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Inquiry on the Internet: Evaluating Web Pages for a Class Collection

• Resources & Preparation
• Instructional Plan
• Related Resources

In this lesson plan, students explore a class inquiry project, collecting Web-based resources that can be used for further study during the course of the class or for more in-depth projects. Students begin by brainstorming a list of kinds of information they will need to know. They then help set criteria for the lesson by thinking about characteristics of effective Web resources. Next, students use an online tool to evaluate three Websites and then locate and evaluate Websites based on the criteria they defined earlier. Finally, students discuss whether their predictions about the characteristics that would describe useful resources were effective, and revise the list as needed. This lesson can be completed individually or in groups. For demonstration purposes, this lesson plan focuses on researching a specific country or several countries; however, this activity can be completed with any inquiry topic in the classroom.

Featured Resources

Website Evaluation Process : Using this online tool, students evaluate three Websites to determine if they would be useful resources for a class project. Website Evaluation Form : Using this online tool, students evaluate whether up to three Websites they have found would be useful resources for a class project.

From Theory to Practice

In "Inquiring Minds Use Technology!" Jeff Wilhelm explains that "From the literature teacher who uses inquiry to ponder big questions like ‘What is courage?' to the science teacher who asks, ‘What is the connection between land development and ecology?' inquiry allows students not only to consider thoughtful questions, but to use Web quests and electronic scrapbooks as they research their topic" (45). One of the most important steps in any inquiry project that uses Web resources is determining whether the resources and information one finds not only address the inquiry topic but also provide high-quality information. Nancy Patterson tells us, "When research took place down the school hall, under the watchful eye of the librarian, we had the illusion, at least, that the information students were reading was reliable. Now, suddenly, it seems, we have a huge buffet of information available at the click of a mouse." As a result, Patterson urges us to help our students "become literate in the ways of the Web" by analyzing and evaluating each Web page closely, using techniques such as those explored in this lesson plan, before including it as a resource in any project. Further Reading

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

• 1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
• 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
• 6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
• 7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
• 8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
• 11. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
• Possible Categories for Class Web Collections
• Website Evaluation Form

Preparation

• Check that you have parent or guardian permission for all students to participate in Internet searches, and obtain a copy of your school or district’s acceptable use policy. If desired, make an overhead of the policy to share with students.
• Familiarize yourself with the resources on the Writing Guides site from Colorado State University, and choose the demos that best fit your students’ needs.
• Computer-based systems such as electronic bulletin boards or e-mail discussion lists, with category headings as subject or thread titles.
• A handout, developed by creating a form with shared category headings.
• A class Web page, on which you list the URLs, can be added to your school Website. Students might e-mail their recommendations to you or complete a form with shared categories.
• Choose the topic for your students’ research and brainstorm a list of essential subject areas that students should cover. Keep your list for reference. For demonstration purposes, this lesson plan focuses on researching a specific country or several countries; however, this activity can be completed with any inquiry topic in the classroom and works well to supplement major units of study across the curriculum, as outlined in this list of additional collection ideas . Customize the lists as appropriate for your class. For an extended unit on science, technology, and society, for instance, you might use the complete list. For a more focused collection, you might narrow the list of categories to one area (e.g., transformations through science and technology).
• If desired, make copies of the Website Evaluation Form.
• For background information and information to share with students, refer to the Eduscapes resource Evaluating Internet Resources .
• Test the Website Evaluation Process student interactive and the Website Evaluation Form student interactive on your computers to familiarize yourself with the tools and ensure that you have the Flash plug-in installed. You can download the plug-in from the technical support page.

Student Objectives

Students will

• explore the criteria for effective Websites.
• search for and evaluate Websites for a particular class collection.
• evaluate the effectiveness of the collection and criteria.

