3rd grade bat research

October is a great month to learn a little bit more about an often misunderstood creature...the bat! Doing research about bats fits along with the sound unit my third graders are doing in science right now.
I have several goals for my third graders in doing this research:

1. Read  information from books, using tables of contents and indexes
2. Read for information from websites
3. Find and write information that fits their topic
4. Write their findings in their own words
5. Synthesize their writing into an audiovisual project
6. Reflect on their work

When I look at that list, it is a lot for an eight-year-old!
I do give them many supports. I introduced the topic to them by reading Hello, Bumblebee Bat by Darrin Lynde and Patricia Wynne. It has a question and answer format, which gets students thinking about questions they have about bats. I also tell them that it gives answers specifically about Bumblebee bats, so there is still plenty to wonder about for other types of bats. After we finish reading, I write down questions that the students have. I use the questions from all three classes to create a list of broader topics for them (bat's bodies, different types of bats, families and life cycles, habitats, etc.).

I go to my public library and check out about 50 books about bats with different focuses and reading levels. I also use a LibGuide to collect some appropriate websites and organize these by the broad topic. I have students start by researching with books for at least a total of an hour, and then they can switch to websites if they want. Later in the year, I will be much more flexible about allowing them to choose, but to start I want them to have some experience with both.

I am trying something new with note-taking for these students. I modified a note-taking sheet from a taking notes without copying strategy from Teachers Pay Teachers. It gave

give me a different way to teach students about taking notes. On one side of the sheet, when students are reading, they write down important words. Once they finish reading that section and have at least 3-5 important words, they choose three words that they think are the most important, and put them in boxes on the back. Then, they write sentences that explain those words.

All the classes have done some research with books and have started to use websites too. So far it is going well! My next step will be to help them take their sentences and combine and revise them to make a script for their presentation.


I'm curious to hear about other examples for teaching research skills. Is this too much guidance? Not enough? What do you think?