*Conduct research by locating, gathering, curating, and integrating information from multiple credible sources, including print, digital, and personal communication, about a self-selected topic. (I)*
Georgia Standards:
5.T.RA.2.a
Refer to specific passages or quotations from a text to support an idea, answer, or opinion, recording the referenced information’s page number. (I)
Georgia Standards:
5.T.RA.2.b
Determine credibility and relevance by assessing the strengths and weaknesses of source texts to support a topic or message. (I)
5th Grade Writing - Research and Synthesis Lesson
Research & Synthesis
When you research a topic, you gather information about it from relevant and crediblesources. You may then combine, or synthesize, the information in your own words. All sources used in a report or presentation should be written down at the end in a bibliography.
Choosing Good Sources
Sources are people, books, articles, or other things from which you can gather information about a topic.
TOPIC: A Career as a Zoologist
Relevant sources are specifically connected to the topic.
Which source is more relevant to the topic?
An article called "What Does a Zoologist Do?"
A nonfiction book called The History of Zoos.
Credible sources are ones that can be believed.
They are experts or include information from experts.
Which source is an expert in the topic?
A zoologist who works with elephants in a zoo.
Your best friend, who visits the zoo often.
They are known for their accurate information.
Which source is more likely to provide accurate information?
An article about zoology in National Geographic magazine.
An online blog written by a middle school student who loves animals.
They provide facts, not opinions.
Which source is more likely to provide facts, not just opinions?
An article called "The Life of a Zoologist" at www.britannica.org.
An online blog post with the title "Why All Zoos Should Be Shut Down Now!"
They provide current, up-to-date information.
Which source is more current, or up-to-date?
An article called "The New Zoology," published within the last five years.
A book about the study of animals, written in the 1800s.
Primary vs. Secondary Sources
A primary source provides first-handinformation about a topic. Primary sources include people who have personal knowledge of a topic. They include what these people have written or created. They also include genuine objects directly related to the topic.
A secondary source provides second-handinformation about a topic. Secondary sources include books, articles, or other materials written ABOUT something, but not BY someone with first-hand experience of the topic.
TOPIC: A Career as a Zoologist
A zoologist who works with elephants in a zoo.
A career counselor with information about what zoologists do.
TOPIC: The Great Depression
A textbook chapter called "The Great Depression."
The diary of a person who lived during the Great Depression.
When researching a topic, it is important to use a variety of credible and relevant sources. Takenotes about what you learn, and record the titles, publication dates, authors, and any other important information about your sources. Go to the next page to see an example of combining, or synthesizing, information from a variety of sources.
Synthesizing Information
When gathering information from a varietyofsources, take notes in your own words. After you have gathered all your information, you can combine, or synthesize, the pieces of information, into your own piece of writing.
TOPIC: A Career as a Zoologist
Source: Career counselor at Ridgemont High School
Zoologist: A scientist who studies animal behavior, biology, genetics, or other things related to animals.
Wherezoologistswork:
zoos
science laboratories
in animals’ natural habitats
museums
colleges
conservation organizations
Whatzoologistsdo:
observe animals
conduct experiments
teach people about animals
write about animals
help save animal species from extinction
Source: Gold, Anna. Zoology for Kids. Birdsong Publishing, 2018.
There are different typesofzoologists. Some examples are —
entomologist – studies insects
mammologist – studies mammals
crustaceologist – studies crustaceans
amphibiologist – studies amphibians
arachnologist – studies arachnids
There are different branchesofzoology. Some include —
zoography – describing animals and their habitats
behavioralecology – study of how animals' behaviors evolved over time
animalphysiology – study of how animals’ bodies work.
crustaceans: animals with a hard outer covering and two feelers (examples: crabs, shrimp).
amphibians: animals that live on land and in water for at least part of their lives (examples: frogs, toads, salamanders).
arachnids: type of crustaceans with eight legs and two body parts, the head and the abdomen (examples: spiders, scorpions).
The following paragraph synthesizes, or combines, pieces of information from the notes above.
Career Overview: Zoologist
Zoologists are scientists who study animals. They do not all work in the same places, do the same things, or even study the same animals. For instance, zoologists might work in zoos, labs, museums, or colleges. They might work in the field, studying animals in their natural environments. Zoologists might specialize in certain types of animals. For instance, a crustaceologist studies small animals with hard outer coverings and two feelers, like crabs and shrimp. An amphibiologist studies animals like frogs, toads, and salamanders. Furthermore, there are different branches of zoology. Someone who specializes in describing animals and their habitats works in the field of zoography. Other branches include the study of the evolution of animals’ behaviors, called behavioral ecology, and the study of how animals’ bodies work, called animal physiology. There are so many different things a zoologist might do, but they all have to do with the study of animals.
It is always important to acknowledge the sources used in your research and writing. Go to the next page to learn about using and acknowledging sources appropriately.
Using and Citing Sources
When you use sources for a writing project, you must acknowledge and list your sources. Useyourownwords whenever possible. If you do use another author's exact words, put them in quotation marks and tell the reader whose words they are. At the end of your writing, include a bibliography, a list of the sources you used in your writing.
SOURCE: "A Fish out of Water" (a blog post) AUTHOR: Julie Critterman WEBSITE: Crazy Critters PUBLICATION DATE: Sept. 30, 2018 URL: www.crazycritters.org/a_fish_out_of_water
Mudskippers are truly crazy critters. They are fish, but they spend most of their lives on land. Because they spend time on land and in the water, they are amphibious, but they are not amphibians like frogs and toads. They breathe through gills just like other fish do, but if they spend too much time in the water, they could drown! Mudskippers may be fish, but they are not great swimmers. They tend to walk along the ocean floor in shallow coastal waters. Mudskipper can “walk” on land, too, by using their pectoral fins like crutches. They can climb up onto rocks and into the low branches of trees. They can even jump up to two feet high in the air! The very unique mudskipper is truly "a fish out of water."
If you were going to use the above source in a report about mudskippers, you should put the author's ideas in your own words. This is called paraphrasing. If you use the author's exact words as if they were your own, it would be plagiarism. Plagiarism is stealing other people's words. You should never represent other people's words as your own.
Mudskippers are very strange fish. They spend a lot of their time on land. They are not very good at swimming or breathing in the water.
Mudskippers are very crazy critters! Even though they are fish, they spend most of their lives on land, and they are not great swimmers.
A mudskipper is truly a "fish out of water." Mudskippers spend time on land and in the water. They are amphibious, but they are not amphibians like frogs and toads. They breathe through gills just like other fish do, but they could drown if they spend too much time in the water!
Mudskippers are fish who have adapted to life on land. They use their front fins to move across the land and even climb onto rocks and into trees. Mudskippers are not amphibians, though, despite the fact that they live in both the water and on the land. Just like all fish, they get oxygen through their gills, not through lungs.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bibliography
A bibliography is a list of all the sources used for a report or other written work. It usually appears on a separate page after the end of the report. There are different formats for organizing the information about sources, but bibliographies are almost always in alphabeticalorder. The below examples are organized according to the rules in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook, published by the Modern Language Association in 2016.
Example:
Reinhart, Robert. Sea Creatures. Random House, 2018.
Example:
Benson, Arthur. "Orca, the Killer Whale." National Geographic, 24 May 2018, pp. 15-20.
Example:
Critterman, Julie. "A Fish out of Water.” Crazy Critters, 30 Sept. 2018, www.crazycritters.org/a_fish_out_of_water.
There are many different types of sources that you may need to include in a bibliography. Ask your teacher about how to organize the information, or use a style guide like the MLA Handbook for guidance.
5th Grade Writing - Research and Synthesis Lesson
