A+Research+Paper+Unit

If you ask the average high school (or college!) student, a majority of these students will tell you that almost all of their research is done online. It does not matter the project or the subject, most students will simply go online and search an internet database (such as [|Yahoo]! or [|Google]) for their topic. Many will say they do not really question the websites they use, instead, they see if the research "sounds good" and then use it as a resource for their work. As a ninth grade English teacher, I want to try and help students channel their research through valuable websites and internet resources so that they can learn more about the topic they have chosen and also know what is **good ** research. As I build my unit plan in which I teach my students the proper techniques for writing a research paper, I am hoping to incorporate more of my knowledge about their internet resources as well as make my activities more interesting for my students. As I go through the process of building this unit, I'm going to share different aspects I'm trying to tweak. Let me know what you think!

Open inquiry is the entire basis for writing a research paper. Students are asked to pick a topic, do their own research, and come up with a finished project. All ninth grade students in Virginia are to be introduced to the processes involved in writing a research paper and aided as they attempt to write their first one. I will set up a list of goals for the paper (things they are required to turn in to me, meetings we must have, etc.) but as far as the topic and the research, the students will be on their own to make their own discoveries. Here are some activities I think I might incorporate: C/T 9-12.4 || C/T 9-12.4 and C/T 9-12.7 || C/T 9-12.5 || C/T 9-12.9 ||
 * Inquiry Learning and the Research Unit**
 * **Activity** || **Purpose** || **Level of Inquiry** || **PREP Model** || **SOL standards Used** ||
 * **[|INTERNET RUBRIC] and Webquest** || •To show students how to judge what is an appropriate website to use for research. It is a rubric that students themselves must fill out as they evaluate different websites. They are then supposed to go to 5 websites and fill out the INTERNET Rubric for each || Structured || Presearch || English 9.6 and 9.9
 * **Webquest** || •Though this webquest is not yet complete, it will ultimately allow the students access to many websites about the overarching theme of our Research Paper Unit. The students will use these websites to research their chosen topic, and create the necessary || Open || Presearch and Research || English 9.6 and 9.9
 * **Interactive Powerpoint Quiz** || •The quiz I am going to make will help students to decide their overall topic if they are having trouble. It will ask the students to choose from a few multiple choice questions that will narrow down potential topics. || Not really sure. This helps the student discover what interests them so I suppose it would be a **Confirmation** inquiry || Presearch ||  ||
 * **Students' Blog Space** || •Students will be required to make a blog or a wiki on which I could write responses to their posts. It will allow the students to keep track of their progress while doing research as well as have accessibility to all the websites that they find and use. I will also be able to help them at anytime if they are struggling with a part of their paper or research. This will be in part of the more traditional methods of research paper writing. || Guided || Presearch, Research, Evaluation and Presentation || English 9.6 and 9.8
 * **Students Final Presentation** || •Students will find a way to present their research that allows fellow students an accessible visual/audio aide using a technological resource (video, podcast, webpage, powerpoint etc). The choice for their final presentation (other than the required paper) is completely up to the student || Open || Evaluation and Presentation || English 9.2