My Research Roadmap Journal

This journal is your secret weapon for awesome research projects! Use it to keep track of all the cool information you find, whether it's from a book, a website, or an article. Being organized means you'll spend less time searching and more time learning!

Source Entry 1

Type of Source: (Circle one: Book / Website / Article / Video / Other)

Topic I was researching when I found this:

Source Title:

Author(s) or Creator(s):

Date Published/Created: (If available)

For Websites:

• Website Name:
  
  
  
• Full URL (web address):
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Date I accessed this website:
  
  
  

For Books:

• Publisher:
  
  
  
• City of Publication:
  
  
  
• Page number(s) where I found key information:
  
  
  

Key Information/Notes from this Source: (What important facts, ideas, or quotes did you find? Use bullet points or short sentences.)

Why is this source helpful for my research?

Source Entry 2

Type of Source: (Circle one: Book / Website / Article / Video / Other)

Topic I was researching when I found this:

Source Title:

Author(s) or Creator(s):

Date Published/Created: (If available)

For Websites:

• Website Name:
  
  
  
• Full URL (web address):
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Date I accessed this website:
  
  
  

For Books:

• Publisher:
  
  
  
• City of Publication:
  
  
  
• Page number(s) where I found key information:
  
  
  

Key Information/Notes from this Source: (What important facts, ideas, or quotes did you find? Use bullet points or short sentences.)

Why is this source helpful for my research?

Source Entry 3

Type of Source: (Circle one: Book / Website / Article / Video / Other)

Topic I was researching when I found this:

Source Title:

Author(s) or Creator(s):

Date Published/Created: (If available)

For Websites:

• Website Name:
  
  
  
• Full URL (web address):
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Date I accessed this website:
  
  
  

For Books:

• Publisher:
  
  
  
• City of Publication:
  
  
  
• Page number(s) where I found key information:
  
  
  

Key Information/Notes from this Source: (What important facts, ideas, or quotes did you find? Use bullet points or short sentences.)

Why is this source helpful for my research?

Research Tracking Script

Introduction: Why Track Research? (5 minutes)

(Teacher): "Good morning/afternoon, everyone! Today, we're going to talk about something super important for any research project you do, whether it's for science, history, or even just curiosity!"

(Teacher): "Imagine you're working on a big project, and you find an amazing fact in a book, and then another great piece of information on a website. How do you make sure you remember where you found everything? How do you keep it all organized so you don't forget or get confused later?"

(Teacher): "Pause for student responses. Encourage a few to share their current methods."

(Teacher): "Those are great ideas! Today, we're going to learn about a super effective and easy way to keep track of all your research, whether it's from a physical book or a website on the internet. We're going to create something called a 'Research Tracking Journal.'"

(Teacher): "Think of it like a roadmap for your research. When you're on a journey, a roadmap helps you know where you've been and where you need to go next. Our research journal will do the same thing for your information!"

Introducing the Research Tracking Journal (10 minutes)

(Teacher): "I'm going to give each of you a Research Tracking Journal. Take a moment to look it over. You'll see it has sections for different 'Source Entries.' Each time you find a new piece of information that you think might be useful for your project, you'll fill out one of these entries."

(Teacher): "Let's look at the first section together. What's the very first thing it asks for?"

(Student): "Type of Source."

(Teacher): "Exactly! This is important because how we record information changes slightly depending on if it's a book, a website, a video, or something else. So you'll circle the correct type."

(Teacher): "Next, it asks for the 'Topic I was researching when I found this.' Why do you think that's important?"

(Student): "So I remember what I was looking for."

(Teacher): "Perfect! It helps you connect the information back to your original questions or ideas."

(Teacher): "Then we have 'Source Title' and 'Author(s) or Creator(s).' These are pretty straightforward. For a book, it's the title of the book and the author. For a website, it's usually the title of the specific article or page you're looking at, and the author if one is listed."

(Teacher): "'Date Published/Created' is important because sometimes information changes, especially online. Knowing when it was made helps us know how current the information is."

(Teacher): "Now, notice there are specific sections for 'For Websites' and 'For Books.' This is where we get into the details."

• For Websites: "The 'Website Name' is like the title of the whole website, and the 'Full URL' is the exact web address. This is super important! Copy and paste it carefully. And 'Date I accessed this website' tells us when you looked at it. Why do you think both the publication date and access date are useful for websites?"

  • Allow students to discuss. Guide them to understand that online content can change.

• For Books: "For books, we'll note the 'Publisher' and 'City of Publication.' These details help us identify the specific edition of a book. And critically, the 'Page number(s)'! If you found a cool fact on page 42, write 'page 42' down. If it was from pages 50-55, write 'pages 50-55.' Why are page numbers helpful for books?"

  • Allow students to discuss. Guide them to understand it helps them quickly find information again and proves where they got it.

(Teacher): "The biggest section is 'Key Information/Notes from this Source.' This is where you write down the actual facts, ideas, or quotes you want to use. You can use bullet points, short sentences, or even draw a quick diagram if it helps you remember. The goal here is to get down enough information so you don't have to reread the whole source later."

(Teacher): "Finally, 'Why is this source helpful for my research?' This helps you think critically about why you're even keeping this source. Is it for a specific fact? To understand a concept? To get a different opinion?"

Guided Practice: Filling Out an Entry (10 minutes)

(Teacher): "Alright, let's try filling out an entry together! I'm going to show you a sample source, and we'll work through it. I have a book here/an article opened on the projector/a website link."

