Research Project - Day Three

Up to this point, here's what your've done:

1. Selected a general topic
2. Researched basic information about that topic
3. Worked with your group to form a basic framework of sub-topics, and then refined it after receiving our feedback
4. Wrote a blog post about your findings
5. Started a Google document for your research
6. Started research on your sub-topic

For today, your goal is to complete your overview of your topic and sub-topic.  You're gradually becoming more knowledgeable about both, and now it is time to bring that information and your thinking together.

Follow these steps to continue your research, then ask and respond to questions:

1. Continue reading the "Entry-Level Sources" you find through the subscription databases.  Take the time to read carefully - there is a lot of information here and you need to find a way to organize it to maximize your understanding.  How to do that?
2. Take thorough notes.  Using the GoogleDoc you created, and following our instructions, you'll compile a set of notes on these documents.  These will include both the information and your questions & responses to it.  For each piece of evidence you have, you will write down a piece of commentary about it - why did you write it? what is important about it? (This commentary should be highlighted in green)
3. Ask questions.  Remember Bloom's Taxonomy - we introduced it yesterday.  It traced the progression of understanding from Knowledge to Comprehension to Analysis to Evaluation.  Now you will put that to good use.  As you read, consider and ask questions like these:
1. What is the main point?
2. What are the differences / similarities between the people / events / documents I'm reading about?
3. Why did certain changes occur?  What led to that change?  What were the results?
4. Who are the key people - what motivated them?  Who followed / led them?
5. What are the roadblocks to progress / change? 
6. Why was a particular strategy used?  Was it effective?
7. What other factors play a role in your sub-topic?
8. How important was...?
9. Why did...react in the way s/he/they did?
10. Other who / what / where / why / how questions!
4. Re-read your notes.  After you have generated a few questions, go back to your notes and try to answer your best one(s).  Make sure you are moving from having "knowledge" about your sub-topic to a deeper level of "comprehension" then "analysis" of it.
5. Write a blog post.  Use your best question as the title of the post, then write a complete and detailed answer to it in the body.  This will demonstrate your knowledge about your topic, your comprehension of the issues and factors you've identified, and your ability to begin to analyze it.  It will also prepare you to move towards a more in-depth exploration of the next level of sources.