Issue Research Redux

Just before spring break my kids finished their Social Studies CBA. It is a big project involving research on a topic, and analyzing information. Many of the pieces of reading- news articles, websites- are above grade level, adding to the challenge.

The work that kids produced was really great. Having done this 3 years prior, this was probably the best of the years as far as overall work kids produced. Instead of basking in the glow of good work, I wondered why the work was better. What made year 4 that much better than year 3, etc.?

I was more intentional with the skills kids would need to use. Being able to write a thesis statement is important, and we modeled doing that. Making inferences from quotes- another challenging skill. Analyzing all of the possible solutions- kids previously were locked into their solution. Instead, they were asked to see all viewpoints- and we tackled modeling that as a whole group. Another part of the success is embedding news articles in our weekly work (er, bi-weekly maybe). I asked kids to pick sides on issues during the year as well as analyzing points of view. When they see the CBA in March it ends up being less of an ordeal.

I still think there is room for growth. We found lots of statistical information... But we struggled interpreting it. Things like car emissions or accidents texting while driving were inserted with the "as you can see..." sort of line that assumes you can read the graph. Next time we'll actually write about the meaning of the data. But for now- job well done.

Thank You Internet

We're in the middle of Internet research. The project is to create a biographical wikiproject on an explorer. Kids need multiple sources, and need to take notes aimed at gaining a variety of pieces of information. The information will answer questions that they posed- things they would expect in a biography.

While researching our ship ran afoul.. How you ask? We found faulty research! It was brilliant, and even more perfect than I cod have planned. You see you uncovered a site that, on the surface, looks like a regular website. Kids had found it, printed stuff from it, and went along their merry way. Then someone actually read it. The exchange went like this:

-Student: Mr. Hanson, the text says Sir Francis Drake returned to his baking company. I don't get it.
-Me: huh? Baking company?
-Student: yeah, it says right here that he used a stolen recipe to start his baking company that still bakes cakes today (Re: Drake's cakes).
-me: hmm, let's go back and re-read. I'm not sure we are getting accurate info.

Of course this led us to re-read and uncover the errors in our poor researching. New Jersey, boardwalks, and stolen recipes on CD were all part of the rather interesting piece of historical fiction. But it brought out the need to do some fact checking. As I read this aloud to giggles and hoots, the message was clear. Go back over your work. Since? The quality of research, note taking, and work has improved. Hallelujah!

When Projects Go Well

Projects are an investment. They are rewarding yet also frustrating. They require time to put together and don't always yield what you are hoping for.

Over the past 3 years I've done a project where students create an advertisement for a region of the US that native Americans settled in. I'll admit that when I started it in year 1 I didn't have a solid handle of how to get kids to the end I wanted. I said "here's the problem- find the best region" and let them solve it. It was the equivalent of dropping kids in the pool and saying "swim." Ultimately I ended up helping a majority, some far more than others.

Over time I've implemented more scaffolding, laying the project out in a more linear fashion. Now we start with the over arching question from the jump- checking in on it as we mine for information, and do some comparisons. We also work more systematically- gathering information, working in reading and thinking skills along the way in a planned fashion.

As they're finishing their photostory projects, I can see the fruits of that effort. We have developed thought out projects that are really good, particularly for their first time working on this size of project. I am genuinely excited to go through each am provide feedback- even if it will take some time.

Cursory Understanding

Piggybacking off yesterday's post about patient problem solving, I stumbled upon a great find. Way back at the start of July the Tempered Radical posted about the death of the Google Wonderwheel, a tool that broke down complex concepts into smaller pieces that are related (and may be part of what you are looking for). In truth, I'd completely forgotten about it during our CBA research this spring. It would have been really fantastic for kids to break down broad issues with complex relationships, or at the very least distill them into more manageable, bite-sized pieces.

The Radical posted about a tool called WikiSummarizer. Essentially you type in search terms, or concepts you are researching, and they are distilled into related topics found via wikipedia. Now it isn't foolproof, but gosh it would have been really helpful. How? Well that brings us back to the notion of patient problem solving.

