5th grade research report examples

Bell Ringers

Independent research projects in upper elementary, independent research projects in upper elementary ela.

Every year, I plan to give my students more choice, voice, and independent project work. Of course, we also have to deal with state testing and loads of other requirements. However, giving your students independent research projects not only helps them demonstrate learning and mastery of standards, it also gives them some choices and ability to share their own unique voice! Here are some independent research projects in upper elementary ELA that your 4th through 6th graders will love!

Genius Hour

You may have heard of Genius Hour or Passion Projects. Genius Hour is considered project-based learning, and it starts with a question. Students choose their own research question about anything really, and they study it at least an hour a week. After reading/researching about their question, their final project can be something as simple as an explanatory slideshow or building their own dollhouse. The possibilities are endless.

Genius Hour can require some scaffolding at the beginning. For example, you may ask your students to research a question related to a certain topic. If you’re reading Watsons Go to Birmingham, for example, they may ask a question surrounding the Civil Rights Movement or the 1960s. The topics can be open-ended to give the students some choice but still have an overarching theme.

Once students get practice researching and coming up with their own final project, they can choose a Genius Hour topic about anything. Some example questions may include:

• How do I promote healthy eating in elementary school?
• How do I prepare for middle school?
• What is the best place to take a family vacation, and how can I plan one for my family?
• How do you start a small business as a student?

Genius Hour gives students choice and voice in the classroom, and you’ll love learning about their passions!

Author Studies

This is one of my favorite projects to use for upper elementary ELA students! I first implemented this project with fifth graders after state testing. This is the perfect time of year for an independent study, and it reinforces reading, writing, and research concepts used throughout the school year!

This project includes almost everything you need for your students to complete a research project on the author of their choosing . It sets them up to brainstorm, research, take notes, plan, and then complete a research paper on their selected authors. I have also made sure to leave some of the note-taking more generic so that you and your students can use as little or as many pages as they need.

Start by giving students the included list of possible authors to research or let them choose their own. This author may already be a favorite or one they want to know more about! Once the author is chosen, your job is to facilitate. Remind them of resources to use for research, note-taking skills and options, and let them learn and explore!

The author study resource includes everything your students need to get started. You’ll have the author examples, note sheets, rubrics, and an example research paper to help guide your instruction and student learning!

Differentiate by having students work in groups to research an author together or study different authors within the same genre. This is also a great way to culminate literature circles by having students research the author they read!

These independent research projects in upper elementary ELA are some of my favorites to provide choice while differentiating for all learners. What research projects have you tried in your ELA classroom?

• Read more about: Upper Elementary Reading

You might also like...

Reading and Writing Activities for Back to School in Middle School ELA

Teaching Reading Skills with Louis Sachar’s Holes

The Best Novels to Read with Sixth Grade

Get your free middle school ela pacing guides with completed scopes and sequences for the school year..

My ELA scope and sequence guides break down every single middle school ELA standard and concept for reading, writing, and language in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. Use the guides and resources exactly as is or as inspiration for you own!

Meet Martina

I’m a Middle School ELA teacher committed to helping you improve your teaching & implement systems that help you get everything done during the school day!

Writing a Research Report (Gr. 5)

Scott Foresman, an imprint of Pearson

Featured 5th grade resources.

Related Resources

How to Do a 5th Grade Research Paper

Christy scannell.

Fifth grade is a turning point for many students because it is the school year when academic demands increase. By fifth grade, it becomes clear which students exhibit gifts or challenges in certain areas, such as writing. Although most students will have written research papers in fourth grade or earlier, a fifth grade objective is to write a research paper of more than four pages that is in-depth and better sourced. Writing a fifth-grade research paper may seem daunting, but it just involves selecting a topic, researching it and writing the paper.

Explore this article

• Think about what interests you
• Once you select your topic
• Visit the library
• Read your sources and take notes
• Once you have gathered all your sources
• Organize your ideas using an outline
• Write your first draft
• Has several paragraphs
• Write the bibliography
• Proofread your paper

1 Think about what interests you

Think about what interests you. If something strikes your curiosity, such as how airplanes stay in the air, that might be a good topic for you. Animals, travel and sports are other areas to mine for topics, although the choices are endless.

2 Once you select your topic

Once you select your topic, be sure it isn't too general. For example, Lions of Africa would cover too much ground, but "Hunting and Diet Habits of African Lions" would allow you to focus more tightly.

3 Visit the library

Visit the library to find periodicals and books that contain information on your topic. Ask a librarian to help you if you are unfamiliar with how a library is organized. Also, surf the web for information. As you use a source, jot down the name of the publication or website, the author, the publisher and the date of publication.

4 Read your sources and take notes

Read your sources and take notes. Some people like to use three-by-five index cards, writing one idea and its source on each card to stay organized. If you copy something from a source, be sure to put quote marks around it so you remember that it is a quote to avoid plagiarizing (illegally copying) another writer.

5 Once you have gathered all your sources

Once you have gathered all your sources, shuffle your cards into subtopics.

6 Organize your ideas using an outline

Organize your ideas using an outline. Jot down all of your main ideas, then under each one, write some of the ideas that support it. For example, a main idea might be that lions hunt for their food, while supporting ideas might be what animals are their prey. Avoid repeating ideas.

7 Write your first draft

Write your first draft. The paper should include an introduction, body and conclusion. The introduction identifies the topic, tells the reader your opinion on the topic and why the reader should be interested in it.

8 Has several paragraphs

The body has several paragraphs that develop your ideas in more detail. Each paragraph should have no more than one idea, although you can use more than one paragraph per idea. The conclusion is a summary that repeats your main idea.

9 Write the bibliography

Write the bibliography, which is the list of reference works used in the paper.

10 Proofread your paper

Proofread your paper. Read it aloud to yourself to find errors. Have a parent read it to check for anything confusing or incorrect. Make any corrections required.

• Be careful to follow your teacher's rules in writing your report. Some teachers might want you to format your paper in a certain way, for example, or include photos or other graphics. These are all good learning opportunities that will affect your grade.
• Use the spell-check function on your computer to catch any spelling and/or grammar mistakes in your paper before you submit it.
• 1 Scholastic: Preparing for 5th Grade

About the Author

Christy Scannell has been writing professionally since 1985 with work in many publications, including the "San Diego Union-Tribune," "Outreach" magazine and "Marriage Partnership" magazine. She has also written a three-novel series, “Secrets from Lulu’s Café,” for Simon & Schuster. Christy has a Master of Arts in communication from San Diego State University and a Bachelor of Arts in mass communication from Anderson University.

