Teaching the Research
Paper
Thursday April 26th, 2012
PRESENTED BY:
KERRI PATRICK
ALLISON KELLER
WILL CANADY
Peer Mentoring in Alternative
Licensure
NCTEACH
SPRING 2012
The Research Paper: What Is It?
 A written product which is the result of research, critical
thinking, source evaluation, organization and written
composition.
 Presents one’s own interpretation or argument.
 In contrast to an essay, where personal information and
know-how support a topic, the research paper builds
upon this by presenting an author’s findings and
research to support a topic.
“It is helpful to see it as a living thing which grows and changes as the student
explores, interprets and evaluates sources related to a specific topic.”
- owl.english.perdue.edu/owl/resources/658/03
Two Major Types
Argumentative
 Author takes a firm stance on an issue in the form of a thesis
 Topic is debatable
 Main goal is persuasion
Analytical
 Balanced perspective; contemplation and evaluation for an
objective answer to a research question
 Main goal is to offer critical interpretation of primary and
secondary sources
 These sources support the writer’s analysis of the topic
21st Century Skills
 Creativity and innovation
 Critical thinking
 Use of technology to access information and
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demonstrate knowledge and skills
Information literacy
Media literacy
Initiative and self-direction
Productivity and accountability
Most Appropriate Contexts
 Research papers can be assigned across the
curriculum
 Provide students an opportunity to explore and
construct their own knowledge on a topic of their
choice
 The following provide examples of how it can be
used in sciences, foreign language, social studies,
and language arts
Helpful Tips
 Break it down so it won’t seem so overwhelming
(Topic, Research, Bibliography, First Draft, Final
Draft)
 Be prepared to teach skills and strategies to your
students
 Provide a packet which leads the student through
each part of the writing process that reinforces your
direct instruction
 Have conferences with each student after first draft
Language Arts
“Pin The (De)tail on the THESIS”
 TOPIC: Utilizing library resources
 METHOD: Library Scavenger Hunt
 TYPE: Group activity
Language Arts
 Depending upon class size, assign 4-5 students a thesis statement on paper
large enough for full classroom visibility. Three supporting details per
statement will be assigned to the remaining students. Have the students “pin”
the detail to the student holding the corresponding thesis statement.
 Ensure thesis statements are disparate and grade-level appropriate. Once
students have correctly labeled each thesis statement with the supporting
details, the groups have been formed.
 Distribute scavenger hunt worksheet(s) and proceed with lesson objective.
Have students conduct research around thesis statement and supporting
details.
 Each group scavenger hunt assignment will need to be group specific. Upon
completion, students will have the opportunity to “educate the class” on their
findings
