Research Project Grade 6 This research project will be your chance to be an expert on a country that you are interested in finding out more about. You may use resources from the school library, public library and your personal library. Your sources may be electronic or print. The process of gathering and recording the information is as important as the final product. You MUST pay careful attention and do everything in this entire project exactly as you are taught. USE the examples and information in this packet as a guide. You MUST read the packet and YOU are responsible for following the examples given. These skills of finding good reliable information, recording it on note cards, formatting the note cards, writing source cards, writing a bibliography, writing a research project, designing a power point and drawing a map are important for you to know and practice. This is your opportunity!! J Your project will have the following parts that will be evaluated: note cards, bibliography, research paper, power point presentation, a map. Extra credit will be available and explained on another sheet. So you re ready to begin. Read the packet carefully and think about what country you d like to study. Country Choices: (List your top 3 choices.) 1. 2. 3. PARENT SIGNATURE: Dates to Remember : Date: Completed note and source cards collected: DRAFTS: Bibliography Research Paper Power Point FINAL COPIES: Bibliography Research Paper Power Point Map
Note Cards Your note card needs to contain the source code letter in the upper right hand corner of the card, a topic/title in the upper left AND information from the source about the country you are researching. The information on the card will come ONLY from the source listed on the card. Write only two facts on each card. Do NOT write information on the back of the card. Sample Note Card Card topic 2 facts A Climate Three kinds: oceanic, continental, Mediterranean In mountains winters are long and snowy Source code Important things to remember when writing your note cards: Do: Put the source code in the upper right hand corner Put the topic in the upper left Write only 2 facts per card Write neatly Have a way to keep all your cards together with your name on them Don t: Write on both sides of the card Write more than 2 facts per card Include information that you do not need Write in complete sentences LOSE YOUR CARDS
Source Cards You will use your source cards to create a list of all the places where you found and used information. This list is called a bibliography. Writing a bibliography requires A LOT of attention to detail. If you prepare your source cards correctly writing the bibliography will be easier (but not easy J ) EACH source you use will have its own card. All source cards should be the same color and NOT the same as your note cards. In the upper right corner give each source a code using the letters of the alphabet, starting with A NOTICE the format. DO NOT indent the top line. DO indent every line after that. Use the EXACT same punctuation as in the examples. Same for underlining. Sample Source Card for a book (one author) Sample Source Card for a book (2 authors) Author Title Source Code Authors Title Source Code Khalid, Usra. Egypt Land. New York: Scholastic Books, Inc., 2011. A City of Publication Ramses, Oliver and Jennifer Twist. The Nile is the Giver of Life. London, England: Hyperion Press, 2006. B Publisher Copyright Date Copyright Date Publisher Sample Source Card for a reference book (no author) Russia. World Book Encylopedia. 2012. C Author Sample Source Card for a reference book (author) Bakrov, Sergei. Russia. Lands and People. 2009. D Title of Article Title Copyright Date Title Title of Article Copyright Date
Sample Source Card for an internet site The World Factbook. 24 April 2012. <http://www.cia.gov/cia/publicati ons/sp.html> Title of Website E Date of Access URL Address Sample Source Card for an internet site (generate citation feature) "Malawi." CultureGrams Online Edition. ProQuest, 2013. Web. 23 Aug 2013. (Just copy whatever the computer creates for you) Source Card Checklist Use this checklist to make sure that you have completed your source cards correctly BEFORE you hand them in. 1. EVERY source card has a source code in the upper right hand corner. 2. The first line of each source starts at the far left. 3. ALL lines after the first one are indented. 4. Title of books, encyclopedias, reference books and websites are underlined. 5. Title of articles (word looked up) in encyclopedias & references books are in quotation marks. 6. All cards have been checked for correct punctuation. (Look closely, use samples) 7. Cards are legible (neatly written on the card correctly, readable). 8. YOU have checked the spelling. (Spell check won t do names.)