Related Articles

How to Write & Reference an Essay

How to Write a Thesis Statement in High School Essays

How to Choose a Title for Your Research Paper

How to Write Outlines for 9th Grade

Step-by-Step Explanation of How to Write a Research...

How to Write a Thesis Statement for an Informative...

How to Start an Informative Paper

How to Make Note Cards

How to Write an Essay Proposal

How Do I Check My Paper for Plagiarism?

Purpose of Writing an Essay

How to Write a 1000-Word Essay

How to Install a Pinterest Bookmarklet

How to Write a 3rd Grade Report

Questions to Ask While Writing a Research Paper

How to Do a Book Report Without Reading the Book

How to Write Book Reports for Kids

How to Write a Research Question for Research Papers

How to Make Source Cards in MLA

How to Use Lead-Ins for In-Text Citations in MLA

Regardless of how old we are, we never stop learning. Classroom is the educational resource for people of all ages. Whether you’re studying times tables or applying to college, Classroom has the answers.

• Accessibility
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Copyright Policy
• Manage Preferences

© 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. Based on the Word Net lexical database for the English Language. See disclaimer .

Teaching 5th Graders How to Write a Thesis Statement

Our 5th-grade students write a 5 paragraph research paper about their choice of topics related to Ancient Egypt.  Some of my students are writing about Egyptian pyramids, Egyptian Gods, and one has undertaken the task of writing about the role of Egyptian women in religion.  All students are required to write “thin questions,” or questions that can be answered easily and with a fact, to get their minds going and then use their new knowledge to write a “thick question,” or overarching research question from which their thesis will be derived.

I can’t stress enough the importance of modeling how to write a thesis statement.   Model, model, model.   Bring in past students’ work, write your own thesis in front of them, do the thesis statement sheet (available below) with them a few times.  Go slowly for each step.   The idea isn’t getting your students to finish the thesis statement quickly, the idea is for them to learn how to craft their own argument and write it clearly.  

In order to help them through the process of getting from thin question to thick question to thesis I used several sources to develop my own version of “Write a Thesis Statement in 5 Steps.”  I was able to conference with students in small groups to help them look at their thick questions and their notes to develop a “because statement” for each of their papers.  Once they had a “because statement,” students had to prove it using three facts from their notes.  The next step and hardest step was synthesizing the question, the because statement, and the facts to write the thesis that will ultimately drive their body paragraphs and conclusion.

If you would like to use the “Write a Thesis Statement in 5 Steps” sheet, thesis statement in 5 steps .  It is free, but if you do use it please tell me how it went!

Share this:

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

CherylAnne Amendola

Join my VIP teacher email club!

5th grade writing doesn’t have to be a struggle! This blog post will provide all of my best tips and ideas for teaching your fifth graders to succeed as writers.

I’ve had classes where writing was a struggle allll yearrrr longggg. I’ve also had classes where I’d swear my students were one step away from writing professionally.

Your groups will never be the same and that’s ok. Just roll with it!

Take heart in the fact that when students leave your class at the end of the year, they will be MUCH better writers than when they entered in the fall.

No matter how good (or bad) my students are at writing when 5th grade begins, we always start at the very beginning and work on writing strong sentences.

This post will give you a step-by-step breakdown of how I help my students move from dull to dazzling sentences: How to Help Your Students Write Better Sentences

Once they’ve got the hang of writing an excellent sentence, then we move on. Your class may move slowly or quickly but be sure to watch their writing closely for clues that you may need to slow down.

You need to know where you’re going to know how you should plan the journey. So, the next section lays out my end-of-the-year goals for my 5th grade writers. Everything I do all year leads to the completion of these goals.

My end-of-the-year goals for my 5th grade writers….

By the time my students walk out of my classroom for the last time…

1. I want them to be able to efficiently organize their ideas and plan/write a five paragraph essay.

2. I want my students to be able to construct narrative, informative, and opinion essays.

3. I want my students to be able to choose appropriate sources and write a simple research report. 

4. I want my students to be able to closely read two paired passages and write an essay in response to a prompt. 

If you’re looking for a hyperlinked pdf version of my pacing and sequence for 5th grade writing, click the link below to have it sent to your email address. As a bonus, you’ll become a member of my weekly VIP email club just for upper elementary teachers. 🙂

Obtain a Writing Sample!  

Give students a simple prompt and ask for a response in a paragraph or two. Emphasize to students that you are not grading writing samples for grammar, spelling, or structure. You are interested in the quality of their ideas. 

This writing sample will be valuable as the year goes on. Your students will improve so much that their first samples will (hopefully) be pathetic compared to their new, improved writing pieces.

I usually whip out their first samples after we’ve written a few five paragraph essays. Students feel inspired to keep growing their writing skills when they see how far they’ve come in just a few months. 

Example Writing Sample Prompts: 

• Describe a talent or characteristic that makes you unique and different.
• Tell about a time when you set a goal for yourself and reached that goal.
• Pretend you live in a society where children are required to choose their future career paths in the 5th grade. What path would you choose? Explain.

Create Writing Reference Notebooks with students! 

I’ll admit it – I’m a little obsessed with writing reference notebooks. We use composition notebooks to create these amazing sources of knowledge and we use them all year long. 

So, where do we start with creating writing reference notebooks?

The beginning section of students’ notebooks hold reference materials. I want students to have plenty of resources at their fingertips to improve their sentence writing, including alternatives for overused words and my specialty, sparkle words. Sparkle words are words that are just a little bit special and make my students’ writing shine, like scandalous, embrace, and intriguing.

Other ways that my students use their writing reference notebooks:

• Writing journal entries
• Creating a personal thesaurus
• Writing topics & ideas list
• Taking notes on writing skills lessons
• Writing first drafts of longer assignments

This resource will give you an idea of the printable pages that I use for students’ notebooks: Writing Interactive Notebook – Reference Pages

Do I take grades on students’ writing reference notebooks? Not really. I want these notebooks to be a safe space for students to jot ideas and take risks with their first drafts. I do sometimes take a participation grade on their notebooks. This encourages students to keep their notebooks organized and up to date.

Start with sentences!  

When teaching 5th grade, you can expect students to start the year writing complete sentences, right?! No, sorry. Whether it’s the long break or maybe your students’ 4th grade teachers never required a lick of writing, your 5th graders will often begin the year with less-than-stellar sentences. 

So, I just plan to start with sentences first every year. We work on building and expanding sentences for about two weeks. Yes, two weeks probably seems like a really long time, but spectacular sentences are the foundation for creating great writers.

