Library Research Projects
A Teaching Library
The Piedmont Middle School Library is a TEACHING library. Students at the middle school do research projects a year with their science, history and English classes, and some do research with their elective classes as well. The projects are designed by curricular area teachers and teacher librarians; our collaboration ensures that students are accessing Essential Learning Outcomes of the subject area as well as Information Literacy ELOs. Students do 4 research projects in 6th grade, 6 projects in 7th grade and 7-8 projects in 8th grade (depending on their elective).
Information Literacy is a life skill and will serve students in high school, college and beyond. Our lessons include research, note-taking and attribution. Research skills include: strategic searching of a nonfiction, searching databases, searching online and verifying the resources they find for reliability! Note-taking skills include: using your own words, using bullets and avoiding complete sentences, making choices about what to include in their notes, creating essential questions to guide their inquiry. Attribution skills begin with citing the author (“according to…”) in their work as sixth graders, to including a Works Cited Document at the end of their work as 7th graders, to doing both of those things and including parenthetical citations in their work as 8th graders.
Of course, our middle school library is also all about reading! If you want to see more about our offerings, please visit our Book Review Blog.
Grade Level Projects
6th Grade Research Projects
Orientation for 6th Graders
Incoming 6th graders come to the library with their Core classes to get acquainted with the middle school library program and all it has to offer. They learn the library layout by completing a Scavenger Hunt and Library Bingo Game with a partner and then each class gets its first Book Talk of the year.
This year, the Orientation Book Talks featured books with strong central characters. For all Book Talks we, Teacher Librarians, surround the class with great titles, talk about some that were great reads in our opinion and ask kids to talk about any good reads they see displayed as well. Students are also given time to wander and read book jackets so everyone has a chance to find the book that is right for them for this book project.
Science- Reproductive Traits
Science- Climate Change No CAP/Know CAP
6th grade science classes also come to the library to read articles about Climate Change. Each group is given a particular sub-topic around climate change. Each student has t o find an article featuring their topic and then check to see if it is reliable based on the CAP test. Their article must pass the CAP test (current, author/authority and purpose). Students give evidence to show that their article is current, that the author is an expert or has interviewed experts in climate science and use the expert data in their article, and that the article was written to inform (not to persuade or provoke). Once the group’s articles are collected, students review one another’s work to decide which of their groups is the best and most credible. They keep their ranking secret and the last day groups review each other’s work and rank the articles to see if their ranking matches the group’s self-assessment.
Core- Speeches
Elective Wheel- Green Team Book Talks
7th Grade Research Projects
Core- Medieval Narrative Research
7th grade Language Arts classes come to the library to gather information about Medieval times. They use the information and facts collected to write day-in-the-life narratives or stories of characters from the Middle Ages. Research includes practicing using nonfiction print materials by strategically searching using the Table of Contents and Index for interesting facts that would make their stories more vivid. In addition to print resources, students also learn to navigate several databases (generously paid for by Parents’ Club and the state of California) to add to their research. Finally, students learn to cite both print and digital resources in NoodleTools (a digital tool that keeps track and correctly formats their works cited). Students can continue researching using our Pathfinders linked to the project title above.
Science- War on Waste
Science 7 classes explore various types of industrial waste (food, single-use-plastic, clothing…) and why this waste is a problem. With the librarian they then learn how to use varied print and online resources to explore subtopics of one type of waste that interests them, and once a topic is chosen, students investigate potential solutions to these waste problems. Finally, students focus on one of these solutions and do a deep dive; it is always inspiring to see these 7th graders discuss the potential ideas for solving our climate crisis with such eagerness and hope! Students are responsible for giving an “elevator pitch” of their solution to classmates during class the following week.
Health- Mental Health Toolbox
7th grade Health classes come to the library to research strategies known to have a positive impact on mental health. Each student has time to review these topics: meditation, mindfulness, yoga, exercise, sleep, gratitude practice, affirmations, goal-setting, friendship, volunteerism and cultural practices.They select their top three and are placed in a group. These groups of four investigate the foundational information as well as the topic as a whole and its impact on mental health. Then each student looks for a specific strategy in that category that they would like to investigate further. Students are paired up and these pairs of students research the specific strategy they selected, examine its effect on wellness, as well as how specifically to do this practice. Each pair then develops a lesson plan and each pair is scheduled to teach this lesson in the first 5-10 minutes of Health class over the next few months. While watching, the rest of the class assembles a Mental Health Tool Box that includes the strategies they found most helpful.
