A Complete Guide on How to Do a Class Research Project Focused on Activism

Middle School Movers and Shakers

Arthur O’Shaughnessy in his 1874 poem “Ode” wrote: “Yet we are the movers and shakers/Of the world forever, it seems.” I love the term “mover and shaker” because it reminds me of dancing, but what it really lends is to people who make an impact on the world. It is no secret that one of my favorite units to teach is research. I love the choice, the process, and the hard work it takes to produce the product. I also love seeing middle schoolers wrap their brains around the formatting of this project (MLA), and how they get excited about solving problems. One of my favorite things, after all, is to solve problems.

The MLA Research Paper unit I do each winter going into spring focuses on activism. Students identify a problem in their school, community, or world and then research that problem, Inevitably, they see causes, effects, and hypothesize solutions as well. This post will walk you through some mentor texts and resources, strategies, and pacing of the overall unit.

How Do I Start?

Let’s talk about the plan. Getting them to see outside of themselves is an opening to this conversation about solving problems. We have discussions about the world around them, and also what needs to happen in order to make a change in the world. I use an essay packet for this project because it allows me to lay out all of the pacings for the whole unit. This is particularly helpful if students are absent or if students want to work ahead. I also collaborate with my building librarian on research methods because she rocks at helping my kids find primary and secondary sources.

Click Here for a Link to My Student Essay Packet

Before I begin to read the directions, I do a quick read-aloud of Say Something! by Peter H. Reynolds.

Amazon Summary: “The world needs your voice. If you have a brilliant idea... say something! If you see an injustice... say something!

In this empowering new picture book, beloved author Peter H. Reynolds explores the many ways that a single voice can make a difference. Each of us, each and every day, have the chance to say something: with our actions, our words, and our voices. Perfect for kid activists everywhere, this timely story reminds readers of the undeniable importance and power of their voice. There are so many ways to tell the world who you are... what you are thinking... and what you believe. And how you'll make it better. The time is now: SAY SOMETHING!”

Procedure/Pacing (Writing Workshops Marked=WW:)

1. See quality examples of research papers. Decide what are the necessary characteristics in research papers.

2. Pick a topic. Submit topic approval letter from parent or guardian. Due to some of the topics being controversial, I get family buy-in about the project and also notify my administration/tech services team in case anything gets flagged in the research process.

3. Review key research vocabulary terms. I use Quizlet for this.

4. Also, I like to do a separate lesson on plagiarism. We watch a somewhat creepy video on plagiarism and play some games so they get the point.

5. Library/teacher will teach a lesson on research including how to evaluate good sources. I love using memes in my teaching. Check out the packet.

6. Library/teacher will teach a lesson on how to get to a database and fill out their source pages for notes. These are essentially graphic organizers for how students can set up their research notes.

7. Create research questions and learn how to narrow down a topic. I am going to implement question floods this year. I plan on setting this up with the 5 W’s so students have some structure (Who, What, When, Where, Why).

8. Research! Find evidence using databases, books, websites, etc.

9. Create a draft of your introduction paragraph (WW)

10. Separate your evidence into sub-headings. Mini-lesson on how to categorize your research. When I learned how to do research, this was separating my note cards into piles (WW). Many students notice during this step they need more research.

11. Create body paragraphs with sub-heading sections. I always review how to incorporate evidence into this step of the process (WW).

12. Create a conclusion paragraph. Review the steps of a conclusion (WW).

13. Create a complete Rough Draft #1 of your research paper (WW with Conferences).

14. Revise and edit. Students participate in a peer review with a checklist.

15. Create a complete Rough Draft #2 of your research paper (WW with Conferences).

16. Revise and edit. Students participate in a peer review with a checklist.

17. Create a Works Cited page. (WW with Conferences)

18. Create Final Draft of our research papers including the final draft of a Works Cited page

I always start this unit looking at mentor texts or exemplary essays to get students to notice how these papers are set up, what they include in terms of content, and how it should look overall. This also helps with getting kids about the mindset that they are editors and into the mindset that they are thinkers. Here are a couple of the ones I share with students:

Afterward, we examine and use an anchor chart to share what we notice in terms of formatting, quotations, and how they set up a claim statement. They keep these notes in their packets, and we keep them posted throughout the unit.

Key Writing Workshops

Like any good plan, there are key checkpoints along the way. Last year was the first year that I incorporated lengthy writing conferences with each student. Even though I felt like this took a ton of time each day in class, I saw the value in connecting with each student on their feedback. Their best draft papers showed evidence of understanding how to do revisions and not just an attempt made at “getting it right.”

Checkpoint #1: Creating the First Draft

Sixth-graders have only had limited experience putting together an academic paper, so we walk through all the steps together. We follow the same format:

1. Directions

2. Watch Me Write

3. We Write

4. You Write

5. We Share

And so on. We do this for the introduction, sorting the research we have made, body paragraphs, and the conclusion. I also workshop with them how to put evidence into a paper.

Checkpoint #2: Rough Draft #1 with Feedback

After I receive a rough draft, we do our first round of conferences. I meet one-on-one with each student with the goal of 4-5 minutes with each one. I use my feedback form:

I got this idea for this from Laura Randazzo. She uses a different form at the high school level, but the concept is the same. Coding feedback allows me to give faster feedback. I use the same process for rounds of feedback with rough drafts:

1. Students get feedback from me that is coded. I limit this to Formatting, Ideas, and Conventions for this round. I always have Kelly Gallagher’s voice in my mind that we are not trying to copyedit or mark their papers up so they can’t be seen anymore. We want students to understand feedback. They are just learning MLA formatting as well, so they need more feedback on this than in other areas.

