Making Research
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A Daily Adventure
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Study Guide
Making Research
A Daily Adventure
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Study Guide
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Word Corner Publishing
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15020 Burwood Drive
Lake Mathews, CA 92570
Written by Carlynn McCormick
Forward by John McCormick
Illustrations courtesy of Microsoft and Dover Electronic Clip Art®
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Rattlesnake photo by John McCormick
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Copyright 2012
All Rights Reserved.
No part of this work may be copied
or duplicated in any form without
the express permission of the publisher
Table of Contents
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Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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1
To Teachers, Tutors and Parents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5
Introduction: Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
9
Chapter 1: Defining Our Playground . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
15
Chapter 2: Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
27
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Chapter 3: Animals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
35
Chapter 4: The Human Body. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
45
Chapter 5: Earth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
55
Chapter 6: Weather. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
63
Chapter 7: Solar System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
73
Chapter 8: Career Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
85
Chapter 9: Research Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
93
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Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
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Forward
Once students have fully mastered the ability to research, they no longer need a
teacher. They may still ask questions of teachers or experts because that might
be the fastest way to get some answers. But they no longer depend on them.
Students can go directly to the information available on the subject or set up
experiments and observations that will get the answers needed.
Young children, early in life, are very dependent on others for their survival and
gradually become more and more independent as they get older. The ability to
research any subject and find answers is the ability that moves a person from
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being dependant on others to being fully independent and able to find answers
for themselves.
Ability to research has always been a worthwhile skill, but in years past it wasn’t
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vital to one’s job when the job itself wasn’t constantly changing. In today’s
workplace job skills change so fast that workers either have to be constantly
retrained—or—must be able to research for themselves. Clearly those who can
research for themselves are the most valuable because they are always up to
date in their skills.
Prerequisites
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There are certain pre-requisites for learning how to research. A rudimentary
reading skill is required and an understanding that words can be defined by using
the dictionary or by searching the Internet. If the teacher is still helping the
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student find word definitions, then the teacher needs to keep in mind that the
student will eventually take over this task. The teacher must never force a
student to look up words. Instead the teacher sets a good example and shows
the student how to get words defined. If the teacher exhibits pleasure in
discovering new things, the student will develop the same trait.
Students need to be confident in their ability to make observations and to decide
what is more likely true and what isn’t.
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A toddler would never learn to walk if a parent never put him on the ground.
Students cannot be expected to make judgment calls if the teacher is always
telling them the answers. It is better for students to make mistakes while they try
to decide what is right than to never develop judgment by always relying on the
teacher. See article in the Appendix, “When it is important it is Ignore Wrong
answers?”
The teacher must be willing to let the student stumble on his own through the
process of finding information, deciding what is important and finally deciding
what conclusions to draw from the information.
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It’s like learning to ride a bicycle—the instructor must be willing to let go to get
the best results.
Two types of research
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Research by reading—the first type of research requires the student to know
where to find information. It can usually be found at the library or on the Internet
or in reference books. The student needs to know how to get new words defined
as he runs into them. He needs to know how to shelve (set aside) specialized
material until he knows the undercut material necessary for the more advanced
data. He needs to learn how to search so he can quickly find what he wants in a
sea of information.
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Research by observation—this research would have the student look at what’s
actually occurring in the physical universe. This is your most basic research and
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is still the method used to find new information or make a decision when written
information gives conflicting answers.
Both methods of research require that the student make up his own mind. It
doesn’t take much research to find conflicting data or data that doesn’t make
sense. It’s up to the student to decide what is more sensible and how to further
research to clear up questions. In some cases he may even decide to set all the
information aside and simply look for himself.
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If a student thinks his text books and his teachers always have the right answers
he will have already given up his choice. He will have already discounted any
valuable judgment he may bring to bear on the subject. A good researcher must
be confident in his own judgment and his ability to find right answers.
It is our hope that students, teachers, tutors and parents will all walk away from
this course with more confidence in their ability to research.
