Getting Ready for Research
Building Background Knowledge & Making Connections
How do I begin?
You are about to begin a research project on a topic you chose or were assigned.
Before you begin, it is a good idea to think about what you already know about that topic. Ask yourself questions like:
- What do I already know about this topic?
- Why am I interested in the topic?
- Have I read a book, seen a movie, or done something related to the topic?
- Have I seen any websites that have to do with this topic?
- What questions do I have about the topic right now?
Prior Knowledge
Watch the video to learn or review how to use what you already know to help you understand something new.
Find books to help you build background knowledge
Use Destiny to find books in the RES library that help you build background knowledge or make connections.
Making Connections
Watch the video to learn or review how to make connections with the text. Or, try a making connections activity.
Record your connections
After you read something about your topic, this Connections Chart can be used to record your connections with the text.
- Text-to-self
- Text-to-text
- Text-to-world
KWL Generator
Use the KWL Generator to record what you know about the topic.
K.W.H.L Chart
Use this chart to help you record:
- What you Know about the topic.
- What you Want to know about the topic.
- How you will learn about the topic. (How you will research the topic.)
- What you Learned about the topic from your research.