Atkins Elementary and Sugar Grove Elementary Schools
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Getting Started on Your Research Project
  • If your teacher has given specific instructions for your research assignment, read over them and become familiar with what you are required to do. 
  • Make sure you know what your teacher wants you to provide when citing sources​ (look for the pages on citing sources for help).  
Step One: Brainstorming
  • Have you been asked to focus on a specific area of your topic? 
  • Or do you need to do a more comprehensive and complete study (information on many areas of your topic)? 
  • Do you have free choice on choosing a topic you want to explore? 
Tip: Check out the video below on Brainstorming. 
Step Two: Planning
​
  • Write down what you already know about your topic.
  • Make a list of what you want to investigate, and find more information about. 
  • What questions do you have? 
  • What do you need to find out to meet the requirements of your assignment?
Tip: Check out this video on planning!
Keywords to Help Your Search
  • Keywords are words that are important to pulling up relevant information on your online searches. 
  • Check the list you created of what you want and need to find out.
  • Think about keywords that could help you find information quickly when doing an online search.
  • Which words are unimportant and could be left out of your search?
  • Are there synonyms that would be helpful to search as well?
Tip: watch the video on keywords below then create a list of keywords to use when you begin your search. 

Plagiarism and Citing Sources
​
  • Plagiarism is when you take someone else's intellectual property and pass it off as your own.
  • Whether it's an image, an idea, a song, or something someone else has written, you must give them credit if you have used it in your work.
  • Plagiarism is stealing, and there are serious consequences for it. 
  • You will need to check with your teacher to see what he/she is requiring from you for the citation part of your research paper.
  • Even though the degree of detail they may require could vary, all teachers will penalize you if you plagiarize your work. (That's the bad news!)
  • This means you must make sure to give credit to each resource you used.
  • Luckily,  it's easy to avoid once you know how. (That's the good news!)
Tip: Watch the videos below to learn more.

Paraphrasing: Putting information you find into YOUR words.

                                                                              Citing Your Sources


  • There are many different styles for citing sources. Ask your teacher if you are using APA, MLA, or another style. 
  • Find out what your teacher expects before you start citing your sources.
  • Here are some handy tools to help you along. ​​
Citation Machine
Easy Bib
  • Your teacher may ask you to use an online citation tool like Easy Bib or Citation Machine (links in the buttons above).
  • Tools like these takes the guesswork out of creating your citation.
  • Select MLA, APA or whatever your teacher requires.
  • Make sure you have the information about the sources you used handy.
  • You will need to provide the type of source you used, author's name, title of book or website, publisher, date of publication, etc.
  • You will guided along so read and type in your information carefully. 
  • Some teachers may ask you to create a written work cited page. 
  • Purdue Owl is a helpful tool to show you the proper way to cite each different type of resource you may have used in your research. 
  • Make sure to select MLA or APA etc. 
  • There is also a link from a leading expert in the field of education and technology, Kathy Schrock. She has put together a quick guide to MLA citations for grades 1-6. 
Purdue Owl
                                                                            Evaluating Your Sources
  • If you decide to look for information beyond the websites provided on the pathfinder, you will need to remember how to go about evaluating your resources.
  • Review the TRAAP technique by watching the video below.
  • Remember, not all information found on the internet is accurate; it's up to you to investigate your sources to make sure your work is from a reliable, trusted source and is factual. ​

  • When you start looking for more information, try these search engines below (Kiddle, Kidrex, Kidzsearch, and Dinosearch).
  • Remember to type in keywords you created to search efficiently.
  • Use your TRAAP skills to evaluate your sources. 
Kiddle
Kidrex
Kidzsearch
Dinosearch
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  • Home
  • Seasons & Holidays
  • DISTANCE LEARNING COLLECTION
  • Movies
  • Storytime
  • Lessons
  • Author Study
  • Book Trailers
  • Dr. Seuss
  • Makerspace
  • Keva Plank Lessons
  • How to: Research Tips and Tricks
  • Book Fair 2018
  • Library Orientation
  • Using Alexandria
  • Schedule
  • Library Rules
  • Book Care
  • Library Games
  • Sing a longs
  • Dewey Decimal System
  • Library Bill of Rights
  • Book Processing
  • professional development
  • 3D printer
  • Pathfinders
  • free images and creative commons material
  • Create an Avatar
  • animation and presentation tools
  • paired text
  • Databases
  • library blogs to follow
  • teens
    • Contact
  • Cool Beans