Science- Greenhouse Project
7th Grade science classes come to the library for the Greenhouse project. Students are challenged with designing a greenhouse that would grow food to feed 4 scientists working in a national park and have minimal negative impact on the environment. They begin by studying renewable energy resources as a group. Then each group is given a particular National Park. They examine the park’s biome and specific details about the national park itself. They look for “strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats” to their greenhouse when building it in this biome and park. After the examination of the environment, students review details about the plants they are assigned to grow in their gardens; all groups must grow the “Three Sisters” beans, corn and squash which produce a perfect protein for human consumption. Groups calculate the space they will need to grow enough for their scientists, design a greenhouse and use some of the renewable energy strategies to heat, or light or pump water to their garden.
Health- Nutrition & Physical Activity PSA
7th grade Health classes come to the library to research various topics around Nutrition and Physical Activity. Student partners use databases to find specific topics before coming to the library and then partners research and take notes individually in the library on their topic; students collect foundational overview information, specific facts and examples and potential “calls to action” their research suggests. They keep track of their resources in a shared Noodle Tools project and write parenthetical citations next to each note taken. At the end of their research students create a Works Cited Document listing the resources used by the team. After comparing the notes they gather, student pairs create a visual PSA in Canva (an infographic builder) for a middle school audience.
Core- Renaissance Debates
7th graders work in teams of 4 to research various characters from the European Renaissance. Students are tasked with collecting evidence using post-it notes and posters; they collect facts proving both sides of a debated issue related to this historic person. For example: Was Joan of Arc a Heroine or a Heretic? Facts and evidence are collected for both sides until the final day when the posters are cut in half and two students are assigned each side of the topic to debate. Pairs get a little more time to collect evidence for their side of the debate and organize their information before debating their opponents.
8th Grade Research Projects
History- Bill of Rights
Students in 8th grade history classes consider the Bill of Rights and how these amendments still relate to our lives today. Students use online databases to find 3 articles that could be used as evidence of one of the Bill of Rights in contemporary news. Then students decide on one to read more closely. Students summarize and reflect on their chosen article and then students review one another’s work before turning it in to their teacher.
Science- Geologic Timescale
8th grade science classes come to the library for Geologic Timescale research. Students investigate a particular geologic era with their partner and discover things like: What flora and fauna existed on earth at that time? What was the extinction event that ended or began that era? If students need to continue researching at home, they can use the Research Pathfinder on this topic for helpful information. Students will create presentations in a Google Slideshow and present to their classes. Everyone completes notes while listening to the presentations and ends up with an accordion book of Geologic Time.
History-What Do I Still Want To Know
8th grade history classes come to the library to find a topic of interest in the history of the United States. They choose their topics by considering all the class has covered thus far and thinking about the question: “What Do I Still Want to Know?” Student topics range from Indigenous People of the Americas, Colonization, American Independence from Britain, U.S. Constitution, U.S. Civil War, the Gold Rush, through the mid 1800s. Each student creates an essential question to focus their research.In the library students learn to use online databases to find foundational information, print resources and other digital resources to continue more in depth research. Some use online websites and learn to use search strategies like “site:.edu” to narrow their findings. When using a website students have to verify its credibility by using the C.R.A.A.P. test to analyze the site’s Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy and Purpose. This is a life skill that can benefit all of us using the internet these days. In addition, 8th graders use primary source images when they create their Infographic to demonstrate what they learned. All students cite resources using NoodleTools, create parenthetical citations and finally create a Works Cited document that is linked in their Infographic.
English- TED-like Talks
8th grade classes come to the library to research a topic about which they create a TED like talk to present to their classes. Here are the prompt choices students consider when deciding on a topic:
- What _____ teaches me/us about _______.
- How ____ will change the world.
- Why we _____.
- What we can learn from ____.
- The future of _____.
- The secret to _____.
- Why we need to remember _____.
In the library they use databases and books to gather information and cite their sources. The 8th graders learn how to use parenthetical citations to give credit to their sources within their speeches and produce a works cited.
Spanish- Trip Itinerary
Students in Spanish 2 classes come to the library to research particular Latin America countries and create a travel itinerary including an introduction to their destination country and a number of highlights and ideas for traveling there. Maybe students will be inspired to take their families on these trips they create, and, who knows, perhaps they can help their family with their language skills when they go.
History- United States Culture Research & Game
8th graders work in groups to research various aspects of the evolution of culture in the United States. After a few days of research teams compete in a game of Numbered Heads Together to see what groups have collected about the early development of U.S. Culture. Bonus points are awarded for especially detailed analysis of the achievement’s impact on the culture of the United States.