WE H A VE
A STORY
TO T E LL.
Major assignments in school – and in life – can cause plenty of angst. But for middle school
Learning Center students, their toughest assignments teach them as much about
how to complete their most daunting tasks as the research itself. A two-month long
biographical research project culminating in a paper and presentation teaches both
confidence and lessons foundational to future success.”
Middle school students of The Learning Center
have completed their three-page biography research
papers, and the lessons learned throughout the two-
month process are foundational.
The mission of the project as stated in teachers’
written reports says, “Learning to write well is an
important skill that allows students to demonstrate
what they have learned about a subject as well as
their feelings, thoughts, and experiences. Writing
a research report requires the integration of many
skills: researching, reading and analyzing, note-
taking, synthesizing information, and informative/
explanatory writing.”
This mission statement is combined with an
equally impressive, thoroughly organized, step-
by-step action plan. Courtenay Macaulay, seventh
and eighth grade instructional specialist, explains,
“Students find this especially hard at first, as they
Detailed writing of the bio
research paper precedes
delivery.
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learn the research process they’ll use in high school
and college. We break it down into small, achievable
parts, beginning with how to determine if a person
is famous enough to have a book written about
them.” Students find credible sources and learn to
access information, reading and highlighting specific
points. Using Google docs, they compose two-
column notes, main ideas on the left, supporting
details to the right. Each paragraph has a main
purpose, from birth and early childhood, through
death and conclusion. Edits and revisions are made
before the next paragraph is begun. Students write
introductory paragraphs – with hook, plan, and
thesis last – when they know their character fully.
For the culmination, writing joins speaking, as
authors present their biography research papers in
the theater before a full audience. The applause they
receive is well earned.