Session One

• Explain the project that students will be completing: generally, they will gather and evaluate Web resources individually or in small groups. At the end of their research, they should have identified at least three Web resources to share with the class. These resources will be published as a group collection for everyone to refer to as the class pursues more detailed, individual research projects. Modify the explanation to fit the project that you’ve chosen (or that students decide upon).
• Remind students that their research must comply with your school’s or district’s Acceptable Use Policy.
• Ask students to brainstorm a list of kinds of information they will need to know about to conduct their research project. For research about a specific country or several countries, for example, students might want to know about such things as the people, where people live, the geography of the country, and so forth. Your students’ responses may be more specific. For instance, your students may mention that they want to know about the schools and what the children in the country do for entertainment. Add all the suggestions to the brainstormed list.
• Once you have gathered a preliminary list, review the items. Group similar ideas and make any revisions. This list will form the basic categories for the students’ research.
• Entertainment
• Review the task, explaining how the Web resources that students identify will be shared. You might post a piece of chart paper for each item on the list and ask students to write the URLs or tape printouts of the sites or the evaluation forms on the chart paper; or students could share the Web resources online, using a bulletin board system or e-mail.
• Also explain whether students will work individually and whether the research will be independent or if students should choose a specific item on the list to focus on. This project can work well in small groups, with each group responsible for a particular item on the list.
• Suggest the number of sites that students should identify—three sites each works well.
• What can we tell about a Web resource by looking at who wrote the page?
• What do connections to companies, schools, and other groups tell us about a Website?
• Does it matter if the site has advertisements? Are some ads more acceptable than others?
• What is the difference between a .com, a .edu, and a .net site? What about a .k12.il.us site or a .cc.tx.us site?
• How can you tell what the purpose of a site it? Does the purpose matter for our project?
• How do the intended readers of a site affect its effectiveness for our project? Does the audience matter?
• What about the technical issues of the site? What does it mean if you find broken links?
• How does the date of information on the site matter?
• Allow students to share ideas freely. Explain that in the next session you’ll share a list of basic questions to use to evaluate a Web resource that will tie to their characteristics.

Session Two

• Review the assignment that students will complete, including the outline of kinds of information that will form the class collection of Web resources.
• Remind students of the list of characteristics that they explored at the end of the previous session.
• Share the Website Evaluation Form , which provides a basic list of questions students can use to determine whether a site is appropriate for the class’s project.
• Connect items on the evaluation form to the characteristics brainstormed in the previous class.
• If desired, you might note that the evaluation questions could be modified slightly to help a writer planning to write a Web page.
• Explain that you’ll evaluate several sites as a class in order to demonstrate how the process works, using the Website Evaluation Process Student Interactive , which asks students to imagine that each person in the class is researching a country that he or she is interested in (for instance, a country where a penpal lives, where their family came from, or where they plan to visit).
• The UNICEF Website: Information by Country This site is produced by a well-known organization that is an authority in the area of children around the world. It is likely an excellent resource for the imagined project.
• Flags of All Countries This site’s use of advertising and dated information is problematic. The site’s connection to a company that sells immigration software also raises questions about its usefulness. This site is probably not a good resource for the project.
• The Flat Stanley Project This site includes awards and approvals from a variety of sources that indicate that it is probably a good resource; however the information may not fit well with the research project and the audience for the site is probably younger than middle school. Students might find the information useful for some parts of their project, but it’s not likely to be a major resource.
• Take the opportunity to demonstrate the technical process of using the student interactive at the same time, providing pointers on how the tool works. Be sure to work all the way through to printing the responses by using the Finish button at the top of the interactive after answering all of the questions.
• If your class is working on a research project on countries around the world, be sure to add the excellent sites to your class collection (e.g., add them to your chart paper, post them on the online bulletin board, or send them in an e-mail message).
• Answer any questions that students have about the process. Explain that students will have the next class session to find and share resources for the class collection.

