how to write a research report middle school

Scaffolding Methods for Research Paper Writing

• Resources & Preparation
• Instructional Plan
• Related Resources

Students will use scaffolding to research and organize information for writing a research paper. A research paper scaffold provides students with clear support for writing expository papers that include a question (problem), literature review, analysis, methodology for original research, results, conclusion, and references. Students examine informational text, use an inquiry-based approach, and practice genre-specific strategies for expository writing. Depending on the goals of the assignment, students may work collaboratively or as individuals. A student-written paper about color psychology provides an authentic model of a scaffold and the corresponding finished paper. The research paper scaffold is designed to be completed during seven or eight sessions over the course of four to six weeks.

Featured Resources

• Research Paper Scaffold : This handout guides students in researching and organizing the information they need for writing their research paper.
• Inquiry on the Internet: Evaluating Web Pages for a Class Collection : Students use Internet search engines and Web analysis checklists to evaluate online resources then write annotations that explain how and why the resources will be valuable to the class.

From Theory to Practice

• Research paper scaffolding provides a temporary linguistic tool to assist students as they organize their expository writing. Scaffolding assists students in moving to levels of language performance they might be unable to obtain without this support.
• An instructional scaffold essentially changes the role of the teacher from that of giver of knowledge to leader in inquiry. This relationship encourages creative intelligence on the part of both teacher and student, which in turn may broaden the notion of literacy so as to include more learning styles.
• An instructional scaffold is useful for expository writing because of its basis in problem solving, ownership, appropriateness, support, collaboration, and internalization. It allows students to start where they are comfortable, and provides a genre-based structure for organizing creative ideas.
• In order for students to take ownership of knowledge, they must learn to rework raw information, use details and facts, and write.
• Teaching writing should involve direct, explicit comprehension instruction, effective instructional principles embedded in content, motivation and self-directed learning, and text-based collaborative learning to improve middle school and high school literacy.

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

• 1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
• 2. Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
• 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
• 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
• 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
• 6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
• 7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
• 8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
• 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Materials and Technology

Computers with Internet access and printing capability

• Research Paper Scaffold
• Example Research Paper Scaffold
• Example Student Research Paper
• Internet Citation Checklist
• Research Paper Scoring Rubric
• Permission Form (optional)

Preparation

Student Objectives

Students will

• Formulate a clear thesis that conveys a perspective on the subject of their research
• Practice research skills, including evaluation of sources, paraphrasing and summarizing relevant information, and citation of sources used
• Logically group and sequence ideas in expository writing
• Organize and display information on charts, maps, and graphs

Session 1: Research Question

You should approve students’ final research questions before Session 2. You may also wish to send home the Permission Form with students, to make parents aware of their child’s research topic and the project due dates.

Session 2: Literature Review—Search

Prior to this session, you may want to introduce or review Internet search techniques using the lesson Inquiry on the Internet: Evaluating Web Pages for a Class Collection . You may also wish to consult with the school librarian regarding subscription databases designed specifically for student research, which may be available through the school or public library. Using these types of resources will help to ensure that students find relevant and appropriate information. Using Internet search engines such as Google can be overwhelming to beginning researchers.

Session 3: Literature Review—Notes

Students need to bring their articles to this session. For large classes, have students highlight relevant information (as described below) and submit the articles for assessment before beginning the session.

Checking Literature Review entries on the same day is best practice, as it gives both you and the student time to plan and address any problems before proceeding. Note that in the finished product this literature review section will be about six paragraphs, so students need to gather enough facts to fit this format.

Session 4: Analysis

Session 5: Original Research

Students should design some form of original research appropriate to their topics, but they do not necessarily have to conduct the experiments or surveys they propose. Depending on the appropriateness of the original research proposals, the time involved, and the resources available, you may prefer to omit the actual research or use it as an extension activity.

Session 6: Results (optional)

Session 7: Conclusion

Session 8: References and Writing Final Draft

Student Assessment / Reflections

• Observe students’ participation in the initial stages of the Research Paper Scaffold and promptly address any errors or misconceptions about the research process.
• Observe students and provide feedback as they complete each section of the Research Paper Scaffold.
• Provide a safe environment where students will want to take risks in exploring ideas. During collaborative work, offer feedback and guidance to those who need encouragement or require assistance in learning cooperation and tolerance.
• Involve students in using the Research Paper Scoring Rubric for final evaluation of the research paper. Go over this rubric during Session 8, before they write their final drafts.
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• Kindergarten K

Writing Research Papers

This research writing unit of study is designed to guide your students through the research writing process. 

This is a free writing unit of study from the curriculum corner..

This research writing collection includes mini lessons, anchor charts and more.

Mention the words “research writing” in an intermediate classroom and you might be met with moans & groans or perhaps even see fear in the eyes of some students. 

In all seriousness though, writing can be intimidating for many children in our classrooms.

Guided and focused your mini-lessons can be helpful for students. Also, the more examples you can get students to interact with, the more they will understand the expectations. Finally, the more modeling that you do for them, the more they can view writing as less overwhelming.

Download the free resources to accompany this unit of study at the bottom of this post.

Lesson Ideas for Writing Research Papers:

Lesson 1: Noticings

• Begin by getting your students familiar with what research writing looks like.
• Have them work in pairs or small groups to read pieces of research writing. They will record their “noticings” about the writing.
• Then, come together in a community circle to discuss and create a class anchor chart.
• You will find a blank anchor chart and one with noticings already recorded.
• Here is a link we found that contains some student-created examples of research writing: Student Writing Models .  Simply scroll through the grade levels for different samples.

Lesson 2: Opinion vs. Facts

• Begin with a brief review of opinions vs. facts.
• Use the six paragraphs we share in our resources to give your students some practice differentiating between the two.
• Each of the paragraphs contains both opinions and facts.
• Students will read the paragraphs and record the facts and opinions from their paragraph onto the recording page.

Lesson 3: Choosing a Topic

• We know that providing choice will allow for greater engagement and success.  We want to help students to narrow their choices by giving them some guidance.
• Gather students and begin a discussion about choosing a research topic.
• Ask them to think of topics they already know a little about, have interest in or is important/relevant to their lives.
• You might pose the question “Why is that important in research writing?” and discuss their thoughts.
• For this lesson we have provided a page where students can individually brainstorm topics. You can circulate the room during this process to help students to narrow their topic.
• If you feel your class may need help to narrow their choices, think about giving them a broad topic, such as animals, and then have them choose a sub-topics from the bigger umbrella topic.
• If you feel like your students need an added level of support you might think about creating an anchor chart from a class brainstorming session about possible appropriate topics and then display this in your room.

Lesson 4: Where to Find Accurate Information about a Topic

• Help students to begin to understand where they might find accurate information about their topics.
• Where are the places you can begin to look for information about your topic?  
• Why would the copyright date on a book be important in doing research?  
• Is everything on the internet true?
• Why is it important for your research to contain accurate information?  
• Where do you begin to look for information that will accurate
• One way to help students think through appropriate sites on the internet is to pass out the ten cards provided in our resources.
• Have students read the cards and discuss what kind of a website it is.
• Talk about whether they know or have heard of the sites. Would they consider the sites “trusted” enough to gain knowledge about their topics.  Then have them talk about why or why not these sites would be trusted.

Lesson 5: Double Check Your Facts

• We want our students to get into the habit of double checking their facts. This will help ensure what they are learning is correct.
• To do this, you might want them to practice this skill.  In this lesson use the page provided to have each student find and record a fact about a topic of their choice on the internet.
• The page then has students write where they found the fact, and also has them list a corresponding fact from a different source.
• Finally they determine if the facts are the same or different. You may have to further the lesson by discussing approximations.  For example one site might say that an animal can weigh up to 1,500 pounds, while another might state that the animal weighs between 1,200 and 1,500 pounds.
• You will need to talk about how those facts might both be accurate even though they are stated differently. If they seem to check out, then help students generalize the information for a research paper.

Lesson 6: Taking Notes

• Sometimes giving students resources and a blank sheet of notebook paper can be too overwhelming. You have students who simply copy everything from the text or you have others who have no idea where to start.
• We need to guide them to read to pull out facts & relevant information.
• For this lesson we have provided various templates for note-taking. Whatever method or template you choose for helping your students learn to take notes, model it several times in front of the class Demonstrating for them how to write the notes as they read about a topic will be helpful.
• After initial teaching, you may find that you need to pull small groups for extra practice. Some might need a one-on-one conference.

Lesson 7: Paraphrasing vs. Plagiarism

• Students will need to learn how to paraphrase their research. This will help them avoid plagiarizing words from their resources.
• Discuss why plagiarizing is something that they shouldn’t do in their writing because it is “stealing” another’s words.
•  Tell the students that there is a way to use another author’s ideas in an appropriate way without copying their words. First, they need to paraphrase and then they need to cite the source where they found the information.
• Display the anchor chart “What is Paraphrasing” and discuss the definition.
• Next, pass out copies of “My Own Words” to pairs of students. Explain that their task will be to find a paragraph or passage in a nonfiction book. They will paraphrase the author’s words, keeping the same ideas.
• Finally, gather students together to share their paraphrasing efforts. Each pair of students can read the paragraph/passage from the book and then the paraphrasing that they wrote.  Discuss the words and decisions the students made in their paraphrasing.

Lesson 8: Word Choice in Research Writing

• To help students think about making their writing more interesting, have them brainstorm words that could add voice to their writing.
• After working independently on the word choice page provided, have them meet with partners. They can talk about nouns, verbs and adjectives that relate to their topic.

