General Overview of Middle School Religion Research Project
For February and March, you will be working on an independent research project about a world religion
that we have not already studied. This project will include:
! A research paper (approximately four to six pages in length)
! An oral presentation (during this presentation you should use a PowerPoint-type tool, but you may
also use other techniques to teach us about your topic such as skits, games, etc.)
Grading:
Each of these two parts of your research project will be given a grade equivalent to a test grade.
Additionally there will be homework assignments that will check on your progress. For example, during
the research phase of this project, I will require that you have a certain number of questions answered for
class the next day. I will check that you have that many questions completely answered and will mark that
as a completed homework assignment. Each research question will be worth 10 homework points.
The Schedule:
Listed below is a schedule of due dates. You should put these into your assignment notebook, and take
this schedule home to hang in a prominent place in your house so that you can remember when things are
due. These dates are flexible to change based on snow days and absences, but I would like to see us stay as
close to them as possible so that you can complete the project in a timely fashion.
February 2-7: General Overview of Project and picking of topics
February 7-27: Research time (each day a certain number of questions must be answered)
February 28: All research should be completed
March 1: Thesis Statements should be finalized
March 1-10: Outline and Paper writing
March 10: Rough Draft of Paper is due at end of day
Once you turn in your Rough Draft, you may begin work on your presentation.
March 11 to March 17: Revising Papers and Creating Presentations
o Rough Drafts will be returned in the order they are given to me, and it is my hope that all papers
will be given back by Monday, March 13th to allow enough time to revise before the deadline.
o Final Drafts are due: March 17th
• March 28th: Bring your finished presentation to school so that you can practice your presentation
with a friend before the presentations begin on Wednesday
• March 29-31: Presentation Days
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Remember, we may have to change some of these due dates because of absences, sickness, or snow days.
However, this should be a general guide to help you keep track of what you need to do. Of course, you
may also turn things in ahead of time, to allow you more time on each subsequent step. Grading of papers
will occur in the order they are received, so the earlier you get your paper in, the sooner you will get it back
for revisions and the final grade.
Important Notice: It is very important that during all of this self directed work time, that you are
productive. Even though this seems like a long time to get a project done, it will go by quickly even if
you are working really hard. It is required that you have something to work on during every class
period. If you do not, not only will you fall behind, but you will be more likely to distract others from
their work. Please come prepared to get work done every day!!!!!! This will influence your class
participation grade as well.
Challenge Option: If you earned an A in Language Arts in the first trimester, you may choose the
challenge option. See me for details if you are interested.
The Sharon Academy
Middle School Religion Research Project Topics
February and March 2017
! In our unit on monotheistic religions, we studied Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. These are three of
the most relevant religions in the world today because of their influence on geopolitical events and
potential conflicts in the future. However, they all stem from one original tradition (Abraham) and there
are many people in the world whose religious traditions are not strongly connected to any of these three
faiths.
! During the months of February and March, you will be given the opportunity to research about and
inform your classmates on a world religion that is not one of the three Abrahamic monotheistic faiths. A
few of these faiths could be put under one of the above categories, but they are enough different from
the aspects of the religions we studied to be worthy of independent projects.
! Below is a list of topics to choose from for your research project. Some of these religions are not
practiced any more and some are practiced by only a few people, but they all have vibrant histories and
interesting stories that are connected to them.
! On the first day of class, we will do some pre-research, which you should continue at home to help you
have better sense of which religions you would be interested in learning about. Then we will have a
lottery to see who gets which topic. Only one student in the middle school may choose any given topic,
and no one will be working in conjunction with one another.
Topics to choose from:
" Buddhism
o This topic includes many different aspects that could be a number of different projects. These
could be, but are not limited to:
# Zen Buddhism
# Tibetan (Tantric) Buddhism
# Theravada (Thai) Buddhism
# Mahayana Buddhism
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
Taoism
Zoroastrianism
Sufism *
Candomble *
Rastafarianism
Hinduism –Several students could do this
if focusing on different sects
o Vaishnavism
o Shaivism
o Shaktism
Baha’ism
Shinto
Occultism (also known as Wicca,
Witchcraft, or Neopaganism) *
Jainism
Eckankar *
Sikhism
Falun Gong*
I Kuan Dao*
Cao Dai *
Confucianism
Hare Krishna
Scientology
" Satanism (specifically Theistic
Satanism)*
" The Unification Church (a.k.a. Moonies)
" Ancient Greek or Roman religions
" Epicureanism (ancient Greek philosophy)
" Ancient Norse religions
" Ancient Celtic religions
" Voodoo
" Shamanism *
" Any Native American religion of your
choice
o For example: Hawaiian, Navajo,
Abenaki, Mayan, and many,
many more.
