We are very excited as you embark on your journey of Inquiry!

The topics you have chosen to research are very interesting and we are looking forward to seeing the results of your work.

To start, we would like to remind all of you about the Points of Inquiry, a document from the British Columbia Teachers Librarians’ Association (BCTLA):

Most of you were at the Connect and Wonder stage for your project during the first class in the Library Learning Commons on May 1. Just as a reminder, this stage is where you are looking at your inquiry question and possibly refining or narrowing down your topic. This is a very important stage, and is often the hardest and most time consuming.

Two very important things to remember:

1. Make sure you let Mr. Neu know about your final question

2. Take note of every and all sources that you use; images, websites, books, etc.

The next step is Investigate, which is looking for the information to answer your question. There are many sources available, however if you are having difficulty finding accurate, appropriate information from reliable sources you may need to go back to the Connect and Wonder stage. This is totally fine, and is a good step to make early on in the process.

In the Investigate stage, you will working on gathering and recording information from a variety of sources. For sources found on the web, it is especially important to evaluate them for Currency, Coverage, Relevance/Reliability, Authority and Perspective (scroll down this page to get more information on C.C.R.A.P.). Good research involves being very critical about the information you find, especially information found online.

Make sure you check to see what books we have here at Gladstone first (there is a quick and easy link to Webcat on the menu above) as there may be some very good ones here that have information about your question. Other sources are databases such as Global Issues in Context, CPIQ, Consumer Health Complete and EBSCO. All the links for these databases are on the Database tab on Webcat. If you need the passwords please see Mrs. Montroy or Ms. Parungao.

Also, as mentioned above, you must keep track of your sources as you will be creating a Works Cited. Some of you are familiar with Easybib and have an account. If not you should set one up (click on Register; in the top right hand corner of the website). One person in  your group should do this, then share the project with other team members. That way everyone in the group can add citations to the same project.

 

C.C.R.A.P.:

There are 5 words that will help you in this task, the first letters of which spell the word CCRAP. They are:

Currency – When was the source of information written, posted on the web or last updated? Is it dated, current, timely? (Hint: you can go to WHOIS to help answer this question if the information is not given on the website)

Coverage – How deeply does it cover the research topic? How much more information is provided compared to other sources on the same topic? How ethical/grammatical/accurate is the information? Is the site easy to navigate?

Relevence/Reliability – Why might I use (or not use) this source of information? Is the information reliable?

Authority – Is the author qualified to discuss the topic? Who sponsored or published this source? What can the URL tell you?

Perspective – What is the purpose of this source? What viewpoint or bias does it represent? What audience or reading level is it intended for? Is the presentation a satire or spoof.

Additionally, here is a little youtube clip on Evaluating websites:

 

The following information was for another class; please disregard this for this particular inquiry assignment (May 2014).

To give you some practice, we would like you to complete the CCRAP worksheet (both sides). You will get a copy, but here is another one just in case:   The QUICK/DEEP CCRAP Sheet  (pdf)

Here are the 5 websites you will need for the QUICK CCRAP worksheet:

Impact of video games on children,  Muppet Wiki, Frogs are Too Cool for School, Government of Canada, The Manhattan Airport Foundation

You may need some other information to help you out with some of the questions. In particular, the domain endings (.com, .gov, .edu, etc.), as well as the country codes. Check out Learn the Net: Understanding Domain Names (the country code information is on the second page of this webpage).

Please make sure to ask one of the Teacher Librarians if you need any help!!!