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ELA 5: Researching a Topic 76 Views
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Description:
When searching once doesn't do the trick, you'll have to...re-search. Today's video will teach you not only how to research things, but also whether or not it's a good idea to have a wolf as a pet. Seriously. Check it out.
Transcript
- 00:06
[Dino and Coop singing]
- 00:13
When you think about doing research, you must think of long hours in a library with a huge [Clock ticking by]
- 00:18
stack of books in front of you. [Pile of books falls over]
- 00:19
Libraries? They’re those places where you can go to borrow…ah, forget it. [Girl looks annoyed and walks away]
- 00:23
Whether you’re doing research online or in one of those antique-y library places…
Full Transcript
- 00:27
…there are some decisions you’ll need to make.
- 00:30
When we do research, we start with a topic, but that alone isn't quite enough. [Coop pointing at a blackboard]
- 00:34
Topics are pretty general…we make them more precise by asking a particular research question [Dino pointing at a blackboard]
- 00:38
about the topic.
- 00:40
All right, so say our topic is wolves. [Wolf in a woods]
- 00:43
Although that's only one animal, it's a pretty big topic. There are so many things we could
- 00:47
research about wolves: where they live, what they eat, what they like in their lattes. [Wolf in a bed like Little Red Riding Hood]
- 00:53
If we took the time to research all of those things, we'd soon be overwhelmed with wolf info. [Wolf ordering a coffee]
- 00:57
Instead, we can ask a specific question.
- 01:00
Like: how do wolves hunt? What do wolves eat? Is it smart to keep a wolf as a pet?
- 01:05
This approach is a lot less general than just the topic of "wolves," and it helps guide our research.
- 01:11
If a book gives us information on how wolves hunt, great. If the book is about why they
- 01:15
don't ride jet skis… not so much. [People reading books about the information in a library]
- 01:17
Now that we have our topic and our research question, we're ready to hit the books.
- 01:21
Or…the web pages, or whatever. [Boxing glove punches books away]
- 01:23
That said, not all sources are created equal, and when you're doing research, you always [Stop sign appears over a book and a TV on a scale]
- 01:27
need to make sure they’re valid.
- 01:29
It’s important to note where the information is coming from. That means looking at who [Coop pointing at a blackboard]
- 01:32
published it, who wrote it, and what sources the author used.
- 01:36
Say we're researching how wolves hunt and we've come across a book published by a university
- 01:40
press, written by one of America's foremost experts on wolf behavior, who's drawing on [Book falls into a girl's hands]
- 01:44
his own research and that of his peers. Sounds like a good source that'd be worth a read, right? [Tick appears over the book]
- 01:49
On the other hand, if we come across a handmade comic book our classmate Andrew left in the
- 01:53
library about superhero Wolfman, we might want to give it a pass. [Guy walking away from the comic book]
- 01:57
Once you actually start researching, don't forget: organization is key. [Dino pointing at a blackboard]
- 02:02
You'll be gathering all sorts of new information, so make sure you're taking notes to keep track of everything.
- 02:06
Remember, you're going to have to do some actual writing eventually, and well-organized notes
- 02:10
will make the process a lot easier than just a collection of dim memories. [Someone crossing out cotton candy on a list of what wolves eat]
- 02:14
So if you start with a topic, develop a research question, check the validity of your sources,
- 02:19
and stay organized, your research should go swimmingly. [Man reading in a swimming pool]
- 02:23
Oh and, for the record, you can’t have a wolf as a pet. Trust us, we tried. [Stop sign over wolf on a couch]
- 02:28
We’re still cleaning up the office.
- 02:30
Rest in peace, Fluffers. [Gravestone for Fluffers the rabbit]
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