My 8th graders will be writing research reports later this year. Usually, I give the kids pretty free rain when it comes to selecting a topic, but I think it might be easier with these to narrow the window. Anyone have any suggestions? This is the first time I've done research reports at the middle school level.
What subject do you teach? What are they covering in class? Is there something you want them to learn more about? If not, then why have them write a research paper?
Our state requires a research paper at every level in the English classes. My juniors research a career. Subtopics include: skills, training, job outlook, pros/cons I choose this topic to help them explore their options for life after high school.
Since I always think like a history teacher, how about researching the history of something they are interested such as the history of baseball, hip-hop music, trains, comic books, or anything they might be interested in.
We're also required to do a research paper or project at every grade level. I have my freshmen do an "I-search" style paper instead of a more typical research paper. We focus on word etymology. They have fun with it. I let them pick the word they want to study as long as it's school appropriate.
If I were an English teacher who had to assign the research paper, I would be talking to the history teacher. Find out what he or she would want the kids researching. Then have the kids hand in 2 copies, and receive both an English and a History grade for the same paper.
I like your thinking, Alice. This is what the Science teacher and I do--her research reports and procedures get passed on to me for an English mark and one of the classes non-fiction reading tests involved the science textbook.
Good point. If science is more your thing, it could be on something scientific, or mathematical or anything. But I would find a way to tie it into something the kids are currently learning.
Working with the science and history teachers is certainly beneficial, unfortunately, it's not always practical in bigger schools and districts. :unsure: When you have 190 students spread out over multiple teachers (and many times grade levels), it can be a little daunting to coordinate. In my district, the high schools are on accelerated block schedules, so at any given time, they aren't all in a history or science class. However, at the middle school level, it *is* fairly common for the research paper to be linked to their history/science fair projects.
