Independent Investigation Method

Teaching Research Skills

NG LEMENTI IMP in Grades K-5 KS USING THE TE
Ja Available nuary 201 3

IIM!

CD

Teacher Manual

College and Career Readiness Skills Aligned with TEKS

Cindy Nottage and Virginia Morse

In

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IIM Independent Process SYNOPSIS

Prep Step Laying the Groundwork

You will find that teaching the 7 steps of IIM will go more smoothly by planning ahead, making connections for a powerful unit, and then introducing the process to your students.

STEP 1

After they have learned about the class unit through immersion activities, your students will record prior knowledge and questions on a mind map or other graphic organizer about a topic they have chosen or been assigned.

Topic

Choosing What to Study

STEP 2

Goal Setting

You will identify your class goals for the study and help your students develop their individual goal-setting questions.

Making a Plan

STEP 3

Research

Your students will use a variety of resources to gather and record information and will document their sources using a standard format.

Discovering New Treasures

STEP 4 STEP 5

Organizing

Your students will organize their notefacts into categories.

Making Order Out of Chaos Looking Back

Goal Evaluation

Using the goals set in Step 2: Goal Setting, your students will check to see if they have fulfilled the assignment requirements and then will demonstrate knowledge acquisition, new understandings, and skills development by completing teacher-chosen assessments.

STEP 6

Your students will write reports and papers, and/or create a variety of products to show what they have learned during their research studies.

Product

A New Creation

STEP 7
2

Presentation

Your students will present their product(s) to an appropriate audience.

Show Time!

INDEPENDENT PROCESS

The Independent Investigation Method

IIM : Independent Investigation Method THE MODEL

The Independent Investigation Method is a tool that can be used with all students in your own class and throughout your school/district. IIM will empower your students to gain mastery in independent learning and critical thinking the very goals the authors of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills have in mind for both our college-bound and our career-bound students. The very nature of research makes IIM the perfect vehicle to address the TEKS in your current curriculum. Within IIM, there are two skill levels: Basic and Proficient. Each level consists of a WholeClass Process where the class studies one topic together and an Independent Process where students research topics individually or in small groups. Each part of IIM is flexible and allows for differentiation in the classroom during both whole-class and independent research. In the elementary school, the focus is on the Basic Level.

The Whole-Class Basic Process is a perfect way to begin teaching all students research skills in a non-threatening environment. When your students are ready to work independently, they can move on to Independent Basic, researching different topics either individually or in small groups. Mastering the Whole-Class Basic and Independent Basic skills will prepare them for rigorous studies using the Proficient Level.

IIM BASIC LEVEL FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS

Why do I need to teach research skills to my students when the TEKS and STAAR are taking so much of my time?

TEKS AND
A survey of the research on readiness for entry into the skilled workforce makes it clear that employers want their employees to be able to read and communicate well ... and to be able to think critically and adjust to rapidly changing working environments. Because these college and career readiness standards focus precisely on a strong foundation of knowledge and intellectual skills, including intellectual nimbleness and adaptability, they will serve equally well those students heading to college and to the workforce.
(Texas CCRS p.iv-v)

In order for educators to reach the goals of the TEKS, teachers will have to change the way they teach and students will have to change the way they learn. However, the authors of the standards purposefully avoided laying out the how of teaching these standards. Exhale! Smile! Rejoice! What you need is right in your hand! In IIM, the hidden skills of the research process are exposed and made practical and student-friendly in order to achieve the broad standards. Research is the 4th R, a critical subject area seldom directly taught. What better reason to use research as a platform for learning! In this book, you will find a proven model that unpacks the big boxes of the TEKS. IIM will empower your students to learn actively through research. They will gain content knowledge and process skills while meeting the standards through meaningful, interest-driven studies across the curriculum. You will have done your part in their development by laying the groundwork for your students to be successful in the classroom and beyond, even into college and career. You will help produce students who are able to: Demonstrate the ability to think independently. Connect reading to writing and thinking skills. Think critically about what they have read. Understand and use research methodologies. Know how to find a variety of sources and use them properly. Take in information, analyze it, and record that which is meaningful and useful. Carefully select the evidence used to support ideas. Use writing to communicate ideas, concepts, emotions and descriptions to the reader. (Conley 2003 p.17-27)

WHOLE-CLASS PROCESS

The Independent Investigation Method

STEP 5 Goal Evaluation

Looking Back
Successful students integrate source material, accept constructive criticism and revise personal views when valid evidence warrants. (Texas CCRS p. 30)

Introduction
Now that all their information has been organized in a way that makes sense to them, your students can really see how much theyve learned about their topics. Theyre getting anxious to get on to Step 6: Product where they will draw on the full range of their insights and knowledge by sharing their new understandings in creative ways. But before they do that, its important to review the goals set in Step 2: Goal Setting. Have they used the required number and types of resources? Have they listed and learned enough glossary words? Have they found information about the Essential Questions and their own goal-setting questions? Be sure your students identify the new ideas and new questions they have. These will require critical thinking, analysis, and synthesis from the facts they have gathered. Thats what college and career-ready students do! You can also gather assessment data about their individual studies through class discussions, in individual conferences, or by having them complete other activities. Use the methods you feel the most comfortable with. We have included editable and ready-made Assessment Forms on the CD to help in evaluating both process and product. When you and your students are sure that the study goals have been accomplished, its time to move on to Step 6: Product and Step 7: Presentation.

