1. Research Steps for the Fernbank E. 4 th Grade Biomes Project

2. Research Step #1 Select topic Whoopee! Your teachers have already done this for you!! BIOMES: Taiga/Deciduous Forests Marine/Wetlands Deserts Grasslands Tundra Tropical Rainforests (Equator)

3. Research Step #2 Select Information Sources Books Reference Books including: –Encyclopedia –Almanac –Atlas Web sites Periodicals: Magazines, Newspapers, etc. Interviews, Primary Sources, etc.

4. How do you know if Information Source has the information you want? Title of book, Web site, etc. Table of contents: Chapter titles –What is the equivalent on a Web site? Index Skim pages: –Subheads –Illustrations, photos, captions Searching the Internet or Library Patron Catalog: Choosing the right Search terms

5. Are the info sources AUTHORATATIVE?! Books have been selected, edited, promoted, etc. by publisherlibrary books have been carefully selected… Web sites can be created and posted by anyone! –Teacher-selected sites are on Fernbank 4 th Grade page…

6. Research Step #3 Gathering Info: Words and Images Make sure you have tools and time to gather wordsTAKING NOTES –Paper, pencil –Enough time to read and then write… In your own words In list form Not in complete sentances Using graphic thing-a-ma-jiggys… Drawing or getting digital images (illustrations, photos, maps, diagrams…)

7. Research Step #4 Putting your notes and images together to create FINAL PRODUCT to share with others –Report –Visual Presentation –Etc. etc. etc. Rough draft, edit, etc. Final draft

8. Research Step #5 Cite your sources Create a BIBLIOGRAPHY: An list of all the sources of information for your project

9. Put the facts about the books, Web sites, etc. in a standardized order: –Book: Beckwith, Elisabeth. Biomes We Love. Atlanta, GA: Fernbank Press, 2006. --Encyclopedia Deserts." World Book Encyclopedia. New York: World Book, 2000. --Internet site Missouri Botanical Gardens: Whats It Like Where You Live? Missouri Botanical Gardens. 2005. November 6, 2006..

10. Plagiarism : Dont Do it! Taking credit for something you didnt do… Cheating by Copying Always give credit to the wonderful people who wrote the books, Web sites, etc. that you gathered info from!! Hey, dont forget the people and sources where you got images!

11. Research Step #6 REFLECT: Make sure you are satisfied with your work… Did you do and include everything that was required? Did you give credit to all of your sources, and did you write it the way your teacher requested? Is your work neat? Is your work complete and does it include heading information (name, date, etc.) Would you be proud for anyone to view this work? What might you do different next time?