Lesson 9: Writing Sketch

• This graphic organizer can be used for students to plan their writing.
• If your writers are more advanced you might choose to skip this step, It could be a big help for students who have taken notes and have too many facts.  
• Be sure to model how to write the facts & ideas from your notes onto your planner. Students will see first hand how to make sure to only add what is relevant and important to their writing.
• Some questions you can pose: What will be the focus of each paragraph in your research writing?  What do you want to include from your notes?  Why is it important to the research?  What facts don’t quite fit into the paragraphs you’ve decided upon? Should you change some of the paragraphs so that they better support the research and what you want your readers to learn?
• Once the planner is finished, they can use it as a guide to help their writing stay focused.

Lesson 10: Writing Introductions to Research

• Teach students how to think about their introduction as a way to grab their readers’ attention.
• Our anchor chart has some ideas to get writers started. You might also extend the anchor chart to include ideas from your students. (We have included some blank anchor charts at the very bottom of the download.)
• Discuss the parts that need to be included in the introductory paragraph first. Then, move on to some of the ways that might engage readers. As always be sure to model how you would go about writing an introductory paragraph using your Writing Sketch.

Lesson 11: Developing Your Paragraphs

• Next, help students stay focused and develop complete paragraphs.The next graphic organizer will get them to think through the specifics of each paragraph.
• Again, this may not be needed for all of the students in your classroom, but it might be something to think about using with all of them for at least their very first attempts at writing research papers.
•  Model how to use the Writing Sketch planner to develop their paragraphs more fully on this organizer.

Lesson 12: Writing a Conclusion to Research 

Providing a solid concluding paragraph is also something that needs modeled for your students.

Use the anchor chart with ideas to get you started with the modeling of this as well.

***If you would like for your students to write their first drafts on something that continues to support organization for them, you will find guided lined paper.

Lesson 13: Research Rendezvous Celebration

We love ending a unit of study with a celebration.

For this particular celebration, you might invite students to bring in a visual to help illustrate their topic.  

Invite parents and other special adults from your building to the celebration and think about providing a snack.  

You can also print out our “Congrats Author!” certificates to give to each student during the celebration.

All the research writing resources described above can be found in one download here:

Writing a Research Paper Resources

As with all of our resources, The Curriculum Corner creates these for free classroom use. Our products may not be sold. You may print and copy for your personal classroom use. These are also great for home school families!

You may not modify and resell in any form. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Dulce Hernandez

Thursday 8th of April 2021

Thank you so much. I tutor non-English speakers from K-9th grade. These resources are a God send!!

Monday 25th of May 2020

I cant download it, where do you download it?

Jill & Cathy

Wednesday 2nd of September 2020

Here is the link: https://www.thecurriculumcorner.com/thecurriculumcorner456/wp-content/pdf/writing/research/researchwriting.pdf

Graphic Organizer for Research Papers - The Curriculum Corner 4-5-6

Tuesday 19th of November 2019

[…] You might also like our unit of study for writing research papers:How to Write a Research Paper […]

Planning a Dynamic Writing Workshop - The Curriculum Corner 123

Thursday 14th of November 2019

[…] Writing Research Papers […]

Language Arts in the Middle School and High School Years

Thursday 11th of May 2017

[…] The middle school years can also be a good time to introduce writing a short research paper if your student is ready.  Introduce how to do research, how to make an outline, and how to write a short research paper, including how to cite sources. Here’s a website that has a free introduction to writing research papers: https://www.thecurriculumcorner.com/thecurriculumcorner456/writing-research-papers/. […]

Report Writing Guidelines for Middle School

American History Research Paper Topics for Eighth Grade

Many students are introduced to report writing and research in middle school. Though each school will require different report components, the Common Core State Standards, a national set of standards that were developed by a consortium of states, set some specific goals that middle school students should meet by the time they move to high school, from generating questions to editing their work.

Answer a self-generated question

Middle school students should move toward independence in determining their own thoughts about a subject, as opposed to summarizing the ideas of others or answering a teacher-generated question. For example, an English teacher might ask a middle school student to write a report that analyzes characters in a story. A student might narrow the assignment and form a thesis that considers which character had the greatest impact on the plot of the story.

Generate an opinionated central point

Every report needs to have a central point, known as a thesis, claim or topic. A middle school student should be able to articulate their main point in any report, both in written and oral form. This main point must contain a perspective and not be simply a statement of fact. For example, a middle school history student might have to offer their opinion on which 20th century war was most significant. A thesis could be: "World War II was the most significant 20th century war because it enabled the rise of the two superpowers from the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the United States."

Use evidence to support the central point

Most teachers will suggest that middle school students use at least three reasons to prove their central point, with specific evidence to back up the perspective. This evidence could be based on research or personal observations, such as an experiment done in science class. For example, evidence to support the history thesis mentioned earlier could include the shift of power that occurred during World War II, a discussion of the partitioning of Germany after the war, and a review of the events of the Cold War. A student could use their history textbook and primary source documents as sources.

Cite sources to avoid plagiarism

Middle school students should avoid plagiarism by citing sources throughout their report. This should include paraphrasing, summarizing and using textual examples. Many students understand that it is wrong to steal someone's work, but do not understand every situation that is considered plagiarism. For example, some believe they can include a list of sources without indicating which parts of their essay came from those sources. Parents and teachers should check with students to make sure they understand what plagiarism is.

Conduct thorough revision

Reports should be edited several times before they are submitted to a teacher for critique. The Common Core State Standards suggest self, peer and adult editing before a report is graded. Editors should focus on determining if the question has been answered, the evidence is strong, sources have been correctly cited and the student has followed the standard conventions of English grammar and spelling.

Related Articles

How to Write an Eighth Grade Book Report

How to Teach Second-Graders to Write Book Reports

How to Write an Interview With a Book Character

How to write an informal report.

How to Write an Introduction to a Reflective Essay

How to Start a Good Book Report

How to Create a Literature Review Outline

High School Writing Styles

• Common Core State Standards: Writing: Grade 8
• Education World: Ways to Engage, Nurture Middle Schoolers
• Glencoe: Research Paper and Report Writing
• Purdue OWL: Avoiding Plagiarism
• Indiana University: How to Write a Thesis Statement
• Read Write Think: Editing Checklist for Self and Peer Editing

Anna Tower has a B.A. in history and journalism from Washington & Lee University and a M.A.Ed. from the College of William and Mary. She has been writing since 2003 at various publications, including the "Rockbridge Report," the "Fairfax County Times" and "USA Today." Tower is certified to teach social studies, English and journalism in grades 6-12.

7sistershomeschool.com

Homeschool Help and Curriculum

How to Help T(w)eens Write Their First Research Paper

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We have learned over the years that parents often feel they know how to help teens write their first research paper. Here’s a little encouragement.

How to Help Teens Write Their First Research Paper

Middle schoolers and early high schoolers often feel intimidated by the thought of writing research papers . (Their parents do, too, sometimes!)

Anyone who has more than one kid has discovered that they are all different:

• Their personalities
• Their academic strengths and weaknesses
• Their needs and interests

One thing I have noticed that is the SAME in most tweens and teens: They need some handholding when they begin learning to write research papers. So how do you start that handholding and writing process?

One way is to start by a parent-led report-style research paper. (Remember the papers you used to write- if you went to traditional school in 5th or 6th grade? Those were reports: You were simply presenting information. You were not digesting the information. You were not worried about format or style.)

7Sisters can help with that report-style research paper, and we can do it for free! Simply download this parent-directed, step-by-step guide to writing a very basic, report-style research paper. It is a simple and fairly quick process that will remove some of the intimidation factor for both you and your homeschoolers!

Their next research paper should be a real research paper…but keep up the hand holding!

The next research-writing project should go beyond the simple report. Homeschoolers should be learning some serious research-paper basic concepts like:

• What is plagiarism?
• How do you choose a topic for a research paper?
• How do you actually do the research?
• How do you organize your research?
• How do you create citations?

With this next-step research paper, they do not need to decide on an official style or format for their research paper. They can do that next year.

In the meantime, the concepts listed above are big concepts. Working through the process with a parent will be important.

However, in this real research paper, there will be work that many students will be able to do on their own. To understand what the help/support/let-go process can look like, it is good to have a guide. That’s why we created the writing guide: Research Writing Readiness .

This guide came about because our local homeschool parents kept asking 7Sister, Allison, to help young people write their very first research paper. (You may have noticed that Allison created our popular MLA Research Paper Writing Guide . Homeschooling parents told her they wanted a prequel!)

After teaching our local beginners, Allison (along with 7Sister Marilyn, who constructed 7Sisters’ Middle School Fairy Tale Writing Guide ) created a new writing guide to help homeschooling parents and their homeschoolers to create that very first research paper. It is a homeschooler/parent, do-it-together guide: Research Writing Readiness: Foundational Skills for Successful Research Papers.

Let me explain how to help teens to write their first research paper using 7Sisters Research Writing Readiness downloadable eworkbook.

Research Writing Readiness: Foundational Skills for Successful Research Papers  is a step -by-step guide. It provides the tools you need to introduce the research-paper writing process in 20 short lessons. The lessons can be done one per day over 20 school days or (for a more relaxed process) the lessons can be spread out to 1 or 2 steps per week.

Research Writing Readiness helps a student work with a parent on a first research paper.

This easy-to-use guide provides the tools you need to introduce the research-paper writing process. That way, when they are in high school, they will be prepared to write their research papers.

