Practical Steps to the Research Process for Middle School »

DEBORAH B. STANLEY is Library Media Teacher, Riverside Unified School District, Riverside, California, and she frequently speaks on the research process.

Stanley applies the same user-friendly format that made her popular guide to teaching the six steps of the research process to high school students such a success. In this new volume geared toward middle school students, field-tested lessons, anecdotes, reproducible charts and templates, and research ideas all work together to transform the research process into bite-size steps that are both adaptable to various teaching styles and not overwhelming for students. By applying Stanley's methods you'll be pursuing education reforms including integrating technology, improving information literacy, teaching critical thinking, modeling collaborative instruction, and adapting research for second language learners and learning disabled students.

School Library Journal

This outstanding resource is designed to help a busy library media teacher present research as meaningful, "doable," and, also, challenging. The process is broken down into a four-day program of scripted lessons that emphasize strategies Stanley has tested and found to work well. The fundamental principle is collaboration between the LMT and classroom teacher to reach the goal of information literacy. The key word in the entire approach is practical. The author assumes that the LMT is familiar with research theories and is ready to plunge into the process of teaching research. The book is divided into four general sections: planning and preparation, the research process, application and accountability, and enrichment and extension. The margins contain icons that represent major trends in educational reform, such as information literacy, ELL/special modifications, problem solving, lifelong skills, etc. "Instructor Information" sections contain lists, charts, and templates, such as, "Examples of MLA Citations and Research Checklist." Permission is given to duplicate the activity sheets for classroom use. The model lessons are for research on Renaissance artists, but could easily be adapted to any subject. The book concludes with a section on connections that offers ties to standards and information literacy, based on models found in Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning (ALA, 1998). While designed for middle school students, both elementary and high school LMTs would find this a very effective volume.-Elizabeth Stumpf, Clearfield Middle School, PA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.