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Grade 8 Research Reports

A Writing Project and Rubrics

Learning Module

Abstract

This Learning Module provides rubrics and a project for writing research reports. The rubrics are designed to be accessible to students in Scholar, translating the standards outlined in CCSS and Smarter Balanced. The rubrics focus on formative assessment (prospective and constructive), rather than summative assessment (retrospective and judgmental).

Keywords

CCSS, Smarter Balanced, Rubrics, Writing Project, Formative Assessment, Research Report, Evidence

1. About this Learning Module

What is this Learning Module about?

In this Scholar Learning Module for grade 8, you can select from two rubrics linked to a generic project on writing a research report. It is part of a series of learning modules for grades 4-12, focused on how to write arguments, narratives, informative/explanatory texts, and research reports.

Why would I use it?

This Learning Module is designed to save you time when creating rubrics and projects in Scholar. You select the rubric that is relevant to your school context and adapt it for your students. The rubrics support student learning by focusing on formative assessment (prospective and constructive), rather than summative assessment (retrospective and judgmental).

Updates 2a-2b of this Learning Module include rubrics for grade 8 that cover the standards of:

  • Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
  • Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (Smarter Balanced)

How can I use it?

Select the appropriate rubric, and press the "Start Project" button. "Select Publisher" and "Continue". This will copy the rubric and project to the Publisher (group/class) that you select. In this Publisher, you can set up your class writing project by adapting the rubric, adding more information about the writing task, and inserting dates for the phases of drafting, feedback, revision, and publication. When you "Finalize the Project", Notifications will be sent to students.

2a. USA Grade 8 Research CCSS

For the Student

Learning Intention: To start my writing project and to use the rubric to identify what is important to include.

Project Name: My Research Report

Description: Write a research report about a topic you choose or one suggested by your teacher.

This where you start your writing project by checking your Notifications and clicking on the Work Request. The link will take you to Creator where you can start writing. Clicking on the Work Request is very important so that the work that you create is connected to the project that your teacher has set up.

Work Request

You should look in the About This Work Toolbar to find out more information about the project, change its title, create an outline for your work using the Structure tool, and check the timeline.

About this Work

For what you need to do in order to write a good research report, go to the Feedback Toolbar. In Reviews, open the Rubric. Keep the rubric open and refer to it as you write.

Comment: Do you have any questions about how Scholar works? Make a comment in this update. If you think you have an answer to another student's question, please answer it - be sure to name the student you are replying to in your comment by starting with @Name.

For the Teacher

This project and rubric are aligned with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The Common Core is a set of academic standards for English language arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics. These learning goals outline what a student should know and be able to do at the end of each grade. The standards were created to ensure that all students graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college, career, and life, and that these should be comparable and transferable regardless of where they live.

The Left or Member Side provides instructions and information that you can send to students as an Update that appears in their activity streams in Community. The Right or Admin Side (this side) has instructions and information for teachers. It includes:

  • Setting Up the Community and Synced Publisher
  • Starting the Project
  • Students Starting Drafts
  • Project Rubric
  • Grade 8 Standards in Research to Build and Present Knowledge

Setting Up the Community and Synced Publisher

First, ensure that the Community is synced with the Publisher. This automatically sets up a Publisher with the same members as the Community. Go to Your Communities => Create a Community and follow the wizard. Check "Create a Publisher and keep it synced with this Community".

Starting the Project

Below you will see a button "Start Project". This will copy the project and take you into the Publisher (class/group) that you select. Here you can follow the project wizard to add a title and more details about the task, and set dates for when drafts, reviews, and revisions are due. You can also decide the number of reviewers, whether reviewers are anonymous, and whether you would like students to add annotations or publication recommendations.

Starting the project also copies the rubric to the Publisher that you select. Before finalizing the project, you can edit the rubric in Tools =>Rubrics. The rubric attempts to cover all the CCSS writing standards, so is quite detailed. You can have more or fewer criteria, and/or simplify what is in each criterion if necessary.

When you press the "Finalize" button, the project will start. Notifications will be sent out to students to start their work, provide feedback, and revise on the dates you have determined in the project.