Session Three

• Go over the Acceptable Use Policy for your school or district with students to remind them of the guidelines for their Internet use.
• Demonstrate a search tool for students using the resources from the Writing Guides site. In this way, you can show students how to complete a basic search and simultaneously show them how to use the demos on the Writing Guides site.
• Click on the “Conducting Electronic Searches” tab on the guides page.
• Select one of the guides on the page, based on your students’ experience with online searches. If they have completed few online searches, for instance, choose the Conducting Simple Web Searches link. Complete additional demos from the site as appropriate.
• Once you’re certain that students understand the basics of Internet searches, arrange the students in groups if desired, and divide the research categories about the groups or among individual students.
• Point students to the Website Evaluation Form student interactive or distribute copies of the Website Evaluation Form (PDF) for students to use as they evaluate the sites that they find. If you use the interactive, explain that students can use the tool as many times as needed to evaluate all the resources that they find.
• You might suggest a specific site for students to begin their search on (e.g., Google , Ask Jeeves for Kids , MSN ) based on the resources you’ve demoed from the Writing Demonstrations site.
• Circulate among students as they work.
• As appropriate, point students to the guides site for minilessons on the search tools.
• Allow students the rest of the session to search for sites to add to the class collection. By the end of the session, students should have found all the sites that they will contribute.
• If you are structuring a collection for the class that will include all of the links—either by creating a Web page that includes all of the links or creating a handout that lists the sites that students have identified, students must submit the sites that they’ve found before the next session begins so that you’ll have time to create the necessary resource. If students are sharing their sites using an online resource such as an electronic bulletin board or e-mail discussion list, students can continue their work for homework as long as all of their submissions have been sent or posted by the beginning of the next class.

Session Four

• Distribute or point students to the class collection. Explain that it’s time to explore the sites that the class has found. You might provide a brief overview of the collection before students investigate the sites independently. For instance, if several students submitted the same site, you might ask students to hypothesize reasons that the site was particularly popular. You might also ask students to identify any patterns that are obvious in the collection—for instance, perhaps most of the sites are .com sites.
• If students have handouts or a shared class Web page that lists the collection, ask them to keep notes on the sites that they visit during this session, paying attention to those that they may want to return to later and those that were particularly impressive. After students have explored the sites, conclude the session with a class discussion of project.
• If students created their class collection using an online bulletin board or e-mail discussion list, ask them to visit the sites and post replies to those that they’re most interested in. Supplement the online discussion with face-to-face conversation about the sites, based on the ideas that students share online.
• If students will be using the collections for a specific project (such as the alternative research paper listed in the Extensions below), you might move directly to the research project, asking students to add replies or share
• At the end of the session, return to the list of characteristics that students created in the first session. Ask students to focus their comments on whether their predictions about the characteristics that would describe useful resources were effective. Make any revisions to the list to reflect students’ experience during this activity.

Follow this activity with the Picture Books as Framing Texts: Research Paper Strategies for Struggling Writers lesson plan. An ideal unit might begin with sharing the framing book from this lesson then collecting Web resources as a class before students write their own contributions to the class book.

Student Assessment / Reflections

The final session of this lesson plan allows students the opportunity to provide feedback on the collected resources. Students will see the sites they have selected being used by others in the class—this informal feedback from other students is excellent reinforcement for the project. For more structured assessment, check the evaluation forms that students submit for completeness and accuracy.

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• Kindergarten K

Classroom Freebies

June 11, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Technology gets outdated so fast! Raki’s Rad Resources has now updated all of the free internet scavenger hunts for distance learning

3-5 · All Freebies · PK-2

Followers of Classroom Freebies are familiar with my free internet scavenger hunts . These are resources I originally developed 10 years ago as a computer lab teacher. Technology has changed a lot in the last 10 years, so I am constantly updating these resources. A lot of the updates are simply fixing broken links. However as new technology becomes available, I have begun offering different formats to meet the needs of different classrooms. My newest updates make them a great addition to any distance learning or hybrid learning classroom.

What is an internet scavenger hunt?

At Raki’s Rad Resources’ Teachers Pay Teacher store , I have multiple internet scavenger hunts. These are a combination of old school web quests and new school directed internet research projects. Students are given a variety of websites to search and questions to answer. Instead of just “Googling it” students get a chance to read through a variety of different child friendly websites. They use these websites to find the answers to questions on a variety of science and social studies topics. 

While students are completing internet scavenger hunts, they build research skills, reading skills, questioning skills and the ability to determine which information is important and which information isn’t. These resources helps students build their background knowledge and use the internet to research in a safe manner. Internet scavenger hunts make great centers in literacy, science or social studies for traditional classrooms. For distance learning, students can work through these independently with just a little guidance.

What are the different format options?

