9th Grade

I-Search LAST WORDS report
Task: Write a 4+ page paper in which you first review and answer as many of your original questions as you can and then reflect on your experience as a researcher.

Essay Format:
Part 1: Identify the main questions that you had when you began your search. What questions did you add as you researched? How (or why) did you come up with these new questions? As you recount your questions, you should add commentary about them. (For example, which questions did you expect would be most important, difficult to answer, interesting? What turned out to be the case?)

Part 2: What are the main answers to your questions? Explain what you’ve discovered in your own words. Think of what you would say to someone who has not done the research you’ve done, but has your same questions. What would you tell them? [An option: You may combine parts one and two if you’d like: present a question and its answer one at a time.]

Part 3: Address one or more of the following:

Discuss any significant facts or other information (opinions, quotations, examples, etc.) you have found that you have not included in any of the other reports. Be sure to include citation information for any quotations, paraphrases or information that requires it.
Discuss which questions you did not get satisfactory answers for. Take some guesses as to why you were not able to find answers to those questions.
Discuss what you are still curious about related to your topic.

Part 4: Now go into the metacognitive mode and consider how your search went overall. Still in paragraph form, answer the following questions:

What was the hardest or most frustrating part of this project? Why?
What would you do differently if you had the project to do over again? Why?
What did you learn about researching in general?
Which essay was your favorite? Why? Which essay was your least favorite? Why?
Are you proud of the work you are turning in? Why or why not?
Overall, how do you feel about your I-Search project?

I-Search IRB BOOK REPORT
Expectations and Recommendations as you read your IRB
• Be sure you understand the paper and notes requirements before you start reading.
• For many of the books that you use in your research, you may only be reading parts of the book that are most relevant to your topic. My expectation for your IRB selection is that you will read and report on the ENTIRE book.
• As you read, keep notes on significant facts, arguments and ideas about your topic. The information you gather from this book may be used in several of your papers: the Book Report (of course), your Media Search, the “Last Words” report, and maybe even in your Interview or Observation Report.
• My most important recommendation is that you mark (with post-it notes) quotations that you might use in your paper. You might mark a quotation for reasons such as: it includes new information, it contradicts what other sources have said, it provides a good example of something, it brings up a new question for you, it’s fascinating, it makes you feel angry (or sad, or surprised, or happy, or hopeful, etc.), it summarizes an important moment, it crystallizes an important idea.

Paper Requirements
• Three page minimum.
• Explain why you thought this would be an appropriate book to inform a study of your topic.
• Summarize the plot, the author’s argument, or the information he or she illustrates for the reader.
• Include at least ten quotations from throughout the book.
• Explain what each quotation teaches you about your I-Search topic.
• Determine whether or not you would recommend this book to someone who was interested in your topic and explain why you would/wouldn’t recommend it.

Grading/turn-in details
• IRB progress check = 15 points (Don’t need to be finished with book yet. I will check that you have notes and marked quotations.)
• Paper = 50 points (Graded on completeness, proofreading, correct MLA format [especially quotation citations!], depth of thought)
• Submit paper to turnitin.com by 11:59pm Weds, 3/17/10

I-Search INTERVIEW paper
Tasks:
1. Interview an “expert” or knowledgeable source on your topic, asking at least 20 questions and taking detailed notes.
2. Then write a 2-4 page profile that relays the most interesting and relevant information you gathered about your interviewee and your research topic.
Steps:
The best interviews are casual enough to let a conversation follow its natural course and focused enough that the most important topics are covered. Here are ten steps to getting a great interview:

1. Pick a storyteller and set up the interview.
Start by figuring out who to interview. Call or approach him or her in advance. Introduce who you are, the topic you’re researching and what types of information they could help you with. Also tell them about how long you think the interview will last. If you have trouble thinking of a suitable interviewee, see me and I will help you brainstorm.

2. Create a question list.
oooNo matter how well you know your storyteller, preparation will improve the quality of your interview enormously. BEFORE your interview, write at least 20 focused questions on your topic.
oooDecide what you want to talk about. What are the important aspects of your storyteller's life as it relates to your topic? What do they know that you want to learn?
oooHere are some questions I highly recommend that you ask:
-How did you first come to know about or get interested in __________?
-Have your attitudes toward ________ changed since you first became introduced to it?
-What is the one thing people should know about ___________?
-Is there anything you wanted to talk about that we didn't get to?

