You can

1
You cant find information about Obamas
inauguration in the 1972 Britannica

• SPI 0701.4.3 Determine the most appropriate
  research source for a given research topic.

Based on Tennessee State Curriculum Standards
from the 2009-2010 school year. Prepared by Andy
Lombardo, Sevierville Middle School. While I
will try to include as many resources as
possible, this lesson is meant to be a bare-bones
lesson to which you can add your own activities,
resources, etc.
2
What determines an appropriate source?

• Appropriate definition

• suitable or fitting for a particular purpose,
  person, occasion
• Most students are used to appropriate meaning
  something that follows the rules appropriate
  dress, appropriate language, etc. But this is not
  what it means. There are places where short
  shorts and cussing are appropriate its just not
  school ?

3
What determines an appropriate source?

• Kinds of appropriateness for sources

• Currency
• Tone
• Bias

4
What determines an appropriate source?

• Appropriate Currency

• There is a relationship between the age of a
  source and how long it has been since an event
  happened in history
• An illustration

5
Historical event
Reference Book
Magazine
Book
Newspaper
Website
Current event
6
What determines an appropriate source?

• Appropriate Currency

• The illustration shows that the more recent a
  topic is, the more current the TYPE of source
  should be.
• For an event that happened yesterday, there are
  not books printed.
• For an event that happened last month, there are
  no reference books created.
• Why is a reference book more reliable than a
  regular book?

7
What determines an appropriate source?

• Appropriate Currency

• The older a topic is, the more time there has
  been to gather and check information.
• Reference books are one of the most reliable and
  reputable resources you can use because of that
  theyve had time to check their facts!

8
What determines an appropriate source?

• Appropriate Currency

• The newer a topic is, the greater the need for an
  up-to-date source is. For new topics, information
  is still coming in, so the more current the
  source the better.

9
What determines an appropriate source?

• Appropriate Tone

• An appropriate source is one that matches you
  kind of writing.
• If youre writing a serious essay, you should use
  serious sources reference books, non-fiction
  books, reputable newspapers and magazines. If
  youre writing a serious essay, sources like The
  Daily Show or The Onion arent so appropriate.

10
What determines an appropriate source?

• Appropriate Bias

• Bias means favoritism.
• Some sources favor a certain topic, so only give
  you one side of the story.
• For example, if you were researching the White
  Caps, is it possible the relative of a White Cap
  might be a biased source? Why?
• If you were researching the iPod, could Apple be
  a biased resource?

11
What determines an appropriate source?

• Appropriate Bias

• Can you still get good information from a biased
  source?
• Yes, but be aware of where your information is
  coming from.

12
What determines an appropriate source?

• Appropriate Bias

• If you are doing research on a topic, its
  generally good to choose sources that just give
  information and dont choose a side.
• If you have to use a biased source, try to find
  another source to balance it out.
• If youre doing research on a product, use more
  sources than just people advertising

13
What would be an appropriate type of source for
these events?Options Web, Newspaper, Magazine,
Book, Reference Book

• Events for the 75th anniversary of the Great
  Smoky Mountains National Park
• World War II
• A kidnapping in Kentucky on Tuesday
• New attractions at Dollywood in 2009
• Election of Obama
• Election of Bush
• Iraq war
• American Revolution

14
References

• Dictionary.com (appropriate)