The guide is intended for use:

• in homeschool middle school (7th grade or 8th grade for many students)
• homeschool high schoolers who lack experience or
• homeschool high schoolers who struggle with research writing

This 7Sisters guide does not teach a particular style of research paper (i.e., MLA, APA, Chicago). Instead, it provides:

• Step by step instructions for student from topic choice to final draft
• Practice assignments that will help them create a first research paper
• paraphrasing
• note taking
• citing sources
• Including: How-to instructions for the parent/teacher
• Sample grading rubric

Download Research Writing Readiness for your homeschoolers and help them develop powerful research paper writing skills that they need in high school (and in college)!

Planning the order of your homeschoolers’ research paper writing? Here’s a post with a suggested order for these papers (although we all know that there’s not ONE right way to homeschool).

For more encouragement for helping your teens with their research paper writing check out these episodes of The Homeschool Highschool Podcast:

• Writing Research Papers: You CAN Do It!
• Writing Research Papers, Interview with Kat Patrick

As you look ahead at Language Arts for homeschooling high school, you may get some encouragement on this how-to post from our friend, Betsy at BJ’s Homeschool.

Click here to view an excerpt from Research Writing Readiness: Foundational Skills for Successful Research Papers .

Research paper fun – practical tips for teens.

7Sisters email subscribers receive periodic practical encouragement, special offers and NO SPAM EVER.

Vicki Tillman

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Assigning Research Projects in Middle School: Tips for Teachers on Teaching the Proper Structure of a Research Project

• Kellie Hayden
• Categories : Middle school teaching strategies
• Tags : Teaching middle school grades 6 8

Middle school students generally need to learn the correct way to do a research paper. They have been “researching” for years.

However, they don’t always know how to do it properly. When students are asked to research and not given instruction on the proper way to format a research paper, teachers might receive unusual papers.

Common Mistakes

Students can clean up their mistakes when teachers are clear about what they expect and give examples. However, when students are simply told to research and turn in a paper, blunders will happen. An almost “laughable” mistake made by middle school students was listing Google.com as the only source.

As for plagiarism, students go to great lengths to get away with it. Or, they mistakenly do it. A middle school student copied a whole section from an online encyclopedia and thought that it was okay because he listed the source on the works cited page. One student who was trying desperately not to plagiarize placed the whole text of her research paper in quotation marks. These types of errors will continue to happen if teachers are not clear about their expectations.

Teacher Preparation

Teachers need to gather together resource books or examples of research papers , find acceptable paper format websites, write a step-by-step project sheet and put together a grading sheet or rubric for the research project . Teachers need to decide what format they want their students to follow: MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.

The following are tips to help with the planning:

• For the first research paper, assign a short one (1-3 pages) so that the format is the focus.
• The Writer’s Inc or Write Source book by Great Source is a great reference book that includes example research papers. However, there are many online resources as well.
• The works cited page, reference pager or bibliography require a great deal of class time. Instructing students to make a proper reference page with all of the periods and spacing correct can be a maddening experience. The S_on of Citation Machine_ website is a very helpful website.
• Give students a rubric or grade sheet before they begin working on the research paper.

Example Reserach Paper Grade Sheet

Format (25 points)

• Correct title, page header, page number
• Spacing and margins
• Sections in correct order
• Proper works cited page, reference page or bibliography

Structure & Organization (25 points)

• Strong thesis statement
• Attention-getting introductory paragraph
• Topic sentences relates to thesis statement
• Main points are in a logical order
• Main points flow well with transitons
• Conclusion wraps up paper

Grammar 25 (points)

• Correct grammar, spelling, usage and mechanics

Content (25 points)

• Not repetitive, fresh, interesting
• Not copied from original source
• Proves and/or supports thesis statement
• Provides enough credible information

Writing the Research Paper

Students need to begin their research project with an interesting topic. However, they need to select one that is not too broad. They should come up with one sentence that tells what the paper will be about or a thesis statement to focus their research.

Teachers can require note cards or have students highlight printed notes from the Internet. Students should create an outline to organize their information. Then, they should write a rough draft. Teachers can read the rough drafts and check that students did not plagiarize. Last, students need to type their research paper in the correct format by using the resources they have been given.

Research projects are a time consuming unit. The more organized the teacher is before embarking on this activity, the better the papers will be in the end.

CommonLit 360 How to Teach a CommonLit 360 Research Unit

Olivia Franklin

Engage students with interesting research topics, teach them skills to become adept independent researchers, and help them craft their end-of-unit research papers.

CommonLit 360 is a comprehensive ELA curriculum for grades 6-12. Our standards-aligned units are highly engaging and develop core reading and writing skills.

Want to engage students in independent research? Looking to hook students with interesting research questions and informational texts? CommonLit has your back.

CommonLit’s 360 curriculum provides research units for grades 6-10 that will help students complete independent research and craft evidence-based research papers.

Get students excited about their research with Essential Questions designed around timely topics

Each research unit has an Essential Question that students analyze and discuss throughout the unit. The topics for each research unit are designed to be interesting, timely, and relevant to students’ lives.

Students will learn about the status of the world’s oceans, discuss if social media is beneficial or risky, argue if contact sports are worth the risk, research how branding influences purchasing behavior, and learn about the human costs of clothing.

Here are the research units and their Essential Questions:

Get students excited about the research topic with introductory slide decks

Each unit comes with introductory slide decks that preview what students will be learning about over the course of the unit. The slide decks spark classroom discussion, hooking students from the very first lesson.

In Our Changing Oceans (6th grade), students discuss what it would be like to be an oceanographer, preview the texts they will be reading about issues facing our oceans, and hear about the key skills they will be learning throughout the unit.

Informational texts anchor each research unit

CommonLit’s research units are centered around informational texts that provide students with key background information and research to eventually support their end-of-unit essay.

Four core texts make up the Essential Reading Lessons for 6th grade. These texts teach students about the need to protect Antarctica and how plastic debris, sea level rise, and overfishing are affecting the world’s oceans. These texts teach students important facts they will need to cite in their end-of-unit research papers.

Supplemental texts allow students to dig deeply into independent research

Each unit comes with a large selection of supplemental texts to provide students with more facts and information to use in their research paper.

In middle school, students use the provided supplemental texts to further inform their research. In high school, students learn about finding reliable sources and can use both provided supplemental texts on CommonLit and texts from additional sources in their research.

For example, in Our Changing Oceans, 6th graders choose to research one of three topics related to ocean changes.

In high school, students are taught about the beginning of the research process, including developing a research question, finding reliable sources, and reading and taking notes. Students in 9th and 10th grade can use the supplemental texts as well as texts found in books or on other online learning platforms.

Students learn about the research process and how to craft research papers throughout the unit

Each unit includes lessons about conducting research so students can be prepared for the end-of-unit research paper. Scaffolded supports help students move through the research process. In lower grades, certain steps in the process, like developing a research question and finding reliable sources, are provided for students.

Students learn about writing research papers during writing lessons. In 8th Grade, students learn how to discuss and outline research papers. Then, they learn how to write a counterclaim, format a Works Cited page, and use in-text citations properly. Each of these research-paper focused writing lessons will prepare students to answer the end-of-unit essay.

Students also explore how to conduct independent research in research-specific lessons. In 8th Grade, teachers explain that they have provided the first two steps of the research process for students: developing a research question and finding reliable sources.

In the lesson, students are taught how to use a graphic organizer to take notes on each text they read in preparation for their research paper. Students also engage in an Introduction to Independent Research lesson, where they learn about steps of the research process and begin reading and taking notes on supplemental texts. Later, students engage in a discussion lesson that will help them synthesize all the information they have learned throughout the unit by discussing the research question with classmates.

Related Media Explorations provide even more background information for students

Related Media Explorations are a unique cornerstone of our ELA curriculum. These interactive tasks bring our research units to life and provide background information for students to use in their research.

In 8th Grade,  students learn about the way football culture has changed over the past few decades as scientists learn more about the long-term effects of repeated concussions. Students watch three videos that explain the culture of football in the past and present, and analyze statistics about concussions before discussing the question: “Who is most responsible for shaping mindsets about tackling in football: players, coaches, parents, or fans?”

Discussion lessons help students synthesize information in preparation for their research paper

Discussion lessons in each research unit provide students with the opportunity to practice citing evidence from sources, explain their evidence to classmates, and practice synthesizing information. These conversations give students the chance to gain new perspectives, receive feedback on their ideas, and boost their confidence before delving into the research paper.

In 8th Grade, students synthesize their ideas about the research question through a class discussion. After the discussion, students have an opportunity to outline their research paper using both their discussion notes and the note-taking graphic organizer they have used throughout the unit.

Participate in an optional final project that fosters creative thinking and collaboration

Each research unit comes with an optional end-of-unit project to further engage students through project based learning. These optional projects help foster student creativity and collaboration. Students can work with a partner or group to complete the task.

In 8th grade, students must make a brochure providing prospective parents and student athletes with factual information about the benefits and risks about contact sports so families can make an informed decision about participating. Students must work with a peer with an opposing view on the topic so the brochure is factual and unbiased. This task encourages teamwork and collaboration between peers with differing views.

Vocabulary and grammar lessons build student comprehension and writing skills

Each 360 unit comes with vocabulary and grammar lessons. Vocabulary activities help students internalize high-impact academic vocabulary words they will see in the texts they are reading. Grammar activities help students improve their writing skills, teaching students valuable skills to construct carefully crafted, grammatically correct paragraphs.

Want to learn more about research units and CommonLit 360? Register for a free, 30-minute webinar today!

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As the research skills you teach middle school students can last them all their lives, it’s essential to help them develop good habits early in their school careers.

