Conducting ResearchEighth Grade Computer Class

Learning Goals

By the end of this Unit you will be able to…

• Tell the difference between relevant and irrelevant facts in an article

• Identify important relevant facts in an article for building research notes

• Use Microsoft Word to build your research notes using a bulleted list.

Key concept: Identifying facts

With any research project you need to know:• What notes to write• How the notes will fit to form the basis of your paper.

It is therefore important that you learn what a meaningful fact is. A meaningful fact is a fact that is relevant to your research topic.

You cannot write a good paper without this knowledge.

Activity 1Relevant vs. Irrelevant factsWhat is a relevant fact?

www.dictionary.com defines relevant as:• Bearing upon or connected with the matter in hand; pertinent.

In other words, something is relevant if it somehow pertains or is connected to your paper topic.

Think:• Does this fact have anything to do with [your topic]?

Activity 1Relevant vs. Irrelevant factsResearch Paper Topic: Various Emotions of Peter PlatterExample relevant fact in red color.

Peter Platter and the Secret ChamberMary was not feeling well that afternoon. A storm was

brewing in the distance. She wondered if Peter would be ok.“Peter!”, she screamed. “Where are you?”Mary searched everywhere to find him, but to no avail.

Just as she turned around to go back to her room out jumps Peter.

“Boo!”, Peter yelled. Peter had a smug look on his face having successfully scared the daylight out of Mary.

Activity 1Relevant vs. Irrelevant FactsResearch Paper Topic: Flowers that Grow in Amarillo, Texas.Example relevant facts in red color.

“While the vibrant, strong sunflower is recognized worldwide for its beauty, it is also an important source of food. Sunflower oil is a valued and healthy vegetable oil and sunflower seeds are enjoyed as a healthy, tasty snack and nutritious ingredient to many foods.Sunflower is an important agricultural crop choice for US producers in the northern plains of the Dakotas to the panhandle of Texas. Browse this complete site on US sunflower production to learn about the sturdy sunflower and the healthy products it provides.”

Source: http://www.sunflowernsa.com/all-about/

Activity 2Relevant vs. Irrelevant FactsYour turn… Same topic…

For some odd reason, dogs seem to be attracted to the bees that come out of the hives in the oak trees. On occasion the dogs will jump up and attempt to catch a bee in it’s mouth. Although you would think it would, the dog typically won’t get stung by the bee.

Because of it’s beauty, you might be tempted to plant Texas Blue Bonnets. These flowers seem to grow all over Texas, handling the varying climate that we have in the state. But they also attract bees, and the dogs will be ready to jump up and catch them.

Activity 2Relevant vs. Irrelevant FactsYour turn… Same topic…

For some odd reason, dogs seem to be attracted to the bees that come out of the hives in the oak trees. On occasion the dogs will jump up and attempt to catch a bee in it’s mouth. Although you would think it would, the dog typically won’t get stung by the bee.

Because of it’s beauty, you might be tempted to plant Texas Blue Bonnets. These flowers seem to grow all over Texas, handling the varying climate that we have in the state. But they also attract bees, and the dogs will be ready to jump up and catch them.

Activity 2Relevant vs. Irrelevant FactsYour turn… Same topic…

For some odd reason, dogs seem to be attracted to the bees that come out of the hives in the oak trees. On occasion the dogs will jump up and attempt to catch a bee in it’s mouth. Although you would think it would, the dog typically won’t get stung by the bee.

Because of it’s beauty, you might be tempted to plant Texas Blue Bonnets. These flowers seem to grow all over Texas, handling the varying climate that we have in the state. But they also attract bees, and the dogs will be ready to jump up and catch them.

Activity 3Relevant vs. Irrelevant FactsResearch Paper Topic: Training Pugs to be Obedient

PugsPugs come in many different colors. They can be black, fawn, grey, or any mixture. Pugs are characterized by their black, rough-looking mug and big black eyes. Don’t let their cute demeanor fool you, they can be quite unruly. By nature, pugs are independent, which presents certain challenges when attempting to train them. Pugs are cute, and make good safe pets to have around children.Pugs really love food. They will wake up from a sound sleep if they think there’s a chance to get a treat. They are often obsessive however, and won’t leave an area alone if they think there’s food there. They’ve been known to scratch holes in furniture if they smell a piece of food under it. Treats are a good reward for positive behavior due to their obsession with food.

