Five Steps to Teaching Students How to Research and Filter Information by Kathleen Morris
Plus three classroom posters AND 5 mini-lesson ideas! www.kathleenamorris.com @kathleen_morris
Five Steps to Teaching Students How to Research and Filter Information by Kathleen Morris How often does this scenario play out in your classroom? You want your students to go online and do some research for some sort of project, essay, story, presentation etc. Time ticks away, students are busy searching and clicking, but are they finding the useful and accurate information they need for their project? We’re very fortunate that many classrooms are now well equipped with devices and the internet, so accessing the wealth of information online should be easier than ever, however, there are many obstacles.
Students (and teachers) need to navigate: What search terms to put into Google or other search engines What search results to click and read through while avoiding inappropriate sites! How to determine what information is credible How to process, synthesize, evaluate, and present the information How to back up research by combining multiple sources of information How to cite sources correctly
Phew! No wonder things often don’t turn out as expected when you tell your students to just google their topic. All of these above skills can be said to come under the term of information literacy, which tends to fall under a broader umbrella term of digital literacy. Being literate in this way is an essential life skill. This guide offers suggestions on how to approach this big topic and includes three handy classroom posters and 5 mini-lessons at the end. Five Steps to Teaching Students How to Research and Filter Information
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Five Steps to Teaching Students How to Research and Filter Information How to Teach Information Literacy and Research Skills The topic of researching and filtering information can be broken down in so many ways but I believe the best approach involves: Starting young and building on skills Explicit teaching and using mini-lessons regularly there are at the back! Providing lots of opportunity for practice and feedback Teachers seeking to improve their own skills it’s easy to stick with old habits!
Google or a Kid-Friendly Search Engine? If you teach young students you might be wondering about the best starting place. I’ve only ever used Google with students but I know many teachers like to start with search engines designed for children. Find out what works for you. If you’re not using a kid-friendly search engine, definitely make sure SafeSearch is activated on Google or Bing. It’s not foolproof but it helps.
Three Search Engine Options for Children Kiddle www.kiddle.co KidRex www.kidrex.org KidzSearch www.kidzsearch.com These sites are powered by Google SafeSearch with some extra filtering/moderating. KidzSearch contains additional features like videos and image sections to browse. While not necessarily a bad thing, Kiddle and KidRex offer a simpler interface for beginners.
Another possible starting point for researching with young students is avoiding a search engine altogether. Students could head straight to a site they’ve used before or choose from a small number of teacher suggested sites . There’s a lot to be learned just from finding, filtering, and using information found on various websites. Five Steps to Teaching Students How to Research and Filter Information
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Five Steps to Teaching Students How to Research and Filter Information A Five Step Search Process This five step model might be a useful starting point for your students to consider every time they embark on some research. Let's break down each step. You can find a summary poster at the end.
Clarify
Search
Delve
Evaluate
Cite
1) Clarify Students first need to take a moment to consider what information they’re actually looking for in their searches. It can be a worthwhile exercise to add this extra step in between giving a student a task or choice of tasks and sending them off to research.
set task
clarify
start research
You could have a class discussion or small group conferences on brainstorming keywords, considering synonyms, generating questions etc. Mindmapping might help too. Time spent defining the task can lead to a more effective and streamlined research process.
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Five Steps to Teaching Students How to Research and Filter Information 2) Search It sounds simple but students need to know that the quality of the search terms they put in the search box will determine the quality of their results. There are a LOT of tips and tricks for Googling but it’s best to have students first master the basics as outlined below and summarised in a poster at the end.
How to Search in Google Type in some simple search terms using only important keywords If the initial results aren’t what you want, alter the search terms and get more specific get clues from the initial search results e.g. you might see synonyms that would work or get ideas from the People Also Ask section Use quotation marks if you want your keywords in an exact order e.g. raining cats and dogs
Remember: Use your best guess with spelling Google will often understand Don’t worry about punctuation Everyone’s results may be slightly different, even if they use the same search terms depending on their browsing history, location etc.