Research skills are useful in nearly every subject, whether it’s English, math, social studies or science, and they will continue to pay off for students every day of their schooling. Understanding the most important research skills that middle school students need will help reach these kids and make a long-term difference.

The research process

It is important for every student to understand that research is actually a process rather than something that happens naturally. The best researchers develop a process that allows them to fully comprehend the ideas they are researching and also turn the data into information that is usable for whatever the end purpose may be. Here is an example of a research process that you may consider using when teaching research skills in your middle school classroom:

• Form a question : Research should be targeted; develop a question you want to answer before progressing any further.
• Decide on resources : Not every resource is good for every question/problem. Identify the resources that will work best for you.
• Gather raw data : First, gather information in its rawest form; do not attempt to make sense of it at this point.
• Sort the data : After you have the information in front of you, decide what is important to you and how you will use it. Not all data will be reliable or worthwhile.
• Process information : Turn the data into usable information. This processing step may take longer than the rest combined. This is where you really see your data shape into something exciting.
• Create a final piece : This is where you would write a research paper, create a project or build a graph or other visual piece with your information. This may or may not be a formal document.
• Evaluate : Look back on the process. Where did you experience success and failure? Did you find an answer to your question?

This process can be adjusted to suit the needs of your particular classroom or the project you are working on. Just remember that the goal is not only to find the data for this particular project, but to teach your students research skills that will help them in the long run.

Research is a very important part of the learning process as well as being useful in real-life once the student graduates. Middle school is a great time to develop these skills as many high school teachers expect that students already have this knowledge.

Students who are well-prepared as researchers will be able to handle nearly any assignment that comes their way. Finding new ways to teach research skills to middle school students need will be a challenge, but the results are well worth it as you see your students succeed in your classroom and set the stage for further success throughout their schooling experience.

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How to Create a Strong Research Paper: A Guide for Middle School Students

When a middle school student first begins the research paper process, he or she has a lot of writing rules to remember. And if the child has to write an APA and a MLA paper at different times, then there are even more things to remember. Use this guide as this very important foundation is built.

Step to Remember

• Pick a good topic with lots of facts
• Have 2-4 main ideas
• Use academic and credible research
• Read the teacher instructions and follow the teacher instructions
• Bookmark an APA and a MLA website for easy reference
• Learn the difference between a reference page, a works cited, and a bibliography
• Go to any extra help given
• Learn how to do an in-text citation, know the APA and the MLA way
• Write in third person

There are different tips for different styles of papers. You have to know what style your teacher wants. For example, an informative essay is composed much differently than a cause and effect paper. Know your types and ask questions if you are not sure what to do. The layout of the paper matters, too. So follow these formatting tips:

Formatting Tips

• Use size 12 font
• Use a plain font such as Times New Roman or Arial
• Double space
• Write using a formal tone
• Use correct spelling
• Use correct grammar
• Do not use slang or contractions
• Have the length that the teacher required for the paper
• Use the right number and type of sources the teacher asked for such as magazines, interviews, videos, and studies
• Your teacher will want some or all of these items to be submitted
• A rough draft
• A final draft
• Some type of reference sheet
• A possible electronic submission
• A working outline
• Hard copies of all the sources you used and a link to them if they are online
• Supplemental hard copies of materials such as an interview transcript

One of the best ways to create a successful middle school paper is to pick a topic that you like if the teacher gives you the option of selecting your own topic. You will always write a better paper on a subject that you enjoy and have an interest in. Do yourself a favor and pick a topic you love.

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Write a Winning Research Report

Keep big assignments from becoming overwhelming..

Let's face it: writing a research report can feel like wrestling a big, hairy monster into 5 pages with footnotes. But if you make and follow a plan from the beginning, you'll write a paper to make yourself proud.

Divide your time

As tempting as it may seem to dive right in and start writing (so you can get it done) a good research paper starts before you start crafting stellar sentences. First, you'll need to  brainstorm a topic , then move on to  researching .

To keep yourself from getting totally overwhelmed, you'll need to make time for each step. On the day your paper is assigned, use a calendar to plan backwards from the day it's due.

Divide your time into mini assignments, print the calendar, and hang it someplace you'll see it often. Use your judgment based on the assignment and how you do your best work, but a good rough estimate for how to divide up your time is:

10% Brainstorming 25% Researching and taking notes 20% Making an outline 25% Writing 15% Revising and polishing

So, if you have a month to write a paper, you might spend about 3 days brainstorming, a full week each for researching and writing, and 5 to 6 days each on your outline and revision.

Make an outline

An outline is a roadmap to keep you from getting lost when you start to write. It's where you organize the questions you'll answer and the information and subtopics you'll cover in your paper. It's a tool to help you, not another assignment to check off the list. There are lots of ways to make an outline and it makes sense to try out different versions to see what works for you. Here are some examples:

• Term Paper Terrence  likes to spend lots of time on his outline to make it really specific, down to noting what quotes he'll use where. Terrence finds the more detail he puts into the outline, the easier the paper is to write. For his paper on Sally Ride, the first American woman in outer space, his outline includes a note to discuss the specifics of what she did on her first mission — used the mechanical arm she designed to capture and deploy satellites, completed over 40 experiments — and to follow the specifics with a quote from Ride saying that what she remembers most about her first flight "is that it was fun." Terrence's outline is so detailed that writing the paper is almost like filling in the blanks.
• Research Project Rachel  feels differently about outlines. She looks through her research and makes a list of broad subtopics she'll cover. For her paper on rhinoceri (you know, more than one rhinoceros) she'll list things like: where they live and what they like to eat — mostly vegetables, they're vegetarians — but she generally doesn't break it down into smaller details. Rachel likes to structure her paper as she writes and revises. She looks back at what she has as she goes and decides on what to write about next. She often changes the structure of earlier parts based on what she's writing later on. Compared to Terrence, she spends a lot more time writing and revising, but not nearly as much on the outline itself.

Write your intro… for now

Once you've got your topic, research, and outline in hand, it's time to start writing. In your introduction, sometimes called your thesis statement or lead paragraph, you'll outline exactly what someone reading this paper can expect to learn from it. It's a tantalizing look at all the neat stuff the reader can look forward to finding out about.

Don't worry about getting the first sentences absolutely perfect on your first try. Sometimes it's better to keep writing and adjust later. Your introduction will usually be between one and three paragraphs long and will act almost like a summary of the topics to come.

Give each paragraph the meaning it deserves

Every paragraph tells a story, or at least it should. There should be a point to it, a piece of information you're explaining. Often the first sentence of the paragraph will serve as a bridge or link from the previous paragraph and as an introduction to what the new paragraph is about. The next few sentences will provide examples or information to back up the first sentence.

You have time specifically put aside for revision, but as you write do keep in mind that every sentence should have a reason for being and that reason is to support the paragraph as a whole. Likewise, every paragraph should have information that helps give meaning to the topic. Extra words and ideas are sure to sneak in there and clutter up your writing. It's your job to keep those words and sentences out of your paper. There's a fine balance between providing enough explanation and examples and making your paper unclear with extra words and thoughts.

Wrap it all up in the end

A good conclusion is related to a good introduction. They're like cousins, not entirely the same, but with many of the same qualities. At the end of the paper, you're wrapping up all your ideas and reminding the reader of what he learned. There usually isn't new information; it's more about revisiting the big ideas. A conclusion is often just a paragraph long or it might be two or three. Imagine saying to your reader, "As you can see from reading my paper…" The rest of that statement is the end of your paper.

Revision is your friend

Here's a secret: writing is hard, but revising effectively might be even harder. But it's worth the effort because this is the step that takes your okay, pretty good paper and transforms it into an assignment that really shines.

Revision or editing is not    the same as re-writing the whole thing from scratch. You're not starting from square one here and you most likely don't need to scrap everything. What you are doing is taking a close and careful look at each word, sentence, and paragraph to make sure you've made the best choices. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you revise:

• Is everything spelled correctly?
• Are there any extra words, sentences, or paragraphs that don't add to the paper and should be deleted?
• Are all the ideas explained with description or examples so they'd make sense to someone who doesn't know anything about the topic?
• Do the ideas build so that by the end of the paper, the reader understands more than at the beginning?
• Does the paper deliver what it promises in the introduction and conclusion? Does it make a point?

Often revising works best if you take it in two or three passes rather than one big editing session. You're working to balance your paper, so you'll probably make changes at the end that will affect the beginning and vice versa.

It's very helpful to have someone else read your work to check if anything is unclear, confusing, or in need of better explanation. Ask a classmate, a friend, or a parent to mark places that could use improvement. Even the best professional writers benefit from using editors — and you can too.

Record your sources

Your assignment will probably instruct you on how to record and present all the sources you used for information:

• Endnotes  are found within the body of the paper. They include the author and page numbers in parentheses to show where you got your information.
• Footnotes  give similar information to endnotes, but they are placed at the bottom of the page, usually in a smaller typeface.
• A  bibliography  is a list of all the books, articles, and Web sites you used for information. It's sometimes paired with endnotes or footnotes, or it can stand alone.

Recording and using sources responsibly will prevent you from  plagiarizing  — a serious offense whether intentional or by accident. When in doubt, record a source rather than leaving it out.

Follow through on the final details

When it's time to hand in your assignment, make sure you have a clean copy that hasn't been crushed in your backpack or stained by yesterday's lunch. Include a title page with your name and the date. You've already done the work, so why not make it look as good as it can?

Now, take a moment to pat yourself on the back. Writing a good research paper is a huge deal and you deserve to feel proud for a job well done.

