Independent Project Update March 2022

March 7, 2022 Ms. D

Hello Everyone!

So, at this point on independent project:

Everyone has chosen a topic.
We discussed the Jar of Inquiry and everyone made questions using this model that will help drive their research.
Students have begun doing secondary research from websites, books, magazines, newspapers, and/or encyclopedias.
Everyone is taking notes using the two-column format discussed in class, either in their journals or online in MS Word.
Everyone is recording resources as they go, in their notes. Ms. D provided websites to refer to about bibliographies and resource notation in MS Teams.

What to do for secondary research (we talked about ALL of this in class.):

Find resources for your research! We are actively doing research until mid-May.
Go to the public library. You may need to talk to the research librarian there or use the adult section of the library to get resources with enough detail on some of your topics.
Ms. Ho, our school librarian, has been ordering books from other school libraries, including the high schools. It will take time for them to come in to the classroom, and some topics are harder to supply than others. These books can’t go home, but you can take notes on them during class time. They are in the green bins.
Check out your own books on your topic from the Suncrest Library. We have library every Thursday.
Use an encyclopedia online to get information on your topic if possible. Ms. D provided you with the passwords to access this off of the Suncrest Library Website.
Find websites on your topic. Remember to think of all the synonyms of the words related to your topic as you do Google searches.
Use websites with appropriate endings — .edu, .gov, .org. Avoid those with .com, and avoid websites with lots of ads.
Avoid blogs that give opinions rather than facts.
Avoid entertainment articles that have games, ads, or other distracting elements. If it is a reputable source of information, there will be less of this.
Use websites that have a specific author, and are not older than 2017 if possible, so information is recent.
Take notes in your journal, under the section for Independent Project, and using the chart. Remember to ask questions first, recording them on the left, and then record resources and answers on the right.
Use the Wonderings Wall/Jar of Inquiry question method discussed in class to ask deeper questions during the process of research.

What do I record for secondary resources, so I can make a bibliography for the project?

You need to do a bibliography by the end of May. Do not worry about making a formal one right now. Just make sure to record the information about the resource in your notes, so you can make a bibliography later.
For a BOOK: Record the title, the author or editors, the publisher, where it was published, the copyright date, and the pages you used.
For a WEBSITE: Record the name of the website, the name of the article you used, the date of the article, who wrote the article or the name of the person who made the website, the date you accessed the website.
For a MAGAZINE: Record the title of the magazine, the date of the magazine and issue number, the name of the article you read, the author, and the pages used.
For other resources, Ms. D provided websites and documents to help with this, so see MS Teams or ask her where they are if you can’t find them.

What to do for primary research:

This is required, so let Ms. D know what you are doing for primary research.
Primary research is due by end of May and will be included in your display for the project.
Primary research needs to be documented. Use photos, notes, a lab write up with scientific method, a journal entry, questions/answers, etc. If you don’t know what to do to document your primary research, please ask for help.

What are the types of primary research I could do?

Interview an expert on the topic. (Before you do an interview, write down your questions and ask Ms. D to review them with you. Record the person’s answers, their name, and the date of the interview. Remember what we did when we were doing immigration interviews this year.)
Observations at a location, or of someone doing something related to your topic. (It is a good idea to take both written observations, the dates you took the observations, and take some pictures to share later as part of your presentation.)
Lab experiment. (Use the scientific method to do a lab write up. Take pictures to document the process so you will have them for your presentation later. Write down the dates you conducted the experiment.)
Build something. (Document your design process with a draft drawing or plan, notes about how the process is going, and pictures so you have them for your presentation later. Record dates about when you did certain things in your notes.)
Do something. (Try something for the first time, document the experience, and take pictures so you have them for your presentation later. Record dates about when you did certain things in your notes.)

Next Steps?

Again, go to the library.
Let Ms. D know what your primary research is, so she can help if needed.
Record your resource information.
Let Ms. D know if you are having trouble finding resources.
Take lots of neat notes, as you will be required to show them to me.
Begin working on what your primary research is, as that can take lots of time..
We will talk about how to present (as there are lots of options) at the end of April, and focus on that from mid-May until our presentation date in third week of June.

Due Dates?

Secondary Research Notes — Due Wednesday, May 18th.
Primary Research — Due Tuesday, May 31st.
Bibliography – Due Tuesday, May 31st
Presentation Materials (Specific methods be talked about in April) – Due by approximately June 13th, Monday
Presentation to Community — Approx. June 15th Wednesday, but may be changed depending on report card deadlines

Thank you, everyone, for all of the great work you are doing so far!