Day 2: Conducting Research to Write an Expository Paper on Survival Lesson Plan

Procedures: Day 2: Focus - How to Conduct Research

1. The students will come to class with a research topic and a pencil.

2. The teacher will go over proper care of the laptops before passing out the laptops to the students.

3. The teacher will pass out the students' laptops. The students are assigned a laptop based on alphabetical order and the numbers on the laptops. The students will use the same laptop everyday to conduct research.

4. A student helper will pass out a pink, yellow, and green note card to every student. The note cards already have the students' names written on them.

5. The students will sit quietly with their materials. The students will not turn on the laptops.

6. Once everyone has a laptop, the teacher will turn on the Promethean Board to show the students the Internet website and library card catalog they will be using to find a magazine, book, and Internet source.

7. First, the teacher will show the students how to search for a book in the school library using the library card catalog. The teacher will choose a topic to research and stick to the same topic throughout the day.

8. The teacher will show the students where to find the call number and explain that they need the call number to find the book in the library. The teacher will search for a useful book to show the students where to find important publication information needed to cite the source at the end of their expository writing. The students will write down helpful information on their yellow note card.

10. The teacher will model how to search for a certain topic on Kids InfoBits using the search tool bar at the top of the webpage. After a search has been conducted, the teacher will show the students how to narrow the search to view only magazine articles about a certain topic. The teacher will also show the students where to find important publication information needed to cite the source at the end of their expository writing. The students will write down any helpful notes on their pink note card.

11. The teacher will also model how to search for a certain topic on Junior Edition. The teacher will show the students how to search using the search tool bar. The students are able to narrow the search to only magazine articles before conducting the search. The teacher will model how to search for a particular topic. The teacher will also show the students where to find important publication information needed to cite the source at the end of their expository writing. The students will write down any helpful notes on their pink note card.

12. The teacher will then use www.scdiscus.org to model how to find an Internet source. The students will be instructed to use Encyclopedia Americana or Grolier Online to conduct research. The teacher will explain that these two sources are encyclopedia's published on the Internet.

13. The teacher will model how to search for a particular topic on both of these Internet websites. The websites are similar and both have a search tool bar at the top of the webpage. The teacher will model how to use the search tool bar to find sources about a particular topic. The teacher will also show the students where to find important publication information needed to cite the source at the end of their expository writing. The students will write down any helpful notes on their green note card.

14. The students will ask any questions they have about conducting research.

15. The students will then turn on their computers and use the library card catalog to first find a book available in the library. The students will write down the call number and other important publication information. The students will use the call number to find the book in the library on the next day.

16. After the students have found a book source, they will use the internet to search for other helpful information in magazines and on the internet using www.scdiscus.org. The students will not be asked to print out any sources or take any notes on articles, books, or Internet websites. They are just exploring and learning how to use and navigate the websites. The teacher will also tell the students that they may need to change their topic if they are not able to find appropriate information to write an expository paper.

17. At the end of class, the students will turn in their laptops in alphabetical order. The teacher will put the laptops in the storage cart.

18. The students will put their note cards in their writing folders.

©2008 Ashley Skelton. All rights reserved.

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