Step One: Task Definition 1.1 Define the Information Problem: What does your teacher want you to know?  Make sure you understand the assignment and the teacher’s requirements.  Ask the teacher if you are confused about anything  Restate the assignment in your own words to make sure you completely understand

Step One: Task Definition 1.2 What information do you need in order to complete the assignment?  Many times, the teacher will tell you what information you need  If not, you might want to write a list of questions to look up  Example Assignment: Your teacher has asked you to choose a Greek god or goddess to research. Your first question may be: Which god or goddess do I want to research? Is there a list to choose from? After that, some questions may be: What are they the god/goddess of? What is there physical description? What are their interactions with mortals?

Step One: Task definition Graphic Organizers may be useful for this step  Ask your librarian if tools such as “Inspiration” ( are available.  Free graphic organizers for different types of assignments can also be found at

Step Two: Information Seeking Strategies 2.1 Make a list of all the possible sources you could use to answer your questions. Consider the following:  Books  Encyclopedias  Ask your librarian about any websites your library subscribes to  Interviews  Observations  Free websites

Step Two: Information Seeking Strategies 2.2 Evaluate the different possible sources in order to select the best ones  Look at the list of sources and circle the ones that are available to you and easy to use  Next, evaluate your sources: Is the author an expert on the subject? Is the information current? Is the information accurate? Is the website sponsered by and linked to credible sources? Is the information source objective or are they trying to “sell” you something?  Ask your teacher, librarian, or parents if you need help using a source

Step Three: Location and Accesss 3.1 Locate your sources  Where will you get your sources? Write the location by your source If it’s a website, write its address If it’s a person, write how you will contact them  Example: Mythology websites- pe/greek/ (if it’s a site your teacher has linked or a site your library subscribes to) -or- Book-school library

Step three: Location and Access 3.2 Finding the information within the sources: How do you find the answers to your questions within the sources?  Make a list of words that will help you find the information you are looking for. These are called keywords. Example: “Greek Mythology” or “Zeus” (if that is the god you have chosen)  Different sources have different ways to find information: Books have an index or a table of contents Encyclopedias have an index volume that is usually the last volume in the set Subscription websites (Gale, Worldbook Online, etc) use keywords in the search box as does general Internet search engines. You may have to try keywords alone or in different combinations to get the results you want.