Science Research

Day 1:

Make a choice:

You are about to begin a journey of discovery about a famous scientist or inventor.  The first thing you need to do is decide who you would like to learn about: List of Scientists and Inventors.

Asking Questions:

When you research, you should always begin by developing questions.  Sometimes, however, you may have to get to know your person a little to know what kind of questions to ask.


Let’s find out about your person!

  1. Login to MackinVia.com
  2. Go into PebbleGo NEXT.
  3. Go to Biographies
  4. Search for your person
  5. Read each tab about your person.
  6. If there’s a video, watch it.
Coming up with questions-
  1. Begin listing any questions you have about your person.
  2. What are some question ideas?
  3. Think about their life, death, early years, why they are famous…
  4. Try to think of at least 15-20 questions.
  5. Now, it’s time to come up with your big questions!
    • Look at your questions.
    • Can you sort them into 4-5 categories?
  6. Type your 4-5 BIG questions at the top of your page.
  7. Assign each Category/big question a color.  This will help you organize your notes later.
  8. Highlight each question and change the color to match its category.

 

2016 5th grade question ideas.

 

 


Day 2:

Choosing resources:

Choosing your resources is what will make your research successful or bomb!  Make sure your resources are reliable, are current, and have enough information on your topic.  Choosing a book that may be intended for a much younger audience, may be nice and short and a fast read, but it will probably not contain enough information to help you answer your questions thoroughly.

 

Let’s take a look at some ways to make sure you’re using the correct resources:

 

Some of the same information is used when selecting your book resources.

  1. Before you visit the library, check the library online catalog or OPAC for your topic.
  2. Look at the summary of the book to decide if it is relevant.  Does it contain information about your topic?
  3. Make a list of the books and the shelf locations that you find.  You may want to pay attention to the status.  If the book is unavailable, that means it is checked out, and may still be gone when you visit the library.  It’s okay to write it down, though.
  4. When you visit the library locate the books on the list.  Now, it is time to decide if it is a good choice.
    1. Is the book a good reading level for you? Too hard?  Too easy?  Is your book intended for a younger audience?
    2. If the book contains information on more than one topic use the index and table of content.  Does the book have enough information to make it useful?
    3. Is the book on topic? Is it discussing your topic or does it just mention your topic?
  5. Think about the questions from the video.  They are also helpful when selecting print resources.
  6. Once you find your resources it is time to read and take notes!

 

Taking Notes:

When you are taking notes you have to sort through what’s trash and what’s a treasure.

  • What makes information a treasure?
  • What makes it trash?

Keeping your questions in mind and at hand can help you sort out what information to write down!

 

Let’s not Plagiarize!

pla·gia·rize

transitive verb

  1. to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own :  use (another’s production) without crediting the source

“Plagiarize.” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2016.
To avoid plagiarizing you need make sure you paraphrase.  Put the book or computer down and think about what the author is trying to tell you.  Change around the sentence.  Change the words, and use your own.  Compare what you wrote down to what the author wrote.
  • If what you wrote doesn’t mean the same thing, try again.
  • If you used the same words as the author, try again.
  • If you cannot remember what the author wrote, read it again.
DeSena, Laura Hennessey.  2007. Preventing Plagiarism: Tips and Techniques. (Chapter 3). Urbana, IL:  NCTE.
Let’s Practice:

Did they plagiarize?

Your turn to practice:

Most Americans of his day loved Washington. His army officers would have tried to make him king if he had let them. From the American Revolution on, his birthday was celebrated each year throughout the country.

Chase, Philander D. “Washington, George.” World Book Student. World Book, 2016. Web. 7 Apr. 2016.

Books:

When you are taking notes, make sure to write down the source you are gathering information from.  This is how you organize the information if you are using a book:

Last Name, First Name. Book Title. Publisher City: Publisher Name, Year Published. Medium.

Example:

Olesen, Andrew. George Washington: America’s History Maker.  New York: PowerKids Press, 2016. Print.

Citations

Citation 2

To make citations easy use EasyBib!

EasyBib

You can begin collecting your Resources using your Bibliography SlideThis will be turned in at the end of your project to Your Google Classroom.

Now, time to visit the Norris OPAC and find the Books about your person.  Think about your questions and paraphrase your treasures!


Day 3:

Online Resources:

We have many online resources available to Frisco Students.  Today we will take a tour of all the places we can visit to find information.

MackinVia:

MackinVia is the portal Frisco ISD uses to access many of the Online resources you have available.  Go to MackinVia.com and Log in.

  • Britannica
  • Kids InfoBits
  • National Geographic Kids
  • Discovery Learning

We also have access to the many videos available in Discovery Learning.

  1. Login using the username and password your teacher provides
  2. Enter your person’s name in the search box.
  3. On the left side of the screen click on Grade
  4. Select 3-5

 


Day 4-6:

Continue to using the books and online resources to take notes.

 

 

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