I MAY NEVER EXACTLY

<3 RESEARCH.

But at least I know how to research well!

Todays Objective

Identifying and writing

a focused research
topic.

Choosing a Focused Research

Topic

You do NOT want a topic that is TOO BROAD.

Ex: What were the events of the Revolutionary
War?
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Choosing a Focused Research

Topic

You do NOT want a topic that is TOO

NARROW.

Ex: How many colonists lived in Colonial America?

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Choosing a Focused Research

Topic

You need a research topic that is in the

Just Right zone.

Ex: What types of weapons were used in the

Revolutionary War?

Words like some or several will help

you make a topic that is too broad into
just right.
You WILL be asked to do this in the
future, so lets practice.
AaahhhJust Right!

 What

historical events
have shaped the
continent of Africa?

Too Broad, Too Narrow, or

Just Right?

 What

venom is
produced from
rattle snakes?

Too Broad, Too Narrow, or

Just Right?

What was Dr.

Martin Luther
Kings contribution
to the Civil Rights
movement?

Too Broad, Too Narrow, or

Just Right?

 Who

wrote the
book Wuthering
Heights?

Too Broad, Too Narrow, or

Just Right?

 What

holidays do
people celebrate
around the
world?

Too Broad, Too Narrow, or

Just Right?

 What

were some
of the causes of
dinosaur
extinction?

Too Broad, Too Narrow, or

Just Right?

 How

has agriculture
(farming) affected
the United States?

Too Broad, Too Narrow, or

Just Right?

Why did Scientists

classify Pluto as a
dwarf planet instead of
a planet?

Too Broad, Too Narrow, or

Just Right?

 Who

was the
inventor of the
iPhone?

Too Broad, Too Narrow, or

Just Right?

Think-Pair-Share.

You are doing a research project on

the Ancient Egypt.

Write a QUESTION that would be

too broad, too narrow, and just
right for you to research in order to
write a paper on.

What youll do now.

On your worksheet, youll be given some

research topic questions.
You will decide if they are Too broad, Too
Narrow or Just Right.
If its too broad or too narrow, please
REVISE the question into a just-right
question.
When everyone has finished, we will share a
few answers.

Part 2

PULLING OUT
RELEVANT DETAILS
FROM A TEXT

Pulling out the Relevant

Details
When youre doing research, youll find
very long articles about your topic.
You need to know how to focus on only
the IMPORTANT details that are
RELEVANT to your research question.
WARNING: YOU ARE GOING TO
HAVE TO READ IN ORDER TO DO
RESEARCH.

Vocabulary Review

What does the word RELEVANT mean?

When you are writing papers, you need to
look for information that actually answers
your research topic question.

--------RESEARCH

Do I need everything?

Imagine that you are writing a research

paper about the hunting habits of Lions.
You did a database search and found a
great article on lions.
Should you include EVERYTHING about
lions that you read in that article? What
should be left out?
Lets try one together

Pulling out the Relevant

Details

Topic: What are the hunting habits

of lions?

Directions: The following is the World Book

Encyclopedia article about lions.
What are some facts that WOULD be relevant to
this topic question?
What are some facts that would NOT be relevant to
this topic question?
EXAMPLE ARTICLE

Assessment

Now, you will try this with a partner. Look at

the passage given to you. Please highlight
only the information given that relates to your
topic question.
When you and your partner are finished,
compare your choices with another group and
talk about why you highlighted what you did.
You will be asked to do this activity
independently as a quiz when we
are finished.

3rd
2nd

st
Research Lesson 3

EVALUATING
SOURCES

Evaluating Sources

In academic settings, we MUST find sources

that can be trusted.

RELIABLE
These are called __________________
sources.

You also need sources that answer your

research question.
These
sources are called _______________.
RELEVANT

You will need these skills both for TCAP and

for higher educationhigh school and
beyond.

Heres what can happen if you

dont use reliable sources

Actual
Example!

Four things to consider about

a source

Authority Who wrote it? What was their

purpose? Are they an expert?
QualityDoes it use academic language? Is it
organized well? Does it have tools to help you
like table of contents, glossary, links, etc.?
Timeliness When was it written? The more
recent the source, the more accurate the
information. (Exception: primary sources can
be old. Why?)
Relevance Does it actually have information on
your topic question?

Topic: What was Elvis Presleys

impact on American Culture in
the 1950s?

Title of Source: (book or article title) http://www.fiftiesweb.com/elvis.htm

Authority (Who wrote it?):

Quality (Does it use academic language? Is it organized well? Does it have tools to help you like table of contents, glossary, links,
etc.?):

Timeliness (When was it written?):

Relevance (Does it actually have information on your topic question?):

Based on your notes above, this source is

Based on your notes above, this source is

RELIABLE

RELEVANT

Because.

NOT RELIABLE

Because.

NOT RELEVANT

Topic: What was Elvis Presleys

impact on American Culture in
the 1950s?

Title of Source: (book or article title) http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar444845&st=presley

Authority (Who wrote it?):

Quality (Does it use academic language? Is it organized well? Does it have tools to help you like table of contents, glossary, links,
etc.?):

Timeliness (When was it written?):

Relevance (Does it actually have information on your topic question?):

Based on your notes above, this source is

Based on your notes above, this source is

RELIABLE

RELEVANT

Because.

