Research Paper

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Research Paper
By James

Hi, Kimberly! What a great idea to do a research paper in sixth grade! All too often, teachers shy away from big projects like this, and they can be very rewarding experiences. I've taught seventh and eighth grade Language
Arts for twelve years now, and I would love for my students to have been exposed to writing a research paper before getting to me. You're right about narrowing the topics. That is the biggest mistake students make in writing reports. Rather than write about all aspects of a civilization, have your students select one area to focus on. For example, rather than writing about Ancient

Egypt, have the students write a report about the burial customs in Ancient Egypt or the major gods and goddesses of Ancient Egypt. These topics lend themselves to research better than too broad topics. Have students examine the influence of Pericles on the Greek judicial system or the effect the Black Death had on Europe during the Middle Ages. Do you see? Why not spend one class period playing a game of "Narrowing the Topic?" Have one students suggest a culture or civilization and have another suggest a way to narrow the topic. Keep going until the students have come up with a reasonable topic. Kim, don't forget to teach the students proper documentation form of their sources! The earlier they learn about giving proper credit and plagiarism, the better! Good Luck with your project. Hope my suggestions helped!