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What do you use to teach a short research paper to 4-6th graders?


Roxy Roller
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I want to teach my children how to do some basic research and write a short paper. I have The New York Public Library Kid's Guide to Research, which I will use for the beginning stages, but it doesn't teach how to pull everything together. I am looking for a good source to actually help write the paper from the index cards they have written. Is there something that is written for upper elementary children? Or do I just go ahead and teach a simple form of the five paragraph essay to pull it together?

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I don't know if it will be any help to you, but this is the approach I am using with my ds10... Brave Writer Lifestyle: Writing Projects.

 

We're on part 1 right now, so yesterday I had him nail down his topic and we started brainstorming, making one of those bubble charts. My goal is to have him complete an outline of his planned writing project by the end of the week. Then, over the next couple of weeks, he can work on fleshing out the outline, polishing it a bit, etc., and the final week (week #4) he'll do a re-write/final draft.

 

We've followed a mainly Charlotte Mason approach to writing, so while he's done copywork, narrations, and so forth, this is his first real paper. Yesterday's work went really well - hoping the trend continues!

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I don't know if it will be any help to you, but this is the approach I am using with my ds10... Brave Writer Lifestyle: Writing Projects.

 

We're on part 1 right now, so yesterday I had him nail down his topic and we started brainstorming, making one of those bubble charts. My goal is to have him complete an outline of his planned writing project by the end of the week. Then, over the next couple of weeks, he can work on fleshing out the outline, polishing it a bit, etc., and the final week (week #4) he'll do a re-write/final draft.

 

We've followed a mainly Charlotte Mason approach to writing, so while he's done copywork, narrations, and so forth, this is his first real paper. Yesterday's work went really well - hoping the trend continues!

 

We have done copywork, narrations and summaries as well. I want my DC to do a fun report this year, on a topic of their choice.

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I would love to hear what you wanted to say, Angela. I respect your opinion and have the 10 categories that you have your students write notecards on, tacked on my bulletin board, as a goal to work towards with my DD12 in the next year or so.

 

All right, you asked for it. :D I was trying not to answer something you didn't ask...

 

Do they have to learn the research paper now? I have high school students who are *just* getting it. Not because they haven't had plenty of writing instruction, but because learning to invent and defend an argument is a mature skill. I think when you teach it too early, they end up just writing a factual report, and then they have bad habits that need to be un-learned later. I have several students who are struggling mightily, because they have been practicing "research papers" wrong for years, and it's not their fault, there was just no way they had the capacity to really write one before.

 

At that age, we did just plain reports using 2-3 sources. I used the IEW method mostly, because I think they teach that well.

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All right, you asked for it. :D I was trying not to answer something you didn't ask...

 

Do they have to learn the research paper now? I have high school students who are *just* getting it. Not because they haven't had plenty of writing instruction, but because learning to invent and defend an argument is a mature skill. I think when you teach it too early, they end up just writing a factual report, and then they have bad habits that need to be un-learned later. I have several students who are struggling mightily, because they have been practicing "research papers" wrong for years, and it's not their fault, there was just no way they had the capacity to really write one before.

 

At that age, we did just plain reports using 2-3 sources. I used the IEW method mostly, because I think they teach that well.

 

Thank you! I guess my terminology is incorrect. I called it a research paper, because I like the idea of using 2-3 sources, like you said, but I want them to record the sources and write a report that combines the information that they have gathered. I am not planning on having them invent or defend an argument. So I guess it is a plain report. I haven't had my children do anything more than copywork, narrations and summaries based on notes that we have written together, so I was planning on having them do a report from a few sources, at their level this year. I am not planning on going into the formal essay until they are in 8th or 9th grade. I will look into the IEW method. Thank you for your help. As I stated before, I am always open to more input from people who have BTDT!:bigear:

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Thank you! I guess my terminology is incorrect. I called it a research paper, because I like the idea of using 2-3 sources, like you said, but I want them to record the sources and write a report that combines the information that they have gathered. I am not planning on having them invent or defend an argument. So I guess it is a plain report. I haven't had my children do anything more than copywork, narrations and summaries based on notes that we have written together, so I was planning on having them do a report from a few sources, at their level this year. I am not planning on going into the formal essay until they are in 8th or 9th grade. I will look into the IEW method. Thank you for your help. As I stated before, I am always open to more input from people who have BTDT!:bigear:

 

Oh, good! I was feeling bad for your poor dc (and that's saying a lot coming from me; I torture my poor creatures! ;))

 

Yep, I use IEW for that, but I'm not sure if it's worth it just for that, if you are using something else for your main program. Basically, the idea is that they outline a few words from each source under each of the topics they have chosen (so, three subtopcs for a five page paper.) Then they "fuse" those outlines: take what they see in common or what they think is most important/interesting and make a new outline. Then they write from that. Since you are already working from cards, that would be your first set of outlines, so fuse those cards into an outline and write from there.