Making Updates

Below you will also see a button “Post Left-Side Content Community”. If you wish, you can post this directly to a Community so the students have some introductory instructions (in case they are not already familiar with Scholar). You can use the edit pencil of the Update to give the writing project a title and add more details about the task - use the same title and description that you used in the project description in Publisher. You can edit this Update until the first comment has been made. Or, you can go to Community => Updates (in the menu that pulls down across the avatar for this community) where you write your own writing project instructions.

Students Starting Drafts

Students click on the Work Requests in their Notifications. This will take them into Creator and ensures that the work that they do is connected to your project in Publisher.

Students should also refer to the rubric as a guide as they write in Creator. If students are unfamiliar with Scholar and peer review, look through the rubric with them.\

Project Rubric

Grade 8 Common Core State Standards in Research to Build and Present Knowledge

W.8.7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.

W.8.8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

W.8.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

W.8.9a: Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible, including describing how the material is rendered new").

W.8.9b: Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., "Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced").

2b. USA Grades 6-11 Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium

For the Student

Learning Intention: To start my writing project and to use the rubric to identify what is important to include.

Project Name: My Research Report

Description: Write a research report about a topic you choose or one suggested by your teacher.

This where you start your writing project by checking your Notifications and clicking on the Work Request. The link will take you to Creator where you can start writing. Clicking on the Work Request is very important so that the work that you create is connected to the project that your teacher has set up.

Work Request

You should look in the About This Work Toolbar to find out more information about the project, change its title, create an outline for your work using the Structure tool, and check the timeline.

About this Work

For what you need to do in order to write a good research report, go to the Feedback Toolbar. In Reviews, open the Rubric. Keep the rubric open and refer to it as you write.

Comment: Do you have any questions about how Scholar works? Make a comment in this update. If you think you have an answer to another student's question, please answer it - be sure to name the student you are replying to in your comment by starting with @Name.

For the Teacher

The project and rubric in this Update are based on the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (Smarter Balanced) assessments. The Smarter Balanced Assessments are aligned with the Common Core State Standards.

The Left or Member Side provides instructions and information that you can send to students as an Update that appears in their activity streams in Community. The Right or Admin Side (this side) has instructions and information for teachers. It includes:

  • Setting Up the Community and Synced Publisher
  • Starting the Project
  • Students Starting Drafts
  • Project Rubric
  • Grade 8 Standards in Research to Build and Present Knowledge

Setting Up the Community and Synced Publisher

First, ensure that the Community is synced with the Publisher. This automatically sets up a Publisher with the same members as the Community. Go to Your Communities => Create a Community and follow the wizard. Check "Create a Publisher and keep it synced with this Community".

Starting the Project

Below you will see a button "Start Project". This will copy the project and take you into the Publisher (class/group) that you select. Here you can follow the project wizard to add a title and more details about the task, and set dates for when drafts, reviews, and revisions are due. You can also decide the number of reviewers, whether reviewers are anonymous, and whether you would like students to add annotations or publication recommendations.

Starting the project also copies the rubric to the Publisher that you select. Before finalizing the project, you can edit the rubric in Tools =>Rubrics. The rubric attempts to cover all the CCSS writing standards, so is quite detailed. You can have more or fewer criteria, and/or simplify what is in each criterion if necessary.

When you press the "Finalize" button, the project will start. Notifications will be sent out to students to start their work, provide feedback, and revise on the dates you have determined in the project.

Making Updates

Below you will also see a button “Post Left-Side Content Community”. If you wish, you can post this directly to a Community so the students have some introductory instructions (in case they are not already familiar with Scholar). You can use the edit pencil of the Update to give the writing project a title and add more details about the task - use the same title and description that you used in the project description in Publisher. You can edit this Update until the first comment has been made. Or, you can go to Community => Updates (in the menu that pulls down across the avatar for this community) where you write your own writing project instructions.

Students Starting Drafts

Students click on the Work Requests in their Notifications. This will take them into Creator and ensures that the work that they do is connected to your project in Publisher.

Students should also refer to the rubric as a guide as they write in Creator. If students are unfamiliar with Scholar and peer review, look through the rubric with them.