NOT RELIABLE

Because.

NOT RELEVANT

Topic: What was Elvis Presleys

impact on American Culture in
the 1950s?

Title of Source: (book or article title) Play It Loud: The Rebellious History of Music by Sara Gilbert

Authority (Who wrote it?):

Quality (Does it use academic language? Is it organized well? Does it have tools to help you like table of contents, glossary, links,
etc.?):

Timeliness (When was it written?):

Relevance (Does it actually have information on your topic question?):

Based on your notes above, this source is

Based on your notes above, this source is

RELIABLE

RELEVANT

Because.

NOT RELIABLE

Because.

NOT RELEVANT

Topic: What was Elvis Presleys

impact on American Culture in
the 1950s?

Title of Source: (book or article title) National Enquirer Magazine

Authority (Who wrote it?):

Quality (Does it use academic language? Is it organized well? Does it have tools to help you like table of contents, glossary, links,
etc.?):

Timeliness (When was it written?):

Relevance (Does it actually have information on your topic question?):

Based on your notes above, this source is

Based on your notes above, this source is

RELIABLE

RELEVANT

Because.

NOT RELIABLE

Because.

NOT RELEVANT

Topic: What was Elvis Presleys

impact on American Culture in
the 1950s?

Title of Source: (book or article title) Elvis Sightings (http://hamsterrepublic.com/html/elvis.html)

Authority (Who wrote it?):

Quality (Does it use academic language? Is it organized well? Does it have tools to help you like table of contents, glossary, links,
etc.?):

Timeliness (When was it written?):

Relevance (Does it actually have information on your topic question?):

Based on your notes above, this source is

Based on your notes above, this source is

RELIABLE

RELEVANT

Because.

NOT RELIABLE

Because.

NOT RELEVANT

Topic: What was Elvis Presleys

impact on American Culture in
the 1950s?

Title of Source: (book or article title) The 1950s: From the Korean War to Elvis

Authority (Who wrote it?):

Quality (Does it use academic language? Is it organized well? Does it have tools to help you like table of contents, glossary, links,
etc.?):

Timeliness (When was it written?):

Relevance (Does it actually have information on your topic question?):

Based on your notes above, this source is

Based on your notes above, this source is

RELIABLE

RELEVANT

Because.

NOT RELIABLE

Because.

NOT RELEVANT

Topic: What was Elvis Presleys impact on

American Culture in the 1950s?
Resource Title

Justification

(In order from MOST useful to your

research project to LEAST useful.)

1.

This text is the most reliable and relevant. I know

this because

2.

This text is the next most reliable and relevant. I

know this because

3.

This text is the third most reliable and relevant. I

know this because

4.

This text is the third most reliable and relevant. I

know this because
This text is the third most reliable and relevant. I
know this because

5.
6.

This text is the least reliable and relevant. I know

this because

Group Assessment

Each group will get a topic card and 4 sources.

Each person will fill out an evaluation form on
ONE of the sources.
Then, you will share your findings and use that
to rank the sources from best to worst as a
group on the blue worksheet.
All of your worksheets will be turned in at the
end of class, stapled to your blue ranking
sheet.

Lesson 4:
Citing Different Types of Sources

Materials:
Books on states.
Worksheets
Laptops per pair of students.

I MAY NEVER EXACTLY

<3 RESEARCH.

But at least I know how to research well!

Think-Pair-Share

Think for a minute about this topic:

It is illegal to use another persons ideas.

However, isnt all research using others

ideas? How is that okay?

When time is up, talk about it with a

person sitting next to you.
We will share out answers in a few
minutes.

What is Plagiarism?

Watch this video clip from Rutgers

University

Plagiarism

Using the ideas of another without giving

them credit.
Examples:
Stealing anothers thoughts and pretending

theyre yours.
Buying a paper online.
Copying and pasting from a resource.

Cite

To cite someones work is to refer back to it

to use their ideas to prove your point, but to
give them credit.
We use MLA to cite work in a certain format.
Back in the dark ages, we had to go on a
scavenger hunt for information to cite.
Now, we have tools such as Online Databases
and EasyBib.
We use this to make a BIBLIOGRAPHY listing
all the sources we used for a research project.

Citing a Book

Authors Name

Title of Book
Place of Publication
Publisher
Year of Publication
Medium of Publication

Authors Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Place of

Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of
Publication.
White, E. B. Charlottes Web. New York: Harper Collins
Publishers, 1980. Print.

Website

A website is a page or group of

pages on the internet that are
maintained by one person or
group.
ANYONE can make a website.
Can be on ANY topic
Some are more reliable than others.

(.com, .net, .org., .edu, .gov )

YOU must make the citation; its not
done for you (like in a database).

Where to find Citations:

World Book
This is your
citation
information.
Copy and
paste it or write
it down on your
worksheet if
you use this
article as a
resource.

Using EasyBib
Library Website Research EasyBib Citations Generator

Try this on your own

I will give you book about a state and one

laptop for you and your partner to share.
This state is your topic for todays
assignment.
Use EasyBib to find a citation for your book.
Then, use Google to find a citation for a
website about your state.
Finally, use a computer to find a citation for
your state in a Database.