What went wrong with those research projects?

Last Spring, I fumbled my way through a research project with my 6th graders.  It was a train-wreck, to say the least.  It lasted 2 weeks longer than expected, it was disorganized and for some reason my students did not know what I wanted from them.  Luckily, we learn from our mistakes.  Common Core emphasizes research and public speaking skills, especially in grades 6-8.  Knowing I had to attempt research projects again, I reconsidered last year's mistakes.  We are in our second week of a unit focused on child slavery.  They seemed very concerned and appalled at the number of child slaves in the world, especially those trafficked into the US.  I thought this would be a great opportunity for students to create a PSA about the topic.  I figured this would be the right time to revive the dreaded Research Project.

Thought I'd share my past mistakes and this year's fixes because I wish someone would have told me beforehand!

Problem last year: I gave students free reign on their choice topic.  This made research and expectations hard to define.

Solution this year: Focusing the project within one focus topic.  We have read multiple narrative and informational texts about child slavery.  They have a sufficient amount of background knowledge prior to starting research.  The topic and expectations are clearly defined.

Problem last year: Students did not know how to navigate through the Internet to find reliable, significant research.

Solution this year: I found a great site that lets you preselect websites for students to visit, Sqworl.com Create a free account and just add the sites you want.  I chose 6 to provide enough options, but to not overwhelm.

Problem last year: Students did not know the steps in order, they relied on me to tell them what to do next.

Solution this year: I am providing each step with details to allow students to become more independent. I used the Word doc from another teacher's PSA project and made it my own.  I've attached my step by step instructions here.

Problem last year: I asked students to keep paper copies and index cards with research.  Papers were lost, messy, or incomplete.

Solution this year: We're going digital!  All documents will be available on Google Docs, final products will be submitted online.  

Of course, we encounter glitches in every plan, but I feel more prepared this year to tackle a research project that is relevant, meaningful, and based on 21st century learning.

Ready, Set, Research!  I'll let you know how it turns out!