HOLY CROSS ELEMENTARY
2009-2010
TWO OPTIONS - Grades 4 – 5 – 6
Because research is such an important skill, all of our 4th, 5th, and 6th graders are required to research a topic/subject as a class social studies requirement. Here are the two options!
I. Social Studies Fair Project
A. Holy Cross Fair date – Tuesday, February 9, 2010
B. Students may work individually or within a group (limited to two students). Grading requirements are patterned according to grade level abilities.
C. Students choose a topic of interest in one of these disciplines:
1. Anthropology
2. Economics
3. History
4. Political Science
5. Geography
6. Sociology
D. Projects will be judged locally and all students who participate will receive:
1. 2 additional grades in Social Studies, one for the display board and one for the written research paper (be sure to include all components & steps leading up to the completed paper).
2. a jean day on a designated day(s)
3. a certificate of participation
E. Four Social Studies projects will be chosen from the Holy Cross winners to compete at the Regional Fair at Nicholls in March.
II. Research Paper
A. Students who choose not to participate in the Social Studies Fair will be required to do a research paper as part of our social studies requirements.
1. Grade 4 students will research a state in the U.S.
2. Grade 5 students will research a topic in American History.
3. Grade 6 students will research a country in Europe, Asia, or Africa or a topic in World History.
B. Teachers will further instruct students on the guidelines.
C. A Social Studies grade will be given on the written research paper and the steps leading up to the completed paper.
The teachers will conduct workshops for parents on: Thur, December 3 Gr. 4 – 8:15 a.m.
Gr. 5 - 10:15 a.m.
Gr. 6 - 9:15 a.m.
The workshop will be held in the Meeting Room. If you plan to attend, please fill out the form below and return it with your child. Thank you!
____I will attend the workshop for the Social Studies Fair and the Research Paper.
____I will not be able to attend the workshop. I will call to schedule an appointment.
Signature ________________________________________________________________________
Child/Grade/Teacher __________________________________________________________________
Teachers, grades 4 through 6, will begin the research paper process on Monday, November 2, 2009. Teachers at each level will team teach with a sample of the process being the result.
Timeline and Info For Student
Social Studies Project and Research Paper
1. December 3, 2009 - Choose a topic of interest.
2. December 10, 2009 - Write research questions (3-5 questions).
Make sure questions are good researchable questions.
§ 3 questions at grade 4
§ 4 questions at grade 5
§ 5 questions at grade 6
3. January 8, 2010 - Note cards due, as many as needed to answer questions.
4. January 22, 2010 - Rough draft due. Must be typed.
Exceptions must be checked with teacher.
5. February 8, 2010 - Final due. Two (2) copies must be turned in.
These are the components to be included on rough draft and final.
a. Title Page
b. Table of Contents
c. Topic Paragraph - state your subject
d. Body* - answer questions – a paragraph per question
e. Conclusion - restate subject, summarize, give your opinion
f. Works Cited - list of sources
5. February 9, 2010 - Final product due.
*Page numbers will consist of “student’s last name, page #” and should be located in the top, right-hand corner of the page, i.e. “Potter, 1”.
SAMPLE WORKS CITED
A book by a single author:
Smith, Jane. Vacations You Can Afford. New York: Harcourt Brace Publishing Co., 1997.
A book by two authors:
Birnbaum, William and James Nelson. Disneyworld on a Budget. Chicago: Bernard C Klein, Inc., 1998.
A book by no identified author:
Vacations Anyone Can Afford. Boston: Prentice-Hall, 1998.
A magazine article:
Hendrick, Gary. “Family Vacation Fun.” Good Housekeeping. 8 Oct. 1998: 135-137.
An encyclopedia article (with author):
Doe, John. “Disneyland.” Encyclopedia Americana. 2005.
An encyclopedia article (no author):
“Disneyland.” Encyclopedia Americana. 2005.
Interviews:
Blume, Judy. Personal interview. 10 Nov. 2008.
Cleary, Beverly. Telephone interview. 9 Oct. 2007.
An Internet article:
Mandell, Mark and Mary Beth Garrigan. “Vacations for Less.” 14 Aug. 1999.
Consumer Guide Newsletter. 12 Nov. 2000.
http://utexas.edu/depts/homeec.
Note: Remember that for book sources, you must also list page number(s) that you actually used at the end of each bibliographic entry unless you read the entire book.
SOCIAL STUDIES RUBRIC
Topic: ________/5
Research Questions: ________/5
Notecards: ________/20
Rough Draft: ________/20
(Must include all components-
see format below)
TOTAL: ________/50
FINAL COPY RUBRIC
Format: ________/15
(includes the following parts)
·
Title
page
· Table of contents
· Body
a. Topic paragraph
b. Body
c. Conclusion
· Works cited
Grammar/Mechanics: ________/35
Content: ________/50
TOTAL: ________/100