Information Checklist You need to have information about these topics. Please consider using check marks to keep track of what you have found and what you still need! Items with a star are topics you need lots of information about!!!! Area in square kilometers Capital city Climate * Continent (location) Currency (name) Currency (value) Dress (Traditional) Exports Foods (Traditional)* Holidays * Labor force Literacy rate Name of country Name of current leader and title Neighboring countries/water Official language Physical features (important/famous ones)* Population (within 3 years) Religion(s) (major) Topic of Interest to you about your country * Digital Images Needed: Culture topic (your choice) Flag Map Topic of Interest (optional)
Bibliography Page The bibliography is an alphabetical list of the sources you used to gather the information for your research project. You have already done most of the work to write it when you created your source cards. Follow the steps below to write your bibliography. Pay careful attention to detail. Put your source cards in alphabetical order using the first word you wrote on each card. Do NOT put a heading on your paper. Type the word Bibliography on the first line and center it on the page (use center, not tabs or spaces). Do NOT bold, underline etc., just leave the word plain. Press enter once. Type the information from the top source card in your pile onto the bibliography page. (Remember the cards should be in alphabetical order.) Type all the way across the page even if you had to go to another line on your source card. Do not indent the first line. IF you need a second line, be sure to indent it. Be sure to space twice after a period or a colon. At the end of the entry for the first source, hit enter once and begin typing the second source information. SAVE the document. Do not put spaces between your entries. Repeat this process until all your source cards have been entered into your bibliography document. Type your name two lines underneath the final entry. Justify it to the right. Format the page (highlight all text) so it is double spaced using a 12 pt Times font. Check your page over using the checklist provided below. Bibliography Checklist 1. The word Bibliography is centered at the top of the page and left plain. 2. The entire page is double-spaced with no extra spaces between lines. 3. A 12 pt Times font is used. 4. The first line for each card begins at the left margin and is not indented. 5. If a second line is used for information from a source, it is indented one tab. 6. The entries are alphabetical by the first word on each card. 7. There is a period at the end of each entry from each card. 8. ALL punctuation for each entry has been checked thoroughly. 9. The page looks like the sample page in format, but uses the correct font size. 10. Your name is on the paper in the correct location.
Bibliography Burns, Anthony. Switzerland. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2008. "Malawi. " CultureGrams Online Edition. ProQuest, 2013. Web. 23 Aug 2013. Schultz, Franz and Maria Oberst. Switzerland. Lands and People. 2009. Swiss Flag. 18 January 2014. <http://worldflags.com/swiss> Switzerland. World Book Encyclopedia. 2010. The World Factbook. 24 April 2012. <http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/sp.html> Tina Buzak Please note: this sample is in a very large font so you can see all the details. Use 12 pt. Times font for your bibliography.
Sample Power Point Slides Country Name Flag Picture Student s Name and Date Geography Continent Neighboring countries/bodies of water Area (in km2) Important and/or famous physical features Climate Map of country
Sample Power Point Slides (continued) National Facts Capital city National language(s) Current leader (include title) Population (as close to this year as possible) Literacy rate Economics Most common occupations (labor force) Top/famous exports Currency (name AND value compared to the US dollar)
Sample Power Point Slides (continued) Culture Major religion(s) Traditional foods Traditional dress (clothing) Major holidays (top 2 or 3) One related picture should be on this slide An interesting topic about your country (you choose) Choose something interesting about your country to finish off the presentation. Make the slide interesting and informative Look for something unique about your country A related picture may be included
Research Paper A research paper is written to inform the reader about a particular topic. The characteristics of a research paper are: Declarative sentences only (Do NOT use I, me, or my at all in your paper) Factual information is written in your own words from ideas you have researched. (Do NOT copy direct words from the sources you use. That is plagiarism and is like cheating.) Use only accurate, factual details. Check anything that conflicts or your think is inaccurate. Make sure each paragraph contains details that are relevant to each other (Example: Traditional foods and holidays could go together in a paragraph, but it wouldn t be good to have climate and food together. Organization of your research paper Your research paper will have 3 paragraphs. The first paragraph is the INTRODUCTION. It s your job as a writer to introduce your readers to your country. Do NOT write: I am going to tell you or My country is.. Write: China is a small. The second and third paragraphs are the body paragraphs. Paragraph 2 is traditional clothing and foods and paragraph 3 is climate/geography. Don t plagiarize. Use your own words. Following the scoring rubric and the brainstorming guide. Final draft must be 12 pt. font (Times) and double spaced (or 1.5 space to get it to fit on one side of page) Completed and edited rough draft and the brainstorming must be attached to your final copy before you hand it in. REMEMBER!!!!!! Don t use I, me, my Only use facts, don t offer any opinion Only use details that you are sure are accurate facts (double check stuff) Organize into three paragraphs Use clear topic sentences
Research Paper Brainstorm/Outline Page What you already know about the country is not research. Even if you know some facts about your country you MUST find them in sources as a way of proving they are true. Research must be documented on your note cards. A minimum research paper must include all of the information on this page. More information is better. Introduction (first paragraph on the page of the research paper): Continent: Capital City: Official Language(s): Another important fact: Another important fact: Topic Sentence: (these will be the first words your readers see) Culture (First Body Paragraph (second paragraph on the page)) Topic Sentence: Name of a major traditional food: Description of food (what is it?) When is it used/why is it important? (the more facts the better here) Name of an important National Holiday: Date holiday is celebrated: What does the holiday celebrate? Why is it important? How is it celebrated?
