction, we will address a variety of practical and theoretical topics. The practical focus will allow us to attend to topics relevant to your immediate classroom practices: designing a curriculum and various types of assignments, delivering the course content and assessing student work, among others. Our theoretical topics will begin to reveal the underpinnings of these various practical matters, including their historical, rhetorical, social and political contexts. In other words, we will investigate the praxis—the dialogic interaction of practice and theory—of writing pedagogy. As a result, this course aims to prepare you not only as a writing teacher but also as a nascent writing studies/writing pedagogy scholar.

At the end of this course, you should be able to engage effectively in the classroom practices described above and participate in academic conversations about writing pedagogy, both orally and in writing. Assessment of these outcomes will be based primarily on the various writing assignments you submit and to a smaller degree on your participation in class discussions and activities.

ENGL 726.S01: The New Woman, 1880–1900s

Thursdays 3–5:50 p.m.

Katherine Malone

This course explores the rise of the New Woman at the end of the nineteenth century. The label New Woman referred to independent women who rebelled against social conventions. Often depicted riding bicycles, smoking cigarettes and wearing masculine clothing, these early feminists challenged gender roles and sought broader opportunities for women’s employment and self-determination. We will read provocative fiction and nonfiction by New Women writers and their critics, including authors such as Sarah Grand, Mona Caird, George Egerton, Amy Levy, Ella Hepworth Dixon, Grant Allen and George Gissing. We will analyze these exciting texts through a range of critical lenses and within the historical context of imperialism, scientific and technological innovation, the growth of the periodical press and discourse about race, class and gender. In addition to writing an argumentative seminar paper, students will complete short research assignments and lead discussion.

ENGL 792.ST1 Women in War: Female Authors and Characters in Contemporary War Lit

In this course, we will explore the voices of female authors and characters in contemporary literature of war. Drawing from various literary theories, our readings and discussion will explore the contributions of these voices to the evolving literature of war through archetypal and feminist criticism. We will read a variety of short works (both theoretical and creative) and complete works such as (selections subject to change): "Eyes Right" by Tracy Crow, "Plenty of Time When We Get Home" by Kayla Williams, "You Know When the Men are Gone" by Siobhan Fallon, "Still, Come Home" by Katie Schultz and "The Fine Art of Camouflage" by Lauren Johnson.

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June 25, 2024

AHA Members Co-author Article on SCOTUS and Gun Control

AHA members Holly Brewer (Univ. of Maryland) and Laura F. Edwards (Princeton Univ.) have co-authored an article for Washington Monthly…

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5 Important Takeaways From The 2024–2025 U.S. News And World Report Best Global University Rankings

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Harvard University

This morning, U.S. News and World Report released their much-anticipated 2024-2025 Best Global University Rankings. These annual rankings are a cornerstone in the field, influencing decisions that range from student applications to institutional funding and providing a glimpse into the current state of affairs in the world of higher education. This list can provide helpful insights into the relative merits of the schools students may be considering adding to their college lists. In order to use this list effectively, however, it is important to understand the nuances of the ranking system and the factors considered therein.

Here is a breakdown of the rankings’ methodology, as well as key takeaways from this year’s list:

Methodology

The U.S. News and World Report Best Global University Rankings are based on a comprehensive methodology that evaluates colleges and universities across thirteen key metrics. These include:

Global research reputation (12.5%)
Regional research reputation (12.5%)
Publications (10%)
Books (2.5%)
Conferences (2.5%)
Normalized citation impact (10%)
Total citations (7.5%)
Number of publications that are among the 10% most cited (12.5%)
Percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited (10%)
International collaboration – relative to country (5%)
International collaboration (5%)
Number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited in their respective field 5%
Percentage of total publications that are among the top 1% most highly cited papers 5%

In addition to the overall global rankings and country-specific rankings, U.S. News and World Report published a subject-specific ranking list , evaluating schools’ global positions in over 50 individual disciplines.

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These rankings offer quantitative data students can consider when building their college lists, providing a fairly comprehensive picture of universities’ academic prowess and institutional reach. That being said, students using the rankings to build their college lists should note that many of these factors do not capture the qualitative aspects of students’ experiences.

