Gather some information, print it onto sentence strips, and then have your class physically shuffle the cards to better understand the importance of organizational patterns in writing. Middle school learners examine information for a...

The beauty in this resource is the lengthy list of highly charged, controversial-issue research topics. Categories include issues of race, politics, law, environment, education, athletics, gender, and technology. After selecting a topic,...

Here is a fantastic World War I research project that includes clear guidelines for topic choice, guiding questions, and suggested presentation products. Research subjects range from battles of the war, trench warfare, and weaponry, to...

Check out this fantastic research project where learners work to see the modern world through the eyes of a historian and analyze a contemporary event of their choice. An in-depth reflection on the project is given by the project...

Show your students how to set up a research paper using Microsoft Word. What a great step-by-step video!

How do you choose a topic for an argumentative essay? Support your young writers through this vital first step in crafting an argumentative essay as they construct a list of possible topics, free write, and then work to choose the topic...

Your young writers have their research questions formulated, but now how do they go about reading new texts and finding information with those questions in mind? This video conveys the importance of avoiding tunnel view while...

After researching a particular topic, your young writers will learn how to determine a focused research question by asking themselves, "What do I want to teach others?" Watch as the narrator demonstrates how to work your way through a...

If your class is new to reading and writing research, this is a great place to start! As the first video in a series of nine on using resources to craft an informational text, your writers are prompted to gather information and consider,...

The thesis statement is at the heart of a well-developed essay, and as the narrator of this video emphasizes from the start, having no thesis statement would be like "taking a picture that's really out of focus." With this resource, walk...

How did the women in France feel about their country’s involvement in World War II? Class groups are assigned a country involved in WWII, and individuals within the group adopt the point of view of leaders, laborers, businessmen, women,...

Demonstrate how to cite information from Internet sources without plagiarizing. If your class is working on an Internet research paper, and you have observed learners cutting and pasting directly from the Internet, the activities and...

Review the components of a well-written paragraph with your class. Be sure your writers include a topic sentence supported with main ideas and followed by a conclusion. Unity, coherence, and transition words are emphasized. Experiment...

Engage in an activity that focuses on the concepts of formal and informal language use. Middle and high schoolers compare and contrast each style by using a Venn diagram that includes some examples. They read and hear a passage of lyrics...

Eleventh graders examine the political demands put on one of four groups living in America during WWII. Each class member is asked to research and write a paper describing the homefront experience for women, Hispanics, African-Americans,...

If you're starting a research project, use this guide to help young learners form the inquiry for their research. With steps that outline the entire process, including note taking and gauging the quality of an inquiry question, this...

Get scholars thinking about the scientific process with this fun experiment they can do at home. Learners practice reading directions as they underline each instruction in a procedural paragraph. They create a flow chart and record what...

"How might multiple perspectives of standardized testing impact me as a student?" is an example of an essential question that a researcher might use as a basis for this lesson on how to research and present a written stance on a...

Planning on assigning a research project to a high school or college class? Although text-heavy, the concise explanations, color-coded examples, and writing tips included in this presentation make in worth a preview.

In 1856 Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina beat Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts over the head with a cane. This event, which highlighted the acrimonious debate over the expansion of slavery, is the focus of a paper...

For many emerging writers, essays are completed step-by-step. With the help of this lesson, learners will narrow down a topic, develop a thesis statement, develop a preliminary outline, conduct Internet research, and understand the...

Build the skills your budding authors need to develop to compose well-structured paragraphs. Give them the topic sheet (included here), and have them write a cohesive paragraph using the ideas listed. Consider having them include two...

This rubric is decent, but it doesn't provide a point allotment for each category. Use this as an outline to create a more comprehensive assessment for your writers' research papers. 

Quotations add validity to an argument or an analysis, but how do you integrate them into your writing? Several examples are provided, and your emerging writers will surely benefit from looking at different ways to add quotations....