Research Process
Directions to Students



Click here to see a list of potential topics for this project. Students who want to choose a different topic, must have it approved by the teacher before continuing.

Ouestioning
ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS &
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

How do individual voices/opinions impact
society and cultural change?

In what ways do laws and justice protect or
hinder individual's rights?

For a more indepth look at Questioning, click here.

For help developing subsidiary questions, visit Questioning.

Planning
A researcher identifies sources of information likely to build understanding. Before researching, you need to develop a plan of action to locate a variety of information on your topic.

Selecting Resources

What resources might have information on my topic?

      • Encyclopedias
      • Non-fiction
      • Magazine & newspaper articles
      • Internet sites

To find these resources, I could check:

Gathering & Sorting

As a minimum, use the following sources to gather information:

      • 3 Web Sites
      • 2 Magazine/Newpaper Articles
      • 1 Book

Use Boolean language to narrow your search and identify more appropriate websites. (Use the Back button to return to this page.)

Click here for links to some websites related to the topics.

When searching web sites:
 Check for Relevancy
Does the information anwer my questions or does it give me important new information to add to my questions?

Check for Authority
Do I recognize that author?
What are the author's qualifications to provide this information?
What organization, company, government or university supports this infomration?

Check for Currency
Is this information up to date?

Check for Objectivity
Does the information inform, persuade, or both?

Use the Research T-Chart to organize your notes. Use a separate chart for each source.

Be careful to take notes on information that relates to your questions.

DO NOT COPY WORD FOR WORD

Cite your source at the top of each Research T-Chart you use to take notes. Use the following web sites to help you cite your sources correctly:

Use the Research Progress Monitoring Tool and the Research Reflection Checkpoints to chart your progress each day.
Synthesizing & Evaluating

Where do you go now?
Before moving on, ask yourself the following
questions with a peer:

    • Have I answered all of my questions thoroughly?
    • Do I need to throw away what is repetitive or not useful?
    • Do I need to ask new questions?
    • Should I rearrange the information for clarity?


Go back to Gathering & Sorting
if you need to add to or revise your research! Use the Assessment Rubric for the Student Research Module to check your progress.

Once you have gathered all of your information from your sources, now you should begin writing your rough draft of your persuasive essay/speech. Before you begin writing, read about Types of Essay Leads and How to Evaluate the Leads.

Producing & Assessments