Key Takeaways from the 2024–25 Rankings

1. The number of universities considered rose by more than 10%.

This year, 2,250 universities across over 100 countries were considered—up more than ten percent from the 2,000 schools considered in the previous ranking.

2. Harvard University lands on top.

As in the last cycle, Harvard University claimed the #1 spot in the global rankings list. This prestigious accolade reflects Harvard's unparalleled academic excellence, groundbreaking research, and global influence. Known for its distinguished faculty, cutting-edge facilities, and a tradition of innovation, Harvard continues to set the standard in higher education, making it the leading choice for students and scholars worldwide.

3. The U.S. dominates the rankings for another year.

Nearly half of the top 50 schools in the ranking are located in the U.S., totaling 24 of the top 50 on the rankings list. Additionally, four out of the top five are U.S. schools: Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and University of California, Berkeley. This remarkable achievement underscores the global prestige of U.S. universities, known for their world-class research, innovative academic programs, and extensive resources.

4. UT Austin and Brown University dropped in the rankings.

Both Brown University and The University of Texas at Austin surprisingly dropped in the rankings, falling out of the top 50. Given both schools’ excellence, this shift demonstrates the fierce competition for top spots in the rankings this year.

5. U.S. News and World Report adds new subjects to the rankings.

This year, four new disciplines were added to the subject-specific rankings, including: ecology; green and sustainable science and technology; environmental engineering; and marine and freshwater biology. These additions not only demonstrate the ranking system’s commitment to reflecting the most relevant information in higher education today, but also provide a glimpse into recent trends and changes in the disciplinary offerings at the most prestigious universities in the world.

The 2024–2025 U.S. News and World Report Rankings offer students valuable information regarding the trends in the global higher education landscape. While students should take their personal preferences and the intangible elements of a school’s culture that draw them to a specific school into account, these rankings can be a helpful first step for students as they set their collegiate goals and assemble their college lists.