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Middle School Writing – How to Write a Research Report – My Review

In our homeschool, my middle school daughter was all about story writing. She loved to read and write mysteries and adventure stories. One day, while we were studying science together, we saw that her curriculum called for a research report. My daughter was not confident in her nonfiction writing skills. So we searched the shelves of our local bookstore, the Children’s Bookshop ( www.childrens-bookshop.com ), and found the book How to Write a Research Report . This book turned the process of report writing into a series of easy steps!

How to Write a Research Report is divided into four sections as follows:

• Getting Started
• Finding and Organizing Information

Each section included clearly written instructions, with a worksheet for each step in the ressearching and writing process.

Step 1. GETTING STARTED – which included:

• brainstorming
• how to chose a topic
• types of research reports
• a “getting started checklist”

We spent a lot of time choosing the topic. My daughter chose to do something on animals then narrowed it down to penguins. Since this has been a favorite of hers for a long time, she had the motivation necessary for the research and writing what was involved.

Step 2. FINDING AND ORGANIZING INFORMATION

This section reviewed how to do research at the library, on the internet, through search engines and subject directories. It also included “how tos” for evaluating the information, taking notes, and collecting information for the bibliography. Then when it was data collecting time, we used index cards to record the information.

Step 3. PREWRITING-which included:

• “how tos” for writing a thesis statement
• a checklist for prewriting

We began to write a thesis by discussing, “What is the point about penguins that you want to make?” That question helped my daughter to narrow down the focus of her report. “That the antartic needs lots of ice for the penguins,” she answered. Now she was ready to write her thesis.

Step 4. WRITING – which included:

• a helpful format to follow when organizing the data (notecards)
• making transitions from one paragraph to another
• how to write a bibliography

My daughter liked using the forms in this book as she began writing. One worksheet led to the next, complete with checklists to fill out. By following these worksheets, all the essential steps of report writing were covered.

Sometimes the hardest part of report writing is just getting started. The worksheets in How to Write a Research Report could be much less daunting than staring at a blank page! When my daughter finished working through this book, she had written her first middle school research report! And she came away with a good foundation in report writing, which she would use in high school writing the following year.

If you are looking for an easy way to teach report writing skills, my family recommend How the Write a Research Report by Teacher Created Resources, at www.teachercreated.com . Please look for reviews of other Teacher Created Materials, by this writer.

Betsy is mom to her now college senior, whom she homeschooled from day one.  She blogs at  BJ’s Homeschool , about  the early years ,  high school & college  and wrote the book –  Homeschooling High School with College in Mind .    She offers FREE homeschool help through  messages at  BJ’s Consulting . 

Betsy is a long time eclectic homeschooler who blogs about resources and offers encouragement for moms of kids/teen from preK-12. She and her hubby homeschooled their daughter through high school, and helped her get accepted to each of the colleges on her list. Their daughter is now a college grad working in her chosen field of Communications. Betsy blogs about their journey at BJ's Homeschool about the early years , high school and college too. A former O. T, she also writes about special needs, and handwriting helps. Betsy is the author of "Homeschooling High School with College in Mind, 2nd edition" and also is a homeschool coach. Send her your question on homeschooling. (Free)

Reader Interactions

March 26, 2013 at 7:15 am

This looks really good! Thanks for the thorough review.

March 26, 2013 at 5:34 pm

Thanks for your comment, Ellen. I hope this will encourage your young writers! Betsy

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How to Write a Research Report Template for Middle School Children

Kariss lynch.

Middle school is a growing season where students begin to find their voice and gain an understanding of crafting a lengthier research report. Because these students are beginning their writing career, a simple yet educational template should be put in place to teach the basic elements of writing a paper. Providing students with a simple outline to follow as they craft their papers will give them direction to work effectively now and in the future.

State the objective and expectations at the top of the template. Assign subject material and make sure the students understand it. Provide a list of sources to help them get started, and a list of possible topics at the top of the template to help students understand how to turn the template into a paper with their particular topic. Encourage the students to choose a topic in which they are interested or want to learn more about.

Design the introductory paragraph. Introductory paragraphs need to have a strict formula until students understand their own voice and style. Assign a minimum and maximum number of sentences – four to five is realistic. Describe the thesis statement and how that should read depending on the type of research. For example, a scientific research thesis will sound different than a literary research thesis will. The students should state the thesis in the last sentence or two of the first paragraph.

Determine body length. In your outline, set expectations for the number of paragraphs you expect and the number of sentences in each paragraph. For most beginners, teachers expect three to four main paragraphs with six to seven sentences in each. The paragraphs should flow, but each paragraph should introduce a new idea or area of interest from the research to support the thesis.

Finalize the conclusion. Like the introduction, this paragraph should be roughly four to five sentences long. It should restate the thesis from the first paragraph and then summarize how the information supported that statement. This often looks like a sequential sentence – for example: "Because of the area's location, rainfall and wildlife, we can label it as a rain forest." The last sentence of the conclusion should draw the paper to a close.

Provide detailed instructions for citing sources. This is often a difficult step for beginning researchers. Along with the template, provide a separate paper with a list of sources and how each should be cited. Make sure to include the citation rules for Internet sources, books with one author and multiple authors, encyclopedias, dictionaries and magazines. These should be in alphabetical order by source author. The second line should have a hanging indention.

• 1 Essay Town: Research Paper Template
• 2 Purdue Online Writing Lab: MLA Formatting and Style Guide

About the Author

Kariss Lynch began her writing career in 2006. She has been published in the "Harbinger" journal, the Baptist Collegiate Ministry blog and she has a poetry book out through Poetry.com. Lynch has a Bachelor of Arts in English from Texas Tech University.

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Simple Guideline On How To Write A Research Paper For Middle School

As a middle school student writing a research paper there are a few key things you need to know. You need to pick a topic that suits your paper requirements. If you are writing a paper for an English class, you may not be able to get away with writing on the topic of economics, unless otherwise approves by your teacher. The topic you pick must be precise. You won't get very far if you pick a large topic for a small paper.

For example, writing a history research paper on the effects of slavery on the southern states is far too broad a topic, especially for a research paper that is between two and five pages. Instead, narrow down your topic to something a bit more manageable.

After you have your topic, you should follow these rules for writing the research paper:

• The first is writing a thesis statement. The thesis explains what your paper is about and what problem you are trying to answer. You want the thesis statement to be the last sentence of your introduction.
• The introduction is the first paragraph which gives the reader background. So if your topic relates to slavery then your introduction might include a sentence about what slavery was in America and how long it lasted.
• After the introduction you want the body of the research paper. The body should be three to five paragraphs based on your requirements. Each paragraph should have a specific point made followed by evidence to back up the point. That means you need to find three points to support your thesis statement. If, for example, your thesis is that cell phones should not be permitted in classrooms, each paragraph in your body should explain one point why not with evidence to back it up.
• And speaking of evidence, what is it really? Evidence is data or facts or quotes from professionals that you include to support your statement. If you claim that teenagers cheat with their cell phones in class, you should find a quote or statistic related to the number of students who cheat.

Once you are done you need to conclude your paper with the concluding paragraph. This paragraph is where you mention your thesis statement again in a different way and mention your main reasons again. By using these tips you will be well on your way to completing a great research paper for whichever class you are in.

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How to Write a Research Report for Middle School Students

by lobobrandon

How to write a research report for middle school students? Should I concentrate on making it length, on facts or should I just go in detail? This article would be able to help you.

Middle School is the time wherein students are just maturing and begin to understand the need of a detailed yet easy to read and understand report. This article on ‘How to write a research report for middle school students’ focuses on just that!

At this stage, the children are just getting a grip of their writing career. They may not be writers, but every field requires writing reports. Therefore, they would need guidance as this would pave the way for their future reports.

That’s the reason; the children should be given some sort of template to follow so as to successfully complete writing their report. This may seem simple, but a little help could give them the much needed confidence.

Therefore, no matter whether you’re a teacher, parent or even student looking for help, this article should be able to cater to your needs. Hope you do learn the basics on ‘How to write a report for middle school students’ as it’s basically focused on middle school students.

Research Papers For Middle School Students - What Students need to do

This is what students should focus on, in order to write a fine research report..

If it’s the first time you’re writing a research report, it’s but natural for you to be tensed. Most of you won’t even know where to begin – let alone complete it. However, you need not worry. Every middle school student writes a report for their first time, it’s not just you. Others have done it, so can you!

All the great research writers you know of have been in your position a few years ago. They knew not where to begin, but they did and have mastered the art of it as well. You could be the next expert, even though it may seem like you’re going to fail.

All you need to do is be confident, persevere and everything will be fine. Of course, there are going to be times wherein you make mistakes, you may even get it complete wrong and your grades may reflect it. Everyone has to fail in order to succeed. After all success is the fruit of failure. Let’s cut the lecture short and begin with the actual question: ‘How to write a research report for middle school students?’

Tips for Middle School Report Writing

Here are just a few steps that you need to follow in order to write a great report.

First and foremost you need to understand the topic of the report. Some teachers would give you instructions regarding the number of paragraphs/pages as well as what you need to write in each paragraph or page. Whereas, other teachers would let your creative mind complete the report the way you think best. I’d surely prefer the second type of teachers – not sure about you though.

Now you need to begin the report writing process. One thing to keep in mind when writing it, is to never exceed the maximum limit too much. There will be times wherein you may need to write a bit more to prove your point. But, try to stick to facts and leave out the unnecessary points – never repeat stuff and see to it that you never write fluff.

