Seventh Grade

Conducting Research Lesson Plan

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Step-by-Step Process
Choosing a Topic or Defining a Task
Developing Questions
Finding Sources
Selecting and Evaluating Sources
Recording and Organizing Information
Making the Product
Evaluating the Work

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Step 1: Choosing a Topic or Defining

a Task
Narrow or broaden the topic
Note what is already known
Get an overview of the topic
Learn a little bit about the topic

Explain the purpose state the purpose

What am I doing?
Why am I doing this?

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Step 2: Developing Questions

Speeds up research
Adds purpose to the search
Adds direction for gathering
information
Focuses attention of the searcher
Lets practice with the Aquaduct Bike
http://theaquaduct.blogspot.com

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Generating Questions
Use research phrases to prompt
research questions:

It might be interesting to know if . . .

It might be interesting to know that . . .

It might be interesting to know when . . .

It might be interesting to know how . . .

Historically, I wonder how . . .

I wonder if . . . Is related to . . .

I wonder what influences . . .

I wonder what causes . . .

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Step 3: Finding Sources

What are the possible sources?
Where can I find these sources?

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What Are Possible Sources?

Books
Journals
Research from scholars
Reference works (i.e. dictionaries,
encyclopedias, etc.)
Magazine articles
Newspaper articles
Web sites
Interviews

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Myth: You can find everything you need

for your research on the Internet.

Too much information has been

written to have it all on the Internet
Copyright doesnt allow everything to
be on the Internet

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Keyword Searching
Keyword searching is very powerful
Keyword searching is very fast
Very often this is the only searching
option especially when using a search
engine on the Internet

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Keyword Searching
Remember a computer is really
pretty stupid; it is fast and
manipulate information, but it
cannot THINK!
Most of the time it doesnt even
know that a car and an automobile
are the same thing.
You need to know how to speak the
computers language.

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Step 4: Selecting and Evaluating

Sources

Decide which sources to use

Sources must contain
answers to questions asked
Evaluate the sources

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Why Did He Create This Site?

Because he could!
No Internet police
No regulations
To teach!!
What is the next question?

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Question
How do you know a website is
good/credible?
Answer:
We have to learn to evaluate.

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Evaluation
LINK to Wolfgram site:
This is a good site!
This tells us what to think about
before using an informational
website

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Credibility
Who is responsible?
Any qualifications?
Usually found at beginning or end of site

What organization do they represent?

Have you heard of this organization?
Check the homepage

Links?
How do we verify credibility?
Postal address
Telephone number
E-mail?? --- NO NO NO not enough!

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Accuracy
Date?
Revision Date?
Errors?
Spelling?
Grammar?

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Reasonableness
Emotionalism? (Mr. Bunny!)
Purpose of the site?
Bias?
Identify bias in your research!

Advertising?

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Support
Information in any other place?
Domain
http://www.west-fargo.k12.nd.us

.k12 School
.edu College or University
.com Commercial
.net Internet Resource
.org Nonprofit Organization
.gov - Government

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Decision Time!
Do you or do you not use the site?
No, if you cannot verify the authors or
sponsoring organization

Then you need to carefully decide

considering all of the criteria

C A R S
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C A R S
Credibility?
Accuracy?
Reasonableness?
Support?
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Lets Use CARS

Sites to evaluate using

CARS

http://www.whitehouse.net
http://
www.theonion.com/articles/department-o
f-agriculture-locates-perfect-goat,338
52/
http://
www.encyclopedia.com/topic/global_wa
rming.aspx
http://www.wwii.org
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietna
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m

Step 5: Recording and

Organizing Information
Many different ways to record and
organize
Write in phrases
Put in own words (NO plagiarism)
Answer the questions

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Four Items to Include on Card

1. TOPIC

2. WHERE YOU FOUND THE INFORMATION

3. PARAPHRASED INFORMATION YOU FOUND

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4. PAGE YOU FOUND THIS FACT ON

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Step 6: Making the Product

Product must show what has been
learned
Be creative
Many ideas for end products
Synthesis must be evident
Aquaduct of similar bike research
product
http://engin1000.pbworks.com/w/
page/18942685/Bicycle-powered%2
0Water%20Pump%20%20%20Purifier
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Step 7: Evaluating the Work

Decide on evaluation criteria ahead
of time.
How did you meet expectations?
Did you have others look at your
info and give advice?

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