Research skills 2000 - research protocol for grades K-3, 4-6, 7-9

Instructor, Nov-Dec, 1999 by Linda Chapman, Joanne Marien

Quality research isn't getting any easier as we approach the millennium. Given the explosion of knowledge and the availability of information on the Internet, any student setting out to gather data faces a daunting task. And the standards are demanding. New York State's 29 learning standards, as in other states, require students to be able to access, generate, process, and transfer information; pose questions, seek answers, develop solutions; respond critically; collect data, facts, and ideas; acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.

In the Somers Central School District, in Westchester County, New York, teachers and administrators realized that to meet these standards, students had to master underlying research skills - accessing, evaluating, and appropriately using information. We needed to develop a standardized, districtwide protocol for teaching research, K-12. Questions arose: How could we consistently integrate research into the curriculum? How could we teach students to take the most efficient path through evolving multimedia formats? How could we guarantee that our students would become successful, independent researchers?

We agreed upon two key principles. First, research skills must be modeled and taught, not merely assigned. Second, research skills must be taught developmentally, beginning in the primary grades and progressing in complexity through high school. Working together, a team of library media and technology specialists, with consistent input from teachers and administrators, developed a student-friendly, highly scaffolded research protocol for our district. The document clearly illuminated the tasks, the thinking processes, and the questions that students would need to consider throughout a successful research experience.

Technological enhancements followed. For example, we set up a Somers Intranet, designed to help teachers in our four schools quickly locate resources on-line, as well as set up on-line remote database access (RDA) to all our school-library subscription databases, enabling students to access resources at any time from any location.

Each improvement in our research initiative brings a host of ideas about how to make our model even better. The protocol that we developed, and have been using for two years with grades K-3, 4-6, and 7-9, appears on the following pages. As you share it with students, you too may find innovative ways to improve the process.

GRADES K-3

Research Begins

* What do I know?

* What can I tell and/or show you?

* What do I want to know?

* Do I have a big question about a specific question?

Here's What I Do

* Where can I find the answer(s) to my question(s)?

* Can I look in different books, use the computer, and use library resources?

* How can I organize the information I've found?

* Can I read, understand, and record the information?

* Can I create something that shows what I've learned (a play, a picture, a chart, a letter, a report)?

My Research Is Done

* What have I learned?

* Does the information I've found answer my question(s) in a detailed way?

* Where did I find my answer(s)?

* Can I list materials I used to answer my question(s)?

* Can I tell, write, and/or show what I've learned?

GRADES 4-6

Define My Task

* What do I know? What is my main question?

* What general questions do I have, and what specific questions will help me answer those questions?

* How and to whom will I present my findings?

Plan

* Where can I find the information I need?

* What kinds of resources might have the information I need (books, electronic resources, an expert)?

* How have I planned my time to meet my deadlines?

Gather and Record Information

* How can I best answer my questions?

* How Can I keep track of the information I find?

* Have I kept track of my sources for my Works Cited list or Bibliography?

Evaluate Resources/Information

* Does the information make sense?

* Have I used a dictionary to understand new words?

* Does this information help to answer my questions?

Organize Information

* What am I missing?

* Am I keeping track of my sources?

* Have I checked and verified a third source if the first two sources gave me conflicting information?

Think and Apply

* Can I answer my research questions?

* As I prepare a draft, have I introduced my topic? Used my own words? Used my resources to answer my questions in the order that makes sense? Combined similar ideas? Formed a conclusion?

* Does my conclusion contain a summary, an opinion, and an evaluation?

* Have I revised and edited my work?

* Do I have a complete Works Cited list or Bibliography?

Reflect on My Work

* Have I followed all directions?

* Is my work the best it can possibly be?

* Have I evaluated myself as a researcher?

GRADES 7-9

Define My Task

* Have I completed preliminary assignments in order to begin the research?

* What is my research problem?

* How will I present the results of my research (formal paper, multimedia presentation, oral presentation, debate, as part of a group project) and to whom?

Determine My Research Questions

* Do I have enough background knowledge about my research problem to be able to define my question?