By now you should have a pretty good idea how research projects at this level of schooling differ from research you've done before--both in terms of requirements and in terms of your research process. Choose one of these assignments as the starting place for a research report. Then complete the research plan at the bottom of this page.
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Explain how a particular invention or type of technology has changed the way Americans work or play. |
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Analyze a change in how the United States government approaches one of its responsibilities to citizens. |
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Focusing on a specific topic or field, describe a change in Americans' thinking about science and scientific knowledge. |
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Trace the development of a cultural trend (such as a fashion, a pastime, or a way of interacting) over a period of at least 50 years. |
You'll have several weeks to complete this assignment. Make sure you know the due dates and manage your time carefully--this is not a project to save till the night before everything is due! Click the Activity button to access a worksheet you can use to make your research plan. After you've finished filling out the worksheet, submit it to your teacher.
Your work on the research plan will be evaluated using the following rubric:
| Points | Criteria | |
| Research Terms 4 points |
2 | You wrote a research question that relates to one of the assignments listed in the lesson and also narrows the topic. |
| 2 | You generated several other questions that focus on more specific aspects of your topic. | |
| Online Search 4 points |
2 | You generated a substantial list of varied search terms for use in finding sources of information. |
| 2 | You conducted a thorough preliminary online search and followed all of the directions in Step 4. | |
| Library Visit 4 points |
2 | You generated a list of possible references or types of references for all categories of sources available in a typical public library. |
| 2 | You generated a complete list of possible people or organizations to interview. |