 

So, long story short... yes, just teach a simple form of the basic five paragraph essay to pull it together. :D

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I finally gave up on finding decent resources for beginning research papers, and am writing my own curriculum for myself, and the people that are always begging me to tutor them, not understanding how much I really don't know.

 

Have you seen the i-chart? As well as a pdf, there is a doc version, that you can edit. I'm still working on my version of an edit.http://www.adlit.org/strategies/21826/

 

 

If I have time, I'll try and link you to other free worksheets online.

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Oh, good! I was feeling bad for your poor dc (and that's saying a lot coming from me; I torture my poor creatures! ;))

 

Yep, I use IEW for that, but I'm not sure if it's worth it just for that, if you are using something else for your main program. Basically, the idea is that they outline a few words from each source under each of the topics they have chosen (so, three subtopcs for a five page paper.) Then they "fuse" those outlines: take what they see in common or what they think is most important/interesting and make a new outline. Then they write from that. Since you are already working from cards, that would be your first set of outlines, so fuse those cards into an outline and write from there.

 

So, long story short... yes, just teach a simple form of the basic five paragraph essay to pull it together. :D

 

Great! I will go ahead as planned and teach them to make up note cards as they go along. Then we will fuse them into a simple 5 paragraph essay.

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My oldest did a state study in 4th grade. He loved it. He did a short research paper, a storyboard, and a Q&A with someone living there. It was a lot of fun.

 

I like this idea, Angie. Maybe we will have to think about doing something like this as well. I like the added component of a storyboard presentation.

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I finally gave up on finding decent resources for beginning research papers, and am writing my own curriculum for myself, and the people that are always begging me to tutor them, not understanding how much I really don't know.

 

Have you seen the i-chart? As well as a pdf, there is a doc version, that you can edit. I'm still working on my version of an edit.http://www.adlit.org/strategies/21826/

 

 

If I have time, I'll try and link you to other free worksheets online.

 

 

 

Thank you, Hunter. These are great tools!

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If you want a VERY gentle introduction that provides three sources to take information from in order to write 10 different reports, gives step by step instruction, and uses a similar method to IEW, you could look at this Evan Moor book. It's very inexpensive. Now, mind you it is very basic and the reports generated from it are 5 paragraph but would be very short paragraphs. It is, imo, a good introduction to a first attempt at report writing.

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If you want a VERY gentle introduction that provides three sources to take information from in order to write 10 different reports, gives step by step instruction, and uses a similar method to IEW, you could look at this Evan Moor book. It's very inexpensive. Now, mind you it is very basic and the reports generated from it are 5 paragraph but would be very short paragraphs. It is, imo, a good introduction to a first attempt at report writing.

 

Thank you, Aime. I will take a look at the Evan Moor book, too.

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If you want a VERY gentle introduction that provides three sources to take information from in order to write 10 different reports, gives step by step instruction, and uses a similar method to IEW, you could look at this Evan Moor book. It's very inexpensive. Now, mind you it is very basic and the reports generated from it are 5 paragraph but would be very short paragraphs. It is, imo, a good introduction to a first attempt at report writing.

 

Thank you for the link! It doesn't look like it will meet my needs exactly, but certainly does looks like it will provide some valuable worksheets to the handbook I am compiling. A piece here and a piece there, and eventually I'll have what I want, organized all in one place.

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My dd10 has this book, which she likes. It covers all aspects of writing a research paper.

 

In third grade I used this book to teach her how to write paragraphs. She really enjoyed the book, and she wrote a five- paragraph essay (for fun) when she completed the book.

 

Contrary to what many think, I definitely think that 4th-6th graders can write short, fact-based, five-paragraph essays based on research from several sources. My dd wrote about falcons.

 

Tara

Edited by TaraTheLiberator
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Yes, I don't think writing a 5 paragraph research essay is all that hard, IF and ONLY if a student and mom have good materials to facilitate it. I am truly amazed at the plethora of horrible materials created to complicate rather than facilitate the project.

 

Since I finally stopped looking for THE curriculum and just started compiling pieces from here , there and everywhere, I'm finally feeling confident and comfortable.

 

I downloaded the workbook from Currclick. I'm only going to use 4 pages of it, but reading through it helped me quite a bit, and gave me some good ideas.

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