Endangered Animals Research Paper

Dear Student,

You are about to embark on an adventure in Science.

You are going to explore different sources in order to

gather information and present it in the form of a

research paper.  The paper you write will be about an

endangered animal.  In order to achieve the best

grade you can possible earn you must follow the

directions in this packet!  Read on and let the

adventure begin!

From,

Mrs. Walker & Ms. Andersen

Your name: _____________________________________

Your topic: ______________________________________

Dates to Remember

Check List

Peer/Teacher

____/____ 1.) Friday, October  8-Topic due

 ____/____ 2.)-Friday, October 15- Big 6 Planning Sheet

due

 ____/____ 3.) Friday, October 29- Note taking webs due

____/____ 4.)  Friday, November 5 -Inspiration/outline due

____/____ 5.)  Friday, November 19- First Draft Due

____/____ 6.)  Friday, December 3 - Second Draft Due

____/____ 7.)  Students will take draft home for final

edit and return it to school on Tuesday, December 7.

____/____ 8.) Friday, December 17- Final Draft Due.

____/___        9.) Friday, January 7- Letters to Congress

due

___/___10.) Friday, January 21- Power Point due.

*Dates are subject to change according to teacher

discretion.

** Please note the research project, Power Point

presentation, and letter will all be done in school.

We welcome, however, any additional resources you find

at home, on the internet, or at the public library.

Final edit of the research paper will be done at home

and your child will make changes on the school

computer.

Parent's Signature:_______________________________

Date: _______________

Steps to Follow When Writing Your Report

1. Research Your Topic:

Use a variety of sources in your research.  Some

examples of sources are: almanacs, atlases,

encyclopedias, periodicals, computer CDs, the

Internet, and textbooks.  You may use other sources.

For this report you will need a minimum of 3 different

sources.  One of them has to be from electronic

(computer) sources: a library database, an Electronic

Encyclopedia, or at least one online source.  Keep

track of your sources- you'll need them for your

bibliography.

2. Illustrations/Pictures

Any illustrations or pictures found in your research

can be added to your research paper.  You may decide

to add a few to the cover or at the end of your

report.

3. Taking Notes

A) You will be given a graphic organizer with

questions to guide your research.  You will take notes

on the graphic organizer.  Be sure to answer the

questions in the appropriate area.

Also, write the source you got your information from

on that same paper so you remember the sources you've

used.

B) Choose important facts that will answer your

questions and that you will need in your report.

Later you can decide exactly which facts you will need

in your report.   Again, keep track of where your

information came from (sources), you'll need to use

the information in your bibliography.

C) DO NOT COPY THE FACTS WORD FOR WORD.  Use your own

words.

D) Check your notes to be sure they make sense, and

remember notes are not your final report.  Taking

notes helps you to organize information and recall

certain facts.  They will also help you further

develop your outline and your plan for your Power

Point Presentation.

E) Get your notes checked by the teacher.

4. The Outline

You are now ready to complete your outline.  We will

go over this in class.  It will be done on the

computer software Inspiration.  You can refer to #5 in

the handout "Writing a Research Report" to see what

your outline will look like.

5. Writing the Report

By using your outline, notes and what you remember

from your research, you are now ready to write your

report.  You must now write in complete sentences.

Use your outline to guide your writing.  Since you

only wrote facts in your notes, when you change those

notes into complete sentences, everything you write

will be in your own words.  The body of the report

must be a minimum of 3 pages long and a maximum of 5

pages long.  The entire report must be word-processed

and double-spaced with letter size 12.  You must use

Helvetica font.

6. Bibliography

This is a list of sources for your report to show

your readers where you got your information.  Please

refer to the handouts and guidelines on how to write

bibliographies.  These guidelines are also available

on the school's web site.

7. Completing Your Report

A. Title Page

    1)Title of Report

    2)Bottom right corner:

        a) your name

        b) Science Grade 6

        c)  Mrs. Walker

        d)  Due Date

B. Outline

C. Body of report (minimum 3 pages/ maximum 5 pages)

D. Bibliography

E. Power Point Presentation

F.  Letter to Congress

    1)Persuasive

        a) facts