When I originally published these internet scavenger hunts, they only included a .doc version that could be e-mailed directly to students. At that time students had to download the document, type on it, save it and then upload it into an e-mail to get it back to their teacher. The second format I added was a .PDF option that can be printed, but shared electronically with students who do not have Microsoft Word. The third option I added was a QR code option for teachers who were starting to have iPads and other tablets in their classrooms. Students can scan the QR code on a printed paper version and use their tablet to do the research.

What version works for distance learning?

This school year, with everyone switching to distance learning, it became obvious that teachers needed a version that was easily compatible with Google Classroom. Luckily, I have had Chromebooks in my classroom and had already been slowly adding Google Classroom versions. I’ve spent the last few months adding these Google Classroom versions.

For most of the internet scavenger hunts, the Google Classroom version gives you 2 additional options. One is a Google Doc, which is similar to my original type on version. However, instead of needing to email the document back and forth, it can be assigned in Google Classroom using the “make a copy for each student” option. Additionally, I have added a Google Form version wherever possible. The Google Form versions are designed to grade all multiple choice questions. These forms can be sent to students with or without Google Classroom. Students have all the links, have a place to answer the questions, and you get access to all of their answers as soon as they submit.

What if I need to use more than one formatting options?

Since I am aware that different schools and different students have access to a wide range of technologies, each and every internet scavenger hunt comes with all 4 possible formats. With distance learning or hybrid learning, this will make it possible for you to assign different versions to different students. You might assign the Google Classroom version for students who have access to laptops and broadband at home. However, students who rely on cell phones, tablets and hot spot data can be given QR code versions. The current crisis has made it clear that we have to be flexible, and having different formatting options gives you the opportunity to better meet kids where they’re at.

Free Internet Scavenger Hunts

Now that I have explained everything available, take a look for yourself. You can download these internet scavenger hunts from my Teacher’s Pay Teachers store for FREE. All internet scavenger hunts come with all four formats that I have discussed – Editable (.doc), Clickable (.pdf), Scannable (QR codes) and Distance Learning Ready (Google Docs and Google Forms). 

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About Heidi Raki

Heidi Raki has been in education since 2004, teaching in the US and abroad, as well as spending some time as a homeschooling parent. She is currently teaching 3rd grade in New Mexico and raising her three school aged sons. Heidi Raki is the author and creator of Raki's Rad Resources , a blog and Teachers Pay Teachers store focused on differentiated instruction, utilizing technology and meeting the needs of English Language Learners. Visit her blog at www.rakisradresources.com

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Internet Scavenger Hunts

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Internet Searching Worksheets

With this set of worksheets students will search the Internet for answers to a variety of questions. Think of these as mini- web quests.

• Bones Inside Web Quest
• Brain Boogle Web Quest
• Brainy Definitions
• Brainy Web Quest
• Internet Search Worksheet 1
• Internet Search Worksheet 2
• Internet Search Worksheet 3
• Internet Search Worksheet 4
• Internet Search Worksheet 5
• Internet Search Worksheet 6
• Internet Search Worksheet 7
• Internet Search Worksheet 8
• Internet Search Worksheet 9
• Internet Search Worksheet 10
• Internet Search Worksheet 11
• Internet Search Worksheet 12
• Skeleton Scavenger Hunt
• Skeletal System Web Quest

Internet Search Related Teacher Resources

• Tools That Support On-line Project-Based Learning
• Forms of Communication That Transform Teaching
• Safe Search Engines For Students
• Search Engines: A Foreign Object to Teachers
• Technology In the Classroom
• Using the Internet to Enhance K-12 Teaching & Learning
• Using the Internet to Stimulated Higher Order Thinking
• Web Quest Generator

How To Become A Better Internet Searcher

The internet is at the core of modern life. There is no doubt that the internet is a highly convenient and useful repository for information. However, the proliferation of dubious sites on the internet makes it a veritable minefield. Hence, everyone must tread cautiously in the murky world of the internet. This is important, especially for your students who, because of their young age, are more susceptible to disinformation that abounds on the internet. Sadly, most students do not know how to search effectively on the internet and separate fact from fiction. A University of Chicago Press publication shows that most undergraduate students don't have the requisite skills for finding authentic information in the online world. Around 80 percent of college students cannot distinguish fact from fiction on the internet. It's the same story with adults. Students tend to click on the first link in Google search results naively. Since it is at the top of Google rankings, it must be correct – this is how most people think. Educators need to teach students better ways of scouring the internet for reliable, authentic, and accurate information. Teachers can help their students become better internet searchers by explaining the following tips and tricks.