John McCormick
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To Teachers, Tutors and Parents
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Research is part of being on the cutting edge of the information society. When
students know how to observe their environment and how to find answers they
will come to understand life better.
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If students are studying about rocks, for example, get them to pick up a rock, look
at it closely and discover something about it. Is it gritty like sandstone or smooth
like marble? If they are studying crocodiles and alligators, get them to look at
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pictures and see if they can discover how to tell them apart.
Always help students find answers to their questions. How does a turtle differ
from a tortoise or a toad from a frog? And let them know the value of
inquisitiveness. Never fear to tell a student that you do not know an answer.
Even if you know the answer, showing a student how to look for it, where to look
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for it, and helping him find it, is by far a greater gift than simply stating facts.
STUDENT PURPOSE: Always ensure students know the value of research
before they are asked to do the assignments.
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WORD MEANINGS: Make sure students know the meaning of every word that
is used in each assignment and in the research material they use.
STUDY GUIDE: Let students know that a study guide presents lessons step-bystep so they are easy and fun to learn. Students track their progress by putting
their initials and the date next to each step after it is completed.
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SUGGESTIONS: Start with the Introduction and clear the definitions needed for
studying research. The chapters to follow cover basic areas of elementary
science. You might schedule chapter work once or twice a week. Then on the
other days, choose one or more questions from the Research Question sections
at the end of chapters 2 to 7 or from the questions in chapters 8 or 9.
You will also want to include research as part of other subjects. In the field of
music, for example, students may enjoy researching the difference in sound
among chords or the difference and similarity between playing acoustic and
electric guitar. In the field of literature you may wish to ask questions that relate
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to research. Where did the story take place? Can you find the location on the
map? Which character made the right choice and resisted stealing, and which
one didn’t? Who seemed happier? Did the story have a message? Did the
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outcome of the story make sense to you?
You might have students do a somewhat longer research project occasionally
such as giving them clipboards and sending them out to look for, discover and
write a report about something in the environment. There are additional
suggestions for research projects in the appendix.
MATERIALS NEEDED:
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Dry pinto beans (a few for each student)
Non-hardening clay
Variety of plants (either outside or inside)
Access to a store that carries a variety of cut or potted flowers
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Access to the Internet, encyclopedia or science reference books
Access to a cat and dog or to a pet store
Globe and small desk lamp
IMPORTANT NOTE: When you ask a student a question about his research,
please accept his answer. What a student sees is exactly what that student
sees. See article in the appendix on When is it Important to ignore “Wrong”
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Answers?
MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS: In doing this guide with middle school students
(sixth, seventh and eighth grades) the teacher, tutor or home-school-parent may
wish to do the guide with an individual student. In the case of a classroom
teacher, the teacher should assign each student a study partner.
HIGH SCHOOL AND ADULT STUDENTS: Research is as appropriate for high
school students and adults as it is for students in middle school. Adults and high
school students usually do the guide on their own. In such cases they would
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check off as done, things they already know and for things they wish to review or
for which they want more familiarity, they may note their answers to themselves
or write them down on paper.
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PRIMARY OR ELEMENTARY LEVEL STUDENTS: Naturally, younger children
too should learn to research, but teachers, tutors and parents will want to make
sure they use only those words and sections from the guide that match a
younger child’s vocabulary and understanding.
Introduction
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Research
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Name: ________________________ Date: ___________
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Introduction: Research
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1. Word Clearing: Research is about examining things—but what does that
mean exactly? To examine something means to look at it closely; to observe it;
to pay close attention. Some things can be examined by picking them up or
touching them. Here is a sentence with the word examine: Let’s examine the
letters and numbers on the page closely to see if we can figure out the secret
code. Use examine in your own made-up sentence. __________
2. Activity: Find an object in the room that you have not examined before.
Examine it and find something out about it you did not know before. Write it
down or tell your teacher or study partner. __________
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3. Word Clearing: The word study means to read about something or examine it
with the purpose of understanding so the information can be used. My study of
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gardening showed which flowers would attract butterflies—I planted those
particular ones and now I have so many beautiful butterflies in my garden!