2. Students create a revision plan using the codes. They identify what the code is, what it means, and HOW they will fix it. This is my favorite part because more than half of my students will comment “I will fix it.” Insert a dramatic meme here because I always say, “Yes, I know...but how?” So often, we forget to realize we provide feedback, but our students do not know how to fix their mistakes.

3. Students submit a revision plan. This is what we talk about in writing conferences. I go over this plan with them with their paper sitting in front of us. We use the writing conference form, and they take this with them when we are done discussing their paper.

Checkpoint #3: Rough Draft #2 with Feedback

By now, I have admitted to myself that I am exhausted, and they are starting to tire. Writing conferences on this round does not take as long because students are catching on as to how to fix their errors and make plans. We go through the same process as above. Except now when I give feedback, all six traits are fair game.

Checkpoint #4: Works Cited Page

We do this round of feedback in small groups. I prefer to make students use their flipbooks from Tracee Orman, but I also show them sites like EasyBib because it is a tool that they can use.

Activism Middle Grade and YA Books I Love

This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do The Work by Tiffany Jewell

Amazon Summary: “Gain a deeper understanding of your anti-racist self as you progress through 20 chapters that spark introspection, reveal the origins of racism that we are still experiencing, and give you the courage and power to undo it. Each chapter builds on the previous one as you learn more about yourself and racial oppression. Exercise prompts get you thinking and help you grow with the knowledge.

Author Tiffany Jewell, an anti-bias, anti-racist educator and activist, builds solidarity beginning with the language she chooses—using gender neutral words to honor everyone who reads the book. Illustrator Aurélia Durand brings the stories and characters to life with kaleidoscopic vibrancy. After examining the concepts of social identity, race, ethnicity, and racism, learn about some of the ways people of different races have been oppressed, from indigenous Americans and Australians being sent to boarding school to be “civilized” to a generation of Caribbean immigrants once welcomed to the UK being threatened with deportation by strict immigration laws. Find hope in stories of strength, love, joy, and revolution that are part of our history, too, with such figures as the former slave Toussaint Louverture, who led a rebellion against white planters that eventually led to Haiti’s independence, and Yuri Kochiyama, who, after spending time in an internment camp for Japanese Americans during WWII, dedicated her life to supporting political prisoners and advocating reparations for those wrongfully interned. This book is written for EVERYONE who lives in this racialized society—including the young person who doesn’t know how to speak up to the racist adults in their life, the kid who has lost themself at times trying to fit into the dominant culture, the children who have been harmed (physically and emotionally) because no one stood up for them or they couldn’t stand up for themselves, and also for their families, teachers, and administrators. With this book, be empowered to actively defy racism to create a community (large and small) that truly honors everyone.”

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We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices edited by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson

Amazon Summary: “What do we tell our children when the world seems bleak, and prejudice and racism run rampant? With 96 lavishly designed pages of original art and prose, fifty diverse creators lend voice to young activists.

Featuring poems, letters, personal essays, art, and other works from such industry leaders as Jacqueline Woodson (Brown Girl Dreaming), Jason Reynolds (All American Boys), Kwame Alexander (The Crossover), Andrea Pippins (I Love My Hair), Sharon Draper (Out of My Mind), Rita Williams-Garcia (One Crazy Summer), Ellen Oh (cofounder of We Need Diverse Books), and artists Ekua Holmes, Rafael Lopez, James Ransome, Javaka Steptoe, and more, this anthology empowers the nation's youth to listen, learn, and build a better tomorrow.”

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Woke: A Young Poet's Call to Justice by Mahogany L. Browne, Elizabeth Acevedo, et. al.

Woke: A Young Poet's Guide to Justice is a collection of poems to inspire kids to stay woke and become a new generation of activists.

Amazon Summary: “Historically poets have been on the forefront of social movements. Woke is a collection of poems by women that reflects the joy and passion in the fight for social justice, tackling topics from discrimination to empathy, and acceptance to speaking out.

With Theodore Taylor’s bright, emotional art, and writing from Mahogany L. Browne, Elizabeth Acevedo and Olivia Gatwood, kids will be inspired to create their own art and poems to express how they see justice and injustice.

With a foreword by best-selling author Jason Reynolds.”

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Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

Amazon Summary: “This is NOT a history book. This is a book about the here and now. A book to help us better understand why we are where we are. A book about race. The construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power, to create dynamics that separate and silence. This remarkable reimagining of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi's National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning reveals the history of racist ideas in America, and inspires hope for an antiracist future. It takes you on a race journey from then to now, shows you why we feel how we feel, and why the poison of racism lingers. It also proves that while racist ideas have always been easy to fabricate and distribute, they can also be discredited.

Through a gripping, fast-paced, and energizing narrative written by beloved award-winner Jason Reynolds, this book shines a light on the many insidious forms of racist ideas--and on ways readers can identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their daily lives.”

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Some Awesome Research Resources I Use:

• MLA Review Escape Room Game from Let’s Get Literature

• Research Parenthetical Citations from Just Add Students

• MLA Style & Format 8th Edition: Citations, Instructions, Practice, Examples by Tracee Orman

• MLA Citations - Works Cited Cheat Sheet for Students Editable by Tracee Orman

• MLA Format and Citation (8th Edition) PowerPoint Presentation by The Daring English Teacher

• Avoiding Plagiarism: A Mini Unit by Cult of Pedagogy

• Plagiarism Lecture, Game-Based Approach to Review Plagiarism Basics & Citations by Laura Randazzo

• Make your own feedback code sheet: Exhausted by Essays? 5-Minute Essay Grading System - Reclaim Your Weekends! by Laura Randazzo

What to Read Next…

Writing Mindset Reflection: What topics do you assign for research? Do you let students choose their topics?

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