Find Trustworthy Institutes Online

You should seek online information from websites belonging to colleges, universities, institutes, and US government agencies wherever it's possible. For example, if you are searching for health information, you should consult websites of established medical institutes and research journals. You can also take information from websites belonging to experienced medical doctors qualified to dispense medical information. In short, you should be highly selective about the sites where you take your information. Proficiency and authenticity should be the main criteria for selecting websites that you can trust.

Beware of Commercial Sites

The first and foremost aim of commercial websites is to sell. Hence, conflict of interest can hinder these sites from providing objective and accurate information. This is not to say that all commercial websites are scams. It's just that you will need experience and a critical, discerning mindset to find out which ones provide authentic information and which ones are unreliable. One way to ascertain the authenticity of the information presented on commercial sites is to cross-check this information with facts available on reliable websites.

Don't Rely on Social Media Following

Social proof is a fallacy. Some innumerable charlatans have a large following on social media. You cannot determine the trustworthiness of an influencer by checking out the size of their following on social media.

Consult Multiple Sources

If you get your information from just one source, you run the risk of receiving biased information. For example, consulting just one news site may not be smart since its reporting and opinions will likely be influenced to some extent by its political orientation. Hence, you should adopt an eclectic approach. Consult different news sources, in particular those with different political views. And remember, the truth is probably in between these two conflicting views.

Don't Rely on Date Alone

Some sites put a recent date above the fold to impart a fresh feel to their content, even though the content may be much older. One way to identify such sites is to check their links and references – If they all are several years old, you can be sure that the webpage has not been recently updated.

Beware of Authorship

Your first impulse may be to click on "About Us" to know who is behind the website. But more often than not, things are seldom what they seem on the internet. Generating fresh, relevant content is arduous and time-consuming. Most website owners often don't have the time to research and dedication that content creation demands. Hence, they outsource content creation to third parties who are often not subject experts. If the author profile on the "About Us" page is missing a picture of the author, then you should be skeptical. The same applies if they don't show their social media account. But another caveat is that pictures and social media accounts cannot be regarded as proof of authorship– fake pictures and social media accounts plague the internet.

Scrutinize Site Design and Writing Style

If the site design is uninspiring, then you should be skeptical. Also, poor writing should be another cause of concern. Of course, vibrant site design and professional writing style don't necessarily prove that the site is a reliable repository of information.

Look for Links

If the website you scrutinize is trustworthy and well-known, it will have several external links (on other trustworthy sites) that point towards it. Here is how you can check for such links. Type the following in Google search. link: http://(website).com Note: replace "(website)" with the website's domain name that you are assessing. Now press enter. If you find lots of links from other trustworthy sites pointing back towards the site you are investigating, you can have some degree of confidence in its information.

Google Scholar Can Help You

Perhaps the safest way of doing reliable internet research is to scour trustworthy publications and journals online. You can turn to Google Scholar to find research papers – even paid ones – for free. But do keep in mind that not all research papers are 100% true. Be warned that there are many issues for which research papers show conflicting results.

Are There Reliable Links to Support Claims? Whether it is a claim or a statistic, it should have a link to a reliable online resource to back it up. If any claim or statistic lacks such a link, be skeptical. We hope you will be aware of how to become a better internet searcher by now. The tactics outlined above will empower students to become better internet searchers. Hence educators should teach these prudent steps to their students to easily differentiate between truth and fiction.

• Research Skills

50 Mini-Lessons For Teaching Students Research Skills

Please note, I am no longer blogging and this post hasn’t updated since April 2020.

For a number of years, Seth Godin has been talking about the need to “ connect the dots” rather than “collect the dots” . That is, rather than memorising information, students must be able to learn how to solve new problems, see patterns, and combine multiple perspectives.

Solid research skills underpin this. Having the fluency to find and use information successfully is an essential skill for life and work.

