I-Search Paper
- Similar to research paper except
- Student chooses topic
- Written in 1st person
- Uses:
- Build personal curiosity and tools to pursue it
- Students can learn how to
- narrow and deep dive into a topic
- use research skills (identify valid sources, annotate sources, identify biases)
- Play by play
- Topic Search:
- Brainstorming
- start creating brainstorm lists individually
- then share in pairs and teams and revises lists
- Narrow brainstorm list to 4 topics
- Conduct preliminary research and have student interview team mates about potential topics:
- Why do you care?
- Who do you already know?
- How do you plan to learn more?
- Narrow topics to 2 choices – Top Pick and Plan B in case Top Pick hits a dead end
- Variations:
- Could brainstorm content item lists
- Try to build bridges between top personal & content item choices
- Brainstorming
- Identifying the Audience:
- Other students and teacher
- Could try to guide students to recruit audience from a group that ties to to their topic – if you do this prepare recruiting email and recruiting phone call templates
- Prewriting Part I
- Use a lot of pre-writing activities (WTLs) to process research such as:
- Use double entry journal strategey- columns: what I think I know, questions I have (brainstorm list based on prior knowledge and for planning research next steps)
- Use a lot of pre-writing activities (WTLs) to process research such as:
- Gathering Information
- Student create anothe double entry journal – columns = questions organized under major questions, possible sources
- Books: secure help from media specialist
- Interviews: helps students design questionnaires, model interview process
- Internet:
- teach search query commands for search engines, how to use databases, and how to identify valid sources
- provide internet source sheets that guide students in assessing and annotating websites
- Prewriting Part II
- Underline key information in references and write note as to why it’s underlined
- Start with 4 questions on 4 Sheets of papers – color-code highlight sources to match up information that addresses top 4 questions
- Jot down notes summarize info related to each question
- Drafting
- Main parts of paper:
- Introduction
- Description of search (optional, omit if it leads to repetitive description)
- What was found
- How to use information and related questions
- Main parts of paper:
- Revisions
- Facilitate revision meetings with writing teams who discuss
- Introduction
- How does writing grab attention?
- How does intro hint a prior knowledge and interest?
- How does writer help unfamiliar audience?
- How does writer make topic appealing?
- Question answers
- Best evidence?
- Missing evidence?
- Off topic evidence?
- Conclusion
- Connections to intro ideas?
- Follow-up questions and next steps?
- Lingering lessons
- Introduction
- Facilitate revision meetings with writing teams who discuss
- Editing
- X out common errors such as 2nd person
- Replace 2nd person with real nouns
- Sharing the Writing
- Convert paper to shorter feature articles for school newspaper
- Read aloud papers at presentations
- Troubleshooting
- Plagiarism
- Use WTL assignments to process research
- Teach students parenthetical citaions
- Plagiarism
- Topic Search:
Letting students choose their own I-search paper topics can help them be more invested in their processes and products. Guiding the research and prewriting processes with Writing-to Learn tasks can helps students process information, create drafts, and avoid plagiarism. See WTL 1 and 2 articles.
Preparation Steps
- Find time of year when I-seatch paper would be appropriate
- Time of year dedicated to process standards
- After students have already practiced several writing stages
- Prepare resources related to the stages describe above
- Prepare a project calendar that includes:
- research time
- prewriting time
- in class writing time
- critique and feedback lessons
- conference times
- milestone deadlines assigned to writing artifacts in writing stages
- rehearsal and presentation time
- student self reflection times
Early Implementation Steps
- Implement project plan prepped above
- Use formative feedback to fine time in progress project plan
Advanced Implementation Steps
- Recruit real panelists (or guide student to recruit real audiences) to read their work
- Have student polish and summarize work for school blog or school magazine
- Feature work in Learning Fairs
