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Walk in Someone Else’s Shoes  

Research Project 
Project: 
You are going to choose one of the following questions to answer for your research 
project. The ​goal​ of your project​ ​is to​ learn what life is like for someone else. 
 
What is it like to have ADD/ADHD? What is is like to have severe OCD? 
What is it like to have dyslexia? What is it like to live in [country]? 
What is it like to survive a disaster? What is it like to be deaf? 
What is it like to be 90 years old? What is it like to be blind? 
What is it like to be autistic? What is it like to be colorblind? 
What is it like to have depression? What is it like to go hungry? 
What is it like to have dementia? What is it like to have cancer? 
What is it like to live in poverty? What is it like to be a little person? 
Ask a question of your own! 
 
During the project, you have the choice to look only at your specific topic ​OR​ to 
find a person that has a connection to your topic. For example, I could research 
dyslexia or how dyslexia affects Henry Winkler (author & actor). 
 
Step 1: Choose Your Topic 
Remember, the goal is to learn about a life that is different than yours. If you 
choose your own topic, please discuss it with me. 
Step 2: Start Researching 
Begin looking for articles and books that talk about your topic. When you find 
something you like, print it and highlight the important information. 
Step 3: Notecards 
Create notecards for the information that you highlighted. Remember: a notecard 
has a clue word, bulleted facts OR a direct quote, and the author’s name. 
Step 4: Organize Notecards 
After you have notecards for 3-5 sources, organize the information into 5 
categories: Introduction, Background Information, Your Discoveries, Conclusion. 
Step 5: Start Writing 
Begin writing the paragraphs that will go under each heading (Introduction, 
Background Information, etc). Make sure you include and cite your sources. 
Step 6: Put it All Together 
Complete your poster by gluing the paragraphs you wrote and any relevant images. 
Wow me with the look of your poster! 
 
Walk In Someone Else’s Shoes 
Answer each question for each pair of shoes. When finished, put your pencil down 
so I know you are done. 
 
High Heels  
What do you think the owner looks like? 
 
 
 
What is their job? What do they do for fun? 
 
 
 
Would they be someone you want to hang out with? Why or why not? 
 
 
 
Black Boots 
What do you think the owner looks like? 
 
 
 
What is their job? What do they do for fun? 
 
 
 
Would they be someone you want to hang out with? Why or why not? 
 
 
 
Black Tennis Shoes 
What do you think the owner looks like? 
 
 
 
What is their job? What do they do for fun? 
 
 
 
Would they be someone you want to hang out with? Why or why not?   
Poster Project Rubric 
 
Name: __________________________ Date: ______________ 
 
Poster Presentation 
Ideas and Content _____ / 10 
All information relevant to topic, presented clearly 
Thesis _____ / 5 
Strong thesis, clearly outlines the topic and purpose 
Organization _____ / 5 
All information is presented in logical manner, no jumping between topics 
Aesthetics _____ / 5 
​Poster is visually appealing, has color and images, organized nicely 
Introduction _____ / 5 
Clearly states topic and brief overview of information 
Quotations _____ / 15 
Support knowledge, cited properly, mix of DQ, LDQ, and paraphrase 
Conclusion _____ / 10 
Summarizes information and explains what student has learned 
Sentence Fluency _____ / 5 
All sentences flow, audience does not struggle to understand 
Grammar and Conventions _____ / 5 
Few to no grammatical errors, writing is still easy to read 
30 Notecards _____ / 15 
All notecards are formatted correctly and turned in on time 
 
Oral Presentation 
Mastery of Topic _____ / 10 
Student clearly knows topic, does not stumble in presenting 
Voice while Presenting _____ / 10 
Voice is clear, appropriate sound level 
 
Total Points: _____ /100 
 
Letter Grade:_____  
Notes: 
 
   
Walk In Someone Else’s Shoes - Day 1 
Miss Laura Howard 
Objectives:
Students will be able to:
● Practice gathering evidence through the Walk In Someone Else’s Shoes activity.
● Consider life from the perspective of someone that is different than themselves.
● Understand the criteria for the research project.
Standards:
W 9-10.2 Informative writing using relevant sources, organization, and analysis to convey ideas.
W 9-10.4 Compose a clear, logical piece of writing to demonstrate understanding of a topic.
W 9-10.7 Focus research around a central question.
W 9-10.8 Gather information and determine the credibility of sources used.

Anticipatory Set:
Students will look at shoes belonging to three unique individuals and try to learn about each
person with no information outside of what the shoes provide. When they are done, they will
share their answers with the class and I will reveal the shoes belong to and a little bit of their
backgrounds.

Materials:
● 3 pairs of shoes
● Walk In Someone Else’s Shoes handout
● Introduction to Walk In Someone Else’s Shoes research project
● Poster Project Rubric
Procedures:
1. Begin class by reviewing the skills they have just learned (quoting, paraphrasing,
researching, citations).
2. Introduce the Walk In Someone Else’s Shoes activity. Encourage students to make
educated assumptions about the owner of each pair of shoes.
3. Allow students roughly 10 minutes to investigate the shoes and to answer the questions
provided on the Walk In Someone Else’s Shoes handout.
4. Ask the students to share some of their observations over the first set of shoes (high
heels).
5. Show the picture of the owner of these shoes and give some background information.
6. Repeat for each pair of shoes. ​(10-15 min)
7. Discuss how some of their assumptions were pretty far off. Help them come to the
conclusion that you need more than one aspect of a person to truly understand what their
life is like. ​Check for Understanding.
8. Introduce the research project. The students should open Canvas, go to Files, Research
Project, and Introduction to Project. ​(10 min)
9. Focus on Step 1 and the possible topics. ​Check for Understanding.
10. Let them know that no two students can have the same topic and to choose a topic that
are unfamiliar with but are interested in.
11. With extra time, allow students to choose their topic and begin researching.
Closure:
Ask the following questions:
● What is the goal of this project?
● What do you predict you will learn?
● What part of this project are you most excited about?
Each student should provide an answer to at least one of the questions.

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