Climate and Geography (Second Body Paragraph (third paragraph on the page)) Topic Sentence (Hint-Include continent in sentence.): Neighboring countries /bodies of water: Important Physical Feature: Why it s important: Important Physical Feature: Why it s important: Important Physical Feature: Why it s important: Type of Climate: Description of Climate: *****How does the climate affect the country? Be sure: To include a heading, That the title is centered on the page, To read the sample that is provided on the next page.
Tina Buzak 1/18/2014 Team 2 ELA Switzerland: Alpine Wonder! In the middle of Europe lies Switzerland, home of great chocolates and fine watches. Bern is the capital city and is located in the German speaking part of the country. The Swiss have three national languages: German, French and Italian. Switzerland was founded in 1291 and has remained neutral for many centuries, even during both World Wars! Food and holidays are important parts of Swiss culture. Swiss cheese is eaten every day and everywhere in Switzerland. In American we think the only kind of Swiss cheese is the kind with holes in it. In Switzerland there are as many kinds of cheese as we have kinds of apples. Cheese is an important part of the Swiss diet and the Swiss economy, as it is exported to other countries. Cheese is eaten in chunks with hunks of bread for breakfast, snack, and lunch. It is melted on bread to make Kasebrot which is served at holidays and street fairs. Kasebrot would be found at a Swiss National Day celebration. Swiss National Day is August 1 st. It is like American Independence Day. Most towns have celebrations in the town square and businesses and shops are closed. There s lots of traditional music and tons of food. On this day all young people who ve turned 18 since the last National Day become citizens. So each town has a ceremony led by a government official marking the citizenship rights that these 18 year olds have. At night there are fireworks in towns and bonfires are lit in the tiny settlements on the sides of the mountains. A landlocked country in central Europe, Switzerland is surrounded by Germany, Austria, France, Italy and Leichtenstein. The most important physical feature (it is a small country) is the mountains. Switzerland is covered with mountains called Alps. In the north are the foothills and then from central Switzerland on to the southern border there are very big mountains. This affects the country in many ways. Farms are small because the mountains get in the way. Villages and towns have formed in valleys because it is hard to farm on a mountainside. There are smaller villages in the mountains for tourism: hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter. The Alps have helped the Swiss to stay out of wars. It would be foolhardy to attack such a place. Switzerland s temperate climate allows for four seasons. There s lots of snow in the winter so the skiing industry is very successful. By summer most of the snow is gone and many tourists are hiking on the thousands of miles of wanderwegs that connect across Switzerland. The melting snow feeds the rivers which help for farming. The Alps and their affect on Switzerland s climate make the country what it is today.
MAP REQUIREMENTS You will create a map of your country on paper provided by the teacher. You will draw the map yourself. No tracing or projecting the image. The map must include: the capital city, other major cities, at least 5 important geographical features (examples rivers, mountains, lakes), a map key, an accurate scale. The map should be: neat colorful full of correct spelling & grammar informative. In addition to drawing this map, you should know: the continent the country is located on, the relative location of the country on the continent (ex: northern, central, western, etc.) the neighboring countries, how to find this country on a world map or globe.
Celebration of Countries Presentation Day On Celebration of Countries Day, each student will present their PowerPoint presentation to a small group of students, and adults. Along with the PowerPoint presentation, each student will also display and explain the color map of their country. Each presentation must be two and a half minutes in length and cannot surpass the three and half minute time limit. Each student MUST be prepared for the presentation. To prepare you should plan what you will be saying, the order you ll say it AND practice it so you have an idea of how long it will take. REQUIREMENTS OF THE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION: When presenting the PowerPoint presentation during the celebration, students are not allowed to read from each slide. The presentation must be a brief summary of each slide mentioning the most important information. When you practice if you don t have enough to fill two and a half minutes you should add things to say in this part of your presentation. Conversely, if you go over the time limit, the power point should be the place where you can cut down your time by summarizing better. REQUIREMENTS OF THE MAP PRESENTATION: Be able to explain and point to the important geographical features and the capital city of your country. You must also explain the location of your country in the world (continent, bordering countries, oceans, and/or seas).