Research for the Real World

During trimester two each year, Mrs. Patterson and I teach the research paper to our sophomore and senior students, focusing on locating quality sources, organizing important information, narrowing the topic, and writing a cohesive paper. In the past, students would drag their feet and wonder why we spend so much time dedicated to these skills while I repeated this sentence multiple times a day: “Research writing is the type of writing you will need the most in college.” Even for a senior in high school, the idea of academic writing feels remote and nebulous and pointless.

In 2025 and beyond, however, I hope that our students will experience the research process in a new way at  Trinity School because our current seniors will complete their Seek and Find projects, a large-scale investigation focused on a topic of interest. After choosing their subject matter as a junior, the students had a lesson with Carrie Brown to learn about the process of narrowing their Boolean searches to find the best scholarly articles for each topic. Then the students in my classes gathered and read articles for their individual topics, wrote their outlines, and finally drafted a completed paper. But the process will not end here this year. The seniors are now working outside of their English class time to extend their essays into additional research through questionnaires or the scientific process and will present their findings in a graphic representation of their work.

This spring the Seek and Find Academic and Research Program culminates with a final community presentation of each senior’s discoveries in the Upper School where students can answer questions and reflect on the outcomes of their research, making the whole process relevant.  Their products are no longer just a paper written in their English class. Some of our students will reveal models of new products, like a skincare line in original bottles;  some will discuss their scientific research on topics like the connection between personalities and languages; and some will show how they applied what they learned to produce a new skill, like cooking, horse training, or marathon running. 

Come see our seniors on April 30 as they present their research that extends beyond the pages written in the classroom.