Research+Project

=__1st Quarter Project__= Select a group of living creatures that live in our area. This is a two-part project, first, you'll need to get your hands dirty with a hands-on portion. For instance, you might make a terrarium for a frog, a worm farm, press flowers and put them on a poster or use trail-cam pictures of white tailed deer. Secondly, you need to research your creature. This could take the form of a paper, Powerpoint/Prezi, trifold board, podcast or any other appropriate method. You need to have at least three sources (make a proper bibliography!) with at least one of the sources NOT coming from the internet.

This project is due by October 18th, but you are encouraged to finish before that. You may do your hands-on portion at a different time than the research portion. For instance, you might choose to dissect a fish in front of the class for your hands-on portion and then give me a trifold board on your research two weeks later. At least part of the project must be presented to me, but may be presented to the whole class if you wish. Be prepared to answer questions about what you did.

__PBL__
__[|PBL for the 21st Century]__

__[|Edutopia]__

__[|PBL-Online]__

__Misc.__
__[|Add animation to your project]__

__[|Bibme]__

__[|Citation Machine]__

__[|Newspaper Clipping]__

Step 1: Task Definition -- Critical in helping students This is an important first step in helping students create a quality product, whether it be a paper, PowerPoint, poster, movie, Prezi, brochure, etc. In the spirit of not reinventing the wheel, here are two great websites that schools have created to help their students succeed.
 * determine what is expected of them (due date, project format, etc.)
 * find a topic, narrow it down and write a thesis statement
 * determine what new knowledge they're seeking
 * think about the types of information that might provide that knowledge (statistics, maps, opinion, etc.)

@http://www.uen.org/k12educator/big6/task.shtml

@http://www.crlsresearchguide.org/Big_Six_Step_1.asp

This is a critical step in finding quality information. In the spirit of not reinventing the wheel, here are two great websites that schools have created to help their students succeed. @http://www.uen.org/k12educator/big6/information.shtml
 * Step 2: Information-seeking Strategies -- Critical in helping students
 * identify key words to search
 * group ideas
 * determine many different types of sources (other than Wikipedia and YouTube)
 * find which sources are available
 * choose which sources might best answer their questions or research needs
 * extract relevant information from sources

@http://www.crlsresearchguide.org/Big_Six_Step_2.asp ||

**Step 3: Location and Access --** Critical in helping students In the spirit of not reinventing the wheel, here are two great websites that schools have created to help their students succeed.
 * ** Step 3 - Location and Access ** ||
 * determine the best source for their information need
 * physically locate sources, including those in print and digital formats
 * figure out the organization of information inside a source, whether it is digital or print
 * find information within the source

@http://www.uen.org/k12educator/big6/location.shtml

@http://www.crlsresearchguide.org/Big_Six_Step_3.asp

This is a critical step in making quality use of the information and practicing good digital citizenship.
 * ** Step 4 - Use of Information **(CITW Strategies 6 & 8)-- Critical in helping students:
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">choose information that helps them answer their research need
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">find information written at a level they can understand
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">extract information from sources using note taking skills or tools
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">organize information using outlines, graphic organizers, etc.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">determine information reliability
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">cite sources correctly

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://www.uen.org/k12educator/big6/use.shtml__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://www.crlsresearchguide.org/Big_Six_Step_4.asp__] ||


 * **Step 5 - Synthesis:** Putting it all together ||


 * **Step 6 - Evaluation** ||