Students begin learning research skills as early as the third grade.

When it comes to doing research, there is a right way

and

a wrong way.

To do things the right way, you need to follow a few basic steps.

Step 1: Use your own words, (in your own kid language) to create your sentences.

Here is an example:

Let’s say you are already dressed for school and your mother says to you:

Jessie, I am pressing your green shirt for you to wear

today because Grandma gave it to you and it would make her

feel really good if you would wear it.

What you would say to your friends if they asked you why you were wearing a funny shirt is:

My mom made me wear this dumb shirt.

Your Mom’s Language Your language

“Jessie, I am pressing your green shirt for you to wear today because Grandma gave it to you. It would make her feel really good if you would wear it.”

“My mom made me wear this dumb shirt.”

For most of us, it is easier to translate words into our own language when we are talking than when we are writing. But, in both cases the same ideas apply.

That means if you are reading something someone else wrote and you want to use that information in a school report, you need to use your own words.

Not all birds fly in the same way. For example, turkey vultures can soar for hours

without flapping a wing. But hummingbirds flap their wings over 70 times a second as the hover, fly forward, or even fly

backward.

Let’s write it right.

This would be good information to use in your school report about birds, but remember the first step is to use your own words. How will you do that? Or, why would you do that? The author already said it so well.

Right now, we will look at “how we will use our own words.”

One way to make sure you are using your own words is to use a “Data Bank” template. Master teacher, Mary Jones, from Bunker Hill Elementary school shared the template idea. She received if from Nancy Polette.

We will show you the template in the next screen shot. But right now, let’s look at the way Mrs. Jones uses the template:

Read the information

Write a one or two word fact on each line (Never use a sentence or copy-just use individual facts.)

When all the facts are collected, form sentences from them (The subheadings help because they are used to form the topic sentences. )

Model this process a million times.

Do an “Active Participation” another million

Have children try it on their own.

Not only is this valuable from the perspective of plagiarism, it helps to

develop Sentence Fluency!

Name _______________________

Data Bank-Oregon Grape

The Oregon grape (berberis aquilfolium) became Oregon’s state flower in 1899.

What the Oregon grape looks like.

Uses of the Oregon grape

Where it is found ?

Students benefit when they share information and learn the process together. The teacher benefits too because the room suddenly becomes full of trained experts and makes peer tutoring possible.

Let’s review what we looked at.

Step 1: Use your own words

Step 2: Use a data base template to get started

Step 3: Write a fact or two and use these facts later on to form sentences.

Step 4: Put your paragraphs together.

Step 5: Cite your source. . .we have not talked about that yet.

Citing your source (or Citation) means that when you take information from a book, internet site (or someplace else) that was created by another person, you write down where that information came from.

For example if you read about something in a newspaper and decide to use that information in your report, you need to write down the name (or title) of the Newspaper along with a few more details.

The information that needs to be written down has already been decided. The professionals refer to the needed information as a “format”. Your job is just to learn about the different kinds of formats for the different kinds of sources .

The sample below shows the Citation Format or (Bibliographic Format) to use when you get information from a book.

Name ____________________

Bibliography Formats for Books

You must use one book for your research.

Book – 1 author Joyner, K. T. 1996, Swimming For Health, Prentice

Hall, New Jersey.

Book – 2 or more authors Mills, B. , Sukartie, L. , & Singer, A. 1989, Creative Electrical Circuitry, Dekker authors

Press, Johannesburg Who is ready to have me show you how to

write a citation?

If you can follow all five steps for conducting research, you will have a set of skills that you will be able to use the rest of your life.

Step 1: Use your own words

Step 2: Use a data base template to get started

Step 3: Write a fact or two and use these facts later on to form sentences

Step 4: Put your paragraphs together

Step 5: Cite your source

Who knows, someday someone may be reading information from a book you wrote, and using your ideas in a paper.

Acknowledgements:

Mary Jones, Bunker Hill Elementary

Nancy Polette

Plagiarism Power Point Presentation

Created by

Peggy Christensen

February 2007