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Scaffolding Methods for Research Paper Writing
In order for students to take ownership of knowledge, they must learn to rework raw information, use details and facts, and write. Teaching writing should involve direct, explicit comprehension instruction, effective instructional principles embedded in content, motivation and self-directed learning, and text-based collaborative learning to improve middle school and high school literacy.
5 Methods to Teach Students How to do Research Papers
Work individually. Work collaboratively. The following tips and methodologies build off the initial preparation: Students formulate a logical thesis that expresses a perspective on their research subject. Students practice their research skills. This includes evaluating their sources, summarizing and paraphrasing significant information, and ...
How to Help Middle School Students Develop Research Skills
Process information: Turn the data into usable information. This processing step may take longer than the rest combined. This is where you really see your data shape into something exciting. Create a final piece: This is where you would write a research paper, create a project or build a graph or other visual piece with your information.
A Quick Guide to Teaching Any Middle School Academic Essay
Ideas- The main idea, supporting details, evidence, and explanation. Ideas are the heart of any good paper. This is where you get the argument, the main idea, or the details that really bring the paper to life. Ideas should be the first thing discussed and brainstormed in the writing process.
Teaching a Research Unit
Olivia Franklin. Engage students with interesting research topics, teach them skills to become adept independent researchers, and help them craft their end-of-unit research papers. CommonLit 360 is a comprehensive ELA curriculum for grades 6-12. Our standards-aligned units are highly engaging and develop core reading and writing skills.
How to Teach Middle School Students to Write Research Papers
Spend at least half the time allotted for the paper on prewriting. Begin with lessons on brainstorming and determining whether students' theses will work for the assignment. Then, move on to conducting research. Explain the differences between primary resources and secondary resources, and how your students can use each to strengthen their essays.
50 Mini-Lessons For Teaching Students Research Skills
Learn how to teach research skills to primary students, middle school students, or high school students. 50 activities that could be done in just a few minutes a day. ... Write as many questions as you can think of relating to that topic. Make a mindmap of a topic you're currently learning about. This could be either on paper or using an ...
Tips for Teaching Research Skills to Middle School Students
We use the Research Essay Outline worksheet to get started, transferring our well-organized information from the Research Matrix to the outline. I often advise students to begin with the body portion of the essay, leaving the introduction and conclusion for last. This may seem awkward, but the research students have been working on naturally ...
PDF Research Paper Manual Middle Township School District
The purpose of this research guide is to offer a standard format for the teaching and writing of research papers in courses at the Middle Township schools. The guide outlines the process of research, explains devices for organization of research and sources, gives examples of methods for documenting research sources within the paper, explains ...
Writing Research Papers
This is a free writing unit of study from The Curriculum Corner. This research writing collection includes mini lessons, anchor charts and more. Mention the words "research writing" in an intermediate classroom and you might be met with moans & groans or perhaps even see fear in the eyes of some students. In all seriousness though, writing ...
10 Ideas to Make Teaching RESEARCH Easier
Here are 10 ideas to make teaching research skills manageable and successful: 1. Make sure students start out with more than one topic option. What I mean is, it helps for each student to have "back up" topics ready to go in case the first choice isn't panning out. For example, I've had students who chose a topic they were very ...
The Step-By-Step Guide to Teaching Research Reports
Step 4: Write a Research Report Draft. During this step, each student will write a rough draft of his/her research report. If they completed their outlines correctly, this step will be fairly simple. Students will write their research reports in paragraph form.
Teaching Students to Write Good Papers
Teaching Students to Write Good Papers. This module is designed to help you teach students to write good papers. You will find useful examples of activities that guide students through the writing process. This resource will be helpful for anyone working with students on research papers, book reviews, and other analytical essays.
Teaching the Research Paper Part 1: Introducing the Research Paper and
There are three things every teacher should do before taking their students to the computer lab to research information for their research papers: teach the difference between reliable and unreliable sources, check to make sure every student has a self-generated research question, and help prepare students with key phrases and words to search. Whenever I begin teaching the research paper, I ...
How to Teach Writing a Research Paper in 9 Steps
Read each other's syntheses, and write a thought-provoking question that asks for additional information or clarification. Return papers to one another. Read the question and write a two to three-sentence response. Continue to exchange papers, read responses, and ask another question until the time is called.
How to Help T(w)eens Write Their First Research Paper
Research Writing Readiness helps a student work with a parent on a first research paper. This easy-to-use guide provides the tools you need to introduce the research-paper writing process. That way, when they are in high school, they will be prepared to write their research papers. The guide is intended for use:
Teaching Students to Identify Credible Research Sources
Like any good teaching protocol, the objective is for students to become so well-versed in it that they no longer need the specific method when their time in the classroom is complete. When students aren't writing research papers or finding evidence for a class project, they'll still know what to look for when evaluating a source.
A Survival Guide for Teaching Students How to Write Research Papers
The middle of the card should contain a quote or the main idea from their research text. On the bottom of the card write the name of the book and the page number this information came from. Students should have 15 to 20 notecards per category. Day 8: Work on notecards. Share your progress with your partner.
PDF How to Write a Research Paper Lesson Plan
Step 1: Begin the lesson plan with an image [3 minutes] Show the third slide of the PowerPoint presentation with a picture of stacked books and an apple on the top of the book that is titled "Education.". Begin to discuss the significance of the apple as. a very powerful fruit.
8 Truths About Teaching Writing to Middle Schoolers
Before writing, students should brainstorm and have the opportunity to talk with you—and their peers, if possible—about their ideas. They'll need your help discerning which idea would yield the most engaging writing for them. Your guidance is invaluable. 2. Clichés are fantastic for teaching creative expression: Middle schoolers often ...
5 Ways to Help Middle Schoolers Write Beyond the Bare Minimum
You also want to make word lists easily accessible. Don't focus on big or fancy words. Instead, concentrate on offering alternatives to "dead" words like very, a lot, great, etc. 2. Embrace mentor texts. This is a great way to spur reluctant writers into action because they aren't starting with a blank slate.
Teaching writing to middle school students: a national survey
A random sample of language arts, social studies, and science middle school teachers from the United States were surveyed about their preparation to teach writing, beliefs about responsibilities for teaching writing, use of evidence-based writing practices, assessment of writing, use of technology, and adaptations for struggling writers. The findings from this survey raised concerns about the ...
Teaching Middle School Students How To Write A Research Paper
Teaching Middle School Students How to Write a Research Paper - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. teaching middle school students how to write a research paper.
10 Summer Research Programs for Middle School Students
The Lawrence Hall of Science at U.C. Berkeley is a unique research opportunity for middle school students looking to dive into the wonders of STEM firsthand! This one-week research program offers immersive experiences, hands-on experiments, and exciting campus tours designed to spark curiosity and ignite a passion for STEM.
Middle School Classroom Set Up and Procedures
Remember, as middle school educators, we play a crucial role in helping students navigate the transition from elementary to high school. By setting up our classrooms thoughtfully and strategically, we can create an environment that supports student success and fosters a sense of safety, belonging, and community.
A Review of Studies on Foreign Language Learning Styles of Middle
Individual differences in middle school students are one of the important research areas in foreign language teaching. Research has shown that junior high school students' learning styles are an important factor affecting their foreign language learning effectiveness, but they have not been given due attention by most foreign language teachers. Learning styles refer to the relatively stable ...
Fall 2024 Semester
In addition to writing an argumentative seminar paper, students will complete short research assignments and lead discussion.ENGL 792.ST1 Women in War: Female Authors and Characters in Contemporary War LitOnlineAmber Jensen, M.A., M.F.A.In this course, we will explore the voices of female authors and characters in contemporary literature of war.
CAHSS Student's Study Abroad Paves Accelerated Path to International Career
Harnessing the power of words to tell stories in multiple languages captured Josh Brito-Mariani's imagination at an early age. "I write a lot of poetry and creative nonfiction and that's part of the reason language has been so important to me," he said. He learned Spanish from his father's Dominican Republic family and German from his mother's parents, instilling a lifelong passion ...
News & Publications
The AHA publishes booklets that address a diversity of topics to serve the needs of history students and historians in all professions. Our publications include career advice for history graduates, overviews and syntheses of current historical topics and fields, and guides to teaching and learning in history.
5 Important Takeaways From The 2024-2025 U.S. News And World ...
The 2024-2025 U.S. News and World Report Rankings offer students valuable information regarding the trends in the global higher education landscape. While students should take their personal ...

