Writing

1
Writing
2
Choose a Topic

• What are your interests?
• Choose a big subject
• Talk to people about the subject. Look in an
  encyclopedia.
• Choose one aspect of the subject that interests
  you. This will be the topic of your research.
• Think of a title for your research.

3
Define the Task

• Clarifying the Topic
• Gain an Overview of the Topic (To get an idea of
  what the topic is about, write down what you
  already know and what you need to know about it.)
• Brainstorming Ideas

4
Identify the Main Ideas
Thinking about the main ideas now will give you
some starting points when you go looking for more
information. You may change and add to you main
ideas later, as you learn more about your topic.
5
Start an Outline
An outline is like a skeleton. It helps you to
organize the structure of your research report.
While you are investigating your topic, you keep
adding to and changing your outline. Later, when
you are sure your structure works and you are
ready to write, you add details around your
outline - like hanging clothes on your skeleton.
6
Locate Information

• Think about the places that you can go to find
  information, for example home, school, community
  libraries, museums, shops, business, government
  offices.
• Think about the different sources of information
  that you can find at each place Printed
  Resources Computer Resources Audio-Visual
  Resources Human Resources

7
Develop a Search Strategy

• Keywords (You already have some important words
  about your topic. You can add to these to create
  a set of keywords. You will use these words like
  keys to 'unlock' more information from the
  resources around you.)
• Searching at the Library (In a library, you can
  use a computer catalog to find books and A.V.
  materials that might provide good information
  about your topic.)

8
Search for Information

• Magazines and Newspapers
• Searching the Web
• An Interview
• A Survey
• Your Own Observations

9
Evaluate the Information Gathered

• Pre-Read
• For each book that you locate
• Look at the cover. What is the title? Is this
  book useful for your topic? Who is the author?
  Read about what she has done before. Is she an
  expert in this topic?
• Look at the preface. What are the main ideas in
  the book?
• Look at the contents page, the paragraph headings
  and the index. Is there information that will be
  useful?
• Look at the verso (the back of the title page).
  When was the book published? Is the information
  up-to-date? Does it matter?Where was the book
  published? Does it matter?
• Skim
• Let your eyes wander quickly over the pages.
• Read the first sentence in each paragraph.Can you
  understand it?Does it have information you need?
• Read in Detail
• Read the parts of the book that talk about your
  topic.Think as you read. Do you think the author
  is right?What makes you think so? Did he or she
  give you some good evidence?
• Choose Your Resources
• Decide which resources you will use.

10
Start a Bibliography
Write a list of the resources that
you intend using. This is called a
bibliography. You enter a book into a
bibliography like this Brown, Kay. Australian
Marsupials. 2nd ed. New York Peterman Press,
2001. You need to provide enough details that
your readers could find the same sources if they
wanted to.
11
Take Notes

• Take notes under the appropriate headings.
• Start a new line for each point.
• Write the author and the page number for each
  note.
• Be brief use words, lists or phrases instead of
  sentences.
• Use your own words.
• If you come across relevant information that
  doesn't fit under one of your headings, add a new
  note card.

12
Analyze

• Think of all the pieces of information you
  gathered from different places as pieces of a
  jigsaw. You want to fit them together to make a
  new picture that no-one has seen before. To make
  them fit you might even have to make some of your
  own jigsaw pieces.
• With the information, you may be able to
• see connections and make new links
• compare one or more things to show how they
  relate
• make categories to show order and other
  relationships
• make a graph or chart that illustrates a trend or
  some other pattern
• find a new perspective - a new way of thinking
  about something.

13
Revise your Outline

• Remove, move or add headings and sub-headings
  where necessary.
• Are there 'more important headings?' Put them
  first.
• Are there several points to make about one of
  your sub-headings? Enter these points and indent
  them one more step.
• Can you see connections - ways to link two pieces
  of information together?

14
Pre-write

• Decide how you will present your work to achieve
  your objectives. Here are some ideas Written
  information report, summary, pamphlet, newspaper
  article, letter, review, argument, explanation,
  story, poem Oral speech, debate,
  demonstration, play, role-play Other - video
  cassette, audio cassette, multimedia
  presentation, poster, chart, graph, table,
  experiment, advertisement, display, model,
  database, spreadsheet, action
• Begin to create your information product.

15
The First Draft

• Use the headings from your outline to write the
  first sentence of each paragraph. Develop each
  paragraph with facts and ideas from your notes.
  Talk about one sub-heading at a time.
• Connect one idea to the next.
• Show how each point fits into the topic.
• Write an introduction. Get your readers
  interested, then tell them how you are going to
  tackle the topic.
• Write a conclusion. Go over your points again.
  What do the facts mean? Explain why this research
  task was important. Is there anything that should
  happen because of this research?
• Acknowledge your sources. If you use the words or
  idea of another person, put the words in
  quotation marks. After the quote write the name
  of the author and the page number of the source
  from which it was taken.
• Choose the best words you can to tell other
  people what you have learned.

16
Editing

• Check your work
• Have you said everything you wanted to?
• Have you told the reader where your ideas came
  from?
• Are you happy with the words you have used?
• Is your writing correct? Think about the
  punctuation, the grammar and the spelling.
• Write your final draft.
• Add new resources to your bibliography and be
  sure to remove the names of those that you do not
  use.

17
Share your Findings

• Creating the Presentation (Now begin work on
  your presentation copy.)
• Choose illustrations, photos, diagrams, flow
  charts graphs and tables.
• Decide where to put the text / graphics on the
  page.

18
Evaluate the Process

• Thinking About Your Work
• As you are working on a research task you have to
  stop and think. Regularly
• look back at what you have done
• judge what you have done
• plan ahead, based on what you have done.

19
The Process

• Think about what you have learned.
• Remember all the good things that you did.
• Were there things that you could have done
  better?
• Let these thoughts guide you next time.

20
The Product

• Did your presentation cover the topic well?
• Was it logical?
• Was it convincing?
• Did it use all the information you gathered?
• Did your audience like it?
• Do you think it was the best form of presentation
  to help this audience understand the information.
• Did you tell the reader about your sources?