How to Write a Research Report in the 5th Grade

Research reports in 5th grade are work.

Writing a research report is one of the skills that students learn in fifth grade. A research paper is never an easy task since it can be hard to research the topic, and students need to avoid plagiarism. During the fifth grade, when these skills are newly developed, the research report can seem like a difficult task. Though it takes some time and patience, writing a report can be a fun challenge to tackle.

Things You'll Need

• Reference materials
• Notebook

Instructions

1. Pick a topic. While the research papers will likely have a specific theme, such as a paper on colonial America, the teacher may not assign a specific topic. In fifth grade, history class report topics will be about influential founding fathers of America, such as Benjamin Franklin, or important events, such as the Boston Tea Party.

2. Find sources. Fifth grade classes are required to have at least three sources, with one book source and at least one Internet source. Students can use more sources, but three is the minimum in fifth grade.

3. Write notes from the sources. Students should write notes in a notebook with a topic first and facts listed in chronological order. Each fact should be separate from the other facts for clear, understandable notes. Fifth graders should not write quotes in the notes to avoid accidental plagiarism during the report. Instead, fifth graders should write only the facts in a paraphrased form.

4. Write a thesis. A thesis should contain the topic and the main point or points of the paper. A thesis should introduce the entire paper, so students should write it carefully. Fifth graders should have at least one main point in the thesis that they can expand on in the report. For example, a report on Abraham Lincoln might state in the thesis that he was a great president that brought change to America.

5. Write an outline for the paper. Though this is not required from every teacher, an outline focuses the information in chronological order and makes writing easier. Break the outline down into paragraphs for ease of writing. For example, a fifth grade research paper on Abraham Lincoln might have a paragraph about the president's influence on America, broken into three or four points that the student can use in the paper to form supporting sentences.

6. Write the paper. Begin with the format of an introductory paragraph and then supporting paragraphs and a conclusion paragraph. Each supporting paragraph should explain one point or idea that supports the main point of the thesis. The thesis should be in the first paragraph, usually at the end of the paragraph, though some teachers will suggest putting it as the first sentence. The length of each paragraph for a fifth grade research report should be at least five sentences long, with an introductory sentence first, three or more supporting sentences and a sentence to conclude the paragraph.

7. Cite the sources. Fifth-graders should cite the sources in alphabetical order by the author's last name and give all of the information about the sources, such as the author name and book or source title.

Tips & Warnings

• Any quoted words or phrases used in the paper should have a notation to the side indicating which reference the quote comes from and which pages. The reference note should have the author's last name followed by the page number.

• Paraphrased statements should have reference citations in the paper, though quotation marks are only necessary around specific quoted words.

References

• Math and Reading Help: How Do Students in the Fifth Grade Write a Research Report?
• 5th Grade Research Standards: 5th Grade English Language Arts Research Standards
• Mr. Walker's 5th Grade Class: Research Paper