Research in the Primary Classroom

Research in the Primary Classroom 10 Simple Steps! By Amanda Schoepflin

Step 1: Plan Use research to improve your teaching. Seymour Simon

“Good teaching is not merely a technical matter of delivering information from a recipe or text. Rather, it is about coming to know students well—their skills, learning styles, interests, strengths, as well as their areas in need of improvement—so that we can help them make connections between new information and what they already know; connections that make sense and that last(Falk & Blumenreich, p. 5).”

Step 2: Enrich students with nonfiction literature. Familiarize students with nonfiction text features during whole group and small group reading lessons. Great website for already made nonfiction text features and writing paper: http://it.pinellas.k12.fl.us/teachers3/gurianb/writing.html

Step 3: Question “Individual research projects help children develop as learners (Falk, 35).” What are your wonders? • Make a list and choose 1 topic you want to explore • Why did you choose it? • What do you already know? • What would you like to learn about it?

Step 4:Begin Your Investigation May be challenging! • Assist students in finding books on their topic at their reading level. • Allow students to browse through their books on their topic from the school, town, and home library. • Teach students how to find information from text, online resources, magazines, etc... Website on Nonfiction leveled books: http://www.heinemann.com/shared/onlineresources/E00871/RUOS_CDbookList_expositoryNonfiction.pdf

Step 5: Collect Data • Teach students how to take notes • Create project folders for every student along with a personal agenda (Falk & Blumenreich, p. 89). • It is important for students to talk, share, debate, and work together when they are engaged in their research materials (110).

Collect Data Continued… “Discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes" (Proust, p. 22).” Students can chart their ideas using the RAN (Reading and Analyzing Nonfiction) strategy developed by Tony Stead in his book, Reality Checks.

Step 6: Organize Data • Separate data into categories • Students may want to chart observations, readings, reflective journal, surveys under each theme (129). • Make an outline • Create Chapters • Animal: Looks, Habitat, Life Cycle • Create Table of Contents

Step 7: Teach Craft • There are different ways to tell your story (134). • Make an interesting lead (Introduction) • Ask questions • Use sounds • Action Verbs • Descriptive details • Alliteration • Comparisons • Write your chapters. • Main idea, details, closing sentence • Write interesting sentences using organized notes. • Keep your reader’s engaged! • Create a glossary, index, and about the author.

First draft students are learning their work. Revision enhances their ideas (151). Step 8: Revise and Edit Draft • Step 9: Final Copy • Grammar • Order • Voice • Craft • Neat Writing • Highlight Glossary terms • Create Cover Pager

Step 10: Share!!! Expert Fair: Completed projects are put on display in the classroom (158).

Step 10: Share Continued… There are many ways to express student learning such as museums, multimedia presentations, puppet show, play, dance, spoken word, musical performances, etc…(159).

Comments to the Authors “Some teachers we know conclude their class’ studies with Writers’ Celebrations to which they invite their student’s families as well as other teachers and students in the school (159).”

Student Example

Student Example Continued

Anything is Possible“The world has many questions that need to be asked and many problems that need to be solved…Inquiry offers both teachers and students a powerful method for seeking answers (Falk & Blumenreich, p 187).”

Research in the Primary Classroom