This describes how and why I adjusted my research unit for ninth graders to be more interesting and appealing in terms of process and product for both the students and myself (as the teacher).

1. RESEARCHING TO
WRITE STORIES
C
Cindy Minnich
Upper Dauphin Area High School
Invitational Candidate Institute (ICI )
Capital Area Writing Project – Fellowship Session I
Saturday, September 20, 2014

2. The Problem
• Stacks of uninspired research papers
• Plagiarism concerns
• “How can I make learning how to do research and to write about what is found more
enjoyable for both me and my students?”

3. The Characters
• My freshmen were all struggling with my assigned research projects.
• What information is important
• How to take notes
• How to incorporate that information into their writing appropriately

4. Two Chance Encounters
• A nameless mentor – “Why do they have to write reports?”
• A lucky find while cleaning my room – Murder, Mischief, and Mayhem: A Process for
Creative Research Papers by W. Keith Kraus (1978)

5. Introduction to Historical Fiction
• We always start with mentor texts.
• You don’t need to look at much to show them what information had to be researched
and what was creative writing.
• Titles I have shared:
• Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
• Penny from Heaven by Jennifer Holm
• Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
• Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
• Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz
• Bluffton by Matt Phelan
• The Diviners by Libba Bray
• The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
• Forrest Gump – Winston Groom

6. Choosing a Topic and Story
• Writers are asked to pick a topic – a time period or event or person.
• Writers are asked to make some initial decisions about what kinds of characters they
will be creating, what point of view to use, and what conflict will drive their stories.
• Writers then write a brief initial proposal, storyboard, or skeleton of a story to explain
their initial decisions.
• They need feedback – from me and their peers before they go on in the process.
• Do not be afraid to tell them what you don’t think will work and why. They will either craft
ingenious solutions to convince you or try it and realize that it isn’t working.

7. “What Do I Need to Know?”
• Instead of telling them what specific questions and information they need to collect
and present, writers need to determine what they need to learn and share with their
audience to best tell a story.
• Writers need to brainstorm research questions:
• Setting – time, place, culture
• Event – specifics of who, what, where, when, and possibly even theories about why a chosen
historical event happened
• Characters
• Fictional – fashion, slang, interests/hobbies, possessions, chores/jobs, education
• Real

8. “Where Can I Find That?”
• Introduce writers to resources they might not even know existed.
• Subject specific encyclopedias
• Historical New York Times
• Primary documents online at the Library of Congress
• Photos
• Movies
• Music
• Newsreel footage
• The internet can yield some fantastic information – sources no one would expect would be
available.
• Interviews
• All sources need to be evaluated – contradictions and other inaccuracies will be
uncovered.
• Ultimately, some of the answers will not be able to be found in the resources available, but
writers are far more motivated to find answers to questions if they have posed them.

9. “How Do I Use All This Information?”
• Quotes get used as pieces of dialogue.
• Other information gets used to:
• Describe characters and setting and actions,
• Inform plot decisions

10. Drafting and
Revising, Revising, Revising and
Editing
• Once writers have as many answers to their questions as they can find, they begin
drafting.
• Remind writers to watch for missing information as they write.
• Encourage them to continue looking at their menu of options for crafting narratives –
and to continue studying mentor texts that they admire.
• Choice and creativity seems to encourage a willingness to revise – and edit!

11. Citations and Works Cited
• Ultimately I decided to require two copies.
• One with citations and works cited (for portfolio)
• One with no citations and works referenced (for sharing)

12. Resolution – Happily Ever After
• Writers were invested and engaged.
• Their work reflected that at all stages.
• These assignments were a joy to read.

13. “How Can I Do This With Younger
Writers?”
• Use mentor texts for younger students.
• President Taft is Stuck in the Bath by Mac Barnett
• A Boy Called Dickens by Deborah Hopkinson
• The Right Word by Jen Bryant
• Find research sources that may be more accessible to younger students.

14. Works Referenced
Burke, Jim. The English teacher's companion: a completely new guide to classroom,
curriculum, and the profession. Fourth ed. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2013.
Print.
Kraus, W. Keith. Murder, mischief, and mayhem: a process for creative research papers.
Urbana, Ill.: National Council of Teachers of English, 1978. Print.
Lehman, Christopher. Energize research reading and writing: fresh strategies to spark
interest, develop independence, and meet key common core standards,
grades 4-8. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2012. Print.