3. If you are going to record your interview (I recommend that you do), practice using the equipment.
Before your interview, get comfortable with your equipment. Record yourself. Find a friend and do a mock interview.

4. Choose an interview location.
Pick the quietest, most comfortable place possible. A carpeted living room or bedroom makes for warm, intimate recordings. Avoid large, empty rooms. Make sure you select a location where you and your interviewee will be able to talk at length free from interruption.

5. Things to bring to the interview:
-Your question list
-Pen or pencil and something to take notes on
-Recording device (and, if necessary, microphone, microphone cable, headphones)

6. Begin the conversation.
oooUse your question list. Remember, the questions you generated are just suggestions. Trust your instincts. If something interests you or bears exploring, ask more questions. Sometimes your storyteller will need "permission" to explore a certain topic; granting that permission might mean nothing more than showing your interest, or saying, "Tell me more." Think of the question list as a crutch. If you get tongue-tied or need a place to start, use it, but don't let it constrain you. Feel free to ask questions in whatever order feels right. Take breaks if you need them.
oooDon't make noise when your storyteller is talking. Try not to say, "uh huh," or interrupt when something interesting or important is being said. Instead, use visual cues like nodding your head.
oooMake sure the microphone of your recording device is at a spot that clearly picks up both of your voices.

7. Get great stories.
The best interview is simply a conversation—it should feel like your storyteller is just being him or herself. However, sometimes people act differently when a microphone is present. Here are some tips for helping the conversation flow:
-Take notes! Even if you are recording, jot down key points, quotes, ideas. Also, be sure to note the interviewee’s body language and non-verbal responses. Finally, jot down questions or responses that you come up with during the course of the interview.
-Double check that the recorder is actually recording (not on pause).
-Start your tape with an ID: State your name, the date, and the location of the interview. For example, “Hi, my name is Christopher. The date is August 3, 1492, and we're sitting here on my ship called the Santa Maria in the port of Palos.” Ask your storyteller to state the same information.
-Stay quiet when your subject is talking, but when they pause, feel free to encourage them with follow-up questions, agreements, etc.
-Ask questions about their emotions, like, “How did this make you feel?”
-Look your storyteller in the eyes and stay engaged.
-Follow-up questions often yield the best material, so while your interviewee is talking consider what you could ask to get deeper. Help the storyteller be more descriptive. When you need your storyteller to describe something, it can help to ask her to “tell me more about that” or “describe what that looked like.”
-Listen closely.
-Be curious and keep an open heart. Great things will happen. Be yourself. You can laugh with the person you are interviewing or even cry with them. Real moments are the best moments.

8. Wrap it up.
Before you turn off your recorder, do three things: Ask the storyteller if there is anything else that she wants to talk about, get her contact information, and thank her. Sharing a story can be difficult for some people. It's a privilege to have someone share her story with you. Express your gratitude.

9. Write it up.
After conducting your interview, write up the interview as a profile. A profile is a newspaper article on a person. The profile must be at least two pages, but good ones are sometimes longer. Good profiles have the following:

• Focus/Theme/Driving Idea—Determine what is the central theme of the information and stories you got from your interview. Focus your entire profile on this theme. Weave this theme through every paragraph.
• Narrative—Write your interview up as a story. Tell the “story” of the interview.
• Exposition—The narrative should creatively expose abundant facts that you learned from your interview. Facts about your interviewee, your research topic, and the interview itself.
• Description—Creatively incorporate figurative language (similes, metaphors, imagery, personification, and alliteration) as you reveal concrete details about your interviewee and his or her experiences. Some details you might include are:
-The person’s physical description.
-What makes this person an expert on your subject?
-Where, when, and in what circumstances the interview took place.
-Several direct quotations that reveal the interviewee’s personality and/or opinions.
-Summarize or paraphrase the answers that they gave to your questions (Do NOT write out all of the questions)
-Explain how you felt, what surprised you, and what was interesting to you about their responses.
-Was there a moral or lesson that can be learned from the interview?

10. Write a thank you note to your interviewee.
We will be doing this in class after you’ve turned in your interview paper. Be sure to get your interviewee’s address.

Grading/turn-in details
• 20+ questions = 10 points
• Interview notes = 10 points
ooooTurn in questions and notes to me the class meeting after you turn in your interview paper.
• Interview paper = 50 points (Graded on completeness, effective quotations & detail, proofreading, correct MLA)
• Submit paper to turnitin.com by 11:59pm Weds, 3/3/10 OR Weds, 3/10/10
• Thank you note = 10 points