Researching to Deepen Understanding

Description

Instruction in this unit is built around three components: a process for conducting research, a Research Portfolio developed by students throughout the process, and choosing a topic to research. The unit activities integrate these components in a learning progression that develops and supports proficiency in the entire research process.

The process for conducting research outlined in this unit is introduced and developed over a series of activities. As students work through these activities they create and compile the various parts of their Research Portfolios. While each part of the unit introduces skills associated with the various steps in the research process, it should be understood that the process itself is recursive and that these steps will be repeated and integrated as students conduct inquiry.