IIM BASIC LEVEL FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills

RD/C:

Identify the authors viewpoint or position and explain the basic relationships among ideas in the argument. Recognize exaggerated, contradictory, or misleading statements in a text. Draw conclusions from the facts presented in text and support those assertions with textural evidence. RSH/SI: Refine the major research question, if necessary, guided by the answers to a secondary set of questions. RSH/OP: Draw conclusions through a brief written explanation.

3CD FORM 38
Step 5
Goal Evaluation

Evaluating My Research Goals

What I Learned 35 8 3
Notefacts Written:

Notefact Goal:

37

6CD FORM 40

Required Number of Glossary Words: Required Number of Resources: Required Resource Types: Goal Achieved (check):

12 Number of Resources Used: 4

Number of Glossary Words:

Video

Book

Free Choice

Key Findings About My Topic

nep 5 St

What are the most important findings and new ideas you would like to share with others when you reach Step 6 -Product? Alison Saurus Name: 1. It used its 25 ft. wings for gliding up to cliffs and for The Pteranodon My Topic:

Goal Evaluation

My New Ideas and Questions

Date: March 18

soaring over the water hunting fish.

Directions: Choose three of the following questions and write a short paragraph about each 2. Most of its food fish, snails, shrimp-like shell fish, sand one as it relates to what you learned during your research. 1. Explain why this topic is important. fleas, and red algae came from the water and the shores. 2. What surprised you? 3. What are the major issues around this topic? 3. It adapted to its environment by using its head crest like4. How can you apply what you learned to your own life? a 5. How has this study changed your thinking? rudder to move towards the fish it caught with its big beak What are the questions you would still like to answer? Why? 6. and

sharp claws.

My Key Glossary Words: omnivore, crest, adaptation, reptile

Possible Goals

2 Question ____
What a surprise! The Pteranodon was a reptile and not a dinosaur or a bird. Even though it had huge wings and flew over water hunting fish, scientists have decided it was a reptile because it was cold-blooded and had skin instead of feathers.

My Future IIM Goals: I will use the internet and maybe visit a museum. I want to find out more about flying dinosaurs

Number of notefacts, notefact quality, number of resources, resource types, goal setting questions, time management...

2 Question ____
I think survival is a major issue for all creatures. The Pteranodon was able to survive because of its huge wings living in cliffs, diving for food, escapting its enemies

6 Question____
I really want to know more about the flying dinosaurs and how they were related to the Pteranodon. This is important to me because I think I want to be a paleontologist when I get older.

INDEPENDENT PROCESS

The Independent Investigation Method

Teacher Steps
You will a. Review the process assessment goals you set in the unit plan. b. Explain to your students that they are on Step 5: Goal Evaluation. c. Have them add Step 5: Goal Evaluation page(s) to their booklets. d. Require them to reflect on their study by identifying new ideas and/ or solutions to problems using a strategy such as My New Ideas and Questions. (CD Form 40) e. Check knowledge acquisition with paragraph writing, conferences, small group discussions, spelling/vocabulary tests, fact games, and/or rubrics. (CD Forms 46-59) f. Guide students in using Evaluating My Research Goals (CD Form 38 or 39) to evaluate goals set in Step 2: Goal Setting and to set goals for future research.

Key Skills

1. Retell specific

Student Steps

Your students will a. Demonstrate depth of knowledge acquisition by completing teacher-chosen activities. (Key Skill #1) b. Identify new ideas resulting from their research. (Key Skill #2) c. Evaluate goals set in Step 2: Goal Setting. (Key Skill #2) d. Find additional notefacts, if necessary, to answer original questions. (Key Skill #3) e. Set goals for further research. (Key Skills 4 & 5)

2.

3. 4. 5.

details and draw conclusions from information gathered. Use compiled information and knowledge to check on original goals, raise additional questions, and list new ideas. Identify areas needing more information. Reflect on the role of a researcher. Set goals for future research studies.

IIM BASIC LEVEL FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS

The IIM Research Tool Kit!

Manual Student Booklet Mini Lessons Bulletin Board Set

Students will learn critical TEKS to succeed in high stakes testing!

This IIM Teacher Manual and its companion pieces in the IIM Research Tool Kit Student Booklet, Mini-Lessons, and Bulletin Board Set will provide all the tools needed to help your students become active, engaged researchers Once students have learned the IIM research model, they will be empowered to conduct research studies in any discipline or to pursue areas of passion. THIS TEACHER MANUAL CONTAINS: Teacher and students steps for both the Whole-Class Process where students learn basic research skills and the Independent Process where students apply those skills in individual or smallgroup studies TEKS for each step of the process Differentiation strategies for each step Library Media Specialist connections Tested technology sites CD with editable teacher, student, and assessment forms

The IIM Student Booklet gives your students an organized set of student workpages that guides them through the 7 Steps of their independent research project. It has key pages from the CD to help you get them started. The IIM Mini-Lessons have lesson plans to help you teach the key skills at each step of the process. The IIM Bulletin Board Set includes graphics of Agent IIM, the 7 Steps, and the process name and logo that keeps the language of the research process front and center in your classroom. All available at www.iimresearch.com
Epping, NH 800-644-5059
$39.95

IIM is transformational in the teaching of research and critical thinking skills.

Principal, Midland, TX

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