Allen & Swistak, Chapter 12, and Full Week Field Experience

              One of the impressive points of the Allen and Swistak article was that Allen gave the students the opportunity to choose their topic for their multigenre research project.  I think this is a very imperative aspect of the success of each student’s research project.  Students are hardly given the options of selecting their own topic and I think this allows for students more room for exploration and findings.  They also had to evaluate their topic selection which is important because they need to consider if their topic will provide them with enough research!

                During my full week field experience, I allowed my students to select their topic for a research/information piece they would be compiling.  Each student had the opportunity to select an animal from one of the six animal groups to conduct research on.  They had to complete a graphic organizer that contained information such as:  the animal’s name, the animals group, how does it move, draw and write about where it lives (its habitat), how it protects itself, what food does your animal eat, and “I didn’t know” section.  This helped them organize the information they would then compile into an informational story piece about their animal.  They were also given the opportunity to research by using library books I had selected on each student’s animal.  My teacher and I allowed for them to research their animal on the internet with our assistance.  By doing this, the students were able to conduct research by using multiple sources for the research of their selection of animal.