Researchers@Work
The researcher is mainly responsible for gathering information
in a report that supports the persuasive theme of the final presentation.
Choose a Theme
for the Final Presentation: As part of group
planning for their ultimate roller coaster, the students discuss
and decide on a theme that would make a convincing sales pitch
for their coaster. They brainstorm ideas together, narrow the
topic, and generate possible thesis statements for the researcher.
Focus the Report: The researchers
take the topic and thesis statements from their group and write
several questions they want to answer in their research report.
"The questions helped them
to focus their report. These questions may have been the same as the
ones they came up with in their group or they could have been completely
different. If they change their questions and their focus, they needed
to take this back to the group and okay it. " --Jill
Whitesell
Find Information Sources: Researchers
had to use at least three different types of sources in their report.
-
Internet: a Web site from the database of
roller coaster Web sites
-
Reader's Guide: a article found using the
Reader's Guide
-
Book: any book source such as the Guinness
Book of World Records
Document Sources and Take Notes: Researchers
write note cards that document each source and summarize, paraphrase,
or quote the source directly.
"Students needed two 90-minute
class periods to conduct their research. I have six computers in my
classroom and there are 15 computers in the library that they were
able use to find their Internet site. Sometimes the network was very
slow in bringing up the sites that the students needed. Students worked
on looking up their Reader's Guide source while sites from the Internet
were downloading. They had limited time so this helped them stay on
task and not waste any of their class time."
--Jill Whitesell
Make an Outline and Write a Rough Draft:
Using their notes and focus questions, students pick five main topics
or ideas to structure their report. They organize their note cards
into a logical order and complete an outline. When the outline is
finished, students use a portable keyboard to begin drafting the report.
"Using Alpha-Smart keyboards
keeps the computers free for researching. Students were always at
different points in the writing process. Some had to go back and find
more research because they changed their focus or did not have enough
sources to write an effective paper. It was helpful to keep the computers
free for this purpose. " --Jill
Whitesell
Edit and Complete the Research Paper: Rough
drafts are self- and teacher-edited before students write the final
report. Students document their sources and create a reference page.
"Students worked at different paces
so it was easy for me to keep on top of the editing process. Some
students edited their paper several times before going to final
draft. " --Jill
Whitesell
Keep a Journal:
Everyone keeps a journal showing progress through the tasks.
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