Language Arts
 The scavenger hunt will primarily focus on helping students get comfortable
using internet search engines to conduct research.
 Non-electronic resources such as newspapers, magazines, encyclopedias,
dictionaries/thesauri, print editorials, etc. will also be used to discourage
dependence on internet resources.
 Purpose is to help students learn how to effectively utilize library resources to
research findings to craft their own research paper (future assignment).
 Each group scavenger hunt assignment will need to be group specific. Upon
completion, students will have the opportunity to “educate the class” on their
findings.
http://mowyn.com/scavenger/about.htm
Graphic Organizers
Benefits:
 Organizes and Classifies Facts/Findings
 Helps students communicate more effectively
 Structures writing
 Helps with brainstorming and planning research
Graphic Organizers
Three Examples for Social Studies:
 Bubble Map
 Time Order Chart
 I.S.P. (Information, Source, Page)
Social Studies
Organizing and Classifying Facts
 TOPIC: Albert Einstein’s Achievements
 METHOD: Graphic Organizer
 TYPE: Bubble Map
Social Studies
Education
Personal life
ALBERT EINSTEIN
Achievements
Scientific
Theories
Luitpold
Gymnasium,
Munich, 1888
Cantonal School,
Switzerland,
1895
Education
Swiss Federal
Polytechnic,
Zurich, 1896
Zurich
University,
Ph.D. 1905
B. 3/14/1879
Germany
D. 4/18/55
Princeton, NJ
Parents- Hermann
& Pauline Einstein
Personal life
Married Mileva
Maric 1903; Elsa
Lowenthal 1936
ALBERT EINSTEIN
Achievements
Scientific
Theories
Copley Medal of
The Royal Society
Of London, 1925
Nobel Prize
In Physics,
1921
Director/Professor of
Kaiser Wilhelm Physical
Inst; Berlin, 1914
Franklin Medal
of the Franklin
Institute, 1935
Professor of
Theoretical Physics,
Princeton, 1933
Brownian
motion
Theory of
Relativity
1916
Social Studies
Organizing and Classifying Facts
 TOPIC: Albert Einstein’s Achievements
 METHOD: Graphic Organizer
 TYPE: Time Order Chart
Social Studies
Albert Einstein
Social Studies
E=mc2
Nobel Prize
Albert Einstein
Professor/Director
Princeton U.
Social Studies
E=mc2
Nobel Prize
General Theory
of Relativity
Nobel Lecture
Brownian
Motion
Fellowships
Albert Einstein
Professor/Director
Princeton U.
University
of Berlin
Theoretical
Physics
Prague
Retirement
Social Studies
Organizing and Classifying Facts
 TOPIC: Albert Einstein’s Achievements
 METHOD: Graphic Organizer
 TYPE: Information, Source, Page Number/Link
(I.S.P.)
Social Studies
Born 3/14/1879
Theory of Relativity
Nobel Prize in Physics
In 1922
Emigrated from Berlin
America
Honorary Doctorate
Degrees in science,
Medicine, philosophy
Educated at Swiss
Federal Polytechnic
School and Zurich
University
Technical Assistant to
Swiss Patent Office-1901
Former teacher of
Physics and math
Married Mileva Maric
1903-1919- one
Daughter
Married Elsa Lowenthal
who then died in 1936
Albert Einstein:
A Biography,
Albrecht Folsing
34-56
Einstein: His
Life and
Universe,
Walter Isaacson
104-119
Nobel Prize
The
Nobelprize.org
Official Web Site
Of the Nobel
Prize
Perspectives Mondiales