" Animism *
" Any Native African religion of your
choice
" Aboriginal Australian Folk Religion
" Any other religion that interests you that
I have not mentioned here…pending my
approval.
* = indicates a slightly more challenging topic
The Calendar:
This takes you through the whole project and should be on display at home to remind you of due dates.
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
1
5
6
Citations & note
taking overview
13
Research Day
7
Topic Lottery!
Research Day
14
Research Day
12
Be ready
for Mon.
HW
check
30 points
Homework
Check: At least
three research
questions should
be finished (by
end of class)
March 5
6
Work Period
Friday
3
Current
Events (last
one until
April)
Saturday
4
Research
– List
your top
3-5
choices
8
Research Day
Thursday
2
Introduction
to project.
Begin
research to
figure out
your top
choices
9
Research Day
10
Research Day
11
15
Research Day
16
Research Day
17
Research Day
18
30 points
Homework
Check: At
least 6
research
questions
finished (by
end of class)
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
February Vacation----You will have some homework!!!
During this time you should wrap up any remaining holes in your research to fully answer all of the
questions. You will only have one class after break before all your research is due. When you are finished
with this, you should start working on your thesis statement and outline to get ahead, but this is not required.
26
27
28
March 1
2
3
4
Research Day
Work period
Work Period
Work Period
20 points
Ready
Keep
Homework
for HW All research due
25 points
working!
Check: All
check on at start of class
Thesis Due:
research due at
Tuesday tomorrow!
You will need
start of class.
???
to submit to
me your
Outlining &
thesis at end
thesis
of class today.
statements.
Work on
outline
Show me your
completed
outline before
starting the
rough draft.
7
No school
Town Meeting
Day
8
Work Period
Note: Rough
drafts will be
graded in the
order they are
collected. The
sooner you
turn it in, the
earlier you
can start on
revisions.
9
Work Period
Note: If you
finish early,
you may begin
work on your
presentation
10
Work Period
All Rough
Drafts must
be handed in
by end of
school today.
11
Start
revisions
or work
on your
presentati
on
Sunday
12
19
26
Monday
13
Work on
Final Drafts
and/or
Presentations
Tuesday
14
Work on
Final Drafts
and/or
Presentations
Wednesday
15
Work
Period/Circus
time
Thursday
16
Friday
Saturday
17
18
Final Draft
All Circus
of Paper Due
All the time
at the end of
school today.
Circus time!!!
Week Two of Circus (you can work on your presentation at home and during
25
down time at school, but there will not be any formal classes or due dates this
week)
27
No School to
recover from
Circus
28
Practice
Presentations
(Presentations
should be
finished)
29
Presentation
Day #1
30
Presentation
Day #2
31
Presentation
Day #3
April 1
Please Note: If you choose the challenge options, you do not have to have a certain number of questions
completed by the various deadlines, but your due dates remain the same for the thesis statement, outline, rough
draft, final draft, and presentation.
Religion Research Project Question Guide
February and March 2017
! Required background research questions: To begin your research, you will need to find detailed
answers to the required questions below. Thoroughly answering these questions will help you to learn
basic information about your religion. At the end of this process you should have enough background
information about your religion to form and support a thesis statement. In other words, you will be
ready to create an outline and write your paper. Don’t worry that you will not use all of the information
gathered in this process. The beginning research process helps you get an overall picture before you
hone in on your central idea.
!
Additional research questions to support your thesis: Once you have formed your thesis you may
discover that you need to do some additional research to fully support your thesis.
Required Questions for research:
1. The W’s of your religion topic:
a. When was it created?
b. Who created it?
c. Where was it created?
d. What was the reason for creating this new religion?
2. What are the basic beliefs of your religion topic?
a. Specifically, you should answer:
i. What is the creation story?
ii. What is their theory about afterlife?
iii. Is there a moral or ethical code that goes with this religion? What is it?
3. How does someone become a part of this religion?
4. Is this religion still practiced today?
a. If so, by how many people?
b. If not, why did it become “extinct”?
5. Where is the religion practiced?
a. If the religion is still practiced today, where in the world is it practiced? Where is it most
popular?
b. If the religion is “extinct” where in the world was it practiced?
6. Is your religion polytheistic or monotheistic? What are the name(s) of the god(s) in your religion?
7. Optional Questions: (do at least one of the following)
a)
b)
c)
d)
If your religion is “extinct” when was there the most number of people following it?
What is some important influence that your religion had on greater world history?
