Research Notes Graphic Organizer - Example from Mrs. Shaum

Here is an example of how I would like you to fill out your research graphic organizer. You will do this for AT LEAST three pieces of information for your passion project. Remember though: if this topic is truly your passion, you will research as much as you can about it.

Resource information: author, title, webpage company, dates, etc. (Err on the side of more info, not less)	Directly Quote your research here	List main ideas using your own words	Paraphrase your research.
Website: Edutopia Author: Rebecca Alber Date: July 31, 2014 Article title: “Using Mentor Texts to Motivate and Support Writers” URL: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/using-mentor-text-motivate-and-support-student-writers-rebecca-alber	“If we want students to do something well, it helps to both tell them and show them what we expect. When it comes to writing assignments, we teachers will give students directions to write a convincing essay or draft a descriptive narrative followed by telling them how to earn a good grade on it. Many of us also hand out a rubric or criteria chart that tells all the expectations for the essay. But, with all that there is to cover and the time crunch, we may sacrifice showing them mentor texts, examples of good writing.”	Show and tell students how to do an assignment Teachers like to give directions and rubrics but don’t always give examples. We often forget to show students examples of good writing.	In the quest to “cover” curriculum, teachers often give students directions and hand them grading rubrics for writing assignments, but one of the things that is often missing from that equation is allowing students to examine examples of effective writing. If they don’t know what good writing looks or sounds like, then how do we expect them to write well? This is what mentor texts are for.

Research/Passion Project Introduction

This year you will have the opportunity to do a research project on something you really care about. I don't just want you to do research, however. The end goal is that when this project is over you will have done something you are passionate about.

My friend Cheryl Mizerny introduced passion projects in her middle school classroom and to get them started, she asked her students 3 questions:

1) What do you want to learn how to do? 2) What would you like to create? or 3) Who would you like to help?

You will chose not just a topic to research for this project, but something that involves an action to take or a new skill to learn.

For example, I have decided that I would like my passion project for 2015 to be to learn how to become a Google Certified Teacher. So, as a result of my research, the goal is to DO SOMETHING at the end of the process.

I would like to remember, however, that in the end, this is also a research project in which you will have to consult multiple sources. If your passion doesn't involve extensive research, then you will have to reserve it for another time and opportunity.

For example, now that I have my new piano, one of my goals since I was ten-years-old was to learn how to play Frederic Chopin's "Fantasie Impromptu." It is a piece that has always eluded me and I would love to attempt to learn how to play it.

However, that would not be a good choice for my passion project because a) I can't practice in class b) It doesn't involve any research, only practice. Learning "Fantasie Impromptu" is more of a goal than a project.

So today in class I'm going to give you some time to write, discuss, and explore possible ideas for your passion project. Return to the three questions above and ask yourself what you would like to have accomplished when all is said and done.

Need help better understanding in-text citations?

Here's a great video better explaining the need for in-text citations and how to format them:

Research Reading

Now that we've read The Incredible Life of Balto, read the following 2 pages and then answer the questions below. 

Page 1

Page 2

Questions to answer:

On loose leaf and in complete sentences, answer the following questions:

1. What questions led McCarthy to her research?

2. Who did some people believe deserved the recognition of being a hero over Balto?

3. What usually reliable source even got Balto's story wrong?

4. Why did McCarthy end up painting Blato brown?

5. why do you think we read this book and article prior to completing a research project?

Research project rubric

This is the rubric I will be using for your research project:

