Part 1
EAST VINCENT SCIENCE FAIR
Research for
the Real World
Key Question:
What do I need to find out before I start experimenting, and how to I find that information?
By now, you've already selected and discussed an investigation question with your teacher. Let's start thinking about what you'll need to research before you start experimenting.
We can find background information in many, many places: books, magazines, television, encyclopedias, and the internet. Because your science investigation is probably a very specific topic, one of your best sources for research is most likely the internet. But locating quality information on the internet is tricky if you don't have strong research skills. Let's break it down into small steps.
First, we need to decide what we need to research by creating a keyword list. Let's practice together by creating a keyword web for our class project. Then you can create your own keyword web using bubbl.us.
What do I need
to find out before
I experiment?
Now let's use our QUICK form to practice determining the quality of a website. Categorize the websites as a "great source,"
Before you begin searching for information, you need to understand a few important details of the internet:
1. Any person in the world can publish
content on the internet.
2. Not everything published on the internet
is true.
Let's learn how to tell if a website is a good source of information by visiting the QUICK (QUality Information ChecKlist) website.
"okay source," or "not useable source." Record your ideas on your QUICK form.
Site A Site B Site C Site D
Site E Site F Site G Site H
Site I Site J
Now that you have your keyword list, and you know how to determine if a site is a good resource for you, let's starting gathering the information you need to start your project. Your teacher will show you how to use Flowgram to highlight important details and summarize the ideas in a note. We'll also create your bibliography using EasyBib. Before you get started, check out this Flowgram containing background research for the project: Which boat will hold the most cargo?
Search Engines
Video
Sources
(see your teacher
for account info.)
Step 1:
Getting Started
Step 4: Getting
Ready to Publish
Step 3:
Highlighting
& Adding Notes
Step 5:
Sharing
Your Work
Step 2: EasyBib
Task
