6-3 Research Skills

Key Concepts

• Question Formation
• Information Gathering
• Evaluating Sources
• Organizing Information
• Summarizing Findings
• Presenting Information

Question Formation

Question formation is the process of creating meaningful questions to guide your research. Good questions help you focus your search and find relevant information.

Example:

• Instead of asking, "What is a butterfly?" you might ask, "How do butterflies change from caterpillars?"

Information Gathering

Information gathering involves collecting data from various sources such as books, websites, and interviews. It's important to gather information from reliable sources.

Example:

• Reading a book about animals from the school library or searching for information on a trusted website like National Geographic Kids.

Evaluating Sources

Evaluating sources means checking the credibility and relevance of the information you find. This helps you ensure that the information is accurate and useful.

Example:

• Checking if a website has a .org or .edu domain, which often indicates it is a reliable source.

Organizing Information

Organizing information involves arranging the data you've gathered in a structured way. This makes it easier to understand and use the information.

Example:

• Creating a chart with columns for "Animal Name," "Habitat," and "Diet" to organize information about different animals.

Summarizing Findings

Summarizing findings means condensing the information you've gathered into a few key points. This helps you remember and communicate the most important information.

Example:

• Writing a short paragraph that says, "Butterflies start as caterpillars, then form a chrysalis, and finally emerge as butterflies."

Presenting Information

Presenting information involves sharing your findings with others. This can be done through written reports, oral presentations, or visual aids like posters.

Example:

• Creating a colorful poster with pictures and text to explain the life cycle of a butterfly.

Examples and Analogies

Think of question formation as planting seeds. Just as seeds need to be well-chosen to grow into strong plants, questions need to be well-formed to lead to valuable research.

Information gathering is like collecting ingredients for a recipe. You need to choose the right ingredients (sources) to make a delicious dish (research project).

Evaluating sources is like checking the quality of ingredients. Just as you wouldn't use rotten fruit in a recipe, you shouldn't use unreliable sources in your research.

Organizing information is like arranging toys in a toy box. You need to put similar toys together to make it easy to find what you need.

Summarizing findings is like taking a photo of a beautiful scene. The photo captures the essence of the scene, just as a summary captures the essence of your research.

Presenting information is like putting on a show. You need to prepare and practice to make sure your presentation is clear and engaging.