Want to learn more about Google searches? Check out: Instant Google Searches Your Students Need to Know by Eric Curts. Med Kharbach's
search tips once students master the basics.
The Google Search Education website is an amazing resource with lessons for beginner/intermediate/advanced plus slideshows and videos. It’s also home to the A Google A Day classroom challenges. These could be a great way embed mini-lessons on searching throughout the year.
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Five Steps to Teaching Students How to Research and Filter Information 3) Delve Entering quality search terms is one thing but knowing what to click on is another. Encourage students to look beyond the first few results. Let students know that Google's PageRank algorithm is complex and many websites use Search Engine Optimisation to improve the visibility of their pages in search results. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the most useful or relevant sites for you. Point out the anatomy of a Google search result and ensure students know what all the components mean. They could even make their own!
An important habit to get into is looking at the green URL and specifically the domain. Use some intuition to decide whether it seems reliable. Does the URL look like a well known site? Is it a forum or opinion site? Is it an educational or government institution? Domains that include .gov or .edu might be more reliable sources. When looking through possible sources, you may want to teach students to open sites in new tabs, leaving their search results in a tab for easy access later e.g. Right click on the website title and click "Open link in new tab" . Five Steps to Teaching Students How to Research and Filter Information
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Five Steps to Teaching Students How to Research and Filter Information 4) Evaluate Once you click on a link and land on a site, how do you know if it offers the information you need? It's important for students to use sites that match their reading levels. They won't make much progress if they can't read or understand the information. Students need to know how to search for the specific information they’re after on a website. You could teach students how to look for the search box or use Control F Command F on Mac to bring up a search box to scan the page. Ensure students understand that you cannot believe everything you read. You might set up class guidelines that ask students to crosscheck their information on two or three different sites before assuming it’s accurate.
Some key questions to help evaluate a website's credibility: Domain — sometimes domains that include .gov or .edu come from more trustworthy education or government sources. Author information — look at at the author bio or About page. How qualified is this person? Design — we can’t judge a book or website! by its cover but sites that are cluttered, difficult to navigate, or look amateurish may be worth avoiding. Sources — trustworthy articles usually link to other sources or cite where their facts come from.
At the back of this ebook, you'll find a flowchart that will help guide your students when they're trying to evaluate websites. Check out my guide to evaluating websites for more detailed advice! http://tiny.cc/flowchart-poster Five Steps to Teaching Students How to Research and Filter Information
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Five Steps to Teaching Students How to Research and Filter Information 5) Cite So your students navigated the obstacles of searching and finding information on quality websites. They’ve found what they need! Hooray. Now what? Many students will instinctively want to copy and paste the information they find into their own work. Obviously, we need to inform students about plagiarism and copyright infringement while giving them the skills they need to avoid this. Students need to know that plagiarism is taking someone’s work and presenting it as your own. You could have a class discussion about the ethics and legalities of this and come up with your own class definition. Students also need to be assured that they can use information from other sources and they should. They just need to say who and where it was from etc. Lots of practice is important! Younger students can benefit from simply learning how to put information in their own words. Older students could investigate the difference between paraphrasing and summarising. How formal you make your teaching of citation will depend on your students’ age and your curriculum guidelines.
