Conducting Research
  1. Plan the Research
    1. Identify the topic.
    2. As a team, decide what information you want to collect in order to solve the problem.
    3. Establish Criteria
      1. As a team, agree on the measures on which you will base your comparisons and decisions.
        1. For example, if you need to choose a city, first identify the standards for a suitable city.
    4. Clarify your questions.
      1. What questions do you need answered?
      2. This will help you decide what information you need to get.
    5. Stick to the criteria.
      1. If the information does not follow your criteria, maybe you do not need it.
    6. Determine how to divide the work.
      1. Who will do what so that you make the most of your time.
    7. Where will you find the best information?
      1. The Internet has a lot of information, but it is often difficult to find what you need from the millions of websites available.
      2. Encyclopedia (CD-ROM or books) can give you a good overview.
      3. A textbook can give indepth information on a class topic.
      4. A library book can give indepth information on any topic.
      5. Magazines and newspapers can also be useful.
    8. How will you manage all the information you find?

     

  2. Gather Information
    1. Take notes if you are using books, magazines or newspapers.
    2. If on the Internet or using CD-ROM, notes can be copied right onto a word processing program.
      1. Decide what is useful.
      2. Divide information into picture information, numeric information, and text information.
        1. You can keep information organized in a database or spreadsheet.
        2. With numeric information, you might want to create graphs and charts to help explain.

         

  3. Organize Information
    1. After data is collected, sift through it.
      1. Sort the data.
      2. Pull out what you feel is most important.
      3. Organize data by the criteria you set up.
      4. Can begin to storyboard how information will be presented.

       

  4. Synthesize
    1. Make sense of the data you have collected.
      1. Make connections.
      2. Draw conclusions.
      3. Answer the question(s) or solve the problem.

       

  5. Evaluate
    1. Decide if your conclusions are correct.
      1. Have you answered the questions or solved the problem to your satisfaction?
        1. If yes, go on to the next step.
        2. If not, then go back in the cycle to any step you feel will help you draw better conclusions.

         

  6. Reporting
    1. Decide to whom you will be reporting your findings.
      1. Teacher
      2. Your class.
      3. Other classes in your school.
      4. Other classes anywhere else.
      5. Parents.
      6. Business people.
      7. Scientists.
      8. Legislators.
      9. City Planners.

       

  7. Decide the best way to share your findings.
    1. A website that any can access.
    2. A live PowerPoint presentation.
    3. An interactive Hyperstudio stack.
    4. A dramatization (role play)
    5. Other

     

  8. Finalize storyboard, then begin
    1. Storyboard is used to prepare for the presentation. Once the storyboard is done, creating the final product will be much easier and more organized.
    2. Here are a few sites to visit to learn more about storyboarding:
      1. Imagine Design Notes
      2. Storyboarding Your Movie
      3. Storyboarding

Another wonderful research model for Middle School is Big6:

Clicking on the card will take you to their website.

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