Community Issues Research
8th Grade English, Unit 2
(Created by K Crossley and M Rehbehn, updated 11/4/11)
Develop a list of community issues or needs, selecting one of personal concern as the basis for their research.
Formulate questions about their issue that the research will attempt to answer.
Read and take notes, including citation information that will become the basis of their research/persuasive papers.
Information Literacy Skills:
Outcome 2: Students will be able to locate resources to meet an identified need.Outcome 3: Students will be able to gather information from appropriate resources.
Outcome 4: Students will be able to organize and manage information found in print, non-print, and computer/online formats.
Outcome 5: Students will be able to interpret information to generate new understandings and knowledge.
Outcome 6: Students will be able to communicate findings by producing materials in an appropriate format.
Outcome 7: Students will be able to demonstrate responsible attitudes toward the use of information.
You are going to be researching one of the following topics:
- Should the government regulate food that is sold in schools?
- Should teens have access to social networking tools in school?
- Should students be required to wear uniforms in school?
- Should schools implement single-sex classrooms?
- Should schools implement year-round schooling?
Your teacher has told you to use at least 3 different sources for this project. You will cite each source from which you take notes in NoodleTools. You will be creating a bibliography using NoodleTools, and you may also use NoodleTools electronic note cards to take your notes. If you use NoodleTools electronic note cards, you must FIRST cite the article in NoodleTools, THEN create a note card and link it to the correct source citation. THEN take notes on electronic note cards.
Print Resources: The media center has collected a cart of books on some issues, for use in the media center only.
They are also available for overnight checkout, which means checking out one book after 7th period and returning it BEFORE first period. If you don’t find your topic on the cart, use the Patron’s Catalog to search for other books.
Online Resources: Look for your issue in the following online resources. Use the chart below for help with key words for your topic. Look for NoodleTools hints for citations in red.
- SIRS Issues Researcher : Click on “SIRS Issues Researcher” and you can see “online social networking” in the “Your Top 10 Pro vs. Con Leading Issues.” Scroll down on the list of issues to look for your issue. Click on an issue, and you will a short summary paragraph called “At Issue.” Next to it you will see “Essential Questions” with articles for a pro and a con argument. There is also a video for many articles – get headphones if you want to listen to the short video. Finally, below are many more articles on the topic.first see an “Overview” tab, where you should pick the question that best matches your issue. Next you will see one pro and one con argument, with 3 articles in that box, and more articles further down on the page. You can also use keywords in the search box.
NoodleTools: Look at the top of the article you are using to see what type of source this article came from (magazine, newspapers, etc.). That will tell you how to cite the article in NoodleTools. Also use the icon next to the article title on your search page to determine where the article came from. Do NOT provide a URL.
- Issues and Controversies: You can search by using the search box, or click to the right under “Issues in the Headlines” on “Access All Topics” (keyword chart tells which issues are headline issues.) After you find one article, look on the left side of your article for other related articles.
NoodleTools: Cite as online database – yes, this is original content – database is Issues and Controversies – database publisher is Facts on File News Services. Do NOT provide a URL.
- NetTrekker: This is a search engine for finding relevant websites at school instead of using Google. Search for websites about your issue here. Here you will mainly background information about your topic, not pros/cons. NoodleTools: Cite pages you find here as websites. Do NOT cite NetTrekker. DO provide a URL for the website you use.
- SIRS Discoverer: Use the search box to search with your key words and look at the colored box to the left of the title
to see the reading level for articles. You can also search for related websites by clicking on Discoverer WebFind.
NoodleTools: Click on “Source and Summary.” Use that information to figure out where SIRS Discoverer found this article and cite that source (magazine, newspaper, encyclopedia, etc.) Retrieved from an online database. For an encyclopedia article: yes, duplicated from a printed work. Do NOT provide a URL.
You may, of course, use any other MCPS online resource, which can be found on the Media webpage titled “Research Resources” or when in school, under the Media Center program folder. You may NOT “Google” or use other free web searches at school. To search for websites, use NetTrekker.
Search Terms: If you need help with finding information about your issue, here are key words you can use.
* = Featured issue in that database
ISSUE
|
SIRS Issues Researcher
|
Issues and Controversies
|
NetTrekker
|
SIRS Discoverer
|
Social Networking in School
|
*Online Social Networks
Cybersocializing
Internet and Teenagers
|
Social Networking Web
Sites
|
Social Networking
to Learn
Social Networking
for Children
|
Online Social Networks
Social Networks
|
Government regulation of school food
|
*Obesity
Obesity in Children
School Lunchrooms,
cafeterias, etc.
Children, nutrition
|
Childhood obesity
Junk food in schools
School Lunches
Soda and Student
Health
|
Junk food
School nutrition
Childhood obesity
|
School Children, Food
Junk Food
|
Year-round school
|
Year-round schools
|
Year-round education
|
Year-round school
|
Year-round schools
|
Single-Sex Classrooms
|
*Single-Sex Schools,
Classrooms
|
Single-Sex Education
|
|
Single-Sex Classes
(Education)
Single-Sex Schools
|
School Uniforms
|
*School Uniforms
|
School Uniforms
|
School Uniforms
|
School Uniforms
|
