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A Guide to Student Research Projects
Ottoson Middle School
Arlington, MA
Prepared by:
Maggie Davis
Julianna Keyes
Judy Packer
Jerry Pei
Lois Scibner
Todd Sundstrom
Alison Tikonoff
S p r i n g 2 0 0 7
Table of Contents:
Recommendations…………………………………………………………………………….…..3
Research Model……………………………………………………………………………….…..4
Expectations by Grade…………………………………………………………………………....5
Presearch…………………………………………………………………………………….…….6
KWL Chart…………………………………………………………………………...……7
Brainstorm Organizer………………………………………………………..……….….8
Research…………………………………………………………………………………………...9
Dewey Decimal System…………………………………………………………….….10
Map of Ottoson Media Center……………………………………………………..…..13
Parts of a Book…………………………………………………………………..……...14
Notes……………………………………………………………………………………..15
Learning to Use Notecards…………………………………………………………….16
Note-Taking Form…………………………………………………………………..…..18
E-ROAD Path to Researching on the Internet……………………………………….20
Interpret…………………………………………………………………………………..…….....21
How to Write a Thesis Statement………………………………………...………..….22
How to Create an Outline………………………………………………………….…..23
Sample Outline……………………………………………………………………….…24
Outline Symbols Explained…………………………………………………………….25
Communicate……………………………………………………………………………………..26
MLA Style Research Specifications…………………………………………………..27
Preparing Parenthetical Citations……………………………………………………..28
Using Quotations in Your Writing……………………………………………………..30
MLA Works Cited Page Format Guide……………………………………………….31
Help! I’m Stuck Formatting My Works Cited Page!………………………………...34
Works Cited Practice Page…………………………………………………………....35
Types of Plagarism………………………………….……………………….…………36
Breakdown of Plagarism and How to Avoid It……………………….……………....37
Evaluate………………………………………………………………………………………...…41
Project Checksheet…………………………………………………………………..…42
Peer Review Form……………………………………………………………………...43
Appendix…………………………………………………………………………………………..45
Online Reference Sites and Databases……………………………………………...46
Teacher Recommended Websites……………………………………………………49
Sample MLA Paper……………………………………………………………………..61
Recommendations:
1)Students should begin each year with a library tour:
6th grade- A tour of the Ottoson Media Center with the school
librarian
7th grade- A tour of the Robbins Library, in which every student who does not already have a library card will be issued one.
8th grade- A tour of the Boston Public Library
9th grade- A tour of the HS media center (this piece is already in place)
2)The E-ROAD should be a district wide tool for evaluating websites. A poster should be placed in every computer lab, or even stickers placed on every computer reminding students of the steps to follow.
3)Copies of this resource are made for all teachers, and the resource is placed online.
We would like everyone to have access to this information. We also want it to be adaptable. Therefore, we request that it be placed on the district website as Microsoft Word documents (.doc) so that teachers can change or customize all of this information.
4)USE THIS PROCESS.
This is just one more stack of papers for teachers unless it is used universally for research projects.
THE RESEARCH PROCESS
The primary goal of our study group was to identify a research model that could be used by students in any subject and any grade. There are many models available, ranging from the overly simple to the very, very complex. What we came up with was the PRICE model, above. The model is adaptive and flexible. It can also be used cyclically- students can ‘back up’ at any time if they are having trouble moving forward.
We hope that teachers in Arlington can embrace this model and use it to structure research assignments. The five steps need not be equally weighted, but should be included in order to successfully complete a research assignment. This method compliments other types of inquiry already being used in Arlington, such as the science lab procedures.
The tools included in this book support the model above. There are guides for teachers and students at each level, from brainstorming charts to outlining to rubrics for evaluation. With consistency throughout the district when it comes to research, students can focus on refining their skills as they grow rather than learning a new method every year.
Expectations for Research Projects in Arlington Public Schools
Grade 6 / Grade 7 / Grade 8 / Grade 9Length of Written Reports / 2-3 pages / 3-5 pages / 4-8 pages / 6-10 pages
Number of Sources Used / 3+ / 5+ / 8+ / 8-10
Types of Sources / Use multiple, including books, reference books, encyclopedias, online sources, and more.
(Topic dependent) / Use at least 3 including
books, encyclopedia, reference books, periodicals, websites, online databases, and more / Use at least 4 including books, encyclopedia, reference books, periodicals, websites, online databases, and more / Same as Grade 8, but require minimum of 4 books.
Note Taking / Categorized note-taking through the use of bullets and other graphic organizers / All students should take notes from all sources. / All students should take notes from all sources. / All students should take notes from all sources, with optional notecard requirement (20-40 notecards).
Outlining / 1. Webs
2. Develop outlining skills through the use of teacher provided graphic organizers / A paragraph outline written for at least one project / A Topic Outline for every written research assignment / Same as Grade 8, with optional thesis statement.
Citations / Parenthetical in-text citations will be used, limited to 2-3 citations / Parenthetical in-text citations will be used in written research assignments. / Parenthetical in-text citations will be used in all written research assignments. / Parenthetical in-text citations will be used in all written research assignments.
Works Cited Pages / Included and formatted in the MLA style for works cited / Included and properly formatted for all works cited / Included and properly formatted for all works cited AND consulted / Included and properly formatted for all works cited AND consulted