Two Resources for Teaching About Citation Kathy Schrock’s PDF document demonstrates how you can progressively teach citation from grades to and beyond . It gives some clear examples that you could adapt for your own classroom https://tiny.cc/KathyPDF CitationGenerator is a really handy free online tool without ads that helps with citation https://www.citationgenerator.com Five Steps to Teaching Students How to Research and Filter Information
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Five Steps to Teaching Students How to Research and Filter Information 5) Cite (continued) Where will students put their research? You may consider setting up a system for students to organise their information while they’re searching. There are many apps and online tools to curate, annotate, and bookmark information, however, you could just set up a simple system like a Google Doc or Spreadsheet. One free tool I’ve found particularly useful is Wakelet https://wakelet.com . Using Wakelet, you build collections of content from around the web. The format and function is simple and clear meaning students don’t have to put much thought into using and designing their collections. Instead, they can focus on the important curation process. If you’re interested in learning more about Wakelet I’ve written a post about how to use it in the classroom. http://tiny.cc/wakelet-guide
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Five Steps to Teaching Students How to Research and Filter Information Conclusion Being able to research effectively is an essential skill for everyone. It’s only becoming more important as our world becomes increasingly informationsaturated. Therefore, it’s definitely worth investing some classroom time in this topic. Developing research skills doesn’t necessarily require a large chunk of time either. Integration is key and use the mini-lesson ideas that you'll find at the back of this book. Model your own searches explicitly and talk out loud as you look things up. When you’re modelling your research, go to some weak/fake websites and ask students to justify whether they think the site would be useful and reliable. Eric Curts has an excellent article where he shares four fake sites to help teach students about website evaluation https://tiny.cc/fakesites . This could be a great place to start! Finally, consider investing a little time in brushing up on your own research skills. Everyone thinks they can "google" but perhaps there are ways you could do it even better! I hope this resource has been useful to you. If you have any additional information or resources that you could add to this topic, please let me know! Use the contact form on my blog (www.kathleenamorris.com) or tweet me (@kathleen_morris).
This is version four of this eBook. It was updated February 6, Five Steps to Teaching Students How to Research and Filter Information
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RESEARCH tips for students
1 Search 2 Delve 3 Evaluate 4 Cite 5 Clarify
What are you looking for? Brainstorm questions, key ords, synonyms. . Try simple search terms . Be more specific . Use quotation marks
Look beyond the first fe results. Consider the URL. Don't belie e e erything you read. Check - sources.Â
Write information in your o n ords or quote. Say ho/ here it's from.
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HOW TO GOOGLE A Basic Guide
1 2 3 4 5
Type in some simple search terms usin) the important keywords I( the initial results aren’t what you want, alter the search terms and )et more specific Use your results as clues to alter your search e.). you mi)ht see synonyms that would work or )et ideas (rom the ”eople Also Ask section Use quotation marks i( you want your keywords in an exact order e.). rainin) cats and do)s Remember: Just use your best )uess with spelling Don’t worry about punctuation Everyone’s results may be different, even i( they use the same search terms dependin) on your browsin) history and location etc.
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50 Mini-Lessons For Teaching Students Research Skills by Kathleen Morris These activities are suitable for students from middle primary/elementary to senior high school. Find more details, links, and examples in this post. http://www.kathleenamorris.com/2019/02/26/research-lessons
Clarify What information are you looking for? Consider keywords, questions, synonyms, alternative phrases etc.
Choose a topic (e.g. koalas or Mt Everest) and write as many related questions as you can think of.
Make a digital or paper mindmap of a topic you're currently learning about.
Look up the meaning of 5 words you don't fully understand in an article or short book.
Look at an article with the title removed. Brainstorm possible titles that would fit the article.
Come up with a list of 5 different questions you could type into Google. Circle the keywords.
Write down 10 words to describe a person, place, or topic. Come up with synonyms for each word.
Write pairs of synonyms on post-it notes (prepared by students or the teacher). Each student in the class has one post-it note and walks around the classroom to find the person with the synonym to their word. 50 Mini-Lessons For Teaching Students Research Skills
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50 Mini-Lessons For Teaching Students Research Skills
Search What are the best words you can type into the search engine to get the highest quality results? Explore how to search Google using voice. List the pros and cons of searching with voice or text.
Test two search engines with the same query (e.g. Google and Bing). Do they give the same results?
Have all students work in pairs to try out a different search engine. Report back on pros and cons.
Compare two searches -- one using more relevant keywords than the other. Discuss the difference.
Try two searches where one phrase is in quotation marks and the other is not. Discuss the difference.
Write a question in Google with minor spelling or punctuation errors. What happens?
Try the AGoogleADay.com daily challenges for older students to improve their search skills.
Explore how Google uses autocomplete to suggest searches quickly. Try it out and discuss.
