Research – Lesson 5 – Collecting data… but can you trust it?

Collecting data might seem easy at first…

How do YOU normally collect data? Look at the following suggestions. Are there other ways?

1. Copy and paste from websites
2. Make notes by hand
3. Interview people and record what they say
4. Make a survey for people to answer

Here is a big question…. HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU CAN TRUST THE INFORMATION YOU HAVE GATHERED?

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Copy this chart in your U.o.I. Journal .

 

Think about what the good points and the not so good points of each way to collect data. Write them down in your chart.

Now that we have these thoughts, how does this affect the information you will collect in the future?

The biggest problem you will find is how to know whether you can trust information found on the internet.

For example, let’s look at Wikipedia: –

 Wikipedia

This link goes to an explanation of who and how someone can contribute to this website.

What are the good and not so good points a bout this website? Should you use it or not use it? Discuss this as a class.

 

N0w let’s talk about PRIMARY SOURCES, SECONDARY SOURCES and TERTIARY SOURCES.

 

Research (Lesson 4) – Planning

Now that you have had a go at researching a topic, and you have tried to find answers to your questions, you should have learned somethings that you can apply to any research.

1. It is much better to have a plan of how you are going to conduct your research than just starting it and hoping it all goes well
2. It is ideal to have an end result in mind, so that you can work backwards to to achieve your end goal
3. It is easier to have many people working together on a project than it is to research something by yourself
4. You must write down your sources (Where you got the information from), so that information can be checked for accuracy, and so that you can always go back to it if you need to verify something

You should have also learned that during your research you will find other information that sparks your interest, and this leads to even more questions and research.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In order to practice this properly we are going to begin another research project. This time we will research DIAMONDS

 

Your Task: –

1. Download this KWHL Chart and save it to your desk top.
2. Fill the chart in as before
3. When you have completed your chart, you will have 10 mins to walk around the class and share your questions with your classmates
4. You will find a few people who have the same (or similar) questions to yours
5. You will form a small group to do this research
6. You will plan your research together (who is doing what, when, how, and how much). You will write down this plan and give everyone in your group a copy (give one to your teacher, too)
7. You will come up with a simple design to display or present your research together
8. You will put your plan in action – actually do the research exactly how you planned it. If your research plan needs to be altered… alter it! Make notes to remind you of what worked and what didn’t.

 

 

Research (Lesson 3) – actually research CHOCOLATE!

You will need your laptop, the KWHL chart you made on Chocolate research, and you may need your U.o.I. journal or some paper to take notes on.

 

 

Your task: –

Research chocolate!

Make sure you refer often to your KWHL, so that you can at least try to answer your own questions about chocolate.

Record your findings in any way you want (on a Pages document, in you U.o.I. journal, on paper, etc…)

VERY IMPORTANT!!!!  WRITE DOWN, MAKE A NOTE OF, OR COPY-AND-PASTE

WHERE YOU GOT YOUR INFORMATION FROM!!!

 

Home Learning tasks – depending where you are up to with the task above, either: –

1. Continue your research
2. Look at your chocolate research, and then look at your KWHL chart.
   1. Have you answered your questions?
   2. What do you need to do if you haven’t?
   3. Do you now have even more questions?
   4. How have you gathered all your information?
   5. What are you planning to do with it?

 

 

Reflection – Make a new post and call it ‘Chocolate research reflection’. Then think about these questions and answer as best you can.

1. What do you think about your research? How did it go? What was hard or easy?
2. What things went well?
3. What needs to be done better in the future?
4. What do you think about your method of recording your information?
5. Which methods did you use to find your information? Did you use the ones in the ‘H’ column of your KWHL chart?
6. Did you learn what you set out to learn?
7. What do you your next steps should be?

Research – Lesson 2 – Part 3

In the last 2 activities you found about how to choose a topic and how to ask good questions.

Now you are going to practice doing this again, and at the end of the KWHL chart you are going to experience one way that we can sort ourselves out into groups, so that we can work together to come up with a group project.

 

So now…. think about….. CHOCOLATE!

 

 

Click on this link for the KWHL chart.

You have about 10 mins to fill it in, using your laptop.

Make sure you save it to your U.o.I. folder when you are done.

Ready….. Steady….. GO!

When you are done, you are going to walk quietly around the room and share with your classmates what you have written. You will have about 10 mins to do this. Try to find someone / a groups of people who asked similar questions to you.

NOW…..

Think about this: –

1. How easy would be to work with someone who wants to find out more about the same things that you do?
2. Can you see yourself working easily with a person like that?
3. Why do you think that would be?

 

If you’re done…

Try to design what your final presentation might look like. Get creative!

 

Research – Lesson 2 – part 2

Part 2 – Knowing which questions you need to be asking to further your learning, based on your prior knowledge

 

 

 

We are going to use a KWHL Chart. The ‘W’ part is actually what makes your learning and research meaningful, interesting, and worthwhile.

