'Tis the Season!

'Tis the season for 8th grade research papers! Over the past month, I have collaborated with two 8th grade Language Arts teachers in the design and implementation of research paper projects for our students. Although the research process for each project was similar, the topics were very different.

Mrs. L's students each selected a "current issue" they did preliminary investigation on, chose a position, then found information from reliable resources that supported "their side." Student-selected topics included the death penalty, abortion, teen pregnancy, gun control, smoking laws, homeschooling, and eating disorders. During their first day of research in the media center, students wrote down several issues that peaked their interest, then browsed through library resources to "get to know" each issue better BEFORE committing to the one they found most intriguing. This proved to be a wonderful strategy, as students were truly researching something that interested them. Their research process was well-organized, as students used Source Notes sheets to gather bibliographic information, along with research notes from each source. Mrs. L and I required students to use a variety of source types - - 1 book, 1 encyclopedia, 1 Internet website, and 1 online encyclopedia database - - to ensure their research was well-rounded and they experienced researching in different source formats. After their media center research, students used their strongest research findings to organize their arguments into an argumentative research paper.

Mrs. C and I have worked together for the past several years each spring on a Holocaust research paper project, and refine the project each year to meet the needs of her current team of students. Each student selected a person, event, or place from the Holocaust and wrote an in-depth informational research paper on that topic. For this project, I taught a lesson on the day the project was introduced. Through my YOUR 8th Grade Research Project lesson, students learned how to evaluate websites, the specific resources to use for this project through their class Weebly (other wise known as "Project Central"), and a discussion and activity on parenthetical documentation. Students used these skills over the next 3 days as they utilized the entire class period to focus their research on a particular facet of the Holocaust and used print and electronic media center resources to paint a well-rounded picture of that topic.

Planning with teachers well before these projects began was the key to a successful research experience for our students. The teachers provided subject-area background information and project expectations in the classroom, while I provided the print and electronic tools students used to discover information on their topics that would support their research papers.

Classroom teachers + Library Media Specialists = powerful collaborative partnerships that enhance student learning!

-Ms. Z