AHS Library Expectations M s. Payne Ask questions Have a pencil/paper ready for notes Sit up and pay attention!

The Big 6 Research Process Inquiry Based Learning

You have your topic...now what? Create an essential question to guide your research Essential Questions (EQ's): Point to the heart of a subject and often are controversial. Generate multiple answers, perspectives and lead to other questions. Lead to discovery and in-depth study. Answers to essential questions cannot be found; they must be invented. The product of your research should reflect the answer(s) to your EQs.

1. The question needs to be researchable! It cannot be a "yes" or "no" question or one that only allows for one word/list of answers. The question must allow for a lot of data and information to be sifted through in order to be answered- details, details! What NOT to do: What organizations support the death penalty? How many plays did Shakespeare write? In which states was the Civil War fought? 2. The question has to have concrete meaning- it cannot be solely based on opinion. Everything must be based on evidence and research from reliable sources. Tips for Developing Essential Questions What NOT to do: Should the death penalty be made illegal? Is Shakespeare a great author? Was the Civil War an important time in US history?

EQ Examples: Topic- Civil War EQ- Some say our country remains wounded by the slavery experience and the Civil War. In what ways might this claim be true and in what ways untrue? Topic- Shakespeare EQ- Why do we still study Shakespeare today? Topic- Death Penalty EQ- How does the death penalty impact society?

You try... Topic- Fad Diets EQ? Topic- Neil Armstrong EQ? Partners- with a partner, develop an EQ for each topic. Be prepared to share with the class.

Supporting Questions These are additional questions to provide background and guide the work you do to find the answer to your Essential Question. They are more topic specific. They help us support an answer to the Essential Question. Supporting questions will have specific answers, but you must elaborate with details and additional information to explain your answer. Supporting Question Essential Question

Example: EQ- Why do so many Americans try fad diets? Supporting Questions: How many Americans report trying a fad diet each year? What are some of the most popular fad diets in America? What are the main reasons cited as to why people diet? What short term effects do fad diets have on the body? What long term effects do fad diets have on the body? How popular are fad diets in foreign countries?

Create Supporting Questions: Rally Robin Yo u and your partner take turns creating supporting questions (write them down). The person with the longest hair starts! You will have 2 minutes to create as many questions as you can. EQ: How does the death penalty impact American society? Supporting Questions:

You try... Activity based on "The World on the Turtle's Back"