How to Teach Research Projects to High School Students
A high school research project offers a unique opportunity for students to learn about a motivating topic in-depth. However, its success is contingent on a number of important procedures; otherwise, there will be utter chaos in the classroom. Learn how to implement high school research projects from planning to implementation stages.
Instructions
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Decide together with the students on the theme of the research project. The topic can be an umbrella theme in which each student or group decides on a specific topic, or it can be a completely open and unlimited topic.
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Decide how how many weeks you want your class to work on the project. Consider spending some time in class on the project, as well as assigning parts for homework.
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Decide also if you want your students to work on the projects individually, in pairs or in groups.
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Teach the prerequisite skills that are needed for carrying out the project. Prerequisite skills include: learning how to summarize information, how to choose relevant websites, how to write an outline and an essay.
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Prepare rubrics that outline to students how they can get 100. Categories of assessment can include, but are not limited, to: presentation, organization, mechanics, vocabulary use, sentence structure, relevance of ideas, personal contribution.
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Prepare a student handout that lists all of the stages of the project, including the final deadline for handing in the project.
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Spend time modeling to students the necessary skills with relevant examples. Provide time to complete parts of the project in class so students know what you expect of them, during which time you can provide support and guidance.
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Make sure students are accountable for their work in class. One way to ensure this is to distribute work logs in which students write down what they accomplished during that lesson, what they still need to finish and equipment they used. The log should be dated and include the names all group members.
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Encourage students to reflect on their progress and work on the project. Distribute reflection pages relating to the various stages of the projects. Students reflect on two general areas: what they felt they have learned and what they felt could have done better during the duration of the project.
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