Leach 1—2015
The I-Search Paper
The I-Search paper asks students to research something they intensely want to know about, and so presents the most rewarding opportunity to seek real answers and meaningful information about a topic that is important to the student.
Will This Hurt?
My sincere wish for you is that this will not be a pain, but almost a pleasure. The key to making this assignment a positive experience is choosing a topic you care about intensely, remaining curious and interested, AND meeting the deadlines for writing the paper piecemeal.
How Long Will This Paper Be?
This depends upon many variables: What your sources have to say, the detail inherent to your topic, and your own writing style. In general, papers will be about 7-10 pages in length, NOT including the Works Cited page.
Step One: Choosing Your I-Search Topic—Follow your Passion
Allow something to choose you, something you want to know or possess, intensely. Maybe it’s a motorcycle. Maybe it’s the name of a college or graduate school best for your needs. Maybe it’s a career you are considering going into. This is your chance to choose a topic YOU are interested in rather than a topic I assign. Here are a few I-Search paper titles and topics past students have covered:
Dive Into Marine Bio
Should Thin Be In?
Rhythm and Blues Soup—History of Rhythm and Blues
A Cry for Love—Nurturing a Child
AID’s—Everyone’s Enemy
Suicide—The Decision of a Lifetime
DNA to the Stars: Applications of Biology to the Space Program
Divorce and its Effects on Children
What is this Silence a Teenage Girl Falls Into?
Sweet Dreams—Significance of Dreams
The Toughest Job You Will Ever Love—Peace Corps
Exploring Moods and Madness
Accounting—Do the Numbers Really Add Up?
Step Two: Cultivating Resources
Find other persons who are interested in your topic. Ask them where to find the most useful books, magazines, films, or articles on your topic. Ask who in your community knows the most about it.
Follow up. Look at or listen to this information and these ideas.
Think about interviewing someone who knows a lot about the topic. What would be the best way to approach him or her? Through a mutual acquaintance? Telephone? Email? Experts may be busy, but if you’re worried an expert may not want to give you much time, you can always try asking him or her where you might best look for information and advice about your topic. Then if he/she does not want to talk at length with you, or hasn’t time, he/she can refer you to another source or expert. Follow all leads until you find a reputable source with whom to speak.
Step Three: Consider a place, event, activity, or an office you might visit
to observe your subject first-hand. This may mean shadowing someone (perhaps your interviewee) at his or her place of work or attending a meeting, a rally, or tour. Your goal should be to find a locale in which you can absorb the details (saturate yourself in them, in fact) and experience the truth about your topic.
Step Four: Research as much as you can about your topic BEFORE your interview and observation/saturation visit. This is the time to write the précis statements that will become part of your paper.
Step Five: Pay attention to mini-lessons and samples given on “How to Write a Precis,” “Tips for Interviewing,” “How to Write up an Interview,” and Saturation Reporting.
Step Six: Write your Paper in Piecemeal—OBSERVE ALL DEADLINES!
See assignment sheet for due dates
Step Seven: Draft your paper
Once you’ve finished your search, think about how you will order your information. What might make an intriguing opening? What things should be written about first? What information belongs in the middle of the paper? What would be the best way to end or conclude your paper? What might be a catchy title for your paper?
Your paper will be divided in four parts:
1) What I knew (And didn’t know about my topic when I started out)
2) Why I am writing this paper—demonstrating how/why the search will make a difference in your life
3) The Search—Story of the hunt (including piecemeal writings listed above)
4) What I Learned *2 paragraphs minimum
What most surprised or interested you about your research?
How did your search go? What challenges did you encounter?
If you got to do it over, what might you do differently?
Step Seven: (Almost finished now) Draft your paper
We will complete a peer review in class, after which the revised and perfected paper will be due. See assignment sheet for deadlines.
Consider a topic about which you care deeply, about which you might enjoy learning. Then, find one article related to your topic that provides background information. Your printed article and this form are due Tues, 3/1.
I-Search Proposal
I. Write out one BIG question or a clear sentence that will start you off on a search.
II. Think for a moment, and then write out everything you already know about your subject:
III. What other questions occur to you about your subject?
IV. What are some sources (books and people) that you already know of that you can use in your search?