Over the course of four days, 9th grade World History students will formulate, investigate, and answer an essential question of their choosing through the use of online databases and books found within the LMC and local county library branches.

Students will:

 

• Identify a topic of interest to them that deals with an aspect of world history and produce a 4-5 page paper and power point presentation that answers an essential question of their determination.
  
  
• Utilize electronic databases and the LMC’s OPAC to find, evaluate, and apply new knowledge towards answering their essential question.

• Independently and proficiently combine prior and new knowledge to create a better understanding of the research backing the answer to their essential question  

• Computers with access to the following subscription databases: ABC-CLIO’s World History: The Modern Era; Facts on File’s Modern World History Online; other databases that correspond with specific non-historical topics that have been approved by CT.
•  Books in the LMC that correspond to approved research topics.
• Students may also use personal interviews as part of their research (i.e.: a student whose parent has come back from Iraq may use an interview with their parent as part of their research.)

Day 1

• TL starts by asking the students to sit at tables before going back to the computers. 
• A small packet of papers with the assessment “Focusing a Topic for Research” on the top are distributed to all students and CT.  
• TL goes over this sheet and asks students to fill in the first few blocks by the end of the class period, but that the paper will be turned in to TL at the end of the research time. 
• TL goes on to next page which defines the term “Essential Question.”  
• Students are asked by the TL if they know what an essential question is.  Responses are heard (if any) and TL proceeds to explain the term. 
  
• TL asks students to read the example essential questions that are provided on the sheet.  
• CT asks students to begin thinking about what time period in history they are interested in and what aspect they want to focus on, as well as how their essential question will be posed.  
• TL asks students if anyone has a possible essential question they want to use or aren’t sure if what they are thinking of using an essential question.  A few minutes are taken here by the TL and CT to help students understand how to phrase an essential question, and students write down their preliminary essential questions at the top of the “Focusing a Topic for Research” form.
• The last sheet in the packet consists of the “Pyramid Notes” organizer that the TL explains is another way of organizing information, similar to an outline or web.
• TL ends the session with a call for questions about anything that has been discussed.  TL mentions that the students may find that the essential question is the last thing they come up with and that is ok.  Students may find that a topic they were interested in doesn’t have adequate information or too much information and a topic may need to be narrowed more.  
• TL offers to come around to students who want to discuss a possible essential question privately.

Day 2

• Online research begins today.  TL asks students who are doing purely historical topics to sit at neighboring computers, and students who are dealing with science, health, or contemporary issues are asked to sit near each other.
• TL provides a short explanation of the best databases to use for purely historical topics (wars, etc.)  Since all students in the class will have to provide historical research about their topic even if it isn’t history-related, TL provides a demonstration for the history databases (World History: Modern Era, Modern World History Online, etc.) that are best applied to this project.
• After the history databases are explained, those students who need additional research assistance (non-history related topics) are addressed.  One by one, TL asks students for their topic and shows them the best databases for their research.  Information for a topic such as “How has the spread of AIDS impacted the modern world?” can best be found in a database such as Opposing Viewpoints or Science Resource Center.
• TL and CT circulate and do mini-conferences with each student to ensure they are on task and able to find research pertinent to their topic.

Day 3

• TL introduces the OPAC at the beginning of the class period so students are aware of books that the LMC owns that will help them with their research.  Students continue to do research and CT asks students to meet with her during the period to show her at least three articles they have that support their essential question.
• TL hands out a sheet that has all of the remote access logins and passwords so students can continue to do research at home.     

Day 4

• Last day for student research.  TL points to links on Library’s databases page that students can use to generate citations if databases do not provide them (EasyBib, Citation Machine, etc.)    
• TL circulates and answers any last-minutes questions or issues about research.
• At the end of the period, TL collects the “Focusing a Topic for Research” sheets from each student and uses them as the assessment for the lesson.  The sheets will be handed back to the students with comments from the TL the day of the presentations. 

This lesson includes two assessment pieces which are attached as supporting files. One is "Focusing a Topic for Research" from Joyce Valenza's "Power Research Tools" guide, and the other is a "Pyramid Notes" page from Greece Central School District's web site "Tools for Reading, Writing, & Thinking."

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