To improve my students’ sentences, I take the basic, simple sentences that students write and we work on adding more specific details and interest. First, I give students a list of five nouns and ask them to write one sentence using each noun.

I usually get sentences similar to these:

• Pie is my favorite dessert.
• My dad’s car is red.
• I wear my jacket when it is cold.
• This school is a nice place to learn.
• The tree is tall.

This is where I want students to get in their sentence-writing before moving on:

• Pecan, cherry, apple, or pumpkin… any type of pie is delicious!
• My dad spends his Saturdays washing and shining up his candy apple red Jeep.
• A puffy, hooded jacket is the first thing I reach for on chilly mornings.
• My school, North Hills Elementary, has the best teachers and students.
• The tall Redwood tree in my front yard is a welcome sight to visitors and makes my house look spectacular.

My students write every single day!  

I vividly remember being in 5th grade myself and writing long papers on the most boring topics ever, like “The Science of Light” and “The History of Mapmaking.” Snooze fest! I vowed to never do that to my students. Instead, I took a different route.

Students absolutely need to learn to write full reports and five paragraph essays, but they don’t need to do this every week. They do, however, need to continually practice writing. I find that if I make writing assignments engaging, my students don’t complain and actually seem to enjoy writing.

I assign Weekly Writing Choice Boards . This writing has made all the difference in my classroom! Students are now excited about writing class. They see writing as a treat and a fun way to express their thoughts and opinions.

I hand out a new choice board every week and students must complete three assignments from the board. I don’t grade these on perfect grammar, spelling, or punctuation, instead I look for ideas and effort. Even imperfect writing practice will improve your students’ writing skills tremendously!

Enter your first name and email address below for a free set of 6 Weekly Writing Choice Boards! The pdf file will be sent directly to your inbox. As a bonus, you’ll become a member of my weekly VIP email club just for upper elementary teachers. 🙂

If you teach social studies in addition to writing, this blog post will give you a bunch of engaging social studies journal entries that will help you tie social studies into your writing instruction.

Train students in proofreading and editing!  

Student need to practice proofreading and editing their writing (and the writing of other students) near the beginning of the school year.

Repeatedly practicing the steps of the proofreading/editing process will help your students to internalize this procedure. You’ll find that they will start to catch their mistakes earlier and more independently.

I find it valuable to establish and consistently use a common “proofreading language” in my classroom. It takes a little time up front to teach students the markings and their meanings but having a common system for proofreading will save loads of time throughout the school year.

This resource will give you an idea of the proofreading marks and practice that I use in my classroom: Proofreading and Editing Activity Pack

Asking your students to proofread and edit their own writing is a must but it’s also a good thing to have students pair up and look over a partner’s writing also. Your students will receive valuable feedback on their writing, editing ideas, and they’ll get to see some writing styles that are a little different from their own.

Teach five paragraph essays one piece at a time! 

Simple Paragraphs

Once my students are stellar sentence writers, we move to simple paragraphs. The simple paragraphs that I use with students consist of a topic sentence, three detail sentences, and a closing sentence.

Starting with simple paragraphs is much less threatening than jumping straight into five paragraph essays, so I find that spending some time helping students write excellent simple paragraphs is the perfect bridge into essays.

Additionally, we color-code our simple paragraphs. This allows students to think critically about what sentence types they have written and provides a visual for students (and for me) to see that all required parts of the paragraph are included.

The color-code I use with students:

• Topic sentence – green
• 3 detail sentences – yellow
• Closing sentence – red

Planning and Writing Body Paragraphs

Once students are able to write great simple paragraphs, we dive into the planning and writing of body paragraphs.

This isn’t too much of a jump for students because the body paragraphs are structured similarly to the simple paragraphs that we have practiced over and over. The only difference is that they are using one prompt to write three body paragraphs.

Many teachers think they have to start with the first paragraph of the essay, the introduction paragraph. This isn’t what I recommend. Starting by teaching students to write the three body paragraphs helps to steer the rest of the essay.

Adding an Introduction Paragraph

Now that students are able to write their three body paragraphs, it’s time to add the introduction paragraph.

The introduction paragraph contains a hook, commentary, and a thesis sentence.

The hook is a sentence (or two) that “hooks” readers and builds interest in the upcoming essay. I teach my students several types of hooks, including quotes, questions, bold statements, or sharing a memory.

After the hook, I ask students to write a sentence or two of commentary on the hook or on the prompt in general. This helps to “bulk up” their introduction paragraph a bit and make it more interesting.

The final part of the introduction paragraph is the thesis sentence. Because students already learned to write the body paragraphs, crafting a thesis sentence is so much easier.

The formula for writing a thesis sentence: Restate the prompt briefly + detail 1 + detail 2 + detail 3.

Additionally, I teach transition teams at this point. Students need to use a transition word or phrase at the beginning of each body paragraph, so that’s where transition teams come in. Transition teams are sets of three transition words or phrases that work well together.

Examples of transition teams:

• First, Second, Finally
• To begin, To continue, To end
• One reason, Another reason, A final reason

Adding a Conclusion Paragraph

When conclusion paragraph day finally arrives, my students are so excited because they can finally write an entire five paragraph essay.

In my opinion, conclusion paragraphs are super easy to teach because they only have two parts. Here’s the conclusion paragraph formula: Write the thesis sentence in a different way + add a closing thought.

I allow students to be creative with their closing thoughts. I tell them that this is the final thought that your readers will take with them, so it needs to relate well to your entire essay while being engaging and thought-provoking for readers. Some examples of closing thoughts are calls to action, quotes, personal opinions, and brief personal experiences.

Teach, Discuss, & Practice with Rubrics

I inform my students that from this point on in their school journey, they will be graded with rubrics fairly often, so this is a good time to learn about rubrics and become familiar with them.

I create or find five paragraph essay samples that are good, bad, and in-between. We read and examine the samples as a class and circle the applicable parts of the rubric. If students are able to grade a few assignments using a rubric, it’s not this unknown, scary thing anymore. 

Are you grading every single word and making a million corrections on students’ essays? I give you permission to stop doing that! 🙂

You are going to burn yourself out and get to where you hate grading and teaching writing. To be honest, your students will not become better writers when their papers are marked all over with suggestions in the margins.