	4	3	2	1
Content	Writer included much relevant content about his/her topic and showed a great deal of new learning.	Writer included some relevant content but did not showcase his/her new learning as much as he/she could have.	Writer included almost no relevant content about his/her topic. There is little evidence of the writer’s new learning.	The writer included no relevant content about his/her topic and there is no evidence that he/she learned anything new.
Accuracy	The content of the writing appears to be 100% accurate.	Most of the content of the writing is accurate. Some liberties may have been taken for the sake of voice and artistic expression.	Most of the content is inaccurate. The writer appears not to have done much research on his/her topic.	None of the content is accurate.
Writing	All of the traits of writing were used effectively and kept the reader engaged throughout the entire piece. The writing is coherent and the piece is a cohesive unit.	Most of the traits of writing were used effectively, with the exception of one or two, but the writing kept the reader engaged through most of the piece. The coherence and cohesiveness could use a bit more work.	Only a few of the traits of writing were used effectively, which prevented the reader from truly being engaged in the piece. Coherence and cohesiveness need more work.	The writer appears not to have considered any of the traits of writing and did not create an engaging, coherent piece of writing. Coherence and cohesiveness are quite lacking.
Credibility	The writer showed great credibility by using sources effectively.	The writer showed credibility by mostly using sources effectively.	The writer has an idea of how to use sources effectively but some improvements could be made.	The writer appears to have very little understanding of how to use sources effectively in a piece of writing.
Sources Bibliography/ Works Cited (x2)	The writer used the correct number of reliable sources that included at least two print sources. Bibliography/Works Cited was formatted correctly.	The writer used reliable sources but did not include the appropriate number of sources. Bibliography/Works Cited was mostly formatted correctly.	The writer appears to have not done much research on this topic and/or the sources used were not reliable. Bibliography/Works Cited was not formatted correctly.	No sources appear to have been used for this assignment. There is no bibliography or works cited.

You can choose any genre/format you wish for this project, but it must include writing in some way. You also need to remember that the goal of this project is to show your new knowledge of the topic you chose to research. So if you choose a poem and only write a haiku, is that really going above and beyond to show your new knowledge?

8th grade Black History Month project

Everyone needs to choose one African American who has made history in some way and do a research project on him/her.

The format you choose for this project is up to you, but you must turn in the following:
1) A research project that thoroughly proves your knowledge/admiration for the person you chose.
2) Two pages of notes proving your research.
3) A typed bibliography

Suggestions for possible project formats:
1) Poem
2) PowerPoint
3) Video
4) ABC book
5) Picture Book
6) Persuasive essay explaining why that person deserves to be... (an award winner, in the hall of fame, etc.)
7) A multi-genre project (choose a variety of genres to showcase your knowledge)

Remember: this project needs to showcase what you have learned about the person you chose.

Suggestions for people to choose:
1) Alvin Ailey - famous dance company creator
2) James Baldwin - American author
3) Langston Hughes - American poet/author
4) Maya Angelou - American poet
5) Josephine Baker - entertainer/Civil rights activist
6) Grace Bumbry - American opera singer
7) W.E.B. DuBois - founder of the NAACP
8) Billie Holliday - famous Jazz snger
9) Hattie McDaniel - first African American to win an Academy Award
10) Jackie Robinson - first African American baseball player in the major leagues
11) Effa Manley - first woman to be inducted in the baseball hall of fame
12) BK Bruce - first African American senator
13) Harriet Tubman - conductor of the Underground Railroad
14) Phillis Wheatly - one of the first African American poets to be published
15) Malcom X - human rights activist
16) Sojourner Truth - abolitionist, activist
17) William Carney - first African American to be awarded the medal of honor
18) WC Handy - known as "The Father of the Blues"
19) Medgar Evers - instrumental in desegregating the University of Mississippi
20) Duke Ellington - famous Jazz musician
21) Jimi Hendrix - one of the most influential American guitarists of all time
22) Louis Armstrong - famous Jazz trumpeter
23) Thurgood Marshall - first African American to serve on the supreme court
24) Frederick Douglass - abolitionist, first African American appointed to a high rank in American government
25) Scott Joplin - famous musician known for composing ragtime jazz
26) Elijah McCoy - mechanical engineer and inventor, known for the saying, "The Real McCoy."
27) Jesse Owens - one of the world's greatest track and field athletes
28) Booker T. Washington - freed by the Emancipation Proclimation, civil rights activist, poet, and professor
29) George Washington Carver - scientist, educator, inventor
30) Carter Woodson - one of the first scholars to see the value in studying Black History