Assessment for Research Reflection*

Your reflection may be scored using this tool based on the five sections described below.

   

 Possible Points
 Your Points
  I.

 Your Research Question
   
  II.

 Your Search Process
   
 III.

 What You Have Learned
   
 IV.

 What This Information Means to You
   
  V.

 Works Cited
   

Your Research Question

In this section you will need to:

Capture your audience's attention with an interesting lead.

State your research question(s) clearly.

Describe what you knew about the topic before you began.

Explain why you care about this question or why you were drawn to this area of investigation.

Your Search Process

In this section, you will need to:

Describe the steps you followed in conducting your search including the various types of sources that you used.

Describe the best sources of information and which were the most interesting to use.

Describe problems you had in locating information and how you resolved them.

Explain how you changed, expanded, or revised your questions.

Describe any new research skills that you acquired or efficient methods you discovered as a result of this project.

Acknowledge how other people inside and outside of class helped you.

What You Have Learned

In this section, you will need to:

Discuss the major question(s) that you researched.

Give details and specifics to answer your questions and demonstrate your knowledge of your topic.

Respond to the overarching or essential question by using information or ideas that you have learned as support.

What This Means to You

In this section, you will need to:

Describe how you have developed as a researcher. Include one way in which you have become a more effective researcher.

Describe which things that you learned about your topic mean the most to you.

Explain the limits of your understanding, i.e. what you might investigate further if you had more time.

Explain how this knowledge will affect your life and/or the way that you think or act. 

Works Cited

In this section, you will need to:

Include the required amount of entries.

Use the correct format for each entry.

Organize your entries in alphabetical order. 

*Adapted from Zorfass, Judith M. Make it Happen!: Inquiry and Technology in the Middle School Curriculum. Newton, MA: Education Development Center, Inc. 1996.