Choosing a Topic and Forming a Research Question Introduction Choosing and narrowing a topic Forming a research question Talk About It Your Turn Tech Tools in this presentation KartOO Clusty Ask.com

Joe needs to focus on just one topic that he really wants to learn about. Then he can come up with a question that will guide him as he does his research. I want to write a research paper about soccer, but there are so many topics I could write about! Introduction

rules teams tricks basics

One way to break a broad subject down into topics is to use a concept map. From your map, choose the topic that is most interesting to you. SOCCER leagues equipment rules famous players Olympic soccer countries where soccer is played Introduction

Tech Tool: KartOO A search engine such as KartOO can also help break down a broad subject. KartOO displays search results in an interactive map. A list down the left side suggests other topics that you might want to research.

Tech Tip KartOO Clicking one of the topics in the list that KartOO creates will bring up a new, more specific map.

The topic for a research project should be just the right size: not so small that you will run out of things to say not so big that you can’t cover all of the information well Narrowing a topic

David Beckham If the topic you’ve chosen is too big, you should narrow your topic. Narrowing a topic soccer Mia Hamm Pele famous players

Tech Tool: Clusty Another way to narrow down a topic is to use a search engine such as Clusty. Clusty groups similar Web sites into clusters. These clusters can show how your subject might be broken down into topics. If you click the plus sign beside a cluster, Clusty will narrow the topic even further.

Another search engine, Ask.com, also can help you narrow down your topic. When you type in your topic, it suggests additional topics that you might try. Tech Tool: Ask.com As you enter your search terms, Ask.com lists related searches you could try.

can’t be answered with a simple fact found in one source Good research question: How many kinds of sharks are there? is clear and specific Poor research question: Researchers often form a question that asks specifically what they are looking for. A good research question Forming a research question What types of sharks live off the coast of California?

No. Not specific enough. No. Too narrow. Can be answered with a fact from one source. Forming a research question Are these good research questions? Yes, this is clear and specific. The answer requires collecting and analyzing information from multiple sources. What is a soccer ball made of? Should soccer be taught in public school? What are the basic skills a soccer player should know?

Keywords are the most important words in your research. What are the keywords in this research question? When you begin to look for information to answer your question, you can use the keywords to start your search. Forming a research question

You may also want to list synonyms of your keywords to have additional search possibilities when you look for information later. fundamental soccer skills important soccer skills essential soccer skills Research Tip Synonyms What are the basic skills a soccer player should know? Synonyms:

Tech Tool: Ask.com Let’s take another look at Ask.com. You can begin to look for answers to your research question by entering it in the Ask.com search bar.

A focused topic and a specific research question are the start to a winning research project! Forming a research question

Discuss these questions with your classmates. 2.If you decided that it was not a good research question, how would you change it to make it better? Talk About It What should schools do to help students make good decisions about nutrition? 1.Is this a good research question? Why or why not?

Use a piece of paper or a computer to follow these steps: 2. Use a concept map to break the subject into topics, and then narrow one of the topics. 3. Use one of the search tools in this lesson to break down the same subject into smaller topics and then narrow one of the topics. Your Turn 1. Type or write down a broad subject that interests you. 4. Did you come up with different ideas by using the two methods? Tell whether the concept map or the search tool was more effective for you, and why.

2.Concept map: 1.A subject that interests me is: 3.The search tool that I used was: 4.Different ideas that I came up with are: The tool that I found more effective was: It was more effective because: Your Turn

2. Concept map: 1. A subject that interests me is giraffes. 3. The search tool that I used was KartOO. Your Turn: Possible Responses 4.Yes, I came up with different ideas, using KartOO. It listed African savanna, mother, and photography. My concept map was more effective for me. The topics I thought of on my own interest me more than the ones I found using KartOO. foodhabitat babies populationcaptivity adaptation giraffes Mother’s care Development Predators

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