Browse best practices

Alternatives to the animal report

In Rethinking Reports, page 2.1

Year after year, students are assigned an animal report, a factual report on a species of their choice. My son chose the Harpy Eagle for his third-grade animal report — and proceeded to re-submit that report with only slight modifications for years thereafter!...

By Melissa Thibault.

Alternatives to the President Report

In Rethinking Reports, page 1.1

The "President Report" is a common assignment in social studies classes from second grade, where biography is first introduced, through high school U.S. History. You know what we mean: students are asked to pick a U.S. president and write a biographical...

By Melissa Thibault and David Walbert.

From documents to digitization

To design a research project using primary sources from the Web, you'll need to know what's out there and how to find it. This article explains what's available, why, and where.

Format: article

By David Walbert.

Intrigue of the Past

Lesson plans and essays for teachers and students explore North Carolina's past before European contact. Designed for grades four through eight, the web edition of this book covers fundamental concepts, processes, and issues of archaeology, and describes the peoples and cultures of the Paleoindian, Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian periods.

Format: book (multiple pages)

Introduction: Rethinking reports

A little creativity can make research a rewarding learning experience for students and teachers alike.

By David Walbert and Melissa Thibault.

Rethinking Reports

Creative research-based assignments provide alternatives to the President Report, Animal Report, and Famous Person Report that ask students to think about old topics in new ways, work collaboratively, and develop products that support a variety of learning styles.

Format: series (multiple pages)

Resources on the web

North Carolina School Library Media Association

Book Awards, Links for Media Specialists, Conference information and more from the professional organization for North Carolina's Media Specialists. (Learn more)

Format: website/general

Provided by: North Carolina School Library Media Association

TeachersFirst: The Web Resource for Teachers

This site contains links to websites for teaching a variety of subjects from elementary through high school with resources organized into a matrix. Levels are grouped into ranges and subjects are listed alphabetically. There is also a link to Professional... (Learn more)

Format: website/general

Provided by: Network for Instructional TV, Inc.

TRAILS: Tool for Real-time Assessment of Information Literacy Skills

A standards-based tool for library media specialists and teachers to assess the information literacy skills of their high school students. (Learn more)

Format: website/activity

Provided by: Institute for Library and Information Literacy Education (Kent State University)

The WebQuest Page

The WebQuest model was developed in 1995 by Bernie Dodge and Tom March. This site is the result of their work and everything you need to know about WebQuests can be found here. (Learn more)

Format: website/activity

Provided by: Bernie Dodge and the Educational Technology Department at San Diego State University.