research papers in middle school

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High School English Teachers Chatboard

research papers in middle school

by Helen

Dec 20, 2012

I am interested in knowing when you teach "how to write research report". Is it started in middle school? How are the skills sequenced from middle school through 12th? If anyone is willing to share a written curriculum that delineates that sequence of skills, I would love to see it.

I haven't taught english in several years, and it does not seem to be clearly defined at our school.

Thank you !

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Sam J I wouldn't do a research report in middle school like I do in high school. Instead, I would work on skills like finding valid sources, how to paraphrase, how to summarize, how to use a direct quote to support an opinion, how to support a thesis, how to outline, etc. Those are the building block skills that middle schoolers need before they get to h...See More

Dec 20, 2012

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I am sorry to have vented On 12/20/12, Helen wrote: > I am interested in knowing when you teach "how to write > research report". Is it started in middle school? How are > the skills sequenced from middle school through 12th? If > anyone is willing to share a written curriculum that > delineates that sequence of skills, I would love to see it. > > I hav...See MoreOn 12/20/12, Helen wrote: > I am interested in knowing when you teach "how to write > research report". Is it started in middle school? How are > the skills sequenced from middle school through 12th? If > anyone is willing to share a written curriculum that > delineates that sequence of skills, I would love to see it. > > I haven't taught english in several years, and it does not > seem to be clearly defined at our school. > > Thank you !

I'm not sure why this is a such a staple in American education. My k-12 school started a program where the instruction of the research report would begin in 1st grade... I found that somewhere between ridiculous and madness.

In my day in school which was some time ago, we didn't learn 'research papers' until 11th grade with the intention of preparing us for doing the same in college. As I said, my school began teaching them in 1st grade and in 5th grade we were supposed to teach taking notes on a note card and how to write a bibliography.

I continue to believe that kids can't write a research paper until they can write... and reading helps a lot too. We take weak readers and tell them to glean information from a source that's written above their reading level. Worse we tell them to 'skim' the material for the 'pertinent and relevant' - weak readers can't skim.

Then we tell weak writers to take very good expository writing and to 'rewrite it in their own words'. They can't put their own thoughts into good writing much less take good writing and put it into their own thoughts...

And we NEVER connect the research report to the very fundamental and critical role that research plays in pushing back the frontier of knowledge and in government's major policy decisions. Kids think a research report is a school- based task, another hoop to jump through.

Maybe that's all it really is in school but I think it could be more than that if we wait until kids are developmentally ready to engage the task and in my not so humble opinion, that's not in Middle School - unless you are teaching very strong readers and they have very strong writing skills.

Sorry for the vent - truly sorry.

Dec 26, 2012

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