Moscow School District, Grades 6-8
Step One - Discovery
- Teachers and/or teacher-librarians identify initial sources
- Students generate keywords, Boolean operators, phrases, search techniques
- Students locate and evaluate sources
- Students begin with encyclopedias, books, periodicals; then they continue using Websites, indexes, databases
- Students read, print, take notes, refine keywords, search techniques
Step Two - Essential Questions
- Students develop main research question(s) to guide research: Why? How? Which is best?
- Students develop subtopic questions
- Students continue locating and evaluating information and sources
Step Three - Refining Research
- Teachers and/or teacher-librarians lead students in use of MLA format, including page numbers, parenthetical documentation, quotes
- Students record sources/citations
- Students record note facts
- Students identify validity and reliability of sources:Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose
- Students review essential question(s)
- Students identify gaps in research (return to sources/add to sources)
Step Four - Organize - Sort - Evaluate Information
- Students synthesize information
- Students organize (and reorganize) notes into categories
- Students structure or outline the information
- Teachers select product/presentation formats
Step Five - Product/Presentation
- Students write, edit, and finish their work
- Students present their product/presentation
- Students conduct peer review/response
- Teachers give final evaluation
Step Six - Self-Reflection
- Students consider their process and their product
- What went well?
- What would ‘I' have done differently?
- How has my understanding of the topic changed?