Guidelines for Doing Historical Research

The goals and objectives of the Grade 11 United States History program are supported by student
historical research. Historical research fosters the continuing development of numerous skills
including the application of the historical thinking skills students acquire, refine, and practice
throughout the United States History curriculum. These skills include the abilities to pose
thoughtful questions about the past, identify a variety of potential resources, determine the
information to be extracted from the sources, compare various historical interpretations, and
articulate concise conclusions. A well-designed research assignment enhances students’
opportunities to experience increasing levels of success with the research component and at the
same time enables students to expand and enrich their understanding of United States History.
Additional benefits of incorporating the research module in United States History include:

 developing an in-depth understanding of an event, individual, or idea

 providing teachers with a mechanism to assess the application of skills taught in class
 demonstrating the connection between the research process and the methods used by
historians to examine the past
 demonstrating the positive correlation between successful reading of non-fiction and
insightful interpretation of historical writing
 developing, refining, and applying skills in reading and expository writing
 extending the sequential development of skills developed in English, American
Government, and World History courses

Opportunities for students to conduct historical research and develop corresponding skills should
be an integral part of social studies instruction and be presented in a systematic and evolutionary
progression. Since all students need the aforementioned skills and processes as adults, it is
imperative that research options be provided for every student in United States History. It is
incumbent upon all teachers to differentiate the scale, pace, intensity of process, and expectations
for a final product so that the needs of all students can be met. Implementing the research
process in incremental stages will facilitate the ability of students to acquire familiarity with the
research process, succeed at increasing levels of difficulty, and improve the overall quality of
their final products.

The following guidelines should be considered prior to engaging students in a research activity:

 determine relationships among topics, theses, products, and other elements of the
research project
 identify a research project that allows students some degree of flexibility in choice of
topic for research
 utilize finished products in classroom instruction
 ensure that the school media center can provide references to support student research
and communicate expectations for resource use
 inform students of the policies regarding citations in papers, note cards, and bibliography
cards

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  provide students with a variety of format options for a final product
 provide students with a scoring rubric that will be used to assess the final product
(Several sample rubrics for assessing student research products are included in the
Appendix of this curriculum guide.)
 provide students with a set of guidelines relative to the use of Internet and other web-
based sources
 provide students with a list of potential types of sources required for research – special
attention should be placed on the use of primary resources, text references, historical
writing, and research encyclopedias
 provide students with criteria and means for evaluating the usefulness of types of sources
and for assessing the reliability of information within sources
 establish due dates for various components of the research activity that allow for
sufficient time to identify, diagnose, and ameliorate issues impeding student success
 allow ample time for students to complete the research process including sufficient time
to search for information, process information, develop draft copies, revise and edit, and
complete their final product
 set realistic expectations for student work since acquiring the skills to conduct research is
an on-going process and their efforts will reflect only their current stage of developing
historical research skills
 review and enforce rules and policies regarding plagiarism

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