Project Rubric

Grade 8 Common Core State Standards in Research to Build and Present Knowledge

W.8.7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.

W.8.8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

W.8.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

W.8.9a: Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible, including describing how the material is rendered new").

W.8.9b: Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., "Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced").

3. Give Feedback and Revise

For the Student

Learning Intention: To give feedback on other students’ works and then revise my own.

Giving Feedback

Check your Notifications for Review Requests. These ask you to give feedback on another student's work. Click on the Review Request and that student's work will appear in your Works list. If it doesn't appear, refresh the page.

As you give feedback, open up the small orange arrow to check the rubric. You can use some of the language in the rubric in your feedback. Submit your feedback once it is finished.

Giving Feedback

Revising

The next stage of the writing process is to revise your own work.

Check your Notifications for a Revision Request. While you revise your work, take account of any feedback that other students have given you by checking Results.

Checking Results

Writing a Self Review

Once you have gone through all the feedback and revised your work, go to Review Work and write a self-review. In this self-review, describe what feedback you have taken on board and how you feel that you have met the criteria.

Comment: Do you have any more questions about Scholar at this stage? Make a comment in this update. If you think you have an answer to another student's question, please answer it - be sure to name the student you are replying to in your comment by starting with @Name.

For the Teacher

This Update covers two phases of the writing process in Scholar: Review and Revision. It is included here so that you can post it directly into a Community when students are up to this phase of their writing projects.

Grade 8 CCSS Focus

W.8.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

W.8.5: With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.

W.8.6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

L.8.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing.

L.8.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation and spelling when writing.

4. Publish and Reflect

For the Student

Learning Intention: To identify what is successful writing.

Check Notifications to see if your work has been published and whether works that you provided feedback on have been selected for publication. Published works may be viewed on your and any collaborators' individual profiles in Community.

Comment: Read two - three other people’s published research reports. Write a comment about the most interesting thing you learned from reading them. This might be ideas you hadn’t thought of, or interesting evidence such as facts that you didn’t know. Also, comment about one thing you have learned about writing research reports. Mention the creator and title of the work, and make a link to that page so the person reading your comment can jump to the page quickly.

For the Teacher

This Update focuses on the publication and reflection phases of a writing project. It is included here so that you can post it directly into a Community when students are up to this phase of their writing projects.

Notifications of publication are provided to the creator and all reviewers.

This reflection activity promotes student metacognition about what makes quality writing by reading and reflecting on other students’ writing. Ask students to look over other people’s published works - have them read at least two or three works. Ask them to comment on something interesting they learned from reading other students’ work. Refer to the Dashboard to monitor how students are progressing with their writing and their reviews.

Grade 8 CCSS Focus

W.8.6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

5. About the Writer's Toolkits

What is the Writer's Toolkit?

There are five Writer’s Toolkit Learning Modules in the Literacies Learning Modules collection in the Scholar Bookstore. They provide supplementary Updates that can be posted into a Community, as and when needed by students.

  • Narrative
  • Argument/Opinion
  • Informative/Explanatory texts
  • Reading Strategies to Support Writing
  • How to use Scholar

What do the toolkits cover?

The Writer's Toolkit includes a range of "Overt Instruction" Updates. It will support you to explicitly teach:

  • Structure and language/visual/audio/gestural/spatial features of a text
  • Reading and research strategies
  • Spelling and vocabulary strategies
  • How to work in Scholar

How can I use them?

To post individual Updates into the activity stream of a Community in Scholar, go to the selected toolkit in the Bookstore. Select the Update and "Post Left-Side Content into a Community". The Update will appear in the selected Community. Students then complete the activities.

The Writer's Toolkit: Strategies for Writing Informative/Explanatory Texts in the New Media

Writer's Toolkit: Informative/Explanatory Texts

Contents

  • Active and Passive Voice
  • Organizing an Information Text with the Structure Tool
  • Paragraphs in Informative/Explanatory Texts
  • Point of View
  • Structure of Informative/Explanatory Texts
  • Transition Words
  • Turning Bullet Points into Sentences
  • Vocabulary and Spelling
  • What Makes an Effective Informative/Explanatory Text
  • Writing an Introduction
  • Writing a Conclusion