Students in an Advanced Level French (i.e. AP French)
class will write a research paper which compares and
contrasts life in France with life in the United States.

They will have a semester to complete the research
project. Students will use class time and home work
time to complete the assignment.

They will interview a primary source en français via
Skype Classroom or http://www.epals.com/. The
French students will also interview your students about
this aspect of our society.

They will complete their composition en français.
(*Optional)
World Language Essential Standards
 Students preparing for success in the 21st Century
need access to knowledge and information from
other communities and use that information to
function well with people from diverse
backgrounds
 Students need to gain knowledge and demonstrate
an understanding of the relationship among
practices, products, and perspectives of cultures
other than their own
 The students need to develop insight into the
nature of language and culture in comparing
his/her own language and culture to others
21st Century Skills
 Learning from and working collaboratively with
individuals representing diverse cultures, religions,
and lifestyles in the spirit of mutual respect and open
dialogue in personal, work and community context.
 Understanding other nations and cultures including
the use of non-English language.
Choisissez un sujets
 L’éducation
 La santé
 Les sports
 Les politiques
 La religion
 L’architecture
 Les vacances
 La travail
 La cuisine
 La littérature
 L’économie
 La vie de famille
 Les problemes sociaux
 Le jours de Fête
 La musique
 Les arts
 Le cinéma
 La mode
Votre Question de Recherche
 Who is your audience? (Qui?)
 What do you want to know? (Que?)
Ask good, focused questions. As you learn
more your questions will be refined.
 Why is this question important to understanding
the French culture? (Pourquoi?)
 A good researcher always asks “So what?”
Source: A Manual for Writers of Research Papers,
University of Chicago, 2007
Bonne Recherche Commence
par des Sources Crédible!
 Who is the author? (Credentials?)
 How recent is the source?
 What is the purpose of the author?
 What types of sources do your audiences value?
 Be careful with Internet sources!!!
 Sites like Wikipedia are not credible academic
sources.
Source: readwritethink.com
Suggestions de Reserche
 www.ncwiseowl.com
 www.go.golier.com*
 United States State Department : www.state.gov
 CIA World Fact Book: www.cia.gov
 The United States Library of Congress:
www.loc.gov
 French Embassy: www.franceintheus.org *
 French Government: www.education.gouv.fr*
 French culture: www.frenchculture.org
Suggestions de Reserche
 www.bbcnews.com
 www.Louvre.fr/en
 www.encylopediabritannica.com
 www.encarta.com
 www.nationmaster.com
For Meta Search Engines:
www.vivisimo.com
www.brainboost.com
Skills
Full Credit
Partial Credit
No Evidence of
Skill
Topic/Thesis
Topic is clear and
explicitly stated
Topic is clear but is not
explicitly stated
Topic is unclear and
confusing
Support of Thesis
Information clearly
relates to the topic and
includes several
supporting details
There are 1-2
weaknesses in the
support of the thesis
No support provided
or it is unrelated and
confusing
Citations
All sources are
documented in MLA
format
Some sources are not
documented or the
format is incorrect
Sources are not
documented
Quality of
Research
All research is from
credible sources. The
research is relevant to the
topic.
Some of the research is
from credible sources.
Some of the research
lacks relevance.
There were no credible
resources used. The
research was not
relevant.
Organization
Structure establishes
relationship between
ideas
and events
Minor lapses in the
organization.
Structure is
disorganized and
shows no relationship
between ideas and
events.
Science Standards
•
•
•
Conduct short as well as more sustained research
projects based on focused questions,
demonstrating understanding of the subject
under investigation.
Gather relevant information from multiple print
and digital sources, assess credibility of the
information while avoiding plagiarism.
Draw evidence from informational texts to
support analysis, reflection and research.
Science Research Paper
 Students will have the semester to complete a
research paper with a topic of their choice
 Students will be asked to complete a lab experiment
and write up their results to include in their paper .
 Student will be assigned a mentor who is a college
student from a local university to assist with the
implementation of the lab and the writing of the
results of the experiment.
Citing Your Sources
 Very important to teach students how to cite their
sources correctly to avoid plagiarism
 Reinforce their awareness by providing them with
a group of resources to create a “Works Cited” page
during a low-stakes, mini-lesson
 Model step-by-step development of a “Works
Cited” page.
 Post the standard format in your classroom and on
your website as well as links to resources
Source: readwritethink.org
Resources
 Citation Builder (NCSU Library website)
 Citation Maker (MLA format) Have on NC Wise
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OWL website
Easybib
Knightcite
BibMe
Son of Citation Machine
How Do Students Benefit?
 Teaches a life long skill of research that is helpful in any
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

career choice
Students learn how to “teach themselves”
Active, inquiry-based assignments can engage reluctant
writers.
Teaches how and where to identify credible sources and
relevant content
Improves writing skills (clear, concise, formal style)
Teaches the writing process of planning, drafting and
revising
Helps to teach organization
Benefits continued
 Teaches critical thinking/reasoning
 Teaches you how to support a stance
 Deepens knowledge on chosen topic
 Expands vocabulary
 Promotes creative thinking
 Can teach specific strategies such as classification,
compare and contrast, and cause and effect.
 Teaches how to form logical conclusions
Front loading pays off!
In one study published in the American Educational
Research Journal, “middle school students who were
directly taught skills and strategies for writing research
papers showed long term improvements in their
writing. Their papers were longer but more contained
on the topic. Their writing and vocabulary were
qualitatively better.”
Challenges
 A very demanding task because it involves multiple
skills
 Students must work on it over a long period of time
and have skills in planning and organization
 Students may not have access to internet/computer
at home
 Many teachers are who do not teach English are
reluctant to assign a research paper. They are
worried they will have to spend too much time
teaching how to write the paper.
Questions
 What do you do to prepare your students to write a
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research paper?
How did the students respond to the research paper
assignment?
What were some difficulties that you encountered?
Do your students primarily use the internet for their
sources or do they consult other types of
information?
Do your students know to navigate the library
database?