6th Grade Research Project
Sirmans/Wood

Know the Research Steps:
Big6 Research Guide

1. What is our TASK?

• From a list of 10 things you love, circle your top choice as a topic. 

• Use your topic to brainstorm an essential research question (remember: essential means important and interesting!).

• Ask yourself your essential question without looking at any resources.  Are you interested in researching answers (if not, brainstorm another question)?  What do you already know about your question?  What do you want to know?

• Break down your big, essential question into smaller sub-questions that you can research.  Use the note-taking guide below to record your questions.

• Reminder: you will be writing about the information you discover as well as presenting it later to the class.  If you aren't excited about your questions now, the class probably won't find it exciting later!

2. Information Seeking (Resources):

• GALILEO databases:
  Encyclopedia Britannica (Encyclopedia) 
  Searchasaurus Middle Search Plus (newspapers and magazines)

• JMS Library Catalog

• Search Engine: www.google.com
  Remember – when you search the open web, ask WHO made the site and WHY?
  For more information: http://www.radcab.com/

• Interviews

• Other: what other resources could you use?

3.  Locating Information:

What keywords or keyword combinations will you use to find information? (Remember that databases are smaller than Google - use keywords instead of questions!)

If you need access to information outside of class and do not have access to the internet, please contact your teacher or Ms. Pals.  We will make sure you have the resources you need!

4.  Using Information

To keep our information organized, the library media center created a graphic organizer for our notes:
Note-Taking Organizer

Remember: if you find an answer to one of your research questions, you need to give credit to the author.  Use www.easybib.com or copy/paste the MLA citation from GALILEO.

5.  Presenting your Information

We will be focusing on our questions first.  Details coming soon!

6.  Evaluation

We will create our rubric as a class!