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2011 Inspiration Software, Inc. You may use and modify this lesson plan for any non-commercial, instructional use.1

Research Papers 1-2-3: Diagram>Outline>Publish _______________________________________________________________

Subject Areas: English/Language Arts, Social Studies and Science

Grade Level: 6 12 (ages 11-18)

Time: At least three 45-minute class periods; time outside of class as necessary

Lesson Objective:Students will be better able to organize and write a research paper using a variety of sources.

Common Core State Standards 1:Writing Standards for Grades 6-12 in English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies,Science, and Technical Subjects

Standard 5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing,rewriting, or trying a new approach.

Standard 6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and tointeract and collaborate with others.

Standard 7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focusedquestions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

Standard 8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess thecredibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information whileavoiding plagiarism.

Overview:The ability to organize and use information from multiple sources, evaluate the information collectedand write research papers are challenging but important skills for students. Use the Research PaperOrganizer template in this folder as a tool to help make the process easier for your students.Inspirations tools will enable students to more effectively organize, research and connect ideas, buildunderstanding, create knowledge and develop their research paper.


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Preparation: This lesson requires the Inspiration software application published by Inspiration Software, Inc.

30-day trials can be downloaded at < http://www.inspiration.com/Inspiration > . Access to library resources and/or the Internet would also be helpful for student research.

Lesson:1. Review the Research Paper Organizer template shown on the previous page with students.

Explain that having a system for organizing a research paper is essential and that this visualorganizer is one effective system for making the process easier.

2. Explain to students that they will choose a general topic to begin researching and record thetopic in the space provided. As they uncover good sources in print or online, they will recordthe bibliographic information on a separate numbered symbol. If they have more than fivesources, students can add additional symbols. Encourage students to use a variety of sources,including online databases.

3. If students need help preparing sources, there are many free citation resources availableonline ; they can search for citation maker to locate them. Students should also know thatthey can hyperlink web resources to the organizer using the Hyperlink tool, or by simplyinserting URLs (web addresses) in the document. Ideally students should have access to acomplete style guide such as the one produced by the Modern Language Association (MLA).

4. As students delve deeper into the research process, they should formulate questions andanswers about the nature of their topic, with a goal of defining a working thesis statement.Explain to them that a thesis statement is normally one sentence that states what one willattempt to argue in the paper. Explain that it is call ed a working thesis statement because itmay change as students conduct their research.

5. Tell students that before taking notes, they should obtain feedback from you and their peerson their topic and thesis statement.

6. Show students the Research Paper Organizer Example included in this folder so they see thekind of finished diagram they will be creating.
http://www.inspiration.com/Inspirationhttp://www.inspiration.com/Inspiration


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Tell students that they can begin to take notes in the Notes section at the bottom of the documenteven before they have written a thesis statement. Demonstrate the following system to thestudents for taking and organizing notes:

a. Put each piece of information in a different symbol by first typing a descriptive heading.b. Below it put the source # from the Sources section at the top of the Organizer and

page # if it is a book or paragraph # if it is a web site.c. Use the Note tool to record information in their own words (paraphrase), or select

quotations if they significantly strengthen their thesis statement.d. When students finish taking notes, they can move similar ideas together. Then they

can arrange them in order and link them.e. If a topic has subtopics connected to it, students can use the Subtopic Quick Control

in the upper-right corner to show or hide the subtopics.f. Students may go to Outline View to finish organizing their notes, adding details, and

start to draft their papers.

7. Tell students it is very important that you and their peers check their progress and providesupport as they undertake the multi-step process of writing a research paper. For example,students should obtain feedback from you and their peers on their notes and outline beforewriting their rough draft.

8. Tell students that after they have started their drafts and organized their work inoutline form, they can transfer their projects to a word processor using theTransfer tool. This will allow them to complete the remaining steps in the writingprocess (revising, editing and publishing).

9. Revising: Students may share rough drafts with you and their peers, with changes made aftereach review. Students can review their notes and research in Inspiration and obtain feedbackfrom the teacher and their peers, as necessary. If any details do not support the thesisstatement, they should revise the thesis statement or remove the details if they are outside thescope of the thesis.

10. Editing: After students are satisfied with the content and basic organization of their writing,they can carefully improve its readability. For example, students should enhance the flow ofthe work with improved transitions. Students can strengthen their arguments with persuasivetopic and clincher sentences at the beginning and end of their paragraphs that all support thethesis statement. Spelling and grammar should be checked and corrected.


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11. Publishing: Students may have their edited work reviewed by you, their peers, and othersincluding parents or community members. Students can make final edits before submitting thework for a grade and/or publishing it. For example, students could submit the work to the localnewspaper, include it in a book of student work that is shared with the community, post it on areading wall in the school, or publish it to a blog. Student motivation and fulfillment will improvedramatically if their writing is shared with the world outside the classroom.

Adaptations / Extensions: See The Writing Process Made Easier lesson plan for more details on how to use Inspiration

to help students master the writing process.

In addition to writing formal research papers, students can publish their work by making anoral presentation to the class about their topic. They can us e Inspirations PresentationManager to add key talking points and visuals to their content. Teaching the class will helpthem to clarify and better remember the content. See the Creating Oral Presentations I and II lesson plans for more information about this process.

After presenting, students can answer questions and facilitate a discussion about the topic.

Rather than complete an entire research paper, students could submit a completed diagramwhich includes notes arranged in a web or a completed outline.

This lesson can be used in any content area that requires students to write research papers.

1 Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State SchoolOfficers. All rights reserved. Learn more online at < http://www.corestandards.org >.
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research papers 1 2 3

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