This book is designed to guide students through a step-by-step process of looking at interests, finding an area of research, and narrowing it down to an appropriate topic for an independent project. It is also intended to help students choose a project in which they can share their research with others. Section 1, "Charting a Course," includes a questionnaire about students families, schools, likes, and dislikes, to help students start thinking about what topics or activities they like to study. It then provides sentences describing students, so that students can identify the methods of learning best suited for their needs. A list of broad topics to study is provided, along with more specific interests. Section 2, "Embarking on a Journey of Discovery," helps students gather information about an area of study and interview people. Section 3, "Sharing Your Journey with Others," provides pages to help stimulate ideas about how the student would like to present their research and an appropriate audience. The final section, "In Your Travel Case," provides a letter to parents on the topic selected for research, a chart to help keep track of topic areas selected, and a planning page for future studies. (CR)