Activity 3Relevant vs. Irrelevant FactsResearch Paper Topic: Training Pugs to be Obedient

PugsPugs come in many different colors. They can be black, fawn, grey, or any mixture. Pugs are characterized by their black, rough-looking mug and big black eyes. Don’t let their cute demeanor fool you, they can be quite unruly. By nature, pugs are independent, which presents certain challenges when attempting to train them. Pugs are cute, and make good safe pets to have around children.Pugs really love food. They will wake up from a sound sleep if they think there’s a chance to get a snack. They are often obsessive however, and won’t leave an area alone if they think there’s food there. They’ve been known to scratch holes in furniture if they smell a piece of food under it. Treats are a good reward for positive behavior due to their obsession with food.

Switching gears….

Please turn on the computers and go to www.google.com

Turn your monitors OFF but leave the computer ON.

…Now wait for further instructions…

Activity 4Internet Searches• Search using an exact word or phrase• Do not use the or a/an

Using exact phrasing will help you obtain more relevant results.

Activity 4Internet Searches• Do you want to sift through 2 million results?

If breeding parrots were the topic of your paper, you would! It’s too general.

Now pretend that your topic is: Breeding Peach Faced Conures. (a conure is a very small parrot, but larger than a parakeet)

• Google is actually searching for all articles with breeding, or Peach, or Faced, or Conures

Activity 4Internet Searches• Put words you want to be search exactly in quotes.• A single word doesn’t need a quote• If you want to search one thing plus another thing, add a +

symbol

Example:To search for anything with “breeding” in it and “peach faced conures” you would type• breeding+”peach faced conures”

Activity 4Internet Searches• Google is searching everything, not just academic articles. Store

websites, people selling conures, videos and pictures are all returned with the search.

• If you want to search only academic articles, you can use Google Scholar.

scholar.google.com

• Always try standard first first.• Google Scholar includes articles that you have to pay for,

therefore they will often only show you a page or two of it.• Google Scholar has articles usually written at a college level.

Internet Searches… Your turn.

Turn your monitors on.

Do a search for:

Breeding American Fuzzy Lop Rabbits

How many results did you get? Try various search methods to see who can get the least results.

Activity 5Bulleted Lists & Mouse Gestures

Open up Microsoft Word, turn the screen off (not the computer)

Wait for the instructor…

Activity 5Bulleted Lists & Mouse Gestures• You can use Microsoft Word to create a bulleted-list.• This is an example of a bulleted list. See the brown dot?

• You can also hold the left mouse button down and drag an entire fact to another place in your document.

• This is useful if you wish to change the order of items in your list. You might find that useful when collecting notes.

That’s all!

This is the end of the PowerPoint

Re-teaching Activity 3a…more practiceResearch Paper Topic: Well-dressed Cats Make Happy Cats

The Blue-Tailed Ring CatBlue-tailed ring cats are a cross between the standard Shabbied-Smüt cat and the German ßen-bitten cat. The Shabbied-Smüt cat doesn’t like to wear clothing, and will consequently run under a bed and hide if you try to clothe it. Once this cat becomes reclusive (hiding), it won’t come out unless you coax it with cat-nip. However the latter cat, the German ßen-bitten cat, really likes clothing, and will consequently purr when wearing soft fabrics. Since the Blue-Tailed Ring cat is a cross between these two cats, they can exhibit either happiness or reclusiveness when forced to wear clothing. So when it comes to the Blue-Tailed Ring cat, you’ll just have to try clothing on it and see what happens.

Re-teaching Activity 3a…more practiceResearch Paper Topic: Well-dressed Cats Make Happy Cats

The Blue-Tailed Ring CatBlue-tailed ring cats are a cross between the standard Shabbied-Smüt cat and the German ßen-bitten cat. The Shabbied-Smüt cat doesn’t like to wear clothing, and will consequently run under a bed and hide if you try to clothe it. Once this cat becomes reclusive (hiding), it won’t come out unless you coax it with cat-nip. However the latter cat, the German ßen-bitten cat, really likes clothing, and will consequently purr when wearing soft fabrics. Since the Blue-Tailed Ring cat is a cross between these two cats, they can exhibit either happiness or reclusiveness when forced to wear clothing. So when it comes to the Blue-Tailed Ring cat, you’ll just have to try clothing on it and see what happens.