Today’s students have more information at their fingertips than ever before and this means the role of the teacher as a guide is more important than ever.

You might be wondering how you can fit teaching research skills into a busy curriculum? There aren’t enough hours in the day! The good news is, there are so many mini-lessons you can do to build students’ skills over time.

This post outlines 50 ideas for activities that could be done in just a few minutes (or stretched out to a longer lesson if you have the time!).

Learn More About The Research Process

I have a popular post called Teach Students How To Research Online In 5 Steps. It outlines a five-step approach to break down the research process into manageable chunks.

This post shares ideas for mini-lessons that could be carried out in the classroom throughout the year to help build students’ skills in the five areas of: clarify, search, delve, evaluate , and cite . It also includes ideas for learning about staying organised throughout the research process.

Notes about the 50 research activities:

• These ideas can be adapted for different age groups from middle primary/elementary to senior high school.
• Many of these ideas can be repeated throughout the year.
• Depending on the age of your students, you can decide whether the activity will be more teacher or student led. Some activities suggest coming up with a list of words, questions, or phrases. Teachers of younger students could generate these themselves.
• Depending on how much time you have, many of the activities can be either quickly modelled by the teacher, or extended to an hour-long lesson.
• Some of the activities could fit into more than one category.
• Looking for simple articles for younger students for some of the activities? Try DOGO News or Time for Kids . Newsela is also a great resource but you do need to sign up for free account.
• Why not try a few activities in a staff meeting? Everyone can always brush up on their own research skills!

• Choose a topic (e.g. koalas, basketball, Mount Everest) . Write as many questions as you can think of relating to that topic.
• Make a mindmap of a topic you’re currently learning about. This could be either on paper or using an online tool like Bubbl.us .
• Read a short book or article. Make a list of 5 words from the text that you don’t totally understand. Look up the meaning of the words in a dictionary (online or paper).
• Look at a printed or digital copy of a short article with the title removed. Come up with as many different titles as possible that would fit the article.
• Come up with a list of 5 different questions you could type into Google (e.g. Which country in Asia has the largest population?) Circle the keywords in each question.
• Write down 10 words to describe a person, place, or topic. Come up with synonyms for these words using a tool like  Thesaurus.com .
• Write pairs of synonyms on post-it notes (this could be done by the teacher or students). Each student in the class has one post-it note and walks around the classroom to find the person with the synonym to their word.

• Explore how to search Google using your voice (i.e. click/tap on the microphone in the Google search box or on your phone/tablet keyboard) . List the pros and cons of using voice and text to search.
• Open two different search engines in your browser such as Google and Bing. Type in a query and compare the results. Do all search engines work exactly the same?
• Have students work in pairs to try out a different search engine (there are 11 listed here ). Report back to the class on the pros and cons.
• Think of something you’re curious about, (e.g. What endangered animals live in the Amazon Rainforest?). Open Google in two tabs. In one search, type in one or two keywords ( e.g. Amazon Rainforest) . In the other search type in multiple relevant keywords (e.g. endangered animals Amazon rainforest).  Compare the results. Discuss the importance of being specific.
• Similar to above, try two different searches where one phrase is in quotation marks and the other is not. For example, Origin of “raining cats and dogs” and Origin of raining cats and dogs . Discuss the difference that using quotation marks makes (It tells Google to search for the precise keywords in order.)
• Try writing a question in Google with a few minor spelling mistakes. What happens? What happens if you add or leave out punctuation ?
• Try the AGoogleADay.com daily search challenges from Google. The questions help older students learn about choosing keywords, deconstructing questions, and altering keywords.
• Explore how Google uses autocomplete to suggest searches quickly. Try it out by typing in various queries (e.g. How to draw… or What is the tallest…). Discuss how these suggestions come about, how to use them, and whether they’re usually helpful.
• Watch this video  from Code.org to learn more about how search works .
• Take a look at  20 Instant Google Searches your Students Need to Know  by Eric Curts to learn about “ instant searches ”. Try one to try out. Perhaps each student could be assigned one to try and share with the class.
• Experiment with typing some questions into Google that have a clear answer (e.g. “What is a parallelogram?” or “What is the highest mountain in the world?” or “What is the population of Australia?”). Look at the different ways the answers are displayed instantly within the search results — dictionary definitions, image cards, graphs etc.

