Assignment 1: Study the Fun Fact Card Collection PDF

Assignment 1 Study the Fun Fact Card Collection In this project, you are going to create a Fun Fact Card for kids to use to learn about a topic. The fact card will be written for people your age or a bit younger. It will have information, pictures, and a glossary. Your fact card...

Assignment 1 Study the Fun Fact Card Collection In this project, you are going to create a Fun Fact Card for kids to use to learn about a topic. The fact card will be written for people your age or a bit younger. It will have information, pictures, and a glossary. Your fact card will be combined with classmates’ cards to create a Fun Fact Card Collection. These fact cards can be printed and placed as a helpful resource in the classroom or library. Or you can post them on the Internet as an online library, or cybrary, for students at your school. To make a fact card you will use the Internet to research. To make sure you do not waste time, you will learn how to find information fast. You will also be given tips to assess quality, track sources, and reword information. What Research Skills Do You Want to Learn? You likely already use the Internet to find information. Think about the skills you have. Place a checkmark ✓ where you want to learn more time saving tips. You have skills, but do you want to be even better or faster? I want to save time. Research Skills I have this skill. Teach me more tips! I make a plan before starting a research project. I use keywords to find information fast. I can pick the best website quickly from search results. I know many places on the Internet that have facts. I can tell if information on a website is true. I can skim and scan information to seek what I need. I organize the facts that I gather. I keep track of where I find information. I rewrite information into my own words. I share information with others so that they understand it. Copyright © TechnoKids Inc. 1 TechnoResearch | G Suite Study Fact Cards The fact cards are in the Research folder. View the Pioneer 1 fact card: 1. a. The fact card divides information using headings. Under which heading is information about the reasons pioneers used wagon trains to travel? b. A glossary is used to define the meaning of words. What words are in the glossary? c. There are links to websites on the Internet. Why would this be helpful to someone? View the Pioneer 2 fact card: 2. a. You are going to learn tips for using Google Docs to arrange information and images on the page. List differences between Pioneer 1 and Pioneer 2 fact cards. b. Which fact card do you like more?  Pioneer 1  Pioneer 2 View another fact card such as Space or Biography. 3. a. Fact Card Name: b. What do you like about this fact card? 4. The fact cards are for kids. The facts must fit onto one sheet of paper. What do you think is the most important thing kids need to make the information easy to understand? Copyright © TechnoKids Inc. 2 TechnoResearch | G Suite Assignment 2 Broaden Then Narrow Your Topic You will do a quick Internet search to expand your ideas. You will then sort through your options to narrow your research focus. Follow these tips! Explore Your Topic: Use the Explore tool to get ideas. Gain Knowledge: Use Wikipedia to learn a bit about the topic. Build Word List: Show what you know. Make a list of terms about your topic. Narrow Your Focus: Think about what you want to learn. Ask questions. Ask your teacher what general topic you are to study. If you get to pick, then choose a topic that interests you. What is your broad topic area? This is your starting point! Open Google Docs and Create a New Document  Sign in to Google Drive. Use the Chrome web browser.  Click New. From the list, select Google Docs. Use the Explore Tool to Investigate Your Topic The Explore tool in Google Docs is for finding facts. You can also see related images and insert them into your document. You are going to use it to explore your options.  Type your Topic Name. Press ENTER. Select the word or phrase.  Click Explore or from the Tools menu, click Explore. You will see suggested topics, images, and websites.  Do NOT read everything. Just skim and scan it quickly. o Look quickly through the pictures. Look for things that interest you. o Read the website titles. Look for keywords you can use. o Read a description that interests you.  Be curious! In the Explore pane, modify the search term by adding more words or type in a new search word. Copyright © TechnoKids Inc. 3 TechnoResearch | G Suite Use Wikipedia to Gain a Bit of Knowledge Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia that has articles written by ordinary people. Anyone can edit an article. For these reasons, it is not a good idea to use Wikipedia as your only source of information. However, it is a great place to start a research project. How should you use Wikipedia? learn a bit about a topic quickly view information that relates to your topic to get more ideas connect with other websites related to the topic  Look through the Explore results about your topic. Find the Wikipedia article. You may need to click More. Look for the source of the web pages. The Wikipedia article may be the first one.  Click the description to open the web page in a new browser tab.  