How do you do a research project?

If we decide to do a research project, we need to:

Gather information

• know what we want to find out...have a research question
• be able to read
• be able to write down notes
• find the important facts ( keywords) in a piece of writing and use them in our writing , without copying them word for word
• look at more than one source (more than one book, more than one website)

We need to communicate our understanding

• Know what format our learning will take (handwritten notes, powerpoint, write the script for a play and perform it, plan and make a video, make a board game, make a chatterbox, make a model, make a poster)
• and communicate what we have learnt
• does the writing look neat? Does the writing make sense? Does the writing need to be edited and then published?

We might work with other people, in pairs or in small groups:

• We need to talk to other members of the group and listen to what they say
• Sometimes we ned to compromise (when we have different ideas, we take turns at choosing whose idea we use)
• We help each other, but don't do other people's work

We need to manage our time well:

• we know how much time we have to complete a task
• we use our time well, and stay focussed on the task
• we work quietly when we need to think hard
• we get help from our classroom displays, from other students, or from the teacher