• Watch the video How Does Google Know Everything About Me?  by Scientific American. Discuss the PageRank algorithm and how Google uses your data to customise search results.
• Brainstorm a list of popular domains   (e.g. .com, .com.au, or your country’s domain) . Discuss if any domains might be more reliable than others and why (e.g. .gov or .edu) .
• Discuss (or research) ways to open Google search results in a new tab to save your original search results  (i.e. right-click > open link in new tab or press control/command and click the link).
• Try out a few Google searches (perhaps start with things like “car service” “cat food” or “fresh flowers”). A re there advertisements within the results? Discuss where these appear and how to spot them.
• Look at ways to filter search results by using the tabs at the top of the page in Google (i.e. news, images, shopping, maps, videos etc.). Do the same filters appear for all Google searches? Try out a few different searches and see.
• Type a question into Google and look for the “People also ask” and “Searches related to…” sections. Discuss how these could be useful. When should you use them or ignore them so you don’t go off on an irrelevant tangent? Is the information in the drop-down section under “People also ask” always the best?
• Often, more current search results are more useful. Click on “tools” under the Google search box and then “any time” and your time frame of choice such as “Past month” or “Past year”.
• Have students annotate their own “anatomy of a search result” example like the one I made below. Explore the different ways search results display; some have more details like sitelinks and some do not.

• Find two articles on a news topic from different publications. Or find a news article and an opinion piece on the same topic. Make a Venn diagram comparing the similarities and differences.
• Choose a graph, map, or chart from The New York Times’ What’s Going On In This Graph series . Have a whole class or small group discussion about the data.
• Look at images stripped of their captions on What’s Going On In This Picture? by The New York Times. Discuss the images in pairs or small groups. What can you tell?
• Explore a website together as a class or in pairs — perhaps a news website. Identify all the advertisements .
• Have a look at a fake website either as a whole class or in pairs/small groups. See if students can spot that these sites are not real. Discuss the fact that you can’t believe everything that’s online. Get started with these four examples of fake websites from Eric Curts.
• Give students a copy of my website evaluation flowchart to analyse and then discuss as a class. Read more about the flowchart in this post.
• As a class, look at a prompt from Mike Caulfield’s Four Moves . Either together or in small groups, have students fact check the prompts on the site. This resource explains more about the fact checking process. Note: some of these prompts are not suitable for younger students.
• Practice skim reading — give students one minute to read a short article. Ask them to discuss what stood out to them. Headings? Bold words? Quotes? Then give students ten minutes to read the same article and discuss deep reading.

All students can benefit from learning about plagiarism, copyright, how to write information in their own words, and how to acknowledge the source. However, the formality of this process will depend on your students’ age and your curriculum guidelines.

• Watch the video Citation for Beginners for an introduction to citation. Discuss the key points to remember.
• Look up the definition of plagiarism using a variety of sources (dictionary, video, Wikipedia etc.). Create a definition as a class.
• Find an interesting video on YouTube (perhaps a “life hack” video) and write a brief summary in your own words.
• Have students pair up and tell each other about their weekend. Then have the listener try to verbalise or write their friend’s recount in their own words. Discuss how accurate this was.
• Read the class a copy of a well known fairy tale. Have them write a short summary in their own words. Compare the versions that different students come up with.
• Try out MyBib — a handy free online tool without ads that helps you create citations quickly and easily.
• Give primary/elementary students a copy of Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Citation that matches their grade level (the guide covers grades 1 to 6). Choose one form of citation and create some examples as a class (e.g. a website or a book).
• Make a list of things that are okay and not okay to do when researching, e.g. copy text from a website, use any image from Google images, paraphrase in your own words and cite your source, add a short quote and cite the source. 
• Have students read a short article and then come up with a summary that would be considered plagiarism and one that would not be considered plagiarism. These could be shared with the class and the students asked to decide which one shows an example of plagiarism .
• Older students could investigate the difference between paraphrasing and summarising . They could create a Venn diagram that compares the two.
• Write a list of statements on the board that might be true or false ( e.g. The 1956 Olympics were held in Melbourne, Australia. The rhinoceros is the largest land animal in the world. The current marathon world record is 2 hours, 7 minutes). Have students research these statements and decide whether they’re true or false by sharing their citations.