Say you are one of my students and you have seen a news story on deforestation (maybe a 30 second spot, 60 seconds if you're lucky). You decide that you want to work on the issue of deforestation for your CBA (classroom based assessment). The major premise is that you think it should be stopped because you know that trees are important for the environment-- big bummer that loggers are cutting down the trees ("stop the loggers!"). Where search becomes problematic is that you have a limited knowledge base to draw from in your assessment, yet you are intensely interested in the topic (bike safety? not a big bike rider, not so much. clean drinking water? doesn't seem applicable in our developed area.. etc). Interest is important, but it begins to wear thin when the articles you are trying to decipher are over your head. Patience only goes so far, and certainly can erode even the most interested and patient problem solvers.

Enter the Wikisummarizer, or so I envision. Kids might not necessarily use it first, but it can be in that first tier of resources. After kids start their search, they can refer to the wikisummarizer to help move them along or confirm/refute ideas they have on the topic. Instead of not necessarily knowing what other search terms or steps they could take, they've got another tool to access and move them along. It makes me excited.

A Promising Start

Two of my three groups have started the CBA. I anticipate it taking until next Friday with a few extensions mixed in. For a few there will be some simplification- narrowing of topics, resources in order to help with problem solving. While a wide net allows for student choice, it does not help those students that struggle organizing information or getting started (a broad array of choices can be overwhelming).

For the two that started, so far so good. I have gone through discussing issues and possible solutions. I've had students collaborate on solutions, and discuss compromises since not all people want it solved in the same way. We got off to a slow start, but a vast majority of kids have workable issues and understand who some of the stakeholders are on each side. From there they had some freedom to search on their own prior to the guided research lesson.

Research and culling information from articles looks like it will be the most difficult piece. My experience has been that we (meaning those who are under the age of 35 +/- a few years) are not the most patient bunch. We see something and want the answer before us. What is with this writing to explain both sides stuff?! It is increasingly so the younger you get (I know, painting with a broad brush). Reading a 2 page article on recycling, particularly when I am not versed in the intricacies of the concept, is yawn inducing and difficult. Tomorrow we are going to take our issue and write it as a question, then look at keywords associated with that question:

Issue: Recycling
Question: Should people recycle more than they do?
Keywords: recycling, increase, decrease, amount, recycling program, garbage, trash, cities, people

From there I am going to model searching... We'll find an article that looks good, but doesn't work (by reading the first 2 paragraphs... then skimming for the keywords, since our search program highlights the keywords). Then we'll find one that does work (same process), and work to cull out 2-3 key sentences before bookmarking for future reading. My objective is that they can analyze sources for relevance to their topic, so it should be an interesting day of research.

Example- wcydwt flooding

I would start with the image on the left (courtesy of KWTV in OKC) with no other information. The next task would be to ask the kids:

-What questions do you have about the image?
-Describe what you see in the picture?

There are a few things that the kids will be practicing as they do this. For 1, they will be practicing asking questions which is integral to everything (in particular in reading). For 2, they will be making inferences from what they see. They are saying "water is high, dark skies, then I can reasonably infer that it is raining hard and maybe causing a flood." People are having a difficult time because there are cars that aren't moving, and one has its trunk open, which is not normal.

From there we go to: what questions go together, and how can we make an organized attempt at learning more information. Perhaps even going as far as "what do we hope to know when this is all done?"

I feel like this can be done using everyday images that are both local and international. It intersects well with our current events, which will start far earlier in the year.

Realizations- CBA edition

I'm in the midst of evaluating our CBAs. I'm reading their work (most of which are powerpoints), checking their self-evaluations (OSPI rubrics), and providing feedback. The process is somewhat tedious, and certainly frustrating. Why? There isn't a way for us to go back and make changes to improve them is one reason. The second is that many of the errors are a result of revision, or lack thereof. Items on the graphic organizer that didn't make it into the presentation.

Ultimately I have some changes to make to the process. First, we'll start it in April instead of late May. We'll have an outline of the days, and what work will be done each day (at least at the start).

• Monday 4/5- Research using search terms- find one article on elibrary/print
• Tuesday 4/6- Research using search terms- find one useful website/print
• Wednesday 4/7-Deciphering research- what to use.

While we had our specific days, with explicit purposes for each, some of the points were lost in translation. Ultimately the goal is to ensure that they are successful, which providing some of those scaffolds will do.

