INFORMATIONAL RESEARCH WRITING

Concept I: Writers learn ways in which they can write about what they are studying.
Concept II: Writers plan, research, and write drafts for a research project.
Concept III: Writers learn strategies for revising and editing a research project.
Concept IV: Writers publish and share their research projects.
In this final writing unit, students learn how to conduct research using both print and online resources, while sifting through quality and non-quality information.  Each classroom may choose their own topic to do research on.  The final paper is combined with a visual aide and presentation of their research.

MENTOR TEXTS

Was King George a "Royal Brute" as American patriots claimed? Or was he, as others believed, "the father of the people?" Was George Washington a scurrilous traitor, as all the king's supporters claimed? Or should we remember and celebrate him as "the father of his country?" Who was right? History teaches us that there are two sides to every story.
On April 18th at 9:30 p.m. Paul Revere learned that the British Army was marching toward Lexington and Concord to arrest rebel leaders. At 5:20 the next morning, a shot rang out and the American Revolution had begun. Told in a step-by-step account of the 24 hours leading up to the battles that sparked a revolution, this tale is sure to both inform and entertain.

OTHER RESOURCES

Biographies for Research
http://softschools.com/biographies/
http://www.ducksters.com/biography/
http://gws.ala.org/category/history-biography
http://gardenofpraise.com/leaders.htm
http://www.biography.com/
http://mrnussbaum.com/bio2/