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Help Your Students Find Sources of Information for Research Beyond the Internet.
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As students become increasingly more competent at using a computer, they are less likely to become familiar with using more traditional sources for research.  It is important that students have opportunities to use a variety of sources that can assist them in gathering information. 
 
Use the following list of sources to introduce your students to the various types of resources available, and provide opportunitites for them to employ each one.  
 
 

Almanac

·         regular publication (annually)

·         specific information/many subjects

·         statistics

·         charts/list

·         index

Atlas

·         book of maps

-   political (boundaries)

-   topographical (surface features)

-   economic (products/industries)

Books

·         printed pages

·         bound together

·         cover

Dictionaries

·         book-words of a language

·         alphabetical order

·         definitions

·         pronunciation

·         parts of speech

Encyclopedias

·         book/series of books/online

·         basic information on many topics

·         volumes in alphabetical order

·         index

Internet Sources

·         worldwide computer network (www) world wide web

·         arranged like pages in a book (web pages)

·         billions of web pages

Magazines (periodicals)

·         paperback

·         published in regular intervals

·         articles by multiple authors

·         illustrated

·         includes advertisements

·         professional journals/general interest by topics

Level 1 
Bring an example of each type of source into your classroom.  In some cases, you might want to have the versions that are available for young students. Take time on different days to discuss one type of source, and how it might be useful.  Make a sign for each type of source.  Play a game where students match the sign to the type of source and state how each source could be helpful to them.  Allow students to look at different types of sources during independent reading time. 

Level 2 
Have students copy the notes on the various types of source material.  Take them into your school media center and help them locate where each type of source is located.  When doing research projects, encourage students to use a minimum of three different types of sources.
 
Level 3
Have students copy the notes on the various types of source material.  Have them write situations that would explain the use of a particular type of source.  Here is an example:
 
You are trying to identify the principal crops grown in the state of Kansas.  Which source would help you do that quickly?  (Atlas)
 
Your music teacher has asked you to collect some basic information on the composer, Amadeus Mozart.  You go into the media center, and all the computers are in use.  What other source could you use?  (Encyclopedia)
 
Our brand new module on Research and Report Writing is now available.  This module will give teachers a step-by-step method to help students produce a well-written research paper.  We include all the tools you need for teaching students to select a topic, locate appropriate sources, write effective notes using their sources, organize and write the paper, and cite their sources using MLA.  Schedule this one-day workshop for your school or district today!   

Sincerely,
The Write Tools, LLC
Join us on March 19th for a FREE WEBINAR on our new
RESEARCH AND REPORT WRITING MODULE!