8th+Grade+Research

= P **ROMPT :** = ===What event in U.S. history impacts our lives today? Write a persuasive letter to your social studies curriculum director to persuade him/her to include this important event in Cecil County's curriculum. Support your claim with solid facts and reasoning.===


 * Step 1 -**-Have your topic approved by your teacher. (Can't decide upon a topic? Survey one of the social studies textbooks in the library for ideas or look over the Suggested Topics .)
 * Step 2 **--Before you can begin to research, you must write insightful questions. (For example: What impact did the tragedy of September 11, 2001 have on national security?)
 * Step 3 **--To research your topic you will need to use reliable, up-to-date information written by experts. Your best sources of information are encyclopedias, library books, the Digital Databases, and reliable websites. Use the tips and links below to get started.
 * encyclopedias **Use the general encyclopedias to gain background knowledge about your topic.** //Paraphrase your notes.//


 * **OPAC** Look up your subject, related terms and/or keywords. Use the broadening and narrowing ideas you had in class. Print out the list of titles for books you think might be helpful. (REMEMBER fiction books will not be useful for this project. Use the call number sort feature to eliminate them from your list.) Use the index and table of contents of the books to narrow down your search. //Paraphrase your notes.//


 * **[|Digital Databases]** The SIRS Decades will be especially useful for 20th century topics. Home use of these resources require a username and password. See Mrs. Slacum for this information. Also, most articles in the Digital Database have recommended Web Links. //Paraphrase your notes.//


 * // For reliable websites,try [|**Infotopia**] It is an academic search engine which assesses only trusted websites previously selected by teachers, librarians and other educators. **No need to complete a Website Evaluation Checklist.** ////Paraphrase your notes.//

=== Plagiarism is a serious offense with consequences for students. Complete the tutorial on the Acadia University web site @http://library.acadiau.ca/tutorials/plagiarism/ if you are not certain if you are properly citing your resources. ===


 * Step 4- **-If you Google, you are **REQUIRED** to complete a Web Evaluation Checklist and submit this form with your final bibliography . (A minimum of 4 sources is required for this project.)


 * FINAL PRODUCT :** A persuasive letter and a final bibliography of resources used.

Suggested Topics Standard Works Cited Form (Final Bibliography)