WALK IN WORK
•Get out your notebook and
something to write with.
•Go to the writing section and label
the next two pages “Research
Questions and terms”
HOW TO RESEARCH
EFFECTIVELY
37B
Topic
Climate Change
Animal Ethics
Hacking Ethics
Standardization vs. Differentiation of
intelligence
Cloning and/or stem cell research
Nuclear Energy
Space Travel
Designer Genetics (designer babies)
Use of Drones
Use of Robots
Social Effects of technology
Vehicular Tech and safety
Population control
Psychological effects of music
Concussion effects on the brain
FIRST THINGS FIRST
• Before anything else, you have to
know what you are going to
research.
• Here are some initial ideas of
topics. If you and your group have
a particular one in mind. Run it by
me to get it approved.
• Only one group can
NOW YOU NEED TO FIGURE OUT
SOME STUFF…
• Next, you need to decide what you want to focus
on WITHIN that topic…
• This means that you want to come up with the
beginnings of a DEBATABLE claim.
• But, you should not be completely decided about
what you believe until after you have done your
research!
DEBATABLE VS. NON-DEBATABLE
• When you get to the point that you have a topic and a
direction in mind, you are going to start thinking about what
your claim is going to be.
• You will want to have a DEBATABLE claim, which means:
• It is controversial
• Two reasonable people could have opposing points of
view
• And that those points of view would be valid based on
evidence and reasoning
• Topic: the amount of time teens spend on
technology
EXAMPLE
• Debatable:
Con: Too much screen time has a negative effect on
student performance in school.
Pro: The more time teens spend on technology the
more literate they become with an important tool
inside our society and particularly the workplace.
• Non-debatable: Teenagers and adults use media in
many ways.
GROUP PRACTICE
• Choose 3 possible topics from our list or others you want
approval on.
• Then, you need to come up with two debatable claims that
represent two different points of view on EACH topic.
• If you have a topic you need approval on do those claims
first and get them checked with Ms. Sawyer.
NEXT STEPS
• In order to be ready for your days of preliminary
research, you will need to do the following:
• Come up with research questions
• Know what search terms you might use
YOUR TASK
• You will come up with a basic claim you
are interested in for your topic, and then
you will come up with 2-3 research
questions that you can use to guide your
research.
• What is a research
question?
• A question that is openended, directly related
to your claims, and
purposeful (so, the
answer will be used to
support your argument)
• Example: Research Questions
What kinds of technology are manufactures
putting in vehicles now?
Have any accidents been linked to the
increase in technology in a car?
What technology are manufacturers currently
developing for cars?
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Example:
Topic: Computers and technology in
motor vehicles
Pro: All manufacturers of motor vehicles
should be including the latest technology
in their vehicles as tools for the passengers
and driver.
Con: Manufacturers should decrease the
amount of distracting technology in their
vehicles for the safety of the passengers
and the driver.
SEARCH TERMS AND EVALUATING
SOURCES
• You need to choose relevant search terms when it comes
time to do your online research.
• Be specific—instead of “car accidents,” use “distracted
driving” if you are researching the question of whether or
not new car technology has an effect on driving safely
• Use quotation marks if you have exact phrase in mind
• Once you get to a list of results, don’t just pick the first link;
read the descriptions of the sites to get a better handle of
what they might cover and how relevant they are to your
research questions.
PREPARING FOR MONDAY
• You will need to have the following:
• 2 claims that you are willing to revise as you do
research
• 3-4 research questions
• 6 or more search terms for your topic
• An understanding of the source tracking sheet we
will provide.
WHOLE CLASS ACTIVITY
In your groups, you will now practice with the topic of “school safety.” Come
up with at least 3 different search terms (phrases) that you could use to do
some research on this topic.
Then, we will practice as a class and see what happens when we use those
search terms.
If we find a decent source, we will then practice using the evaluation tools we
discussed to determine if it is a decent source.
EVALUATING SOURCES
Criteria for Evaluating Websites
Accuracy
-no errors and operates properly
-information is consistent with other sources
Validity
-appears to be well researched
AND/OR
-a statement about the purpose of the site
Authority
-author is well qualified to write on the subject
and/or
-the site is part of a respected institution (e.g., a
college, a museum, a newspaper, a journal)
Currency
The site has been updated recently
Coverage
-covers the topic fully
-other related topics are discussed on the site,
and/or
-resource section with links to other sites