Help! I need more support…

Please visit the following blog post for in-depth explanations and examples of my five paragraph essay teaching and grading process: 

Tips for Teaching and Grading Five Paragraph Essays

This resource will provide you with a full, scaffolded unit that will help you to teach the five paragraph essay process to students! Five Paragraph Essay Instructional Unit

Narrative, Informative, and Opinion Essays

As much as we’d like to just have our students write simple, straightforward five paragraph essays all year, that’s just not feasible.

But I promise, once your students can crank out those five paragraph essays on simple topics, moving to other modes of writing is no sweat! 

In my classroom, we spend time learning to write opinion essays, narrative essays, and informative essays. 

I start with opinion writing because my students have a lot of opinions, haha! We channel those opinions into five paragraph essay format. 🙂

Research Reports

The skills involved in writing a research report are valuable for 5th graders. They need to be able to judge the reliability of a source and cite their sources properly. 

Research reports also teach students to organize their ideas, take notes, make an outline, write a draft, and create a final report. 

I’d like to point you to the following blog post where I detailed my entire process for teaching research reports.

The Step-By-Step Guide to Teaching Research Reports

Paired Passages

5th graders are too young to compare two passages and write a response. Right?! 

No, this is not true at all. I think that reading paired passages and using them to craft a written response is a valuable skill for 5th graders. 

Steps to analyzing paired passages and writing an essay to answer a prompt:

First, dissect the prompt.

Second, closely read the paired texts.

Third, organize thoughts using the prompt.

The following blog post explains my paired passage writing steps in detail. Take a moment to check it out. You’ll be glad you did! 

How to Teach Writing Using Paired Passages

My Sequence & Pacing for Teaching 5th Grade Writing

Don’t stress! This sequence and pacing guide is hyperlinked and ready to be sent to your email address. Go to the bottom of this blog post to request the guide.

1st Month of School

We start school in the middle of the month, so I only have two weeks to teach during the first month of school.

This is the rundown for the remainder of the month:

Month 1, Week 3

The first week of the school year is all about teaching and practicing procedures. Teach it right or teach it all year! 🙂

Classroom Procedures – I recommend you check out this blog post:  5 Tips for Establishing Procedures in the Upper Elementary Classroom

Welcome Activities –  Welcome to 5th Grade: First Week of School Activities

Blog Post – Back to School Writing Prompts for 5th Graders

Month 1, Week 4

During this week, I review and continue practicing procedures with students but we do go ahead and start working on writing.

I establish my expectations and procedures for my students’ Weekly Writing Choice Boards.

We set up writing notebooks together, including the table of contents, cover page, and an  About the Author  page. 

Obtain a writing sample

We start working on improving sentences.

2nd Month of School

Month 2, Week 1

We continue working on improving sentences.

Start proofreading/editing instruction and practice.

Month 2 , Week 2

Review the process for writing excellent sentences.

Finish proofreading/editing instruction and practice.

Month 2, Weeks 3-4

Writing simple paragraphs (include color-code)

3rd Month of School

Month 3, Weeks 1-2

Planning & writing body paragraphs (include color-code)

Month 3, Weeks 3-4

Teach introduction paragraphs

Writing introduction plus body paragraphs (include color code)

Transition teams

4th Month of School

Month 4, Weeks 1-2

Teach students how to write conclusion paragraphs.

Students will write their first full five paragraph essays this week.

Month 4, Weeks 3-4

Write 5 paragraph essays with a variety of basic prompts.

Have students proofread/edit other students’ essays.

Provide mini-lessons on grammar structure or other issues you are noticing in students’ writing.

5th Month of School

This is where our winter break falls, so I only have two weeks to teach this month.

This is a great time to review what we’ve been working on all year and assign some fun journal prompts.

Also, writing mini-lessons are good fillers for this time.

This Winter Writing Project is a student favorite right before winter break!

6th Month of School

Month 6, Week 1

When we come back from winter break, I like to teach the research report process. I spend a week teaching the process and giving students time to research while I’m there to help.

Month 6, Week 2

Student complete their research reports, including outlines, citing sources, and etc.

I ask my students to do super quick presentations on their research topics. It’s 1-2 minutes max. I don’t want them to read their reports aloud because that’s boring. Instead, I want them to quickly highlight what they learned about their topics and what was fascinating to them.

Month 6, Week 3

We review the five paragraph essay process and write/proofread/edit an essay with a simple prompt.

Month 6, Week 4

I start opinion writing this week. You’ll find that students will slide into opinion writing easily because they already know five paragraph essay structure.

7th Month of School

Month 7, Week 1

Continue working on opinion writing. By the end of this week, students should be able to write an opinion essay using a prompt.

Month 7, Weeks 2-3

We spend two weeks on narrative writing. By the end of the second week, students should be able to write a narrative essay using a prompt.

Month 7, Week 4

This week, I teach the process of writing an informative essay.

8th Month of School

Month 8, Week 1

Continue working on informative essays. Students should be able to write an informative essay using a prompt by the end of this week.

Month 8, Weeks 2-3

Teach students how to write an essay using paired passages.

For more information on how I teach the steps above, visit this blog post: How to Teach Writing Using Paired Passages

Month 8, Week 4

Now that students know the process of using paired passages, I provide a set of paired passages and ask students to answer prompts in a variety of genres, like opinion, narrative, informative, poetry, and etc.

This resource makes it easy:

Paired Passages with Writing Prompts and Activities Bundle

9th Month of School

Month 9, Week 1

Continue working on using paired passages to write in a variety of genres.

Talk about last minute standardized testing tips to help students with their writing tests.

The rest of the month is taken up with standardized testing, so I do a lot of review activities, free writing, and etc.

I do have a set of suspense stories that my students love to write during this month. Check them out here: Suspense Stories Bundle

10th Month of School

During this month, we are wrapping up the year. Students participate in multiple activities and field trips, so there’s not much teaching time.

If you are still feeling overwhelmed, don’t dismay. Instructing young, inexperienced writers is a challenge. Just work on one step at a time to avoid overwhelming yourself and your students. Once you’ve taught writing for a year or two, you’ll feel like an old pro. Promise! 

If you’d like to keep this blog post for later, simply save this pin to your teacher Pinterest board!

Are you that teacher saying, “oh my goodness, please just give me the print ‘n go pages so that i can start teaching writing tomorrow” it’s all here for you:.

