The I-Search Writing

Project

By Rebecca H. Odoardi

THE I SEARCH WRITING PROCESS...

A RESEARCH WRITING
PROGRAM FOR YOUNG WRITERS
BY REBECCA H. ODOARDI

Goals:
Students will:DECIDE on a topic of interest
RECOUNT what has been learned through DEFINING,
LABELING,OUTLINING
ANALYZE prior knowledge concerning the chosen topic
TEST and add to knowledge through research
EVALUATE what has been learned in the research
process and comment on the VALUE of their discoveries.
Objectives: WRITING
Students will:REINFORCE their use of the
sensory/descriptive writing skills through the use of
precise, vivid language and rich sensory detail.
ENRICH their imaginative/narrative skills by sequencing
events, and using good transition words.
PRACTICE practical/informative writing by showing
clarity and coherence in what is written.
ANALYZE and EVALUATE their writing in terms of what
they have discovered through the writing process.

Notes for the Teacher:

The term I Search means that the students themselves are going to
do research on a subject/issue/concern that THEY want to know more
about. The I-Search Project is comprised of the following parts:
What do I want to study?
What do I know, assume or imagine?
What do I need to learn/discover to answer the question (the search)
What did I discover? (the writing)
Where did I find my information? (the bibliography)
How will I share what I learned with others? (product exhibition)
It is important to get students ready before they begin the I-Search
project. In order to successfully complete the I-Search project,
students should have some familiarity with basic research methodology.
It is assumed that during the final writing of the project, the Six
Traits process or some other process which includes
draft/revise/rewrite/revise/final write will be followed.
Students may need assistance with each stage of the process
depending on their age, maturity and level of research experience.

Step One:

The I-Search Process

Using a graphic organizer, students brainstorm a list of topics/ideas they are

interested in. This list could come from a journal or notebook they have been keeping
during the year, a specific activity that they enjoyed or could be something new that
they want to study. The key is that each idea should be student generated and should
be based on something they are really interested in studying.

What do I
want to learn
about?

Step Two: Decision Making

During this phase, students take a look at the ideas they generated. Using
a set of criteria, they make a decision regarding the topic they are going
to study ( the Talents Unlimited Decision Making process may be used
here).
I-Search Project Decision-Making Rubric
Ideas
Criteria
1.
2.
3.
4.

Students could also be given a worksheet like the one below to help them
make their decision.
What Do I Want To Study?
Alternatives:
1. The ideas/topics I am interested in studying are:
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________

Criteria:
2. The questions I will use to help me make my choice are:
(List can be generated by individual student or by the whole
class with or without teacher assistance). Students put a *
by the one question that is most important for them to
consider.
1.___________________________________________
2.___________________________________________
3.___________________________________________
4.___________________________________________
5.___________________________________________
3. Based on the above criteria, my final decision is:
______________________________________
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Step Three:
After students have chosen their topic, they then need to write an
essential question tied to their topic that they want to know the answer
to. This is where the teachers input is essential to make sure that the
question the student wants to answer is narrow enough that they wont be
overwhelmed with the information available. On the other hand, the
question must also be broad enough to enable students to generate subquestions about the topic as they do their research.
Examples:
Depending on the age level of the student, the following questions may be
too broad (these are actual student examples)
Question:

What do animals do in the winter?

How do cars work?
What happened to the dinosaurs?
Why do people fight?

The following questions may be too narrow to study because there is

generally only one right answer (again, these are real examples)
Question:

Is it bad to drive while you are drunk?

What will happen if everyone pollutes the earth?
Why is it wrong to fight?
Who invented baseball?

The following are better questions because they can be more easily
researched.
Question: What happens to a bear during hibernation?
How does a cars engine work?
How did the Tyrannosaurus become extinct?
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What happens to bears when they hibernate?

Step Four: What I Know, Assume or Imagine

Before students actually conduct the research to find the answer to their
essential question, they write down what they may already know about the
topic and/or question they chose. This part may also include information on
why the subject was chosen.
Step Four: The Search Question to Question
This part of the project consists of a series of sequential questions that
the student asks him/herself as he/she conducts the research. The
writer starts each section (paragraph) with a question (the main idea of
the paragraph) and then writes the answer to the question. In this part of
the project, the students research may involve interviews, field trips, as
well as the basic library research so that they can gather all the
information they need in order to answer their questions. Students may
not know all the questions they need to ask at the beginning of the process
and should be encouraged to add other questions as needed. It is
important to stress that all questions should relate directly to the original,
essential question and should move sequentially towards answering the
essential question.

Example:
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Major Question
Question 1
Question 2
Question 3
Question 4
Question 5
Question 6
Question 7
Question 8
Question 9
Question 10

What happens to bears when they hibernate?

What does hibernate mean?
Which animals hibernate?
Do all bears hibernate?
Why do bears hibernate?
What does dormant mean?
What do bears eat?
Does this have anything to do with their hibernating?
What happens to bears food supply in the winter?
What are the stages a bear goes through during
hibernation?
How do these stages enable bears to stay alive during
the winter?

Step Five: The Writing (What I Discovered)

After conducting the research, the students compare and contrast what
they thought they knew, assumed, or imagined with what they actually
discovered. Students should answer the original, essential question by
assessing or summarizing the information they learned. A summary of the
students overall learning experience and personal commentary on the value
of the discovery process should also be included here.
Step Six: The Bibliography
(Optional- determined by age/ability level of students)
Students list the sources consulted in the writing process.
Step 6: Product Exhibition
Students develop a product that illustrates or represents the information
they have learned. A product guide would assist students in developing the
best possible product.

Sample I-Search Evaluation

The following is a sample rubric indicating some of the things that might be considered in an evaluation of
the final draft (depending on the age-level of the student).
Content

Excellent

1.

Your Project:
Provides a genuine learning experience for the
reader.

2.

Is very interesting to read.

3.

Shows that you have done a good job in

researching your topic.

4.

Part I shows that I explained my topic and told

what I already knew, assumed, or imagined.

5.

Part II shows that I used the question-answer

format and conducted sufficient research to
answer the questions.

6.

Part III shows that I explained, and evaluated

what I discovered.

Mechanics:
9

Very Good

Satisfactory

Needs Work

1.

My sentences are complete and easy to

understand.

2.

Spelling is correct.

3.

I have capitalized appropriate words.

4.

My paragraphs are indented.

5.

I have put punctuation where it belongs

(quotation marks, commas, etc.)

6.

I have indented the first word in each paragraph.

Comments:

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