Skills

Overview for Middle School Students

How do you search for information on the World Wide Web? Pretest

What are the Big6™ Skills?

Task Definition: Use a graphic organizer to brainstorm your topic. Use an assignment organizer to outline what you need to do before you begin to research.

Information Seeking Strategies Practice using subject directories. KidsClick KidSpace@Internet Public Library Multnomah Cty. Library Homework Center Google is a combined subject directory and keyword search engine. Look at some examples: Thinking About World Wide Web Pages. Evaluate some web pages. Use this form.

	Location and Access Try Diagramming a Search Strategy. Now try some search engines again. Google Yahooligans KidsClick Clusty

Use of Information Take notes: Distinguish between quotations, paraphrases, and summaries. OSLIS has examples of note-taking and practice exercises. Cite your sources: Use Citation Machine or Citation Maker. Practice taking notes: Use this electronic format. Distinguish between fact and opinion; identify bias. Read Violent Video Games Cause Violent Behavior: Yes? or No? and respond to the questions. OR Read Eggs and Cholesterol: Yes? or No? and respond to the questions.

Synthesis Use the information you have found to make a web page or a WebQuest. Consider other forms of representation.

Evaluation Use Kathy Schrock's Assessment Rubrics to evaluate your project, whether it's a web page, research paper, or multimedia presentation.

For more examples, see Applying Big6 Skills™, Information Literacy Standards and ISTE NETS to Internet Research

Janet Murray
April, 2008