The New York Times
Trouble in the Hive: Researching the Decimation of Honeybee Colonies
Teach your class about colony collapse disorder and foster discussion about causes and solutions for the honeybee problem. Class members read and discuss an article and participate in one of two detailed activities about pollination and...
Sharp School
Geography Project
This very simple geography project can lead to a lot of useful referential information that can be displayed in your classroom! Learners construct a poster-size map of a country, identifying major demographic points and including pie/bar...
Curated OER
Polar Scientists: Polar Science
Research skills are extremely important and they can be linked to any subject. Get your class thinking about scientists that study the polar region, what they do, and how they get funded to continue their research. Each child uses a...
Google
Intermediate 2: Understanding Search Results
Teach your class some strategies for effective searching. Pupils should assess the whole results screen and then determine how to go forward with their searches. A table of strategies is included, as is a challenge. After they complete...
Google
Intermediate 4: Searching for Evidence for Research Tasks
Online resources take many forms: blogs, search engines, news websites, documents, wikis. In order to conduct effective research, pupils should become familiar with different formats so that they can more easily choose suitable sites for...
Google
Beginner 4: Searching for Evidence for Research Tasks
Having a strong searching skill set can make a research project much easier and much for successful for pupils. Tackle finding evidence with the ideas included here. The ultimate goal is for class members to learn the stepping stones...
Google
Intermediate 1: Picking the Right Search Terms
A search can be strengthened by unique terms. With the activities and presentation included here, show your class how to target their searches with unique terms and context terms. They can then practice their search skills with...
Curated OER
Multimedia Storytelling
Experiment with multimedia storytelling. After watching a segment of American Family, first, middle and high schoolers tell a story about their families, clarifying the setting, characters, and script. They work on setting their story in...
Curated OER
Selecting the Tap: Water Safety
Examine water as a scarce natural resource instead of taking it for granted. Middle schoolers identify the traits of potable water, and research local water sources to determine if they are impaired or not.
PBS
Shakespeare & The Renaissance: Activity Ideas
Looking for ways to implement the words and works of William Shakespeare into your curriculum? This list of activity ideas is a great starting point, as it covers a wide range of grade levels and a wealth of online references to explore.
Curated OER
Oral Presentation
Practice public speaking in this oral presentation lesson. Middle schoolers list the characteristics of a powerful speaker. They watch a video of two speakers, compare them and discuss the qualities of a good speech. Afterwards, they...
Curated OER
Video Biographies
Who was Alexander The Great? How did Abraham Lincoln’s early life influence his political life? Learners select a historical figure to use for video biography. After developing research questions and collecting information, pupils search...
Curated OER
Ancient Cultures News Broadcast
How does geography influence daily life? Guided by an essential question, class groups select and then research an ancient culture, and develop a news broadcast about the geographical setting and its impact on the culture. Teams select...
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum
Using Truman Trivia as a Springboard to Research and Oral Presentation Skills
Students research Truman Library website and gather ten trivia facts. They prepare a short oral presentation on one of their questions, scoring each other on speaking and listening skills. Then they create a Truman campaign button.
Library of Congress
Loc: How to Find a Novel,etc. Without Knowing Its Title or Author
Use this guide to help identify a literary work when they know only its plot or subject, or other textual information such as a character's name, a line of poetry, or a unique word or phrase. Trusted databases, library catalogs, and more...
Online Writing Lab at Purdue University
Purdue University Owl: Research: Where Do I Begin?
The 21st century has made access to information easier than ever. Purdue offers tips on how to narrow your research field when trying to sort through this information. Click on the links in the sidebar to learn about the different types...
Beacon Learning Center
Beacon Learning Center: If You've Seen One Source, You've Seen Them All. Right?
This is a tutorial teaching the difference between primary and secondary research sources. It provides specific examples and asks students to answer questions along the way. Java is required.
FNO Press
Fno.org: The New Plagiarism
Subtitled "Seven Antidotes to Prevent Highway Robbery in the Electronic Age," this article is particularly addressed to teachers who assign research projects.
TES Global
Blendspace: Questioning Nonfiction Text Oil Spills
An eight-part learning module with links to texts, videos, and websites to use while improving informational text skills through the topic of oil spills. The print materials have directed exercises for text analysis by students.
Other
University of Washington Libraries: Starting Research
If you need help knowing where to start your research, or if you're a teacher looking for a way to help students understand the research process, this resource is terrific. Interactive tutorials on a number of topics offer review quizzes...
Colorado State University
Colorado State Writing Center: Choosing and Refining Topics
An in-depth and exhaustive reference from Colorado State, detailing every possible issue within the context of topic selection and refinement in writing. Includes multiple nodes and bullets under each section (links on the right)....
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Developing a Research Question
This tutorial focuses on picking a research question, beginning with a slide show that defines the term, tells how it is different than a research topic, and provides information for evaluating your research question by answering a list...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Developing Research Questions: Focus Your Research
This tutorial focuses on why it is important to have a question in mind before beginning research; how to pick a research question based on personal interests or finding gaps; and choosing a topic that is interesting, researchable,...
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Synthesize Ideas and Details in Several Texts (English I Reading)
You will learn how to synthesize ideas and details in texts and support the connections with textual evidence.