First Grade Research Journal

We're getting ready to start first grade research projects at our school. The first thing I've created is a research journal, a simple one-page form to help students record their learning and form some good research habits.

The form is a free download from my Teachers Pay Teachers store, and it looks like this:

The first column is labeled "I wondered," and students write their questions in this column. The second column is labeled "I learned," and student write the answers to their questions here. The third column, labeled "I found the answer in," provides a place for students to write down their sources, a very  important habit to begin early in elementary school. 

And the last column, titled "I thought about my learning," provides room for reflection and METACOGNITION, which we always want to encourage! Students color in the thought cloud for "OK," "good," or "my best."

This is really a simple form, designed NOT to overwhelm first graders OR their teachers. They don't need to tackle a giant project. We, as teacher librarians, just want them to develop some good habits that we can build on in future years. Depending on the class, you could also use this research journal with kindergarten or second grade.

I hope this form is helpful to you. Let me know how it works for your students!