Save time! Do NOT read everything. o Read the first few sentences or paragraph. o Read the list of facts below the picture on the right. o Look for a Contents list. Click on a heading that interests you. Read that! Read the first paragraph. Read the fact list. Click a heading to read more about what interests you. Grow what you know! This will help you to discover what you want to learn. Click keywords to learn more! Click article links to learn more!  Get ideas! Wikipedia can help you expand your ideas. Click around! o Click on keywords highlighted in text. o Click on keywords in the See also section. o Click on references at the bottom of the article. o Click on external links at the bottom of the article. Copyright © TechnoKids Inc. 4 TechnoResearch | G Suite Build a Word List Based on your Internet search, you are going to make a list of words related to your topic. This is a great way to discover what you already know about a topic. You will use this list to narrow your research focus.  Close the web browser tab with the Wikipedia article (X). The Google Docs file should still be open.  Below the Topic Name make a list of words related to your topic. Press ENTER after each word. Topic Name What can be in the list? word ✓ synonyms – different word word used for topic word ✓ objects related to topic ✓ places related to topic word Jot down as many ✓ people related to topic words as you can. Narrow Your Focus You are going to make a Fun Fact Card for kids. The card will be one sheet of paper. This means you won’t be able to put EVERYTHING onto the card. You must narrow your topic.  Look over your list. You need to pick a topic for your fact card. Ask yourself: o What will a kid find interesting? o What do I want to know more about?  Pick ONE idea from your list. Below the list of words, write the NEW Topic Name.  Below the NEW Topic Name make a list of questions you have about the topic. Press ENTER after each one. NEW Topic Name who what where when why You will make a research plan in the next assignment. how Which questions interest you the most? Rename the Document and Then Sign Out of Google Drive  Click in the Untitled Document box to rename the document.  Sign out of Google Drive. Copyright © TechnoKids Inc. 5 TechnoResearch | G Suite Assignment 3 Organize Ideas and Create an Outline You need to be able to organize the facts you find. It is a good idea to create an outline. An outline is a framework with headings used to sort facts. Here are a few tips for organizing your ideas: Be realistic: Look at your list. You may not have the time or the space on the fact card to research them all. Instead, pick the items that interests you the most. Let the questions be your research guide: Use your question(s) as headings. You will look for answers to each question when researching. Pick from popular headings: If your questions are too broad you may need to narrow your research focus even more. If this is the case, pick from popular headings: Questions Animal Biography Who Appearance Childhood Achievements What Habitat Education Obstacles Where Diet Family Life Importance When Enemies Career Quotes Why Reproduction How Adaptations Life Cycle Event Place Environmental Issue Location or Venue Location Economy Definition Dates and Time Climate Land Use Cause Purpose Language Education Harmful Effects Participants Population Holidays Solutions Food Government Landmarks Limitations Activities Currency Symbols Legislation Attendance Flag Anthem Open Google Docs and Create a New Document  Sign in to Google Drive. Use the Chrome web browser. Click New. From the list, select Google Docs. Topic Name Heading 1 Create an Outline  Type your Topic Name Outline. Press ENTER twice. Heading 2  Type a Heading Name. Press ENTER several times. Heading 3  Continue to add Headings. Leave space to add facts. Glossary  Add the headings Glossary and Sources. Leave space after each one. Sources  Select a heading. Apply the bold style. Make each heading and the title stand out. The outline will help you to sort facts. Rename the Document and Then Sign Out from Google Drive  Click in the Untitled Document box to rename the document. Sign out of Google Drive. Copyright © TechnoKids Inc. 6 TechnoResearch | G Suite Assignment 4 Find Facts Fast Using an Online Encyclopedia An encyclopedia is a set of books or online web pages that have lots of information about many subjects. It is a great resource to find information about a topic quickly. Articles are written by experts and are reviewed to make sure the facts are true. You can trust an online encyclopedia. Your school may have a subscription to an online encyclopedia. If they do, ask for the username and password. If they don’t, read articles from these free encyclopedias. http://www.britannica.com http://kids.britannica.com http://www.encyclopedia.com Open the Outline in Google Docs  Read the headings. What information do you need to find? Use an Online Encyclopedia to Gather Facts  LEAVE THE OUTLINE OPEN.  Click New tab in the browser window.  In the address bar, type the encyclopedia website address. Press ENTER.  Type the topic into the search box. Click Search. Pick a search result about your topic.  