Staying Organised

• Make a list of different ways you can take notes while researching — Google Docs, Google Keep, pen and paper etc. Discuss the pros and cons of each method.
• Learn the keyboard shortcuts to help manage tabs (e.g. open new tab, reopen closed tab, go to next tab etc.). Perhaps students could all try out the shortcuts and share their favourite one with the class.
• Find a collection of resources on a topic and add them to a Wakelet .
• Listen to a short podcast or watch a brief video on a certain topic and sketchnote ideas. Sylvia Duckworth has some great tips about live sketchnoting
• Learn how to use split screen to have one window open with your research, and another open with your notes (e.g. a Google spreadsheet, Google Doc, Microsoft Word or OneNote etc.) .

All teachers know it’s important to teach students to research well. Investing time in this process will also pay off throughout the year and the years to come. Students will be able to focus on analysing and synthesizing information, rather than the mechanics of the research process.

By trying out as many of these mini-lessons as possible throughout the year, you’ll be really helping your students to thrive in all areas of school, work, and life.

Also remember to model your own searches explicitly during class time. Talk out loud as you look things up and ask students for input. Learning together is the way to go!

You Might Also Enjoy Reading:

How To Evaluate Websites: A Guide For Teachers And Students

Five Tips for Teaching Students How to Research and Filter Information

Typing Tips: The How and Why of Teaching Students Keyboarding Skills

8 Ways Teachers And Schools Can Communicate With Parents

10 Replies to “50 Mini-Lessons For Teaching Students Research Skills”

Loving these ideas, thank you

This list is amazing. Thank you so much!

So glad it’s helpful, Alex! 🙂

Hi I am a student who really needed some help on how to reasearch thanks for the help.

So glad it helped! 🙂

seriously seriously grateful for your post. 🙂

So glad it’s helpful! Makes my day 🙂

How do you get the 50 mini lessons. I got the free one but am interested in the full version.

Hi Tracey, The link to the PDF with the 50 mini lessons is in the post. Here it is . Check out this post if you need more advice on teaching students how to research online. Hope that helps! Kathleen

Best wishes to you as you face your health battler. Hoping you’ve come out stronger and healthier from it. Your website is so helpful.

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Interesting Numbers Internet Research Worksheets for Middle and High School

Also included in

Description

Enhance your classroom with our comprehensive ten-page worksheet, perfect for early finishers, substitute days, and independent learning. This versatile resource goes beyond busy work, providing engaging activities that stimulate students' minds. They not only learn the material but also develop essential research skills in the digital age. From critical thinking exercises to hands-on investigations, each page offers meaningful content for independent exploration. These worksheets are an invaluable addition to your teaching toolkit.

This resource contains 10 worksheets for Middle and High School Students.

Worksheets will touch on some Interesting Number Concepts like -

• Number 7 and its Superstitions
• The Number 9 and Repeating Decimals
• 73 The Chuck Norris of Numbers
• 2/29 The Least Probable Date of Birth
• The Number 100
• 13 Facts about 13
• Kaprekar's Constant or 6174
• 09/09 and Birth Dates with High Probability
• 3 and other Triangle Numbers

What will your students do?

* COMPLETE THE NECESSARY WORK

* COMPILE THE RELATED FACTS

* LIST SOURCES CORRECTLY

* LEARN MATH FACTS

* BECOME A MASTER RESEARCHER

Why should you do internet research daily?

Learning how to ask right questions is one of the most important skills a learner can master. The internet allows you to access the entirety of human knowledge, but you must learn to weed through the unreliable sources to find the facts. This workbook is here to challenge you to become a critically thinking researcher.

TEACHERS AND PARENTs:

You may ask why there is no answer key with these worksheets.

I wanted to create supplemental worksheets that would work with all children's learning styles and allow them to dive as deep as they wanted into each new topic that I introduced. That means, there is no perfect right or wrong answer key I could create for these worksheets. It's this freedom and flexibility that makes learning with our online resources so special.

Happy researching everyone!

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