Research Checklist—Elementary

 

Often

Sometimes

Hardly

Ever

Comments/Goals

Defining a Topic:

 

I thought about what interested me.


 

I thought about what I already knew.


 

I thought about what I wanted to know.


 

I selected a topic to study.


 

I decided on a question to study about my topic. I made my question clear and important.


 

I thought about the different ways I could explore my topic.


 

I brainstormed a list of my ideas.


 

I clustered my ideas to help organize them for my research.


 

Gathering Information:

 

I gathered information from the library.


 

I gathered information from primary sources.


 

I gathered information from the Internet.


 

I gathered information from periodicals.


 

I gathered information from videos.


 

I gathered information from experts.


 

I gathered information from other sources.


 

Sorting Information:

 

I selected only the information that answered my question.


 

I revised my search based on the information I found.


 

I paid attention to the quality of my information by checking to see if it was from a reliable source.


 

I thought about the timeliness of the information.


 

I took into account the difference between fact and opinion. I watched for propaganda or biased information.


 

I noticed when sources agreed or disagreed.


 

I decided what the most important information was.


 

I kept track of my sources (such as copyright date, title, author, publisher, page, or path information).


 

Organizing Information:

 

I compared the information I collected from various sources.


 

I used a graphic organizer (such as a web, chart, timeline, or table) to help me understand or explain how the information goes together.


 

I decided on the most important points and eliminated information I did not need.


 

I organized the key ideas in a logical order.


 

I summarized using my own words.


 


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