I’m not a teacher, perhaps in my heart I am. I am an older Mom who adopted late in life as God gave us our newborn in our 50’s! By His grace, we are healthy, fit, youngish 50’s LOL! I love your stuff and have always supplemented Fi’s education., for I find the California standards quite low. Now that I have her in a college-prep school (5th Grade) I find she is much more prepared because of your wisdom! Thank you. Sophia Joy is someone who has always had to work hard at school, but it is paying off! Thank you and God bless you richly for being so generous with your wisdom,it will all come back to you 100-fold! Sincerely, Susan, Sophia Joy’s Mom

Thank you so much, Susan! You certainly have a heartwarming story with your precious girl 🙂

Hello When you do the back to school journal prompts, where do you have students complete these? On single paper, google classroom?

Hi Sarah! Usually, I have students complete the prompts in their social studies interactive notebooks. This year, however, we were virtual at the beginning of the year, so I had students type their entries onto Google Docs.

Hi! I am a new 5th grade teacher, and I’m wondering if your school uses a particular writing curriculum? Your website has been so helpful – thank you!!

Hi Jenny! We don’t use a particular writing curriculum at my school. I use my own resources to teach writing. Please reach out to me at [email protected] if I can help or answer any questions for you 🙂

Do you have any resources in Spanish?

Hi Danielle! The only resources I have in Spanish are my Parent’s Guide to Reading resources, grades K-5.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

You may also enjoy...

Real Talk for New Upper Elementary Teachers

How to Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 5th Grade

How to Teach American Revolution Spies in 5th Grade

How to Use Google Resources in Upper Elementary – A Growing Post

5 Resume Tips for Teachers – Ditch That Boring, Outdated Resume!

Teaching About Plimoth (Plymouth) Plantation

What can i help you teach, find it here, let's connect, i'd love to connect with you.

Enter your first name and email address to join my exclusive VIP email club.

Copyright © 2020  | Thrive in Grade Five | All Rights Reserved

Quick Links

Translate this page

Lesson idea.

8 Science Articles for 5th Graders

Kids love to discover new things. That’s why we like to give them access to recent scientific research ! In these four adaptations, we have brought peer-reviewed scientific papers down from the kind of language you find in academic journals to plain English that 5 th graders can understand.

Your pre-teen students will get a taste of what’s new in science and why it matters as they follow the researchers through the steps of the scientific method . Most of the articles focus on animals , including issues such as biodiversity, conservation, and human impacts on the world.

For convenience, you can download these 8 articles at once:

We’ve published more than 30 articles suitable for 5th graders. Check out the full list here:

Some articles come in TWO reading levels. Select the LOWER READING LEVEL.

Would beavers make good firefighters?

In this article, scientists found out that beavers ’ activities can protect plants and animals around them during a wildfire . There is an extensive lesson plan with town-hall role-play activity and an audio version of the article available for auditory learners or students with visual disabilities.

Why do bats need more food to call louder?

In this article, scientists wanted to find out if bats needed more energy to echolocate loudly. The students get to follow the researcher into a wind tunnel at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research where bats’ metabolism is tested under various experimental conditions . The results are presented as a scatter plot . There is an audio version of the article available for auditory learners or students with visual disabilities.

How do seabirds share?

In this article, concepts such as niche differentiation and resources partitioning are explained using the example of a joint coloring activity where each student wants to use a color but there are only so many yellow pencils. For this study, the researchers used GPS tracking data and field observations to determine how different species of seabirds can live together by learning how to divide their limited food resources. The results are presented as a bar graph and there is also a map of the study location in Canada.

How can your smartphone make water safe to drink?

In this technology -oriented article, inventors from the Georgia Institute of Technology developed a small device and an app that can be used with a smartphone to kill harmful bacteria in water . The human need for clean water is discussed and students can learn how a cell phone can help disinfect water so that it won’t make people who drink it sick. The article contains a pictogram of the device and an audio version for auditory learners or students with visual disabilities

Are poachers rhinos’ only problem?

In this article, students get to take a close look at Kruger National Park in South Africa, where many rhinoceroses live. The scientists already knew that poaching is a major threat to rhinos, but they were also interested in the impact of drought on the survival of the two different species in the park: white and black rhino. The researchers compared the rates of birth and death (from both natural causes and illegal hunting) for periods before, during, and after the drought. The results are presented in two simple line graphs , but students will need to be careful about the differing y-axis scales. Like the scientists, students will be pleased to learn that the obvious threat of poaching decreased for both species across the four-year period. However, they might be surprised to find out that the two species were affected differently by the drought – which helps illustrate the importance of paying attention to climate factors in preserving endangered species .

Where does Australia’s wildlife hide?

Kids are excited to spot wild animals near their schools and homes. They’ll likely be curious about the same question scientists in Australia asked: how much threatened wildlife lives in our cities? The researchers overlapped maps of species habitats with maps of urban areas and discovered that half of the threatened animals and a quarter of the threatened plants in Australia live in cities! We present a simplified map for students to examine and also include a few statistics from the US and the UK for comparison. Students will consider some ways we can make our cities more wildlife-friendly to help threatened species survive .

Counting the fish catch – why don’t the numbers match?

We actually created two versions of this adaptation, so you’ll need to scroll down the page to find the link to the elementary/middle-school version. Researchers in this article carried out a data collection project to calculate total catches from all marine fisheries in the world from 1950 to 2010. Students will quickly realize how complicated a task it is to track the many different kinds of fisheries. A line graph shows the total reconstructed catch figures peak at a much higher amount in comparison to the officially reported figures – and that they are now declining much faster than people thought. Students will understand how important it is to have accurate data in order for people to make the right decisions to protect global fish stocks .

What happens if we take laboratory mice outside?

This adaptation introduces students to the idea of a mouse model , explaining how scientists use mice as a model organism to learn more about human bodies. However, in this article, scientists wondered how well mice in the laboratory actually model real life. So they decided to test how a realistic environment impacts the ability of mice to fight off intestinal worms. They compared a group of mice who lived only in the lab, a group that lived only outdoors, and a group that moved from the lab to the outdoors. A pictograph helps to illustrate the method and timing. The final worm count and worm biomass are presented in scatter plots and show that the mice that lived outdoors the longest developed fatter and longer worms in their guts. Students will realize how important it is for experimental design to include different environmental conditions .

That’s Not All!

Our site offers hundreds of scientific articles suitable for students of all ages. Check for the latest elementary or middle school level articles. Everything is free to download! Just use the filter to find the ones you need.

• May 27, 2020

Share this Lesson Idea

Check out this related lesson idea, free science webinars for kids at home.

Latest Scientific Articles

Does education affect how long we live?

+ School makes you younger lesson plans + Links to lesson plans about life expectancy

How safe is vaping?

+ Audio version of article + Blackboard video version of article + Links to lessons and activities about the dangers of vaping

How well can apes remember their friends?