When people switch to your religion, what is their main reason for doing so?
What is the most intriguing thing you discovered about your religion during your research? What
intrigued you about it?
e) Create your own question. Is there something that is important to share about your religion that does not
fit into one of the above guiding questions?
Towards the conclusion of your paper, you might address in some way the following question:
8. Do you think you could “buy into” this religion? If so, which parts are compelling to you? Which parts
do you think you would have trouble believing in or following? This is an opinion question, and should
be answered after all other research is done, and should only be included if it relates to your overall
thesis or controlling idea.
Middle School Research Project Note Taking Guide
February and March 2017
! In taking notes on each of your research questions you must do the following:
1. Write out each and every question that you are answering on a separate note card, section of a word
document, or piece of paper. This way when you are looking through your sources and you find a critical
piece of information, you can write it down under the correct question.
2. While it is fine to print out information from the Internet to help you in the process of taking notes under
your question headings, please try to avoid excessive printing. If you find a good passage, try cutting and
pasting it into a word document (along with the all the bibliographical information) and then printing the
word document at the end of your research session. This will avoid printing in the format of the web
page and therefore avoid printing things you do not really need.
3. Write out a separate note card, word document, or piece of paper for your source list. Each time you find
a new source, you should write it down on the source list and give it an icon. (Examples: $ or $ or % or
@) This way, when you find information from that source that is relevant to a certain question, you can
write down the information on the question card, and put the icon next to the information to remember
where it came from.
4. The information you need to gather from a website for your bibliography are: the title of the website, the
web address of the site, the date you downloaded the information, and the date the website was last
updated. If you are interested in a handout about creating a good source list, please ask, and I will get
one for you. Easybib, Bibme, and Citation Machine are all great websites to help with this process.
5. In your paper, you will be required to have at least two direct quotes. When you find a passage in your
research that you think is worth quoting, write it down under the corresponding question, and remember
to write out exactly (i.e. which page it was on) where it came from. This way, you will not have to go
back later and find the quote again.
6. When you are asked during “research week” to show me that you have completed the research on a
certain number of questions, I will be looking at your cards to see if they are as completely filled out as
they need to be to fully answer the question. I will not accept a pile of papers printed off the Internet that
have highlights all over them.
Example Note Card
Is this religion still practiced today? If so, by how many people?
$ Yes, it is still practiced today. There are 15 million people who practice it. They all
live in Central Africa. The only exception to this is that there are a few people who are
from Central Africa who have moved to other places and practice their religion there.
Mostly those people have moved to the United States, but there are not enough of them to
say that this religion is practiced in the United States.
“Of the 15 million followers of Mulli Hallua Kannui almost all still live in central Africa.
Only a few thousand have left the area and those have moved to the U.S. where they try
to hold onto their heritage. However, the only formal temples are in central Africa in the
Congo.”
Found on page 15 of $
Middle School Research Paper Criteria Sheet
February and March 2017
Points
Criteria
Thesis Statement--- is clearly expressed in
introduction, and carried through the paper
Introduction--- engages reader with interesting
and detailed information and establishes
importance of topic and its relevance
Using all of your relevant research to thoroughly
support your thesis.
•
•
Self
Evaluation
Teacher
Evaluation
8
5
28
To do this, you will want to create at least four body
paragraphs with supporting evidence.
These paragraphs will use much of the background
research you gathered previously.
Your body paragraphs are filled with specific
facts from your documented research. This
includes two direct quotes from a source.1
All your paragraphs have an organized structure
and flow well from sentence to sentence
Your ideas and concepts flow well from
paragraph to paragraph
Your paper makes sense and has a logical
sequence
Your ideas are completely brought out and
explained. This includes doing some analysis,
interpretation or synthesis of the information and
relating this information to your thesis statement.
Conclusion--- connects to or revisits thesis
statement, and potentially expresses the
relevance of this topic to student. (You might
include whether you could “buy into” this
religion. Why or Why not?)
Grammar, Spelling, and Language Mechanics
10
3
3
3
10
5
10
All facts are appropriately documented from
research sources. (parenthetical notes)1
Bibliography
1
Total:
1
5
10
100
We will discuss the official ways to document your sources in class. The most important thing to remember
when writing a research project is that if the fact, statement, or idea is not your own, then you need to credit its
creator.
The Sharon Academy
Middle School Research Presentation Criteria Sheet
February and March 2017
Points
Criteria
You had a clear voice and tone with well-modulated speech. Your
speech was free of slang, “ums”, “likes”, etc.
You were well prepared with appropriate use of notes during
presentation. There is evidence that your presentation was practiced
before delivery.
