Description: This week, I returned to my New Tech class again. The students are working on a project that deals with the crisis in the Middle East. The projects are always very detailed and have many different parts. This time the students have to write a research paper. In order for the students to complete this, the teacher had many steps that each student has to complete along the way and the end product is their full length paper. First the students had to complete a list of vocabulary words to better understand some of the difficult terms in their topic. Then the students have to begin to research and create an annotated bibliography of sources. After they have found their sources the students have to write an outline for their paper and eventually a final draft.
Analysis: When I first heard about this research paper I was extremely excited because I love the idea of students writing research papers in history classes. Having students write research papers combines so many important history skills to students like research, understanding points of view and bias, and lots of higher level thinking. The way in which the teachers have administered this assignment is another thing that was great to me. It has explicitly broken the larger assignment into the natural parts that many good writers go through anyway. In doing this, the assignment is much less intimidating for the students, the teachers can see the students progress, and the students are learning how to become great writers and researchers.
Reflection: Because I feel that writing is an extremely important part of history I am always trying to think of ways in which I can introduce high school students to writing history w ithout it being to intimidating. I think that if I am able to break the assignment up into managable pieces, students will feel more able and the assignment itself won’t seem as massive. I really hope to incorporate writing as an important part of my history class and I think this would be a great way to do a research paper in the future.
