Getting Started

• Do you understand the assignment?
• Make sure that you do. If not, ask a teacher or a friend in your class.
• When is it due?
• If you don’t know when the paper is due, you won’t know how to not get overwhelmed.
• Do you choose your topic, or is it chosen for you?
• It’s a pretty big problem if you don’t know what the topic is, so find out if it’s your choice or not. If it is, get brainstorming.
• Start early: this is the key for making the paper as fun as possible.

Finding Focus

• You may be really exited about your topic and want to start right away. Slow down! The first thing you need to do is focused.
• Your topic may be animals, but the length of your paper may be limited to four pages. What animals, or aspects about those animals do you want to research???
• You may find it interesting that rabbits and elephants both use the large surface area of their ears to regulate their body temperature. Why else do they have large ears???
• Now you’re focused!

Gathering Information

This is the fun part of the process. Think of it as a treasure hunt! Clues may be found in: books, periodicals, CDs, encyclopedias, personal interviews, or the internet.

• Take organized notes as you read
• Remember to keep track of where you found each piece of information. It is very important to document the sources used in your paper.
• Once you have gathered you research notes, it is time to organize them and formulate the main point of your paper

Writing the Paper

Are you on track? Review the purpose of the assignment.

• Create a rough outline. The “flow” of your paper will help the reader follow your logic as you set out to achieve your main point.
• Create a rough draft
• Proofread and get feedback from your friends and parents
• Is your main point and supporting information clear?
• Does the “flow” of your paper make sense?
• Did you achieve your main point?
• Incorporate this feedback and your own final revisions into your final draft