We'll also do another WCYDWT sort of thing. That, to me, was how I started off the CBA. We started with an image and talked about it, wondered about it, gathered more information, then started on a trajectory towards putting something together. We struggled with the process of utilizing our research to the fullest extent possible. Using pictures, particularly current events stuff, is right up the "what can you do with this" alley. Kids want to know more, and want to try and make sense of the world around them. They just need the tools to do it, which requires reading, writing, and research. If I had a rewind button I'd be hitting it, putting it on 5x fast.

The Wheels on the Bus

There are some things teachers don't do well, myself included. One of those areas is "search" or "research" or data/information accumulation. Here is a common sequence of events for my kids as they tackle their CBA:

• Issue: Wetlands/Conservation
• Essential Question: Should wetlands be protected or developed?
• Search (via Search engine): "Should wetlands be protected?"
• Search Result: Some sites including WikiAnswers.com... followed by
• Student Action: copy, paste into Word/PowerPoint slide, possible rephrasing (certainly upon teacher questioning)
• Student Question (to teacher): So am I done yet? I've done all my research.

Granted, this is not each and every student, but this is a very common occurrence and leads me to the supposition found above. Now, I could be happy with the fact that they are crafting genuine questions about topics of interest. I could also be happy, and perhaps even satisfied, that they are doing any research. But that just isn't my style.

To tackle that I illustrated how to search, albeit in a manner that was still not as in depth as I'd like (time constraints). First I started with a discussion about search terms, generating multiple terms that were derived from their questions and stakeholders. From there we went into their method- just type in your question and hope for the best! We agreed that this was not quite the most efficient method, and didn't always yield the greatest results. Instead we tried different terms, and we tried different search engines along with a large district research database. Viola! The transformation was HUGE, making a big difference in the quality of information they found.

I'll take it as a huge victory considering the time constraints. We need to ration our time, and undoing some bad habits that have festered just isn't the highest of priorities. Undoing the "we were told to copy and paste then rewrite in our own words" (note: my quotes, not theirs) message is paramount. As I scratched the surface of that, I found that was an instructional message some kids had received somewhere. The message is essentially: don't worry about reading it, assume you agree with the writer, copy it and paste it, and rephrase to put in your own words when you're "research is done". I nearly fell out of my chair. Give the kids a little credit, they can do the work. Expect them to do it because,ultimately they'll surprise you.

CBA Introduction Redux

This past week I introduced our Social Studies CBA (see this post here for the plan behind it). When it was all said and done, my hope was that students would be selecting issues that genuinely concern them. The more difficult part is crafting a question related to that issue, which you'll try to address in a presentation.

I presented kids with images (Internet not original, largely due to lack of time) of wetlands. The first one looked like your standard undeveloped empty lot- a mixture of standing and fallen trees, plants, shrubbery, etc. The second one looked far closer to that of a wetland, with water and grasses mixed in. I had also brought up the point that Redmond has a growing population, illustrated by our school population increase. With those pictures, and their preliminary observations, we made the gentle leap to "What should happen to this land?" How do you accommodate the people who live there, and those that want to live there? Google Earth does a great job of providing satellite views of an area, in our case showing the vastly developed area with mixed in underdeveloped land.

The range of responses to the question above was precisely what I was aiming for. As kids traversed the possible scenarios of a wetland nature preserve and an area shopping mall, the body language (and oral response) was quite striking. "Ohhh no! You couldn't tear that down for a MALL!" Again, this was by design. We talked about who the stakeholders might be, and why they would want a say in what happens there.

Ultimately this produced some great questions...

• (Food in Schools) Can we make school lunches healthier?
• (Smoking in public) Can we stop people from smoking in public?
• (Smog/Greenhouse Gases) How can we lower car pollution?
• (Skateboarding) Why isn't skateboarding in public legal?
• (Gun Control) How do we keep people safe from guns?
• (Video Game Violence) Do violent video games make kids violent?
• (Drugs) How do we stop drug dealing and usage?
• (Racism) How can we stop racism?

The difficult part in this whole process is not having a preconceived argument. The kids need to work from their research instead of crafting their essays/presentations and finding research to support them. Research is also a difficult process, as it requires a degree of patience that I want them to have but that they often lack (at least to the extent that I'd like it). I am encouraged by the start, and hope that they week yields some great stuff. My guess is that, because of the other events taking place in the coming weeks, we're about done with the historical end of things. But I walk into next week cautiously optimistic.