The ISearch Paper

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The I-Search Paper

• Sandy Stuart-Bayer
• Library Information Specialist
• Lees Summit High School
• Lees Summit, MO
• Information adapted from
• The I-Search Paper
• by Ken Macrorie

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The I-Search Paper

• Typical Research Paper
• The Loop
• Knowledge and experience of the experts on one
  side the self on the other and no connection.
• The I-Search Paper
• The Moebius Strip or Loop
• The Self and The Others connecting Subjectivity
  and Objectivity Includes context and humanity of
  the authors

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The I-Search Paper

• Ken Macrorie
• Most research papers written in high school and
  college are bad jokes. Theyre funny because
  they pretend to be so much and actually are so
  little.
• Often an exercise in badly done bibliography
• An introduction to the art of plagiarism
• A triumph of meaninglessness-for the writer and
  the reader

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The I-Search Paper

• Getting back to the Basics
• Need
• Curiosity
• Rigor in judging ones findings and the opinions
  of experts
• Helping others test the validity of the search

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The I-Search Paper

• First, begin with an itch. Allow something to
  choose you that you want intensely to know or
  possess. Your product/paper will be the story of
  your adventure as you scratch that itch.
• Then
• Take your topic to class and ask your classmates
  for tips/advice.
• Locate useful information books, magazines,
  newspapers, electronic databases, etc.
• Look at or listen to this information and these
  ideas. Note down what may be most useful to you.

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The I-Search Paper

• Interview people who know a lot about your topic

• Think about the best way to approach themphone?
  Directly? Through someone who knows them?
• Know something about your topic before you
  interview them or they may resent you taking up
  their time.
• Ask them where else you might look for more
  information.
• Test the statements of experts against those of
  other experts.

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I-Search Paper

• Be sure you consult both firsthand sources
  (persons you talk to or objects you observe)
• and secondhand sources (books, magazines,
  websites, etc.)

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I-Search Paper

• Simply tell the story of your search in the order
  In which it happens.

What I Knew and didnt know about my topic
before starting out. Why Im Doing this Search
Heres where a real need should show up. The
writer demonstrates that the search may make a
difference in his/her life. The Search the
story of the hunt. What I Learned or didnt
learn. A search that failed can be as exciting
and valuable as one that succeeded.
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Improving on the Process

• Marilyn Joyce, Bettie Martin, and Julie Tallman
  fine tune the process.
• As told in Emergency Librarian. Sep/Oct 95, Vol.
  23 Issue 1, p. 20, 4p.

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The I-Search Paper

• Macrories Itch
• Students need to choose a topic about something
  they need to know for their own lives.
• Strategies to help students find a topic
• Make a personal experience webbing diagram that
  pictures their interest areas (hobbies, career
  choices, family, etc.)
• Explore topics on EBSCO or Gale as well as print
  sources in the library.
• Brainstorm with a group.

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Begin exploring the topic

• After a topic is chosen
• Discuss it with classmates.
• Complete a K-DK-W
• Know, Dont Know, Want to Know
• Do a little reading for general knowledge.
• Have students begin a journal. Portions of their
  journal writing will become the first draft of
  their paper.
• As students begin reading for general knowledge,
  dont allow them to take notes or write quotes.
  That comes later. Instead, they should reflect on
  what theyve read in their journals. This forces
  using their own words.

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The Pre-notetaking Stage

• Students refer to their K-DK-W Chart to
• Formulate a central research question
• Relate the question to prior knowledge
• Identify key words and names associated with the
  question
• Develop questions to organize their search

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The Interpretation Stage

• Students locate resources print sources,
  computer sources, and firsthand sources to be
  interviewed.
• Get a broad view first (encyclopedias, etc.)
• As information gets more specific, try doing a
  webbing diagram or an outline.
• Always, at all stages, reflect in the journal.
• Discuss problems encountered in the search as
  well as the information found.
• Emphasis on evaluating information, looking at
  different points of view, compare/contrast two
  articles, etc.

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The Interpretation Stage

• Help students interact with source material
• Journal starter phrases such as
• I reacted very strongly when I discovered
• I still want to know
• When I compared this article to that article, I
  found
• Transition to Final Products
• Telling the story of the search.
• Students create their papers by going through
  their journals and editing them.

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Assessment

• Rubric for the I-Search Paper
• Evaluation of product and process
• Student Self-Evaluation

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For More Information

• Macrorie, Ken. The I-Search Paper Revised
  Edition of Searching Writing. (1988). Portsmouth,
  NH Boynton/Cook Publishers.
• Websites
• http//depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/writing/fo
  rmatsheet.html
• I-Search Paper Format Guide Developed by an
  instructor at Gallaudet University, based on Ken
  Macrorie's I-Search Paper.
• http//www.ncte.org/profdev/online/ideas/freq/1140
  24.htm NCTE's Frequently Requested Topics The
  I-Search Paper. This site offers a brief
  explanation of the I-Search Paper. It's a bit
  too brief, but it's still a positive thing to see
  this included in the NCTE website (That's
  National Council of Teachers of English)!

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For More Information

• http//www.ncte.org/pubs/journals/ej/articles/1239
  81.htm
• I-Search in the Age of Information.
• English Journal, Volume, 95, Number 4, March 2006
• A fresh, more recent look at the I-Search method.
  
• Connecting Writing and Research through the
  I-Search Paper
• Wow! This is an excellent addition to Ken
  Macrorie's book. A high school librarian and
  freshman English teacher have taken the I-Search
  Paper method and fine-tuned it, retaining all the
  original philosophy of the method as they
  increased student's understanding and likelihood
  of success. Excellent article!
• Later note This site that used to be found at
  http//home.scottsburg.com/trinkle/Tallman20artic
  le.htm is no longer online, but the educators
  involved wrote a book on the subject.
• Making the Writing and Research Connection With
  the I-Search Process A How-To-Do-It Manual

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For More Information

• http//www2.edc.org/FSC/MIH/i-search.html
• The I-Search Unit
• This site divides the project into 4 phases,
  explains each one, and offers examples. This is a
  good site for beginners and veterans alike.