Watch a Code.org video to learn more about how search works http://tiny.cc/searchvid
Have all students try a Google "instant search" and share with the class http://tiny.cc/instant-search
Experiment with typing some questions into Google that have a clear answer. Look at the different ways the answers are displayed instantly within the search results -- dictionary definitions, image cards, graphs etc.
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50 Mini-Lessons For Teaching Students Research Skills
Delve What search results should you click on and explore further? Discuss the video How Does Google Know Everything About Me? http://tiny.cc/googlevid
List/research popular domains. Discuss if any may be more reliable than others (e.g. .gov or .edu).
Discuss (or research) ways to open Google search results in a new tab to save your original search results.
Try out a few Google searches and look for advertisements within the search results. Where are they?
Look at ways to filter search results by the tabs at the top of the page (i.e. news, images, maps).
Type a question into Google and explore the "People also ask" and "Searches related to..." sections.
Try filtering search results by time (tools > any time > past month or past year etc.)
Create and annotate an "anatomy of a search result" example like the one below.
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50 Mini-Lessons For Teaching Students Research Skills
Evaluate Once you click on a link and land on a site, how do you know if it offers the information you need? Read two articles on the same topic. Make a Venn diagram comparing the similarities and differences.
Use the New York Times' What's Going On in This Graph? series to instigate classroom discussions.
Discuss images stripped of captions on What's Going On In This Picture? by The New York Times.
Look at a news website together as a class or in pairs. Identify all the advertisements.
Explore the fake sites listed on Eric Curts' website. Can students tell if they're true? http://tiny.cc/fakesites
Discuss this flowchart. Read more and get a PDF version here http://tiny.cc/flowchart-poster
Look at a fact checking prompt from Mike Caulfield's Four Moves site https://fourmoves.blog Practice skim reading -- give students one minute to read a short article. Discuss what stood out. Headings? Bold words? Quotes? Then give students ten minutes to read the same article and discuss deep reading.
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50 Mini-Lessons For Teaching Students Research Skills
Cite How can you write information in your own words (paraphrase or summarise), use direct quotes, and cite sources? Watch the video Citation for Beginners. Discuss the key points. http://tiny.cc/citationvid
Look up the definition of plagiarism using a variety of sources. Define as a class.
Find an interesting video on YouTube and write a brief summary in your own words.
Have students pair up and tell each other about their weekend. Then have the listener try to retell.
Read a well known fairy tale. Have students write a short summary in their own words. Compare versions.
Try out CitationGenerator.com -- a handy free tool without ads that helps you create citations quickly.
Create class examples for one form of citation from Kathy Schrock's Guide http://tiny.cc/schrock
List things that are okay and not okay to do when researching, e.g. copy from a website.
Read a short article and create a summary that would be considered plagiarism and one that would not.
Investigate the difference between paraphrasing and summarising. Create a Venn diagram to compare.
Write statements on the board that might be true or false (e.g. The current marathon world record is 2 hours, 7 minutes). Have students research these statements and decide whether they're true by sharing their citations.
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50 Mini-Lessons For Teaching Students Research Skills
Staying Organised How can you keep the valuable information you find online organised as you go through the research process? List and discuss ways you can take notes while researching (e.g. Google Docs, Google Keep, paper etc.). Discuss pros and cons for each.
Learn the keyboard shortcuts to help manage tabs (e.g. open new tab, reopen closed tab, go to next tab etc.).
Find a collection of resources on a topic and curate them in a Wakelet (https://wakelet.com).
Listen to a short podcast or watch a brief video on a certain topic and sketchnote your ideas.
Learn how to use split screen to have one window open with your research, and another open with your notes (e.g. a Google spreadsheet, Google Doc, Microsoft Word or OneNote etc.).
I hope this resource has been useful to you. If you have any comments or additional information to share, please get in touch! Use the contact form on my blog (www.kathleenamorris.com) or tweet me (@kathleen_morris). The Creative Commons license for this work (Attribution-NonCommercialNoDerivs CC BY-NC-ND) means you can download this PDF and share it with others as long as you credit me, but you can't change it or use it commercially.
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