Research

Research

Research Project/Informative Speech

You will be working on a research unit/informative speech during the next few weeks. The process will be as follows:

Step One – Discovery

Choose one of the millennium subjects for research. You may choose a person

who has been influential during the past 1000 years, an event in history that may

have had an impact on the world, or an invention and the inventor who

influenced our lives.

Step Two – Inquiry

Once you have chosen a subject, you need to brainstorm for questions that you would like answered as you do your research. What exactly is it that you want to know about this subject? Make a list of these questions.

Step Three-Search

Look for resources to help you answer the questions. Use the following:

Books (use the card catalog in the Library)

Magazine articles (use Reader’s Guide in the library)

Encyclopedias (in the library or on CD-ROM)

Internet articles (channelone.com, abcnews.com, )

Pamphlets (you could call agencies)

Videos or TV shows

You must use at least three different types of sources

Step Four – Citation

As you find your sources, fill out the slips of paper for each source immediately.

Then you will make bibliography cards for each source, numbering each card.

(begin with #1 and continue to number each card with a different number)

Step Five – Notetaking

Begin taking notes on large note-cards. Organize the cards by subtopics or

your original questions that you wanted to answer with your research. Follow

the instructions for note taking given on a separate instruction sheet.

Step Six – Organizing

Once note-cards are complete, make an outline for your written report.

Step Seven – Writing

Using the outline, write the first draft of your report. It should be three to five

pages long. It should include an introduction, at least 3-5 subtopics, and a

conclusion.

Step Eight – Revising/Editing

Revise and edit your paper and write the final draft.

Step Nine – Works Cited Page

Create a list of the works cited—in other words a bibliography page.

Step Ten – Inform

Now you become the teacher and give an informative speech to the class. You

must also have a visual aid to accompany your speech.