1. Research How to use research tools effectively

2. 6 Steps to online research Questioning Planning Gathering Sorting & Sifting Synthesizing Evaluating

3. Questioning You must understand the assignment before you can begin to ask questions about the project. Make sure you know what the teacher wants you to research. Once you understand the topic, then brainstorm and write down some questions about the topic that interest you. Talk to parents and friends and even other teachers about the topic and find out what others might find interesting. This is a great time to come up with key words to use with search engines.

4. Planning Planning Once you have some questions, start to plan out your project. How long is it going to take? Where should you look for information? How many different sources do you need? Will you need to work with others? If you have to Email experts, how will you get their addresses?

5. Gathering While it might seem the easiest thing to get all your information from the Internet, it is not the best thing to do. There is a lot of misleading and even erroneous information out on the Web. It is a great place to get information, but it should never be the only place to get information. Make sure you go to the library to check out books on your subject. I

6. Gathering Primary sources can be found on the Internet. ( For example, for anyone researching the Civil War period, Duke University's Civil War Women has copies of diaries, letters and documents on the web.) For more contemporary topics, try C-Span for information that is considered primary. It also offers sound and video clips. Write experts if you can. ( NASA, University Professors)

7. Sorting and Sifting Once you have gathered together many different sources, put them in some sort of order. Sorting information into categories or even piles can be useful. Start to get rid of the information you won't use. If you have any information twice, or three times, they need to get rid of repeated information. ( This is especially true of Internet resources. Many web page authors just cut and paste information they find on other sites. Do not use repeated information.)

8. Synthesizing Now that you have all you information gathered and sorted, put it together into one report. Map Clustering Brainstorming Outline

9. Evaluating Once you have written your paper… you have to read it and make sure it satisfies the requirement of the project. Use the Rubric !!!!!!!! One can try to fix an off-target report, but one also has to be prepared to start all over again.

10. Successful Habits While doing research, please remember to make effective use of time online and in the library/media center. Stay on task at all times. Use a wide variety of information sources, both print and non-print Take meaningful notes

11. Gathering Primary sources diaries Journals speeches Interviews letters memos Manuscripts other papers Memoirs and autobiographies records, such as births, deaths, marriages, permits and licenses and census data. Photographs, audio recordings and moving pictures or video recordings can also be considered primary sources.