Now that you know what you’re topic is all about, try to come up with a main idea so as to begin your report. Your entire research report should focus on this main idea. So, spend some time and give it a thought – remember haste is waste!

Usually middle school essays are around 5 paragraphs and may be around 2 pages in length. Of course, there’s a huge variance, but this is about the average. No matter what you’re research report is about, the first paragraph needs to be the introductory paragraph, make it informative, but an easy read.

Once you’ve completed the introductory paragraph, you can say half the work is done. For most writers, getting started is the biggest hurdle they ever face. Therefore, once you’ve completed the introduction, you need to focus on the actual body of your report. The body will comprise of the second, third as well as fourth paragraph.

The final paragraph is the conclusion; it is here that you need to write down the results of your research and point out the key points of your research report.

The final and most important step is the one wherein you proofread your work. Even though you’re not entering a writing competition, you need to make sure that the research report you wrote is up to mark and there are no spelling and grammar mistakes – not even punctuations! You’re definitely not a professional editor; so, just do your best – that’s it. 

Report Writing Books to help you get started

Try to buy the used books rather than new ones, they're much cheaper and you can sell them back.

Middle School Research Papers- What a teacher needs to do

Provide your students with details.

Teachers may find writing research reports really easy – a piece of cake isn’t it?

However, you should remember that you too were a middle school student once upon a time; and, I’m pretty sure that you would have found it a bit challenging, especially if you’re teacher didn’t provide you with details. Therefore, as a teacher it’s your duty to provide your students with all they need in order to write a brilliant research report. After all, it’s their very first time writing one.

Teachers may find writing research reports really easy – a piece of cake isn’t it? However, you should remember that you too were a middle school student once upon a time; and, I’m pretty sure that you would have found it a bit challenging, especially if you’re teacher didn’t provide you with details. Therefore, as a teacher it’s your duty to provide your students with all they need in order to write a brilliant research report. After all, it’s their very first time writing one.

Tips for Teachers

Here’s what you need to do.

First and foremost you need to provide your students with a topic or list of topics on which you would want them to write a research report. If possible and if you do think they would need further help, you could guide them along the way by providing a list of possible research websites or sources such as books, magazines as well as documentaries in some cases.

Let them know the number of paragraphs or pages you want them to write their report in. This will help them plan out the entire writing process. Moreover, if possible try giving them a word count as that would give them more freedom when it comes to formatting the report in paragraphs.

Usually teachers stick to 5 paragraphs and each of them containing up to 7 sentences. Analyze the subject and ask yourself whether you want to go as per tradition or let freedom of thought kick in.  One things for sure, if you do give your students a lower limit and tell them to write a detailed report, there would certainly be some amazing reports on your desk by the end of the week. You’d be amazed at the potential of some kids.

Do you want them to cite their sources? Most researches need this to be done. Therefore, explain the process to them and this will make their research report a real report! The sources should be either in alphabetical order or arranged as per importance. 

Thanks for sharing it cmoneyspinner :) Yeah I like that too.

There's no Pinterest share button on the wizzley articles. I shared this to my EDUCATION board via Pinterest. Excellent article. That clipart of the kid with the question mark is adorable.

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206 Middle School Research Topics: Original Ideas List

As middle schoolers prepare to go to high school, they are introduced slowly to essay and research writing. They are sometimes given homework that involves picking suitable topics and writing on them. However, it should be noted that i t is not easy to write a research paper for a high grade. Middle schoolers in their preteen age are taught how to be creative, air out their opinions and conduct little research. It helps make them critical thinkers and prepares them for more writing tasks as they advance in their education. This article will help middle schoolers understand what is expected of them when asked to write an essay or research on a topic. It will also expose them to different areas where they can write and many research topics for middle school they can pick from.

What Should Be In A Middle School Research Paper?

Middle school research papers are often not required to be extended. They are in a unique position where they move from writing simple pieces to more detailed essays and research papers. This is the foundation where they learn to write excellent papers as they transcend to high school and eventually college. Writing an essay in middle school is not very different from writing in other stages. Some steps to get you started are

• Understanding the Assignment :Before you begin, you should understand your teacher’s expectations when turning in your finished work.There will be rules and procedures to follow. Know the format the essay is supposed to be written in, and keep the due dates in mind. If you do not understand any aspect of the assignment, please ask for clarification, as this will help you deliver a clear and concise essay at the end.
• Do Your Pre-Writing :Start with brainstorming on middle school research topics to determine what you would like your essay to be about. There are many options to pick from and several general subjects to break down into topics you want.

Pick up to three topics when you first brainstorm. From there, you can select the best one to write on. When you find a topic, start writing all you know about it. Create a rough paper where you jot down information from your research that will be useful in your essay. Feel free to write freely, as this will be your first draft, and you have the chance to edit it as you go.

• Edit Your Work : Editing is essential. It helps give your paper structure. From your rough work, take out parts that are not necessary and add details you think you missed. This is where you should be detailed and try to make your work as neat and correct as possible. You are almost at the end of writing the paper.When you are sure your paper is good, it is time to proofread. Check for spelling and punctuation errors. One expert way to do this is to read the report from the bottom up, and this can help you spot any spelling errors.
• Citations and References : Your teacher would have given you a format to write references for your work. Ensure that you are following the prescribed format.References will highlight the sources of the information gathered to make your essay.

What Can Middle Schoolers Write About?

There are many general subjects that middle schoolers can write about in their assignments. Streaming from what they have been taught in the classroom or their experiences outside class. Some issues that can create good middle school research paper topics include:

Science : This broad aspect covers earth science, geology, physical science, life science, and genetics. Science research paper topics for middle school will encourage the students to be interested in growth and learning how things work. Social Studies : This will involve learning about their history, other people’s cultures, human interaction, family, etc. This will create fun research topics for 6th graders, learning about life and how relationships work. Literature : This is the best time to learn about books and works of art. The literature will provide many topics to research for middle school students.

There are many more aspects that middle school students can research and write papers on. Discover more than 200 interesting research topics for middle school students below. However don’t worry if the assignment seems too difficult for you. You are only at the beginning of the path and our cheap research writing service will be happy to get you through with your paper.

Good Research Topics For Middle School

Students who have no experience writing papers and are looking for good research topics to work on are in luck. The topics below are suitable for all middle schoolers and can create detailed essays.

• Should students be compelled to wear a specific uniform?
• Textbooks or tablets: which is better to read from?
• Obesity in American youth: Causes and solutions.
• Should boys and girls be allowed to play on the same athletics team?
• Should young people be allowed to play violent video games?
• Impact of continuously playing violent video games.
• When can we say someone is spending too much time in front of the screen?
• Listening to music during class: Does it disturb concentration?
• How to recognize harmful content on the internet?
• Should all businesses be compelled to recycle?
• What is the appropriate punishment for students who engage in cyberbullying?
• Should school hours be adjusted to later in the morning?
• Should our scientists be allowed to test drugs on animals?
• Why do people’s behavior change in different settings?
•  Is sex education important?
• Different types of poetry and how they came about.
• What to do if you are being bullied on the internet.
• How to have healthy self-esteem.
• Why does the human body need sleep?
• Insect repellents, are they helpful?
• Why did dinosaurs go extinct?
• What is skateboarding?
• The effects of tobacco on the body.
• Artificial tanning: Risks and benefits.
• What is spam email? Where does it come from, and how can we stop it?
• What is a desert mirage? How does it affect people?
• What are penguins? Where do they stay, and what do they eat?
• When and how was America created?
• Who are some well know and inspirational women?
• Who are some famous inventors?
• What famous inventions helped in shaping human existence?
• Steps you can take to protect yourself from scammers online.
• What is a cryptocurrency, and why is it so popular?
• What did the invention of the mobile phone do to change the world?
• How to handle stress from school.
• How can issues in the family affect a child?
• Is your school working hard enough to prevent bullying?
• Should we use mobile phones and tablets in class?
• Does technology make you smarter?
• What is an unhealthy life, and what are the effects?
• Is there any benefit of doing homework?
• What is video game addiction, and how to stop it?
• What is a museum, and what can be found in it?
• What can we do to reduce climate change?
• Is soda suitable for children?
• Does everyone have to go to college?
• Comparing homework and class assignments.
• What is physical education?
• How the internet has changed our life
• What is peer pressure?
• What effect has global warming had on the environment?
• What is racism?
• What is a healthy diet?
• Should students be able to pick what they learn?
• Do movies depict what happens in real life?
• Is arts a vital part of the school curriculum?
• What are the challenges students face?
• How do we conserve energy in our homes?
• What is pop culture?
• Should parents monitor their children’s social media?

Fun Research Topics for Middle School

Writing an essay shouldn’t always be stressful or tedious. These topics will make writing papers fun. The topics below can hold the researcher’s attention for a long time as they work on completing their project.

• How should celebrities who break the law be punished?
• What is bulletproof clothing made of?
• All there is to know about hip-hop.
• What do we know about ninjas?
• Do lie detector tests work?
• What are the ingredients contained in a hotdog?
• Sharks, how do they hunt, and what do they eat?
• How do search engines work?
• Some fascinating extinct animals, and what happened to them?
• How to manage time effectively.
• How does insufficient sleep affect the brain?
• How to let go of bad habits?
•  How do parents help us grow?
• How to become a better writer.
• Are dogs and cats enemies?
• Why do parents punish children for bad behavior?
• What is the best punishment for naughty kids?
• Is magic real?
• How to save money effectively?
• What is self-development?
• How to motivate yourself to be a better student?
• When should you begin to earn money?
• What’s the secret of having a successful life?
• How not to become a game addict.

