Teaching Research Skills Through Social Studies Elementary Students Can and Should Learn to Research! Dr. Christine Van Hamersveld Program Director for Library Media Services

Part 1: Why Research?

Mindset Question: What is Research? Exploration Investigation Inquiry Questioning Problem Solving

Research: Dictionary Definition “Scientific or scholarly investigation” “Close, careful study” Source: Webster’s II New Riverside Dictionary

Mindset Question: Why should elementary students do research? Research promotes:  literacy, higher level thinking, independent learning, problem solving, the development of information literacy skills. Research prepares students for:  more complex research assignments at the secondary level.  life-long learning. Vision:  Produce the Nation’s Best Mission:  We exist to prepare each student academically and socially to be a: critical thinker problem solver; and responsible and productive citizen.

Mindset Question: Can elementary student really do research? Elementary students are naturally curious about the world around them and seek information / understanding through questioning. Activity – Discuss your experiences with elementary student research with your neighbor(s). Be ready to share success stories and problems with the group.

Mindset Question: Can research be integrated into the curriculum? It can be. It should be. The TEKS for Social Studies, Technology Applications, and other content areas require it.

TEKS and Research Research / information literacy skills are mentioned in the Social Studies TEKS for kindergarten through fifth grade. The TEKS clearly outline expectations for developing students’ critical thinking, communication, and problem solving skills through exposure to and use of information in a variety of formats and the use of technology.

TEKS: Kindergarten – Grade 1 Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of sources including electronic technology. The student is expected to:  (A) obtain information about a topic using a variety of oral sources such as conversations, interviews, and music;  (B) obtain information about a topic using a variety of visual sources such as pictures, symbols, television, maps, computer images, print material, and artifacts;  (C) sequence and categorize information; and  (D) identify main ideas from oral, visual, and print sources.

TEKS: Kindergarten/Grade 1 Cont. Social studies skills. The student uses problem-solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others, in a variety of settings. The student is expected to:  (A) use a problem-solving process to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution; and  (B) use a decision-making process to identify a situation that requires a decision, gather information, identify options, predict consequences, and take action to implement a decision.

TEKS: Grade 2 Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of sources including electronic technology. The student is expected to:  (A) obtain information about a topic using a variety of oral sources such as conversations, interviews, and music;  (B) obtain information about a topic using a variety of visual sources such as pictures, graphics, television, maps, computer software, literature, reference sources, and artifacts;  (C) use various parts of a source, including the table of contents, glossary, and index, as well as keyword computer searches, to locate information;  (D) sequence and categorize information; and  (E) interpret oral, visual, and print material by identifying the main idea, predicting, and comparing and contrasting.

TEKS – Grade 2 Continued Social studies skills. The student uses problem- solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others, in a variety of settings. The student is expected to:  (A) use a problem-solving process to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution; and  (B) use a decision-making process to identify a situation that requires a decision, gather information, identify options, predict consequences, and take action to implement a decision.

Aldine ISD Social Studies K-5 Kindergarten: Community Helpers 1 st Grade: My Family 2 nd Grade: Citizenship 3 rd Grade: Houston and Aldine 4 th Grade: Texas History 5 th Grade: American History

Rethinking Research for Young Students Research does not need to be  A formal assignment  A lengthy assignment  An individual assignment  A complete project

Rethinking Research for Young Students Research can be:  thought of as questioning and incorporated into all instruction / learning.  thought of as problem solving and incorporated into all instruction / learning.  used to encourage children’s natural curiosity.  taught, in small doses, through repetition and opportunity for practice.  fun for students and teachers!

Part 2: Teaching the Research Process

Research experiences should be highly structured to facilitate success. Students are not born knowing how to do research. The research process is learned slowly, throughout a student’s school career. Many research opportunities must be provided starting in the elementary grades.

Research Models Research models move students beyond “Information Shopping Trips”. Research models provide structure for students until the research process is internalized.

Learning to Drive Think about how you learned to drive and what you do today, as an adult, when you drive to work in the morning.

What is Big6? Big6 is an information problem-solving strategy used by people of all ages to work through any type of personal or academic problem, assignment, decision, or task. All Aldine librarians have received training in Big6. Ask your librarian to work with you to plan research activities for your students!

Big6 Steps 1. Task Definition 2. Information Seeking Strategies 3. Location and Access 4. Use of Information 5. Synthesis 6. Evaluation *Each step can be broken down into two sub- steps (see handout).

The Big6 Process People go through the Big6 stages—consciously or not—when they seek or apply information to solve a problem or make a decision. It’s not necessary to complete these stages in a linear order, and a given stage doesn’t have to take a lot of time. Almost all successful problem-solving situations address all stages of the process.

