Research Paper: Performance Task Teacher Guide

RESOURCE CATEGORY

Description

The Research Paper Performance Task Guide structures a step-by-step process through which students will conduct research and create a paper that synthesizes information from diverse sources.

In our information age, research no longer lives strictly in the world of academia. Research has become a highly practical and important skill for anyone who navigates the Internet to answer a question, identify a resource, or secure information for personal or professional uses. At the college level, students are expected to be able to conduct research independently in support of a range of tasks. The Research Paper Performance Task Guide offers teachers a series of guided steps to teach learners how to conduct effective searches, identify credible sources, analyze an author’s position and evidence base, and synthesize findings.

Opportunities for Student Choice

Student choice can be encouraged in a number of ways. Students can choose the topic and the resources they gather and review. They can also choose the method in which they share their research.

Authentic Task

Conducting research is both a professional and personal skill that almost everyone will undertake multiple times over the course of their lives. This can be small-scale research an individual conducts before purchasing a new cell phone, or multiple people conducting extensive research on cancer treatments that could change medical practices.

Opportunities for Exhibition to an Audience

There are numerous options for presenting research papers. It can be as simple as presenting to the class or a group of invited parents or guests. The school could sponsor a Research Night where students display and share their work with the community. Student research could be published as a book of class findings or in an appropriate outside forum, depending on the topic.