TIPS: Helping Young Researchers Assess the Usefulness of Their Success
As students in the third, fourth, and fifth grades in the Orchard School (Ridgewood, NJ) begin to do their first formal research reports, the stages of the Big6 help them (1) to break down the process into understandable parts and (2) to produce successful reports. It is really quite easy to teach some of the stages to these young students. For instance, many students can develop useful questions about their topics and can find materials in the library or online.
However, other more subtle stages or sub-stages are often more difficult and are skipped or downplayed. For example, I find that the sub-stage of evaluating sources – after Location & Access (Big6 #3) but before intensive Use of Information (Big6 #4) – is one of those difficult skills to master.
Using a Chart to Evaluate Sources
After my students finish Big6 Stage #3 (Location & Access), they need to take an explicit action to evaluate the usefulness (not the validity: that’s another consideration) of their resources before they proceed further in Big6 Stage #4 (Use of Information). Without this evaluation action, students seem to rove among their sources without getting to the main information in any source.
Figure 1 shows an Evaluation Chart that was developed to help students assess sources and decide the order in which they will view their sources.
This example is for the third graders working on animal reports. Students write “yes,” “no,” or a more specific comment in each box. Student are “using” the resources, but only to gain some insight into the value of the resource for later in-depth use. For example, the students must actually read a portion of the text to tell if it”s easy to read. Showing third graders a three-inch portion of text on a page or computer monitor helps them to gauge what should be a manageable but sufficient amount of text. The chart can be modified for older students and other topics. For instance, fifth grade students can consider, “Is this source well organized for my needs,” but the fifth grade students probably do not need to consider the usefulness of illustrations.
Additional sources may be added to the left column, such as biographical dictionaries, subject encyclopedias, and CD-ROM reference tools.
When presenting this evaluation activity, demonstrate the process and give students lots of time to fill in the chart. As each student finishes the chart, ask him or her to rank the sources in order of apparent usefulness. If students are using the chart for the first time, model this process for them. Have students rank their choices with stars or a numbering system, and keep the chart with their materials for use throughout the project.
Extracting Relevant Information: It’s Just Like Eating a Meal
Another part of Big6 #4 (Use of Information), is extracting relevant information—note-taking (Big6 Step 4). I use a metaphor that compares eating a meal to gathering information. The source students ranked #1 is similar to the main dinner meal. When you’re hungry, you eat everything on the plate. When students are hungry for information they will spend lots of time with the source they’ve ranked as the best, and will glean all of the important information from it. The second source is like dessert. After the main meal, you’re not famished, but you’re still looking for something good—more information to add to what you’ve already learned. The third sources and beyond are like after-dinner mints. You’re not really hungry, but you can’t resist another tasty bite, or tidbit of good information.
Teachers report that students who follow these stages are more purposeful in their work and seem much more confident that they have found the information they want. Even though using this system adds time to the research process, it is actually fun for most young students and this approach smooths the way for the final stages.
Biographical information:
Ellen Heath is the librarian at Orchard School in Ridgewood, NJ. She is also an adjunct professor of children”s literature at Montclair State University and a storyteller. Ellen earned her MLS from Syracuse University.
Email: ellheath@aol.com