+ Blackboard video version of the article + Audio version of article + Links to activities about memory, apes, and endangered species

How do parasites affect mouse behavior?

+ Blackboard version of article + Audio version of article + Links to lesson plans on parasites

We want to hear from you!

If you are a teacher and you used some of our resources in class, we want your feedback! Please fill out this Teacher Feedback survey!

Journal funding support from:

Recommended by:

Filter Results

• clear all filters

Resource Type

• Worksheets 
• Guided Lessons
• Lesson Plans
• Hands-on Activities
• Interactive Stories
• Online Exercises
• Printable Workbooks
• Science Projects
• Song Videos

middle-school

• Fine arts 
• Foreign language 
• Math 
• Reading 
• Writing Process 
• Writing Organization and Structure 
• Genre Writing
• Fiction Writing 
• Reflective Writing
• Research Writing 
• Informational Writing
• Opinion Writing
• Persuasive Writing
• Argument Writing
• Narrative Writing
• Essay Writing
• Response to Literature
• Grammar 
• Science 
• Social emotional 
• Social studies 
• Typing 
• Holidays 
• Seasonal 
• Teacher Resources 
• Common Core 

Printable 5th Grade Research Writing Worksheets

• Kindergarten
• Free Downloads
• Presentations

State Report Research Project Made Easy!

Are you getting ready to do research on one of the fifty U.S. states? This 19 page unit comes with all the templates students need to complete a research project on one of the fifty states. Students can record information they gather, glue images, photos and draw maps on these templates to create an informational state report.

Research organization templates are included to help students create a research plan and keep track of their resources.

Over 1,000 copies sold! Grab your copy today!

State Report Research Project

Nancy Alvarez

Nancy Alvarez is a principal in Texas. She is a speaker, national presenter, and early childhood curriculum creator.

You Might Also Like

Mr. turkey tally mark clip card freebie, write about it free writing station activity, free number puzzles, no comments, leave a reply cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Over 6,200 homeschool resources and growing!

Free State Report Templates for U.S. Geography

Published: August 9, 2021

Contributor: Jeannette Tuionetoa

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure for more info.

Learning about the United States is something we should put as a priority in our geography lessons. These free resources and free State Report Templates for US Geography will help your students learn all about the states that make up our nation.

State Report Templates

Many students complete a state report in elementary. It can be overwhelming if you don’t know where to start. Using state report templates can prove to be a helpful solution when it’s time for your kids to write a report on a state in the United States.

We have a FREE download of the State Report Templates available for you at the bottom of this post. Keep scrolling to get your copy today!

State Reports for Elementary Students

Wondering how to begin state reports for 5th graders or any elementary grade?

You have to provide your kids with the means to do research. This may mean that your strictly text/books homeschool may need to either find a state book in your local library, search for ebooks, or convert your homeschools into virtual schools for a bit with access to the internet.

Start with your child researching their very own state. Supply your students with grade-level appropriate report examples, a sample template or two, and let them explore.

What should be included in a state report?

Learning about states is so very important. I only realized that when I moved to another country and found that my kids knew little about the United States – not even the state we came from. It was sad and totally on me to rectify that issue.

It is simple for kids to gather information on a state. The information doesn’t have to be vast, but a few essentials can really help them understand a state and its basics.

Here are a few facts for a useful state report:

• State capital
• Geography and natural features
• Official State flower
• Official State song
• History on how it got its shape
• Three interesting facts they can find

The report can be in a simple template, a written report, a lapbook, slide presentations for older students, or any other project idea you can think of.

Either way, kids can retain useful information they can take with them always. Grab some free resources to help below to get started on your state study.

Free State Report Templates

Use the free printables below to put together an amazing state report. There are lots of different  options that you can include in your report for the state you choose.

State Report Lapbooks

State Report State Lapbook –  This state report template is geared towards 3rd and 4th graders and includes material for students to use while doing their research. Help your students conduct research on any state with this detailed state report lapbook.

DIY Lapbook for States and More – Whether your student is studying the 50 states of America or is doing a book report, this resource is perfect for them. Grab a free template so your kids can learn how to make a lapbook of their very own with a free lapbook template.

US States Report Lapbook – Your kids will get excited about social studies, geography, and history with this free state report lapbook. It is a fun and interactive way for kids to enjoy learning about their country. This is geared towards elementary-aged kids. I used it with my son in our 5th grade homeschooling last year.

50 States Lapbook Resources and Printables – These free resources, printables and lapbooks to study the 50 states will help kids also remember the states well. These resources are super fun and help you to even assign simple monthly reports on the states of our nation.

State Report Printables

State History Timeline and Cheat Sheets – With this resource, your students can create a timeline of when each state became a state. This information is a cool informative aspect to add in their state report.

State Report Template for Notebooks

State Template for Notebooking – Grab this blank state template notebooking page to allow a student’s research to be as simple or as detailed as they want it to be. There are also blank spaces so kids can draw the flag and map of the state.

State History Report

State History Research Project – This free state history project helps kids research a state’s history. Grab this 9-page download to help your students begin an independent study on the states of our nation.

State Research Printables

State Research Graphic Organizers – The main idea of this free resource is for kids to conduct a short research project on any of the 50 states of our nation. Students will need internet access to conduct their research about the state’s capital, its governor, state bird, three largest cities, three interesting facts, and more.

State Report PDF

5th Grade State Report Printable – This one-page free printable download is chock full of excellent state information any child will enjoy filling out. From coloring to researching information like state trees and what the license plate looks like, this is an excellent simple activity.

Free Printables to Add to a State Report

Free Worksheets and Fact Cards on State Flags – Help your kids understand why each state’s flag design was chosen. Also, learn a ton of history and symbolism behind each flag with our free state study resource .

State Flash Cards

US States Flash Cards – You can add these flashcards to your report or help your kids use them to gather information for a state report. Don’t forget to ask your students to follow the step by step instructions and color the flashcards.

50 States PDFs for State Reports

50 States Worksheets – These worksheets for all 50 states will help your kids with any state report. They will learn key facts, unique features of each of the states. This is perfect for elementary kids and can be more complete for high schoolers as well.

State Facts for Reports

LEGO US States Facts Printable Challenge for Kids – This LEGO challenge is perfect for elementary kids learning about the United States. This is a super fun way for your kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade students to learn about the states.

State Maps for a State Report

USA Worksheets and Maps for a State Report – This activity pack is an easy download to make any state report the best it can be. Your students can build on their knowledge of state names, their capitals, abbreviations, locations, and regions. This resource will help your students also test and retain the geography information learned in the US.