• Scenario 1: Using a Book

  • (Teacher): "Let's pretend our project is about 'The History of Space Travel.' I found this book: Voyage to the Stars: A History of NASA by Dr. Elena Rodriguez, published by Stellar Press in New York in 2020. I found some amazing facts about the Apollo 11 mission on pages 75-80."
  • (Teacher): "Okay, in your Research Tracking Journal, let's fill out Source Entry 1 as if this was our source. What would you circle for 'Type of Source'?"
  • (Student): "Book."
  • (Teacher): "Good. What's the topic?"
  • (Student): "History of Space Travel."
  • (Teacher): "And the Source Title?"
  • (Student): "Voyage to the Stars: A History of NASA."
  • (Teacher): "Author?"
  • (Student): "Dr. Elena Rodriguez."
  • (Teacher): "Date Published?"
  • (Student): "2020."
  • (Teacher): "Now, for the 'For Books' section. Publisher?"
  • (Student): "Stellar Press."
  • (Teacher): "City of Publication?"
  • (Student): "New York."
  • (Teacher): "Page numbers?"
  • (Student): "Pages 75-80."
  • (Teacher): "And for 'Key Information/Notes' and 'Why helpful,' what might we write?"
    • Guide students to jot down notes like 'Details about Apollo 11 crew and launch' and 'Provides historical context for early space missions.'

• Scenario 2: Using a Website

  • (Teacher): "Now let's try a website. Our project is about 'Animals in the Rainforest.' I found this article: 'Amazing Adaptations of Sloths' on National Geographic Kids. The URL is www.kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/sloth and I accessed it today, October 26, 2023. The article says it was last updated on June 15, 2023. I learned that sloths only come down from trees once a week!"
  • (Teacher): "Okay, for Source Entry 2, what's the type of source?"
  • (Student): "Website."
  • (Teacher): "Topic?"
  • (Student): "Animals in the Rainforest."
  • (Teacher): "Source Title?"
  • (Student): "Amazing Adaptations of Sloths."
  • (Teacher): "Author? (In this case, none listed specifically, so we'd write 'National Geographic Kids Staff' or 'N/A' if truly anonymous, but for NG Kids, it's often implicit.)"
  • (Student): "National Geographic Kids."
  • (Teacher): "Date Published/Created?"
  • (Student): "June 15, 2023."
  • (Teacher): "Website Name?"
  • (Student): "National Geographic Kids."
  • (Teacher): "Full URL?"
  • (Student): "www.kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/sloth"
  • (Teacher): "Date Accessed?"
  • (Student): "Today's date (e.g., October 26, 2023)."
  • (Teacher): "And for 'Key Information/Notes' and 'Why helpful,' what might we write?"
    • Guide students to jot down notes like 'Sloths only descend once a week for bathroom break' and 'Good facts about sloth behavior.'

Conclusion & Future Use (5 minutes)

(Teacher): "Great job filling those out! You've just created a fantastic tool for your research. Remember, this Research Tracking Journal isn't just for this one lesson; it's something you can use for any project where you're gathering information."

(Teacher): "The more you practice using this journal, the easier and faster it will become. And the better organized your research will be! This will make writing your reports and creating your presentations much simpler because you'll always know exactly where your information came from."

(Teacher): "Do you have any questions about using your Research Tracking Journal?"

• Address any questions. Reiterate the importance of consistency and detail."

(Teacher): "Keep your journals safe, and remember: being a great researcher starts with being an organized researcher!"

Research Tracking Journal Answer Key

This answer key provides guidance for the teacher on how a student might fill out their Research Tracking Journal entries based on the guided practice scenarios presented in the Research Tracking Script. Student responses may vary but should capture the essence of the information and demonstrate understanding of how to log sources.

Sample Source Entry 1 (Book Example)

Type of Source: Book (circled)

Topic I was researching when I found this: History of Space Travel / Apollo Missions

Source Title: Voyage to the Stars: A History of NASA

Author(s) or Creator(s): Dr. Elena Rodriguez

Date Published/Created: 2020

For Websites: N/A

For Books:

• Publisher: Stellar Press
• City of Publication: New York
• Page number(s) where I found key information: pages 75-80

Key Information/Notes from this Source:

• Details about the Apollo 11 mission.
• Names of the crew members: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins.
• Date of moon landing.
• Description of the launch sequence.

Why is this source helpful for my research? Provides important historical facts and context for the Apollo 11 moon landing, which is part of the history of space travel.

Sample Source Entry 2 (Website Example)

Type of Source: Website (circled)

Topic I was researching when I found this: Animals in the Rainforest / Sloth Adaptations

Source Title: Amazing Adaptations of Sloths

Author(s) or Creator(s): National Geographic Kids Staff (or N/A, as often implicit)

Date Published/Created: June 15, 2023

For Websites:

• Website Name: National Geographic Kids
• Full URL (web address): www.kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/sloth
• Date I accessed this website: (e.g., October 26, 2023)

For Books: N/A

Key Information/Notes from this Source:

• Sloths are very slow-moving animals.
• They only come down from trees about once a week to use the bathroom.
• Their fur can grow algae, which helps them camouflage.

Why is this source helpful for my research? Gives interesting facts about how sloths live and adapt in the rainforest, which is relevant to my topic.