Scan to find a fact you need. Select it. You are going to gather facts using the outline. You must put the information Learn to skim and scan into your own words later. in Extension Activity 1.  Press CTRL + C on the keyboard or right click the mouse and select Copy.  Click the Google Docs tab.  Place the cursor below the correct heading.  Press CTRL + SHIFT + V on the keyboard (this removes the formatting!) or right click the mouse and select Paste. Heading If you used Paste, Pasted fact about the topic. select the text and click Clear formatting. Copyright © TechnoKids Inc. 7 TechnoResearch | G Suite Track the Source of Information The web pages you use to gather facts will be listed under the Sources heading in your outline. There are many reasons to keep track of where you found your facts. It can help you: return to the information to learn more give credit to the author that wrote the information prove the information is from a trustworthy source An encyclopedia makes it easy to  View the encyclopedia article. cite the source of information. It should have a Cite button or link.  Select a citation style.  Press CTRL + C on the keyboard or right click the mouse and select Copy.  Click the Google Docs tab.  Place the cursor below the Sources heading.  Press CTRL + SHIFT + V on the keyboard (this removes the formatting!) or right click the mouse and pick Paste. Select the text and click Clear formatting. Gather Facts from the Encyclopedia  Use your skills to copy and paste facts under the correct headings. TIP: Color Code Research You can track where you found information by color coding it. 1. Select the Encyclopedia citation under the Sources heading. 2. Click Text color. 3. Pick a color from the palette. 4. Place the cursor in the citation. Double click Paint Format. 5. Drag over each fact pasted from the Encyclopedia article. 6. When done, click Paint Format to turn it OFF. In the next assignment, you will use another source of information. Code that citation and facts a different color. Sign Out from Google Drive Copyright © TechnoKids Inc. 8 TechnoResearch | G Suite Assignment 5 Research a Topic Using Google Search When doing a research project, you need to use more than one source of information. This will help you learn something new and double check the facts you have found are true. There are many websites that have information about your topic. You can find them by using the Google search engine. Find information that is worth your time. Follow these tips! Pick from Keyword List: Use search phrases suggested by Google Search. Skim and Scan Search Results: Read the title, URL, and description first. Give the Web Page a Trust Test: Judge if the facts are from a reliable source and true. Open the Outline in Google Docs  Read the headings and skim over the facts you have found. What information do you still need to find? Use Google Search to Pick a Keyword  LEAVE THE OUTLINE OPEN.  Click New tab in the browser window.  In the address bar, type www.google.com. Press ENTER.  Type the topic name into the search box. Click Search.  As you type, a list of keywords appears. Are they helpful? If yes, click on one. What search phrase will help you find what you need?  You will see a page of search results. Sometimes at the bottom of the page is a list of keywords. Are the keywords helpful? If yes, click on one. The suggested keywords can help you narrow your search results. Copyright © TechnoKids Inc. 9 TechnoResearch | G Suite Skim and Scan the Google Search Results  Read the titles for each result. Find one about your topic.  Read the description for this result. Use the tips to decide if it is worth your time. Study the URL for hints about the author. Is it from a source you know and trust? Read the description. Does it Read the title. Is it about your topic? Is it from a source you know and trust? match the facts you need? Study the URL. Is the Can you trust the source? Check the type: source trustworthy?.gov or gc.ca is a government web page – Facts will be true..edu is an education organization such as a university – Facts will be true..org is an organization web page – Facts are likely true but may be biased. Check facts..com is a business or personal web page – Not all sources can be trusted. For example, a zoo, publication, or research-based TV program is likely trustworthy. Check facts.  Click on a result you think matches the facts you need and can likely be trusted. Give the Web Page a Trust Test Anyone can post anything to the Internet. You need to be certain facts are true. Before reading the web page, give it the Trust Test. If a web page does not pass the Trust Test it does not mean the information is false. It just means you need to verify facts using another source. If the web page gets three checkmarks  you can trust it. If it gets less, check the  Can you contact the author? facts elsewhere. Details such as email, social media profile, or mailing address shows that the author is not hiding and can be questioned.  Does the web page look good?  Are there links to sources? A web page should look A list of web pages or publications professional with no spelling errors, about the topic proves the author broken links, or a sloppy design. has researched the topic.  