You made eye contact and faced the audience during the presentation.
You referred to your PowerPoint without reading the screen.
The information you presented was organized so that the ideas flowed
well in a logical sequence. Your presentation had a clear beginning,
middle, and end. This included an introduction of your thesis and a
hook to grab attention at the start of your presentation.
In addition to your thesis introduction, make sure you provide some
background information that will provide a general overview of your
religion before delving into the thesis argument.
During your oral presentation, you provided evidence for your thesis
and used your relevant background research information to create this
evidence.
You clearly explained the information you researched in a way that
your peers could understand. If you had something for the audience to
look at, you gave them enough time to study that material.
You effectively used a visual aid to explain the information in your
presentation. (PowerPoint + models or diagrams, etc.)
For PowerPoint:
- Your PowerPoint slides were clear and uncluttered with an appropriate
design.
-The slides were presented with enough time spent on each slide.
-The information on the PowerPoint was not in paragraph form but
instead was just an outline of the information.
You were effective at engaging the audience through some other means
than a lecturing format. Examples include asking questions, using
volunteers to perform a demonstration, giving a quick quiz, or having
tangible props that people can examine.
You were the focus of the presentation. The PowerPoint and any other
tools you used in the presentation were just that: tools to help you rather
than being the central focus of the presentation.
You have a complete list of citations (in MLA form) for facts, statistics,
quotes, and images that are used in your presentation and have turned
that list in at the start of the presentation.
You dressed appropriately with professional dress for the presentation
(we will discuss this further before the presentations).
You were open and engaged during the critique of your presentation to
learn about how you might improve your skills.
Total
COMMENTS:
4
4
4
4
8
28
8
10
6
6
10
5
3
100
Self
Teacher
Evaluation Evaluation
The Sharon Academy
Middle School Research Paper Criteria Sheet
*********Challenge Version*********
February and March 2017
Points
Criteria
Thesis Statement--- is clearly expressed in
introduction, and carried through the paper
Introduction--- engages reader with interesting
and detailed information and establishes
importance of topic and its relevance
Using all of your relevant research to thoroughly
support your thesis. This research should be
based on the research questions you designed
yourself.
Your answers are supported with specific facts
from your documented research. This includes
two direct quotes from a source.1
All your paragraphs have an organized structure
and flow well from sentence to sentence
Your ideas and concepts flow well from
paragraph to paragraph
Your paper makes sense and has a logical
sequence
Your ideas are completely brought out and
explained. This includes doing analysis,
interpretation or synthesis of the information and
relating this information to your thesis statement.
Conclusion--- connects to or revisits thesis
statement, and expresses the relevance of this
topic to student. (You might include whether
you would “buy into” this religion or not. Why
or Why not?)
Grammar, Spelling, and Language Mechanics
All facts are appropriately documented from
research sources. (MLA style parenthetical notes
are required)1
Bibliography
1
Total:
1
Self
Evaluation
Teacher
Evaluation
8
5
30
8
2
2
2
12
6
10
5
10
100
We will discuss the official ways to document your sources in class. The most important thing to remember
when writing a research project is that if the fact, statement, or idea is not your own, then you need to credit its
creator.
Project Process Planning Sheet (PPP)
Name____________________________________ Today’s Date __________________
Class ______________________________Project Title or Topic___________________
Date Due ___________________________Probable Length ______________________
Directions:
# Write all the components/steps on post it notes or index cards.
# Arrange the cards in the sequence you will use to complete the steps.
# Write the step/components on the PPP chart below in the order you will complete them (column 1).
# Fill in the resources/research you will need to complete the step (column 2, and predict the time it will
require and the date it will be completed (columns 3& 4).
# Check in with your teacher. Have your teacher check to make sure you have recorded all the necessary
steps/components. Have your teacher check the steps in the process where he/she wants you to check in
with him/her again (column 5).
# As you complete each step, record the actual time the step took and actual date it was completed
(columns 3 & 4).
# Check in with your teacher after each designated step, and have him/her initial it (column 5).
1.
Step
Component
2.
Resources/Research
Needed
3.
Time Needed
(Use notes or index
cards to sequence)
predict
1. Complete
PPP Sheet
2.
actual
4.
Date this
Component
Needs to be
Done
predict actual
5.
Completed
(√) Check
in with
Teacher
T initials
Assignment sheet,
cards, post-it notes
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Reminder: The last step is to hand in your work!
Created by Donna Smart Isaacs, M.A., L.D. Cert. for The Center for School Success, 79 East Wilder Road, West Lebanon, N.H. 03784, November, 2004