A Research Project

a Research Project

For 3rd, 4th, & 5th Grades

Created by Lisa Lilienthal

Included are:

lesson plans ? Fan-N-Pick cards & directions for brainstorming activity ? list of websites for research ?

note-taking pages ? example notes ? bibliography poster ? transitions/linking words poster ?

example

student report ? publishing pages for: deserts, grasslands, temperate forests, tropical rain forests, tundra, & wetlands ? blank publishing pages for other ecosystems ? student editing checklist ? grading rubric ?

"I learned" follow-up activity cards *NEW UPDATES AT THE END*

Common Core Standards

? 3rd Grade: W.3.2 a-d Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and

information clearly. Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details. Use linking words and

phrases (e.g., also, another, and, more, but) to connect ideas within categories of information. Provide a concluding statement or section. W.3.7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic. W.3.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief

notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories. ? 4th Grade: W.4.2 a-e Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and

information clearly. Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs and sections; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples

related to the topic. Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g., another, for example, also, because). Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented. W.

4.7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic. W.4.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and

digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources. ? 5th Grade: W.5.2 a-e Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and

information clearly. Introduce a topic clearly, provide a general observation and focus, and group related

information logically; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information

and examples related to the topic. Link ideas within and across categories of information using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., in contrast, especially). Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or

explanation presented. W.5.7 Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic. W.5.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or

gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.

Ecosystem or Biome?

It seems like the terms ecosystem and biome are often used interchangeably. I mainly use the term ecosystem with my students. However, many of the websites use the word biome. Even so, there is a difference between biomes and ecosystems.

What is a biome? A biome is a large region of the world that has similar plants, animals, and other organisms that are adapted to the climate, weather, and terrain of that region. Biomes are considered the world's major communities or habitats. A biome can be thought of similar ecosystems throughout the world grouped together.

What is an ecosystem? An ecosystem is smaller than a biome. It is a community of living things and the physical environment. Plants, animals, and other organisms interact with each other and with their environment in an ecosystem.

Project Ideas/Lesson Plans

Prewriting/Brainstorming

? To activate prior knowledge about ecosystems, do the Fan-N-Pick activity. I like to print several sets of the cards on cardstock and laminate them to use each year.

? The cards show illustrations of the ecosystems that students will be able to choose from for their research projects. They say, " What kinds of animals do you think live in wetlands?" and "What do you link the plant life is like in wetlands?"

? Discuss the questions with students before doing the activity. ? For the animal question cards, students should look at the

illustrations and use prior knowledge to guess what kinds of animals they think might live in the ecosystem. They can also tell why they think an animal might live there. For example, alligators might live in wetlands because they live in areas with water. ? For the plant question cards, students should look at the illustrations and think of what kinds of plants might grow in the ecosystem, if there are many or few plants, and if they grow close together or not.

Prewriting/Brainstorming continued

Fan-N-Pick

? Each pair (or small group) of students should have a set of question cards.

? Without looking at the cards, student A fans the cards and says, "Pick a card, any card!"

? Student B picks a card and reads it out loud, giving student A five seconds of think time. Because the cards have illustrations, student B should also show the card to student A after reading to help student A think of answers.

? Student A answers. ? Student B places the card in a discard pile. ? Students switch roles, repeat, and continue. ? I also do this activity with groups of 3 or 4 students. When student B

reads the card, student C answers. Then students D and A add any additional ideas to Student C's answer. The cards rotate clockwise with student B fanning, C picking and reading, and D answering. A and B then follow up with addition ideas, and so on.

Prewriting/Brainstorming continued ? After the Fan-N-Pick, introduce the ecosystem research project,

explaining what an ecosystem and biome are. ? Decide if you will assign ecosystems or let students pick. I do a

combination of both. I duplicate enough Choose Your Ecosystem cards to have a fairly even distribution of ecosystems in my classroom since I want the students to work in groups to teach each other about the ecosystems as a concluding activity. I do this project each year with my 3rd graders. I have six classes with 23 to 26 students in each class. I'll duplicate 4 cards for each ecosystem, plus one extra set. I randomly call students up to choose from the given cards. If I run out of cards, the lucky student(s) can choose any ecosystem from my extra set.

Resources/Note-Taking ? Decide on resources. Check your school/local library for books on the

specific ecosystems. I have included a list of websites that I use with my students for research. To introduce the websites, gather your students around a computer. If you have a computer hooked up to a television or projector, even better. Introduce the websites to the students.

Resources/Note-Taking continued ? This is a great time to have a discussion about plagiarism. I tell my

students that when taking notes, they cannot copy down an entire sentence. They may copy words and phrases only and use the words and phrases to write their own sentences. ? Teach a mini-lesson on note-taking. I have included a sample ecosystem project for the taiga that you can use to demonstrate expectations for this project. Pick a section about the taiga from a book or website and read it aloud. I started with the Earth Floor/ Biomes website. Demonstrate rereading and picking out key words and phrases for important information and writing new phrases and sentences using bullet points on the note-taking pages. ? Duplicate note-taking pages for your students and have them begin taking notes from books and/or websites. I do the majority of the research in our computer lab. If you don't have a way for students to easily use computers for research, you can print out information about the different ecosystems for students to use. ? I have my students list the sources on their note page (the name of the book or website). I have included a bibliography page to use if you want your students to list the sources in the proper format.

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