 

 

 K = What I already Know (Use all your senses to figure out what you already know about subject, topic or project you will be researching).

W = What do I want know (This is where the different types of questions comes in! Ask a variety of THIN, MEDIUM and THICK questions )

H = How am I going to find out what I want to know

L = What did I Learn?

 

 

This chart can be used to begin your research into any topic, focus or subject.

Click here to download the KWHL chart. You will use it to practice this process.

You can: –

Print it out and use a paper version

OR

Save it to your Laptop under U.o.I. and you can write on it digitally

 

 

 Ready?

 

 

 

 

Now think about … lions.  

 

 

Can you fill in the KWHL chart, using lions as your research focus?

Remember to pay attention to the ‘W’ section, and to ask a variety of THIN, MEDIUM and THICK questions.

This is a link to an example of a KWHL chart on lions. Can you figure out what types of questions were asked in the ‘W’ column? What do you think this research will be like? Can you think of questions that would improve it?

As a class, discuss the easy parts and the more challenging parts of this activity.

 

 

Make sure you save your chart to your U.o.I. folder on your laptop if you have written on it digitally.

 

Make sure you have pasted your chart into your U.o.I. book if you have filled this out on paper.

 

If you have finished this activity, then maybe you could plan out how you would present your research at the end – what will it look like? What materials will you need to make it?

 

Now go to Part 3

 

 

Research – Lesson 2 – Part 1

Formulating question: – Identifying something one wants or needs to know, and asking compelling and relevant questions that can be researched.

(From the Transdisciplinary Skills – MTPYPH – p 23)

 

 

You will need your U.o.I. journal, and your laptop.

There are three parts to this lesson.

Part 1 – What types of questions to ask – bringing elements together
Part 2 – Knowing which questions you need to be asking to further your learning, based on your prior knowledge

Part 3 – Practice what you have learned!

 

Section 1 – What types of questions to ask – bringing elements together

As a class, talk about what THIN, MEDIUM and THICK questions are.

These are the eight PYP Concepts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. As a class, can you sort these concepts into THIN, MEDIUM and THICK questions in the first column of the chart?
2. Can you then see if you can make connections to the Compass?
3. Copy the following chart into your U.o.I. Journal.
4. Record your class decisions into the chart for future reference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of these types of questions are good. However…

To make the results of your research more interesting, use a variety of these types of questions.

If you only use THIN questions … your research results will also be ‘thin’!

 

 Now CLICK HERE to go to Part 2

 

 

 

Formulating Questions – Lesson 1 – Choosing a topic, subject or idea

Formulating questions: – Identifying something one wants or needs to know, and asking compelling and relevant questions that can be researched.

(From the Transdisciplinary Skills – MTPYPH – p 23)

 You will need your U.o.I. journal, and your laptop.

Before you even begin to formulate questions, you have to pick and choose a subject, idea or topic you might want to research!

 

How do you do that?

This next quick activity will help you figure out what kind of topic to choose.

Look at the list of topics/subjects/ideas below.

 

Dr Jane Goodall and chimpanzees                  Castles of the world                Pirates

 

Your choice of Celebrity             Myanmar             Poaching              Asia   

 

Monster trucks                       Jewellery             Samurai                       Animals

 

 Dogs                Giant Pandas               History of Soccer              Forensic science     

 

Algebra                        Violin                           Fashion                       Food

 

In your U.o.I. journal, draw the following chart. Write the date and the title. Then, sort the above list out into the first three columns.

You can also add your own choices in the fourth column.

 

 

Now think about these questions: – Think / pair / share activity:

Think (2 mins)

• Can you explain your choices?
  • How did you decide which things to put in each of the columns?
  • What were your criteria for your choices?
  • How did you come to decide on the things you put in your ‘My own choices’?

Pair (5 mins)

• Find a partner and ask each other the above questions
• Really try to explain your choices
• Make notes if you feel you need to

Share 

• Have a brief class discussion on how people make choices for research topics, and try to highlight the main reasons for the choices

 

What you will find is that everybody chooses different things based on their own reasons. For example, they can make choices based on their interests, on how much they already know about something, or if they want to learn about something.

You will also find that different people are passionate about different things. Your passions and high level of interest make research much easier, because you will be keen to keep on going!

 

Sum it up (STP – Stop – Think – Paraphrase): –

1. Make a new blog post
2. Give it the title ‘Research – How to choose a topic or idea‘
3. Put it in your English and  U.o.I. category
   
4. Using your answers to the above questions- and the class discussions – sum up your thoughts, and write them in your post.
5. You can make a list if you wish, or you can write a paragraph.
6. Finish this for home learning if you do not have time to finish it in class