Sophomore I-Search Letter

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Letter to Parents

Dear Parent or Guardian,

Your child is now working on the I-Search, an extensive research project that takes up much of the 3rd quarter in English class. The project requires students to gather information from both library sources and personal interviews on a topic of their choosing. Since they will have to "live with" their topics for quite a while, we encourage students to choose topics that they have a strong personal interest in, and which also lend themselves to more than simply gathering facts. An acceptable I-Search topic is one on which there is some disagreement among experts. This gives students the intellectual challenge, in putting together their final paper, of explaining—and perhaps resolving—different viewpoints about their subject. It is a task for which the writing assignments of the first semester have prepared them well.

One important purpose of assigning long-term projects like this is to give students practice in the time-management skills involved in accomplishing a large task one step at a time. The quality of the I-Search suffers greatly when kids put off work until the last minute. We have established interim deadlines before the final paper is due. These deadlines are not flexible, and grading for the I-Search is based on following a process as well as on delivering the final product. We are enclosing a schedule of the quarter so that you can be aware of your child's assignment and encourage him or her to make slow and steady progress.

Final papers must be typed, using a word-processor, since it will save time and pain when students have to make revisions on their typed drafts. The spell-check program is also a godsend to many students. Windows and Macintosh computers are available during and after school. Some class time in the computer center will be provided. There is, however, a great demand on the computer center during the third quarter, so students cannot afford to put off their typing to the last minute. A school-based link75 email account is available for free to all students. This helps students transfer work from home to school and back.

You can help your child in many ways:
1. Simply being interested and encouraging helps a lot.We tell our classes that one of the best ways for them to judge whether they are really learning their subject or "just taking notes" is how clearly they can explain what they're learning to another person. Every week what they have to say about their research should get longer, more coherent, and more complex. Ask them to tell you about what they know.

2. Most of the material your child will need can be found in or ordered by the Mt. Ararat library. However, there are other excellent resources available at local public libraries, and Bowdoin College has by far the best collection of back issues of magazines around. Your services as chauffeur to your children might be useful here. Some supplies are necessary, too: 3x5 index cards, computer disks, highlighter pens, and an expandable file, manila envelope, or folder to hold everything, one that will stand up to a few months of heavy use. Also, if you have internet access at home, many fine (and expensive) databases, which we are teaching your child to use, are available free directly from home, paid for by state government funds. Your child can find these at <http://libraries.maine.edu/mainedatabases/>. To get into these databases, you simply need to enter a name, a zip code, and the library with which your town is affiliated.

3. Your child must interview at least one "expert" (and we do use that term pretty loosely) on the subject as part of the research. This is a scary process for many students, but one that over the years has proven to be of much value for students. You might help your child to identify appropriate interview subjects, to make up a list of questions, and to get to appointments. Meeting face to face is preferable, but the telephone will also work. Your child may want to make long distance calls for this project, too.This interview will be taped so that the student can take notes later.

4. Finally, you can be very helpful to your child by reading the work-in-progress, especially the third and longest part of the paper — "What I Learned." This is where the student goes from being the learner to being the teacher, by explaining what he now knows to an audience who is interested but not necessarily up-to-date on the subject.We as teachers make up a part of that audience, and others in the class will, too, but the more readers a paper gets, the clearer it will be.

We ask that you discuss your child's choice of topic and sign your approval on the first written part of their assignment. Feel free to call if you have any questions. The number at Mt. Ararat is 729-2951.

This letter and most of the handouts relating to the I Search are posted on the school's web site at <http://www.mta75.org/english/isearch>.

Yours,

Teachers of Sophomore English
Mt. Ararat High School