Songs & Videos to Learn the States & Capitals

Kids learn so quickly when material is put to song, and we all know that watching a video can be more entertaining for visual learners. Check out this big resource list of songs for the fifty states .

50 States Cheat Sheets

Lastly, don’t forget to grab our free 50 States Cheat Sheets from our subscriber library. In it you’ll find an alphabetical listing of each state, capitals, regions, time zones, and state abbreviations.

Remember to point out the information on states and major cities every time you travel or on virtual field trips. This information can be useful throughout their lifetime. Check out this resource on how to write a state report as you teach your kids what to do.

Final Summary

• Do you want your kids to do a report on one of the states? Use our state report template and make it a breeze!
• Download free printable state flags for each of the 50 states.
• Have you ever considered using a song to learn the states ?
• Don’t forget about learning the state capitals. It’s easy when you use a free capitals worksheet .
• Explore U.S. landmarks for kids with free resources.
• These 50 states cheat sheets are great for memorizing and review.
• Teach the states and capitals in cursive with these handwriting worksheets.
• Print off the states and capitals study sheet for test-taking practice.
• Don’t forget map work! Print off a map of USA coloring pages to practice learning the locations of the states.

This free State Report Template Pack contains different geography templates that you can use in your next state report. There are 8 different templates to choose from; some are suitable for elementary students, whereas others will be better for middle school children.

FREE Instant Download

• Instant Download
• reports & templates

Jeannette Tuionetoa

Jeannette is a wife, mother and homeschooling mom. She has been mightily, saved by grace and is grateful for God’s sovereignty throughout her life’s journey. She has a Bachelor in English Education and her MBA. Jeannette is bi-lingual and currently lives in the Tongan Islands of the South Pacific. She posts daily freebies for homeschoolers!

Related resources

FREE Georgia State History Printable

Hands-On Activities for Studying the World Wars

How Many National Parks are There in Texas? (Complete List)

Four Unique National Parks in South Florida to Visit

40 Top Films on our Presidential Movies List to Watch

All 43 Dear America Books in Order (Free Printable List)

Properly Citing Sources

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due​

Students write an essay expressing their opinion, wherein they choose an influential person and explain why this person should be included within a list of the most influential people of all time. Students are asked to include information obtained from at least three credible sources. In order to ensure that students are respecting the rights of others, they will use an online tool for generating citations to cite sources within a bibliography.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Be able to properly cite sources using an online citation generator.

Vocabulary Words:

Citation : A citation is a quotation from or reference to a source of information.

Sources : Sources are documents, videos, or any place from which information came.

Bibliography : A bibliography is a list of sources used to provide information, within a given piece of writing.

Plagiarism : Plagiarism is taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own ideas. (not giving the creator formal credit when using his/her work)

Pre-planning

To prepare for this lesson:

• The teacher will familiarize him/herself with an online tool for generating citations. (e.g.  EasyBib , Cite This For Me , Citation Machine , Zoterobib )
• Please See 21Things4Students Be Legal or Fair for examples. 
• Here is a video  tutorial  showcasing how to use  Zoterobib .

Accommodations

See the  Accommodations Page and Charts on the 21things4students website in the Teacher Resources. 

Directions for this activity:

• Students will be assigned a report or presentation 
• Students will do research to find content for their project. 
• Students will keep track of all online resources used to obtain information for their project. 
• Students will use an online citation tool to create individual citations.
• Students will compile all citations within a bibliography.

Possible Extensions : Students may explore various styles of citations.

Assessment Options

Different options for assessing the students:

• Observations
• Check for understanding
• Teachers will assess the bibliography to ensure that all sources used are included and that the format of all citations remains consistent.

MITECS COMPETENCIES & ISTE STANDARDS

MITECS : Michigan adopted the " ISTE Standards for Students " called MITECS (Michigan Integrated Technology Competencies for Students) in 2018.

Digital Citizen 2c. Students demonstrate an understanding of and respect for the rights and obligations of using and sharing intellectual property.

Devices and Resources

Device: PC, Chromebook, Mac, iPad 

Browser: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, ALL

App, Extension, or Add-on : Cite this For Me EasyBib

Websites : Cite This For Me Citation Machine EasyBib Zoterobib Zoterobib video tutorial

CONTENT AREA RESOURCES

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.

Integrated Arts

As students find and use images, information, and/or videos encourage them to always cite their sources.

Students when doing research on mathematicians and/or formulas cite all sources. 

As students conduct research, encourage them to create a bibliography of any and all resources used.

Social Studies

Report a bad link, inappropriate content or out-of-date content . 

Credits This task card was created by Jean Smith, Van Buren Public Schools, January 2018. Updated October 2023. 

Print this page

Graphic Organizer for Research Papers

Our multi-paragraph organizers and single-paragraph organizers for writing research papers can be helpful in many classrooms.

These are another free resource for teachers from the curriculum corner..

We have expanded our collection of multi-paragraph organizers for writing research papers.

Included in our collection are a range of options for you to choose from.

Our new set includes options for single-paragraph essays along with choices for multiple-paragraph essays. 

A few years ago, my oldest son came home from school with a 10-paragraph research paper assignment.  

After choosing The Holocaust as his topic, he set out to gather knowledge and facts.  

His teacher gave the students an organizational tool which involved index cards.  Basically, he was to brainstorm 10 broad topics related to The Holocaust. He then would write them on 10 different index cards.  

Then as he set out to gather his research, he was to have at least 5 index cards for each broad topic. Those cards were for containing information and/or facts to go with each of the topic cards.  

These would eventually help him to develop his 10 paragraphs for the research paper.

My first thought said it was a great organizational tool and a very concrete way to help the students stay on topic. I quickly realized that this method was probably not the easiest for all kids.  

While he did fine, I would see him occasionally shuffling through cards and getting them mixed up.  

It got me thinking about those students we all have in our classes who have true struggles with organization. Those students might lose research because they misplace or mix up their cards.

As a result, I set out to create an organizer for those students.

Graphic Organizers for Research Writing

One of our graphic organizers follows the same organizational pattern as the index cards.

Instead of separate cards, students write all facts for each paragraph on one sheet of paper.

So for my son’s research paper assignment, he would have had 10 pages to keep in a folder, as opposed to several index cards.  

Obviously, students would have one organizer for each paragraph of their paper, no matter the length of the research paper that was assigned.  

While my son’s work inspired me to create the first organizer, the collection has grown to include a range of planners. You can browse through the set and choose which fit your classroom best.