What is the Super 3? Simplified version of the Big6™ (see handout) Designed for younger learners in preschool through 2nd grades Three Steps  Beginning: PLAN  Middle: DO  End: REVIEW

Big6 Resources  Lessons  Newsletter  Handouts  Links to other resources

Research Word Wall Librarians have this word wall in the library (see handouts). Goal for librarians & teachers - teach research terms to students throughout the school year. Students should associate these words with learning, not just with a subject area or the library!

Part 3: Resources for Students

Search the Following Resources netTrekker Encyclopedia Britannica Culture Grams Scott Foresman

09.html

Why Use Aldine’s Online Databases? Aldine provides subscriptions to a wealth of resources not available for free on the Internet (see handouts). These resources are:  Age appropriate content, reading level (many are Lexiled)  Authoritative  Relevant to curriculum (many are correlated to TEKS)

Curriculum Related Research Resources  Click on “Students”  Click on “Internet resources”  Select databases from the alphabetical list  All resources can be accessed from within the district and from outside the district

AP Photo Archives Contains the AP's current photos and a selection of pictures from their 50 million image print and negative library Searchable by event, date, or location Correlated to the TEKS Primary source material

CultureGrams CultureGrams – Access information on countries and states that go beyond mere facts and figures and deliver a one-of-a-kind perspective on daily life and culture.

EBSCO Multiple interfaces to make information accessible to students in all grades Multiple formats Periodical resources, reference sources, nonfiction book collection Primary and secondary source material

Encyclopedia Britannica icleId=353852&query=Sarah%20Hale&ct=nul l

Encyclopedia Britannica Online Britannica Online School Edition includes the following: Britannica Elementary Encyclopedia, Compton's Encyclopedia by Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica includes over 34,000 images; over 3,300 video and media pieces; a dictionary with audio pronunciations; and over 500 student learning materials and teacher resources for all levels.

Facts on File Topics: History, science, health, literature, career guidance, personal and business forms Format of resources  Maps and charts  Primary and secondary sources  Brief articles  Images Printable curriculum resources/handouts

Maps101 Includes over 4,000 online resources and maps, optimized for printing and immediate classroom use.  historical maps  outline map sets  reference atlases  lesson plans, current events, games and skill builders for students, and other classroom resources

netTrekker Educational search engine Provides fast and easy access to more than 180,000 high quality, pre-screened, and educationally relevant K-12 online resources Resources are aligned with TEKS

Scott Foresman Social Studies A great resource for social studies, Scott Foresman Social Studies provides access to wonderful activities that include a Social Studies Library, Current Events, Atlas, This Day in History, Meet the People, and many activities.

netTrekker – Primary Source Documents Related to Thanksgiving yamerica_kit.php Letter from Sarah Hale to Abraham Lincoln Lincoln Thanksgiving Proclamation

(4) Information acquisition. The student uses a variety of strategies to acquire information from electronic resources, with appropriate supervision. The student is expected to: (A) apply keyword searches to acquire information; and (B) select appropriate strategies to navigate and access information for research and resource sharing. (5) Information acquisition. The student acquires electronic information in a variety of formats, with appropriate supervision. The student is expected to: (A) acquire information including text, audio, video, and graphics; and (B) use on-line help.

(6) Information acquisition. The student evaluates the acquired electronic information. The student is expected to: (A) determine the success of strategies used to acquire electronic information; and (B) determine the usefulness and appropriateness of digital information.

(8) Solving problems. The student uses research skills and electronic communication, with appropriate supervision, to create new knowledge. The student is expected to: (A) use communication tools to participate in group projects; and (B) use electronic tools and research skills to build a knowledge base regarding a topic, task, or assignment.

Who Was Sarah Hale? Super 3  Plan – How can we find out information about Sarah Hale  Do  Review – What did we learn about Sarah Hale? How is she connected with Thanksgiving? What lesson can we learn from Sarah Hale? If she were alive today, what tools would she use to communicate with others and lobby for change?

ss/hale1.html

Activity Thank You, Sarah: The Woman who Saved Thanksgiving (see handout with TEKS)  by Laurie Halse Anderson, illustrated by Matt Faulkner

Directions Using the electronic resources that your students would use, find information about Sarah Josepha Hale and the related topic of Thanksgiving. See if you can locate an encyclopedia article and primary source documents related to Thanksgiving. Hint: put “Sarah Josepha Hale” to search more efficiently!

Teacher-Librarian Collaboration Collaboration between teachers and the librarian is the key to:  successfully introducing elementary students to research,  and to providing multiple opportunities for students to internalize the research process. Handout: What Should a Teacher Expect a School Library Media Specialist to Be?