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Unit IV: Conducting and Presenting Research
Teacher Guide
The interview with the grandparent/elder (Unit
II) and the work on gathering information from primary sources (Unit
III) leads to writing a focused history research paper based on both
primary and secondary sources.
This unit has two parts:
- Students write a four to six page research
paper. The topic for the research paper emerges from the material discussed
during the grandparent/elder interview. Within the research paper, the
student should discuss the grandparent/elder's individual role in history
and the influence of history on the grandparent/elder's life and on
the student's life.
- To complete the unit, the student makes an
oral presentation on the research results.
| Objectives |
The students will develop the skills needed
to write a research paper. Students learn:
- the use of an interview as a primary
source in writing research papers;
- the formulation, use, and importance
of questions in researching a topic. (Students will practice posing
questions and using them as a means to direct their research and
to arrive at a unifying thesis statement.);
- the skills of accessing, interpreting,
analyzing, and evaluating sources;
- the skill of note-taking;
- the need for accuracy and honesty in
research;
- the importance of documenting research
and the formats for citing sources for a bibliography;
- outlining;
- the writing of a focused history research
paper rather than just a report;
- the ability to teach others the results
of research and to defend one's thesis;
- the creative use of visuals to add to
the effectiveness of an oral presentation; and
- organization.
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| Time Required |
Six to seven weeks. |
| Resources |
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| Materials |
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Procedure
Teacher Tips
Instruction for Research Paper
Pre-Writing
- Topic Selection
- Three Questions and Thesis Statement
- Research
- Outline
Writing
- Introduction
- Rough Draft
- Final Draft
Presentation and Evaluation
- Oral Presentation
- Student Assessment
Student Page
Evaluation
The history research paper involves the development
of many skills. Because of this focus, students are evaluated on
each step in the process, not merely on the final product. At times it
is necessary for a student to start over because the topic and/or questions
have led to a dead end. Or, the student may discover that s/he does not
have sufficient access to the needed information. In these cases, students
are told that as long as they have been working consistently and have
been following the steps of the process, they will receive credit for
their work. The history research paper represents the "final exam"
of the course. In some instances, it may be necessary to provide extra
guidance and support for a student.
Extension
Showcase the posters (or other visuals) prepared
for the oral presentations and the research papers at a school function
such as Grandparents' Day. Digital pictures of the visuals may be added
to a school Web site.
Create a growing archive of twentieth century
history research papers.
Organize the information that the class acquired
about the twentieth century:
- Give the students a list of items for which
they must work in groups to categorize. The categories might be
the following:
politics and government,
entertainment (movies, television, and
theater);
visual arts (painting and sculpture);
music;
religion;
education;
sports;
daily life;
writers and literature; or
places.
- Examples of people, places, and events
that might be categorized include:
Abbott and Costello;
Agnes De Mille;
Al Jolson;
Albert Einstein;
Alice Neel;
Allen Ginsberg;
Angel Island;
Apartheid;
Assembly line;
Bomb shelter;
Brown vs. Board of Education;
Christa McAuliffe;
Internment camps;
Conscription;
Edward Weston;
Charles Lindbergh;
Erich Maria Remarque;
Franklin D. Roosevelt;
Gaza Strip;
Ginger Rogers;
Helen Caldicott;
House Un-American Activities Committee;
Joan Benoit;
Buzz Aldrin;
Le Corbusier;
Levittown;
Babe Didrikson;
Nehru;
Normandy;
Ragtime;
Rosie the Riveter;
Salvator Dali;
Oskar Schindler;
Talkies;
Three Mile Island;
W.E.B. Du Bois;
Willa Cather;
Zeppelins;
Ziegfield Follies; or
Zionists.
Play trivia games in which teams compete to
answer questions about people, places, things, and events of the twentieth
century.
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