One of the great aspects of these organizers is that they provide scaffolding for your writers. Students can choose the tool that works and makes sense to them.

Sometimes we find that students benefit from being able to choose their own.

This is a great way to provide choice and help students be successful.

You can download this set of organizers here:

Multi-Paragraph Graphic Organizer

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

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.

Author Study: Meet Seymour Simon - The Curriculum Corner 4-5-6

Monday 6th of April 2020

[…] Research Graphic Organizers […]

• Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology

Dekalb County Schools

5th grade career portfolio.

• Council Members
• 2023-2024 Meeting & Agenda Minutes
• Principal Advisory By Laws
• Continuous School Improvement Plan
• Magnet Program
• Meet the Registrar
• School Board Member
• Counseling Department
• Student Code of Conduct
• Social Media Guidelines
• Microsoft Office Advantage for Students
• Digital Dreamers
• Meet the Teacher Librarian
• Resources and Research
• Student Library Assistants (SLA)
• Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl Team
• Broadcast Procedures
• Opening Middle Closing
• Audition Procedures
• Broadcast Application
• TITLE ONE DOCUMENTS
• Parent Information Sheet
• Uniform Expectations
• Supply List Pre-K -2nd Grade
• Supply List 3rd - 5th Grade
• Supply List Special Areas
• Student Accident insurance Link
• Virtual Learning Support Support for Students
• Parent Reminders

March 13, 2020

Dear Parents,

As part of the Georgia Department of Education initiative to bring career awareness to elementary students, grade specific career awareness lessons and activities have been developed for grades 1-5.  In addition to the lessons and activities, all 5 th grade students are required to complete a Career Portfolio.  Each student’s Career Portfolio will consist of a research essay and project.  The Career Portfolio provides students the opportunity to conduct research and present information about a career of interest.  

The research essay must be single spaced, double spaced between paragraphs using the Times New Roman size 12 font.  The project will consist of a power point presentation.

A Research Paper Outline, cover page sample, career cluster list, and a power point template can be accessed through the school’s webpage at https://tinyurl.com/obamacareerclusters.  All portfolios are to be completed and submitted to the homeroom teacher upon return to school.

It is very important that you work with your child to complete the Career Portfolio.  Please feel free to contact Mrs. Bennett, Counselor, at [email protected] or (770) 964-7221 if you have any questions.  You may also contact Ms. Keeton, Media Specialist, at [email protected] .

Thank you for working with the school in providing the best education for your child.

Fifth Grade Team

Mrs. Ozella H. Bennett, Counselor

Ms. Jacqueline Keeton, Media Specialist

State Report Research Project - Templates for all 50 States

What educators are saying

Also included in.

Description

Are your students writing State Reports? This United States research project includes templates for all 50 states, making it easy to assign each student a different state (if desired.) In just one download, teachers can print a project for each state, as well as a common note-taking sheet that guides students through the research. The State Report is only 3 pages in length (giving students the confidence to complete it with excellence) but is packed with information. When done, students have a resource that can be used again and again!

UPDATE : Additional optional pages have been added to the report. Students can now also report on 2 places to visit, a timeline of the state's history, and/or a famous person from the state.

Included in this State Report project:

• Directions for the teacher
• Recommended resources (both print and digital) to get you started
• Note-taking sheets for students
• Fan project templates for all 50 states
• Maps of the USA so students can locate each state within the country
• Complete answer keys

Students will use the provided note-taking sheets to research one of the fifty states. Then, they transfer their notes onto the fans. This project gives students the opportunity to research, note-take, label maps, publish, cut and color. When done, students have a resource that can be used again and again!

Students label:

• state capital
• major mountains and/or mountain ranges
• major lakes and river
• most populous city

Students write:

• state population
• year of statehood
• bordering states
• state abbreviation
• 3 interesting facts
• state nickname
• state motto

Students draw:

• state flower

3 Additional pages added:

• places to visit
• famous person from the state
• timeline of 4 important events in state's history

See what other teachers are saying!

❤️ "My students and I loved this resource and they were engaged throughout the whole thing. It did not take much time at all to prepare and was very easy to use. It was a great resource to use to learn about the states." Mary K.

❤️ "My students loved doing this project, and I loved that it gave them structure, educational rigor, as well as a “fun” activity (coloring, cutting, and assembling the fans). This is a fabulous alternative to the open-ended “research project” recommended by our textbook. I’ll be using this every year, for sure! " Christa D.

❤️ "I loved using this resource with my students because it was fun, engaging, and easy to use with students of all levels. This made our class projects much less intimidating and raised the end result for all students." Mariah G .

Related Projects for Research

⭐ Planets Fact Fan Research Project

⭐ Continents Project and Craft - Research Report for the 7 Continents

⭐ Regions of the United States - Research and Project for the 5 Regions of the USA

⭐ Volcanoes: Fact Fan Research Project

⭐ Water Cycle: Fact Fan Research Project

Questions & Answers

Amanda garcia.

• We're hiring
• Help & FAQ
• Privacy policy
• Student privacy
• Terms of service
• Tell us what you think

Brief State Non-Medical Exemptions from School Immunization Requirements

All 50 states and Washington D.C. have laws requiring certain vaccines for students to attend school. Many states align their vaccine requirements with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices . All states allow exemptions from school immunization requirements for children who are unable to receive vaccines for medical reasons. State laws vary regarding non-medical exemptions, for religious or personal reasons. Personal exemptions are also referred to as "philosophical exemptions" by some states.

Thirty states and Washington D.C. allow exemptions for people who have religious objections to immunizations. Thirteen states allow exemptions for either religious or personal reasons. Two states, Louisiana and Minnesota, do not specify whether the non-medical exemption must be for religious or personal reasons. Five states do not allow any type of non-medical exemption.

The map below indicates each state's non-medical exemption policy. The map also links to the statutes for each state regarding school vaccine requirements and exemptions. Below the map is a table which provides more information about state exemption laws including exemption exceptions, requirements to obtain a non-medical exemption and information on states that have removed certain exemption policies.

Modal title

Map Source: Adapted from the LexisNexis StateNet Database.

DO NOT DELETE - NCSL Search Page Data

Related resources, artificial intelligence & health care: a primer, the evolving landscape of state health care transaction laws, state cannabis policy enactment database, contact ncsl.

For more information on this topic, use this form to reach NCSL staff.

• What is your role? Legislator Legislative Staff Other
• Is this a press or media inquiry? No Yes
• Admin Email