Scaffolding Methods for Research Paper Writing

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From Theory to Practice

Common Core Standards

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Preparation

Student Objectives

Session 1: Research Question

Session 2: Literature Review—Search

Session 3: Literature Review—Notes

Session 4: Analysis

Session 5: Original Research

Session 6: Results (optional)

Session 7: Conclusion

Session 8: References and Writing Final Draft

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CommonLit 360 How to Teach a CommonLit 360 Research Unit

Engage students with interesting research topics, teach them skills to become adept independent researchers, and help them craft their end-of-unit research papers.

Get students excited about their research with Essential Questions designed around timely topics

Get students excited about the research topic with introductory slide decks

Informational texts anchor each research unit

Supplemental texts allow students to dig deeply into independent research

Students learn about the research process and how to craft research papers throughout the unit

Related Media Explorations provide even more background information for students

Discussion lessons help students synthesize information in preparation for their research paper

Participate in an optional final project that fosters creative thinking and collaboration

Vocabulary and grammar lessons build student comprehension and writing skills

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50 Mini-Lessons For Teaching Students Research Skills

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Notes about the 50 research activities:

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Why You Should Be Assigning Research Reports to Your 5th and 6th Grade Students

How to Teach Step-By-Step Research Reports in Grades 5 & 6

Step 1: Help Students to Choose a Topic and Cite Sources for Research Reports

Step 2: Research Reports: Take Notes

Step 3: Make a Research Report Outline

Step 4: Write a Research Report Draft

Step 5: Research Reports – Students Will Write Their Final Drafts!

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5 Ways to Help Middle Schoolers Write Beyond the Bare Minimum