Can you trust the author? The author should be a trusted  Is the date current? organization or an expert. The author An article or website with a recent may list job title or workplace to prove date tells the reader the information their expertise. is current. Copyright © TechnoKids Inc. 10 TechnoResearch | G Suite Gather Facts from TWO Trusted Web Pages and Cite the Sources  Use your skills to find TWO web pages about your topic. Copy and paste facts under the correct headings in the outline.  For each web page, copy and paste the URL under the Sources heading. Ask your teacher if you need to use proper citation format. Topic Name Heading 1 Facts about heading 1. Heading 2 Facts about heading 2. Heading 3 Facts about heading 3. You may need to change or add additional headings to organize information. Glossary Sources Article Title (2015). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/topic/article Include the date the facts were Article Title. (Year, Month Day). Retrieved Month, Day, Year, from gathered if the http://www.websitenoauthor.com/article web page is likely to change or Author, A. (n.d.). Article Title. Retrieved from move. http://www.websitewithauthor.com/nodate/article Need to cite the source? Complete Extension Activity 2 for tips. TIP: Limit Search Results to Domain Type or Website Save time! Search websites that can be trusted. site:website topic Domain Type site:gov site:org site:edu Government Sites site:epa.gov site:nasa.gov site:loc.gov Organizations site:britishmuseum.org site:pbs.org site:worldwildlife.org Publications site:nationalgeographic.com site:timeforkids.com site:popsci.com Research-Based TV Shows site:history.com site:biography.com site:discovery.com Sign Out from Google Drive Copyright © TechnoKids Inc. 11 TechnoResearch | G Suite Assignment 6 Create a Glossary of Terms The Fun Fact Card you make needs to be easy for kids to read. To write about the topic you will need to use special words or terms to describe items. These terms might be difficult for younger children to understand. Make a glossary that includes a definition of terms related to your topic. You will use the Define tool in Google Docs. Open the Outline in Google Docs  Read over the facts you collected. Pick one or two words you think will be difficult to understand or are important. Make a Glossary Using the Define Tool  Below the Glossary heading type a term.  Select the word. Right click and pick Define 'term'.  Select the definition. More than one definition may be listed. Pick the meaning for your topic.  Use your skills to copy the definition and paste it beside the term. You may want to add a colon : or dash - to separate the term from the definition.  Complete the glossary. Glossary term – a definition of the word term – a definition of the word Optional: Use an Online Dictionary to Make a Glossary Your school may have a subscription to an online dictionary. If they do, ask for the username and password. If they don’t, use one of these free dictionaries. www.dictionary.com www.merriam-webster.com Sign Out from Google Drive Copyright © TechnoKids Inc. 12 TechnoResearch | G Suite Assignment 7 Transform the Outline into a Fun Fact Card You have gathered lots of facts about your topic. What should go onto the Fun Fact Card? Follow the tips to make a fact card that kids will find interesting and easy to read. Use your own words: Read over a large block of text. Rewrite the main idea into one or two sentences that gets across the main idea or point. Delete facts you don’t need: The fact card is only one sheet of paper. Not everything will fit. Delete facts that are repetitive or uninteresting. Keep it simple: Children will find it easier to read if the words are simple and the sentences short. Reorder information: Organize facts in a logical order. You may need to combine headings or adjust the sequence. Make a Copy of the Outline  Sign in to Google Drive. Use the Chrome web browser. Right click on the Outline. Select Make a copy.  Right click on the copied file. Select Rename. Type Fact Card. Click OK.  Open the Fact Card in Google Docs. Rewrite the Facts to Make a Fun Fact Card Plagiarism is when you take someone else’s work and pretend it is your own. This is against the law. You must reword facts and change the sentence structure. You must also tell where you found your ideas.  From the Edit menu, click Select all or press CTRL + A on the keyboard.  Click Clear Formatting.  Turn each group of facts under each heading into easy to read sentences. Topic Name Heading 1 A spelling error will Rewrite the facts. Below each heading, write a few sentences. Do not worry if the fact have a wavy red line. Heading 2 Keep the sentences short. Use easy to understand words. card is a bit longer Right click and select Heading 3 than one page. You the correct word. You may want to reword the headings or group together ideas. will format text in the Glossary next assignment to term - definition of the word make it fit. Sources Article Title (2015). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/topic/article/ Article Title. (Year, Month Day). Retrieved Month Day, Year, from http://www.websitenoauthor.com/article/ Sign Out from Google Drive Copyright © TechnoKids Inc. 13 TechnoResearch | G Suite