Middle School Research Project Ideas

Research shouldn’t always end as essay writing. Sometimes, you need hands-on projects to keep the middle schooler busy. The list below can serve as an ideal hub for research ideas for middle school students and work as interesting essay topics.

• Investigating what life is like inside a beehive.
• Steps in creating a movie.
• How do our brains store memories and retrieve them when we need them?
• What is a landform?
• What are some important holidays around the world, and who celebrates them?
• What are some significant symbols used in world holidays?
• Creating an ecosystem: what’s the process involved?
• Research on some exotic underwater creatures.
• What is a meteor?
• How to build a crossword puzzle.
• What is advertising: create a short advertisement campaign.
• Write the story of your life.
• Create a calendar highlighting critical events in your life.
• Create your family tree.

Science Research Topics for Middle School

Science is an exciting part of our lives. Because of science, the quality of our lives has increased, and there are many more inventions to come. These topics can engage the curious mind of the youngster and introduce them to science-related subjects to work on.

• Earthquakes: Its causes and effects.
• Computer viruses. What are they, and how do they spread?
• Evolution of human beings.
• Are human beings still evolving?
• What is alchemy?
• What is a black hole? How is it formed?
• What is a submarine? Who uses them, and how do they work?
• What is the cause of tornadoes?
• What is a sinkhole, and how do they form?
• Research on one of the planets in the solar system.
• Understanding glaciers and icebergs.
• What are volcanoes, and how do they form?
• The different types of volcanoes and what causes them.
• Who are the most famous scientists, and what are they famous for?
• What are the components of airplanes that make them fly?
• What are fossils, and what do they teach us?
• How do genetics and DNA affect how we look?
• Why does the moon change color and shape sometimes?
• What is a Lunar eclipse?
• What is pollution?
• The different types of pollution and what can be done to curb them?
• Can fruits play a part in medicine?
• What is flooding?
• What is an ecosystem?
• What measures do butterflies take to defend themselves?
• Different types of butterflies.
• What is a skeleton, and why is it an essential part of the body?
• How many bones are in a skeleton? Which are the most important?
• Who is a marine biologist?
• What is the connection between a marine biologist and the weather?
• What are the risks marine biologists face when they dive?
• Different types of fossils?
• Are whales still hunted?
• What is scientific research, and who conducts it?
• What is the job of the nervous system?
• Understanding the concept of hibernation?
• What are the necessities plants need to grow?
• Who are the people who study dinosaurs?
• Mammals and reptiles: Similarities and differences.
• Why don’t human beings float?
• What is a prism, and what does it do?
• What gives humans the ability to lift heavy things?
• What factors can cause earthquakes?
• How is wind measured?
• What differentiates a planet from a star?
• What is a galaxy? What galaxy is the earth?
• Who is an astronaut, and what is their job?
• What is a waterfall?
• Do plants drink water?
• Why do oil and water not mix?
• What is microbiology?
• How can we preserve our natural resources?
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of exploring space.
• What are bacteria, and how useful is it to humans?
• The similarities between temperature and heat.

Other Topics to Research for Middle School

We cannot run out of topics for middle schoolers, as several aspects are available to look at. Here are some other topics that can jump-start your essay writing process.

• Is it advisable for students to be with their cell phones all day?
• Should the minimum age for getting a driving license be raised?
• The differences between homeschooling and standard schooling: which is better?
• Does social media have a positive or negative impact on teenagers?
• Going vegan, is it good for your health?
• Who is a Monk, and what is his lifestyle/routine?
• How did humans domesticate cats and dogs, and why?
• How is America helping endangered animals?
• How is climate change affecting us?
• What are the effects of video games on teenagers and children?
• Do Athletes make good models?
• Who is to blame for the number of homeless people in America?
• Should we have shorter school weeks?
• Should parents monitor websites visited by their children?
• What is cybercrime?
• What can we don’t protect our environment?
• Instant messaging, do they affect literacy?
• What are the most effective ways of achieving academic excellence?
• What is a good movie that influenced us in 2023?
• Are tests a good way of judging a student’s intelligence?
• How does music help us feel better?
• How to choose the best research project ideas for middle school students.
• Why is it important to learn multiple languages?
• Do learning techniques affect behavior?
• Bullying and its effects on mental health.
• All you need to know about distant learning
• Should prayer be part of school activities?
• Do we need math formulas in real scenarios?
• When should students start undergoing leadership training?
• How to write a good essay.
• How does night vision work?
• What is the solar system?
• What is Nasa, and what do they do?
• What is a natural disaster, and what can cause one to happen?
• What is the process of becoming a president of the United States?
• How many presidents has the United States had?
• What are some of the responsibilities and privileges of the president?
• Learning about Vice Presidents and First Ladies of the United States.
• Is social media dangerous for children?
• Does the location where you grow up affect who you become?
• What is a participation trophy? Is it necessary?
• Should there be a screen time limit for children?
• What are the responsibilities of a government to its citizens?
• What is a curfew, and why do kids have them?
• Is grounding an effective punishment?
• Should physical education be necessary for everyone?
• What are some advantages of knowing how to read?
• How can cell phones be used productively while in class?
• What are the qualities of a good leader?
• What are hobbies, and what do they do for us?
• Should less homework be given to students?
• What is summer school? Does it help students?
• What age is appropriate for children to be left alone at home?

If You Need Paper Writing Help

There are many ways to brainstorm ideas for your middle school homework. The research project ideas for middle school and the topics listed above will make it easier to begin. After picking a suitable topic, the next step is writing the entire paper. This will involve a lot of research and fact-finding to get accurate information for your paper. It doesn’t end at research, as you still have to write a great essay to score high marks. This could be a daunting task for many students. Don’t be afraid to get research paper help from our professional writers. After attending class, you may not have adequate time to write your essay yourself, if this is your situation, it’s okay to search for help on the internet. A quick google search for “write my paper” will result in several websites promising to write the best essay for you. However, you need to make your research before hiring an online writer for your assignment. If you need someone to write your assignment, we can be of help. We provide fast, reliable, custom paper writing services that can be completed online. Our services are available to every student, including university, middle school, high school, and college students. Our team of writers consists of professionals and teachers who are always available to ensure that you meet your deadlines. Contact us with a message “ do my research paper for me ” and enjoy the perfect result!

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Money blog: Savers have a rare opportunity - but it might be the last hurrah; major credit card cutting minimum repayments – and why that could cost you a lot

Welcome to the Money blog, your place for personal finance and consumer news and tips. Leave a comment on any of the stories we're covering below.

Thursday 4 July 2024 08:36, UK

• Barclaycard cutting minimum repayments - but it could cost you a lot of money
• Great British mortgage divide - as people pay off all debt seven years earlier in some parts of country
• M&S to launch clothing repair service

Essential reads

• Savings Guide:  Savers have a rare opportunity - but it might be the last hurrah
• Cheap Eats : Two Michelin-starred chef reveals his favourites in Birmingham
• Women in Business : 'We don't get invited to golf' - The women who coordinated pregnancies to start virtual cancer care business and raised £5m
• Basically... What is income tax?
• Money Problem : 'I hired a car via EasyJet but they are directing my complaint to someone else - what can I do?'
• Best of the Money blog - an archive

Ask a question or make a comment

As house prices continue to rise, so too does the age at which young people can expect to own their own home. 

Unfortunately, even the ceiling of the term "young people" isn't far off from being challenged - with fresh research suggesting that the average age of a first-time buyer in the UK is 33 years and 8 months old, according to Mojo Mortgages . 

In comparison, in 1960, the average first-time buyer was 23 years old, according to separate research by Keepmoat Homes. 

Comparatively, however, the average age of a first-time buyer in 2014 was 32 years, 6 months old, according to the Office for National Statistics. 

During the same period, the average price of a house in the UK rose from around £188,000 (January 2014) to £282,000  ( January this year). 

Back to today's figures - and those in Wales are able to buy their homes the youngest, with the data suggesting the average first-time buyer there is 31 years old. 

Naturally, the older you buy a home, the later in life you'll pay off a mortgage. 

With an average mortgage length of 30 years, it seems the average UK first-time buyer isn't expected to be mortgage-free until they are 63 years and 8 months old.

And if you live in the capital, you'll surpass the current retirement age at 66 years, 8 months. 

Here's a full breakdown of how old first-time buyers are, the average mortgage length and age they can expect to be mortgage-free by region... 

A lot of people have had to renegotiate or extend their mortgages thanks to soaring interest rates in recent years - and the data from Mojo tells us a little about that too.

The study found extending your mortgage term by 10 years (to 35 years) will cost today's average first-time buyer an extra £110,640, which may impact later life planning and their pension.

Barclaycard is cutting the minimum amount its customers have to repay each month.

While the move may sound like good news on the surface, it could well mean you're in debt for longer and end up paying more interest. 

At the moment, most Barclaycard customers have a minimum repayment of 3.75% of their balance, 2.5% of their balance plus interest, or £5. 

But, from 22 July, that will change to the highest amount out of: 

• 1% of their balance
• 1% of their balance plus interest

This means if you are currently only paying the minimum on your card, you'll likely repay less each month. 

But, minimum amounts are designed to keep people in debt for as long as possible, and lowering them just makes this period even longer.

MoneySavingExpert says the change means it could now take a customer with a £1,000 debt an extra decade to pay it off, if they only pay the minimum amount.

On average, it says it will take 19 years and three months to clear and the interest will total £1,655. 

Founder of MoneySavingExpert Martin Lewis says the change is "worryingly under the radar" and urged customers to check if their repayments are set to the minimum amount.

