Is there an area of science that has always fascinated you? If so, now’s your chance to learn more about it. Over the course of the next few lessons, you will select a scientific topic to research. And later in the module, you will use this information to create and present an oral report.
Research Activity
The activity below will help you try out the research process described in this lesson. First, you’ll choose a topic; then you’ll create research questions and find credible sources that can help you answer your questions. Click the PDF or Word button to download a worksheet that will help you accomplish these steps. If you’re not sure about how to complete a step, review that section of the lesson.
Once you have completed the Ready! Set! Research! worksheet, submit it to your teacher. Your teacher will use the rubric below to grade your work on this assignment.
| Superior 5 points |
Average 3 points |
Poor 1 point |
|---|---|---|
| Choosing a Research Topic | ||
| You applied all steps of this part of the research process thoroughly and thoughtfully: listing topics, narrowing them down, and learning more about one topic. At the end of this stage, you produced a topic that is just right (just narrow enough) to help you write a 2–3 page report. | You applied all steps of this part of the research process: listing topics, narrowing them down, and learning more about one topic. At the end of this stage, you produced a topic that's more narrow than when you started the process. Your topic may need to be a bit more specific, though—or a bit broader—to fit a 2–3 page report. | You applied some but not all of the steps in this part of the research process or you applied some of them incorrectly. At the end of this stage, you produced a topic that needs to be more narrow (specific) or more broad—not quite the right-size topic for a 2–3 page report. |
| Writing Research Questions | ||
| You made great use of the graphic organizer to generate more ideas about your topic. As a result, your research questions are perfect for this particular research project. | You made some use of the graphic organizer to generate more ideas about your topic, but you should have filled it out more completely. Your research questions will need some “tweaking” to help you succeed on this particular research project. Remember—they’re supposed to guide your search for information. | You made little use of the graphic organizer to generate more ideas about your topic. Perhaps as a result, your research questions are not specific enough—or they ask for simple factual information or yes or no answers. |
| Searching for Sources | ||
| Your list of sources and the information you provide about them are exceptionally detailed and thorough, and your sources represent a great variety. | Your list of sources and the information you provide about them are adequate for beginning the next phase of the research process, but they are not as varied as they could be. | Your list of sources lacks some of the information you were supposed to provide about them. Your list may be too short, or your list may lack variety. |
