7th Gr. English - Crispin Research

Mission:

The mission of the CBA Markert Library program is to teach information literacy in collaboration with classroom teachers within the context of the content curriculum, inspire and develop a love of reading, and provide diverse materials and services to enable students to become life-long learners and effective users of information.

Big 6 Research Method

1.1. Define the problem

1.2 Identify the information requirements

Investigate the world that Crispin lived in (1377, England).

Government: Feudal system, manor system, class system, rights of each class, laws and consequences, who made laws, who commanded military units, what kind of weapons did they use

Geography: farm land vs. forest, climate change

Clothing: what kind of cloth, how much clothing (social class), what did it cost, how was it made, how long it lasted, colors that could people could wear (affordability/class), where did the color come from

Housing: huts, castles, limited by class, what construction materials, household items, how large are they, daily use of housing (by class)

Medicine: how was it acquired (gathered from land, trade), liquid or solid, what diseases did it treat, how much to treat disease, cost/affordability, reliability, how long did it keep, what kinds of doctors did they have, who knew how to use the medicine, reputation of medicine, side effects

Tools and weapons: who was allowed to own a weapon, who was trained to use a weapon, what were common tools and their uses, agriculture, how were weapons made, tools for occupations, quality of tools, who could afford them, how frequently were these tools used, age limit for weapon use/training

Transportation: if lower class, what transportation could you afford, what was considered the best transportation, what were forms of transportation called (example, words for carriages), what were road conditions (surface and safety), how many roads exist

Food: hunting, who could hunt and where, food storage, cooking, time to cook, amount of food by class, agriculture (planting), uses of food besides eating ( trading, pay to lord), fishing (who could fish and where), spices and other exotic ingredients

Economy: jobs, trade, currency

Religion: Crusades, practices of the time,churches, power of the priests, wealth of the church, superstitions, rebellion, record keeping
People: age of marriage, lifespan, permission for marriage, daily activities (class), average height/weight

Events: war, plague, change of king (Edward III to Richard II)

2.1 Determine kinds of sources

2.2 Prioritize sources

Books, databases, internet, encyclopedias

Databases
Internet
Books

3.1 Locate actual resources

3.2 Locate information

Books: 940.1

Databases: Nettrekker, Gale Student Resource Center, ONE encyclodpedia (Britannica, World Book or Grolier)

Internet: Google, but remember that you will need to make sure the site is academically acceptable because you can find the proper credentials.

Recommended sites:

Annenberg Media

Kidipede - MIddle Ages

Minnesota State University E-museum

(Remember that Wikipedia is NEVER academically acceptable.)

Reminder: your web sites will be graded for academic acceptability.

4.1 Engage (read, view, interview)

4.2 Extract (make notes)

Take notes electronically using Microsoft Word and save them to a flash drive or your network folder.

Look for key concepts and good quotes.

Citation generator

Be aware that websites from a database must be cited differently than just websites:

Website from a subscription service (MLA 5.9.7)

Author last name, Author first name . "Web page title". Institution or organization. Database name. Service name. Library, City, ST. Date of access. URL.

Wallace, Susan. "God and War: Introduction and Index at Mostly Medieval - Exploring the Middle Ages". netTrekker. Thinkronize. Christian Brothers Academy, Syracuse, NY.21 Sep 2009 <http://www.skell.org/explore/gnwintro.htm>.

MLA date format: day month year

example: 21 Sep 2009

5.1 Organize information

5.2 Present information

Did you do your Works Cited page?

PDF of sample works cited page with notes and highlights

PDF of sample finished works cited page- this is what your page should look like

Remember that MLA format includes 1" margins, hanging format, and alphabetizing your citations.

If you are having trouble with the hanging format in Microsoft Word for your works cited, click here

6.1 Judge the product

6.2 Judge the process

What did you learn about England in 1377? How does that affect the way that you view the book?

What did you learn about research?