"Minimum repayments have always been credit card firms' secret weapon. Letting people repay little looks appealing – hence why Barclaycard says this is about 'flexibility'. Yet it takes flexibility to kick your own backside, and this will hurt some just as much," he said.

A Barclays spokesperson told Sky News: "We regularly review our products and from July, some Barclaycard customers will see changes to their minimum monthly payments, alongside adjustments to the APR.

"Customers will benefit from a reduction in their minimum monthly repayment and the vast majority have no change to APR, while some will receive a decrease.

"We have made these changes to increase flexibility for our customers and have been clear in our communications that paying more than the minimum can help customers clear their balance sooner and pay less interest." 

Marks and Spencer is to launch a clothing repair service next month.

The retail giant has teamed up with clothing repair and alterations experts SOJO, which was founded in 2021 by Josephine Philips, to give clothes "another life".

From August, M&S customers will be able to book a bespoke repair service through a new online hub, "M&S Fixed by SOJO".

Repairs will start from £5 and be carried out by SOJO's in-house repair team.

The items will then be returned directly to the customer's doorstep within seven to 10 days.  

Richard Price, managing director of clothing and home at M&S, said: "Through the launch of our repair service, we're making it even easier for customers to give their clothes another life, whether they are using our new repair service or long-standing clothes recycling scheme."

This week, Savings Champion research and development manager  Daniel Darragh gives  an overview of the savings market right now and reveals the best rates on offer across a range of accounts…

On the topic of savings rates, he says...

It is great to see that rates have remained steady throughout the year, despite frequent speculation over when the Bank of England would be decreasing the base rate. 

This means that, with inflation slowly dropping month on month (and finally hitting the Bank's target of 2% in May) there are now more accounts that beat inflation than ever before, meaning savers have a rare opportunity to really increase the purchasing power of their money.

That being said, the Bank of England has signalled that it will cut the base rate at some point in the year, and with the election result looming in the next few days, the decision may be taken sooner rather than later. 

Such a decrease will see borrowing and savings rates likely fall – so this may be the last hurrah for savers to get some of the best rates seen in years.

This explains why longer-term fixed rates are lower than shorter term – called an inverted curve, which indicates that we can expect interest rates to fall over the next few months and years. 

So, while locking your money away for, say, five years, may earn you a lower interest rate now than a one-year term could currently earn you, that might not be the case in a year's time when and if interest rates fall as predicted – meaning your hard-earned funds increase much more in value over a five-year term than they would in renewing one-year terms every year. 

That being said, the last few years have shown us how unpredictable and quickly economic conditions can turn!

Another interesting and important shift we have seen of late is that ISA rates, particularly on variable rate ISAs, have kept pace with, and in some cases outstripped, those of non-ISA accounts. 

As an example, the best non-current account linked, non-ISA easy access account is paying 5.07% via the Flagstone platform, versus the best non-current account linked ISA account paying 5.17% with Plum on new ISA funds. 

Of course, funding of ISA accounts is limited to the current limit of £20,000 per tax year, but this shift shows that ISAs have become increasingly popular again, as more savers find they are breaching their Personal Savings Allowance (PSA) with smaller and smaller amounts.

Hawksmoor is reportedly looking at funding options which could see the steak restaurant chain valued at around £100m.

Investment bank Stephens has been hired to run the process for the business, which is currently seeking opportunities to expand outside the UK.

Hawksmoor currently has three restaurants outside the UK, which are located in New York City, Chicago and Dublin. It has 10 other sites, including seven in London.

Private equity firm Graphite Capital owns 51% of Hawksmoor. If new investment comes in, co-founders Will Beckett and Huw Got are expected to retain their minority stake and continue to run the business.

Beckett said: "We've got a great relationship with Graphite, and together we are getting to know the US investment community in more depth. As that continues, an opportunity may emerge that we wish to explore together."

The Co-operative Bank is withdrawing its switching deal this week, leaving people just days to get £150 for free. 

New customers, who switch using the CASS system, can bag £75 upfront for opening a standard current account or an Everyday Extra account. 

They can then get paid £15 a month for five months if they also open a Regular Saver account. 

Anyone making the switch will receive the initial £75 within seven days of meeting all the qualifying criteria. 

This includes setting up two direct debits, depositing at least £1,000, making a minimum of 10 card transactions and registering for online or mobile banking. 

All of these tasks need to be completed within 30 days of making the switch. 

To qualify for the extra £75, you have to open a Regular Saver account before the last day of the month you receive the free cash incentive and deposit £50. 

The offer is due to be withdrawn on Friday 5 July.

The average monthly rent being asked outside London has hit a record high of £1,316 , according to Rightmove. 

The new record across Britain means that average advertised rents outside the capital are around 7% higher than a year earlier, the property website found. 

London has the highest rent prices in the country with an average of £2,652 per month, it said. 

The South East has the second highest at £1,836, which is a 6% rise since last year. 

The cheapest region is the North East, which typically costs £894 a month. 

Rightmove has urged the next government to accelerate housebuilding and incentivise landlords to invest in more homes for tenants. 

A budget supermarket chain has announced higher welfare standards for its chickens . 

Aldi has said it will introduce improved stocking density requirements for its fresh chicken suppliers, which will mean the birds have 20% more space than the industry standard. 

The extra space will let the chickens engage in "natural behaviours" such as stretching their wings, dust bathing and roaming, it said. 

"Animal welfare is of paramount importance to us," said Aldi's managing director of buying, Julie Ashfield.

"We're already one of the UK's largest providers of responsibly farmed chicken and we've been working hard with our suppliers to reduce stocking density to help us improve the living conditions of these animals even further." 

The move is due to be completed by October 2024. 

Younger adults find financial jargon harder to learn than a foreign language, according to new research.

A survey of 2,000 adults by Klarna revealed that 64% of Gen Z (people born from 1997 onwards) consider picking up basic foreign words easier than understanding terms such as "APR", "capital gains" and "compound interest".

When it came to millennials (people aged between 28 and 43 in 2024), 57% said learning a new language was harder.

Survey respondents said the top three most confusing finance terms were "AMC" (asset management company), "IFA" (independent financial adviser) and "adverse credit".

"AER" and "compound interest rate" also made the list of the jargon people find most baffling.

Klarna is now calling for the winner of Thursday's election to "prioritise financial inclusion" in the school curriculum.

A spokesperson for the buy now, pay later service said: "Whilst foreign languages of course open up opportunities and cultural experiences, financial inclusion is just as important."

We're aiming to help you bust the jargon of complex financial terms through our Basically... series. Here are just a few examples...

Greece has controversially introduced a six-day working week for some sectors. 

The legislation, which came into force at the beginning of July, aims to boost productivity and employment. 

Employees of private businesses that provide around-the-clock services will have the option of working an additional two hours per day or an extra eight-hour shift.

The change means a traditional 40-hour week could be extended to 48 hours per week for some companies. 

Food service and tourism workers are not included in the initiative.

The pro-business government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said the measure is both "worker-friendly" and "deeply growth-orientated". 

However, unions have criticised the move, saying it bucks a global trend of workforces exploring a shorter week. 

Giorgos Katsambekis, a lecturer in European and international politics at Loughborough University, told our US partner site CNBC it was a "a major step back" for a workforce that is already working the longest hours in the European Union.

Marks & Spencer is offering 20% off its new school uniforms to help parents get ready for the new school year.

The average cost of school uniform in England has dropped by 4% in 2024, according to a survey by The Schoolwear Association.

However, the average cost of compulsory secondary school uniform and sportswear items for a child starting secondary school in England is still £92.35 per pupil.

That can be a big expenditure, especially for families with multiple children.

M&S's discount excludes footwear, hosiery, underwear, outerwear, accessories, school bags and lunch boxes.

Asian-inspired eatery Itsu is looking at plans to double the number of its stores in the UK.

The chain is considering opening 80 new restaurants and has appointed Savills to advise on its expansion plans.

Itsu is looking to strengthen its foothold in London, where the majority of its restaurants are based, as well as growing its presence in new locations with flagship stores in big cities.

Liverpool, Birmingham, Cardiff, Sheffield, Newcastle, Glasgow, and Belfast are among the UK cities currently without an Itsu store.

Kate Thompson, property director at Itsu, said: "At Itsu, we are focused on making the joy of delicious, health[ier], Asian-inspired food available to everyone across the UK and beyond.

"We look forward to working with Savills to help us deliver on our plan for growth."

A motoring research charity says a case should be made for raising driving test fees for learners who repeatedly fail.

The RAC Foundation said this would encourage prospective drivers to wait until they are ready to pass, easing the "unacceptable" backlog of tests in the UK.

Last month, AA Driving School said it obtained Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) figures suggesting the average waiting time for a test at the start of February was more than 18 weeks.

A ban on driving tests during COVID  lockdowns plus a driving examiner strike has led to a bottleneck of demand.

Before 2020, the average wait time was six weeks, from booking online to turning up at the test centre.

One way of addressing the issue, according to RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding, is to consider additional fees for those with several previous failures and even to offer a rebate to first-time passers.

"Forget about all the traffic jams out on the road, there is now an unacceptable amount of congestion in the test system with learners often waiting many months for a slot," he said.

"In part these jams are being caused by people who have failed multiple times and come back to take a test that might be their fourth, fifth or sixth attempt, or even greater."

Government figures show 93,204 practical car driving tests taken in the year to the end of March were at least the candidate's sixth attempt at passing.

Under the current pricing plan, practical driving tests cost £62 during weekday daytimes and £75 during evenings, weekends, and bank holidays.

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