Use the word study in your own made-up sentence. __________
4. Activity: Name an occupation that you think might be fun. Tell your teacher
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or study partner what you would need to study to do the job professionally.
__________
5. Word Clearing: The word knowledge means the understanding you get about
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something by studying it or watching it or doing it. She had knowledge of horses
from working on a ranch. Use the word knowledge in your own made-up
sentence. __________
6. Word Clearing: The word information means knowledge acquired through
study, observation or instruction. We can get so much information from the
Internet, that it is said we live in the Information Age. Use the word information in
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your own made-up sentence. __________
7. Word Clearing: Let’s learn more about the word research—it includes a
systematic (step-by-step plan) study or investigation to find answers or learn
things about a subject. The word is made up of two parts: re- (meaning to go
back into or to go deeper into) and search (meaning to seek
answers), research is also “a search for knowledge.” Research can
be as easy as examining clovers, to as difficult as finding a cure for
cancer. Use the word research in your own made-up sentence. __________
8. Activity: Research often starts when a question comes to mind. You might
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wonder, for example, “Is that petal on the rose as soft as it looks?” To find out,
you might reach out and feel its softness. Think of a question you would like to
know the answer to. Tell your teacher or study partner. Work out how you can
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find the answer. __________
9. Read: When you research something by looking at it, you are looking at it
(observing it) from your point of view. Here is something you should keep in
mind: If someone asks you “What do you see,” when you are looking at
something, what is the correct answer? There is only one correct answer to the
question. And it is what you see at the time. If you see five leaves on the branch
that is what you see. It doesn’t matter if someone else sees three leaves or
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ten—those are not the right answers to the question “What do you see?”
__________
10. Activity: Tell your teacher or study partner why the answer you give to the
question, “What do you see?” is always the right answer. __________
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11. Read: If what you see is what you see, does that mean your viewpoint will
never change? Of course not. The world doesn’t stay the same and neither do
you. The more you look at things and observe them for yourself, the more you
find out about them. And this means your answers can change from one point in
time to another. Perhaps you remember being scared of something when you
were very little but now it is not scary in the least. The idea is that the more
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information or positive experience we get, the better we understand the world
and the more our viewpoint changes. This is all part of research. __________
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This used to be way too scary; now it is super fun!
12. Activity: Tell your teacher or study partner about something you changed
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your attitude about after getting additional information or having more experience
with it. __________
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Chapter one
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Defining Our
Playground
Chapter One: Defining Our Playground
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1. Read: Earth is our playground so to speak—and the study of our
playground is called science. Science works by using what is learned
from looking, testing things and carefully studying about them. Science is
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the study of earth, living things, non-living things, space and everything
that is in it. It is such a big subject that it is broken down into a lot of
different subjects called “branches of science.” This chapter is about
defining the main branches of science. __________
2. Activity: Here is a sentence using the word science: When Jeffery
learned how to grow bigger tomato plants, he was using science. Use the
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word science in your own made up sentence. People who work with
science are often called scientists. Tell your teacher or study partner why
science is such a big subject. __________
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Biologists study living things
3. Word Clearing: The name given to the branch of science that has to do
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with living things—plants, animals, and people—is biology. The word
comes from bio which means life and ology which means the study of—so
biology is the study of life. All living things are born, they grow and
eventually die—this is known as the cycle of life. The scientists who study
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about this cycle—the way plants and animals and other living things live
and grow are called biologists. __________
4. Activity: Here is a sentence using the word biology: Mary studied biology
to meet one of her high school science requirements. Use the word
biology in your own made-up sentence. Tell your teacher or study partner
what biologists study about. __________
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5. Word Clearing: Earth has so many living things that biology is often
divided into branches of its own. The part of biology that studies plant life
is called botany. The word botany comes from a Greek word that means
plant or herb. The scientists who study how plants grow and where they
grow are called botanists. __________
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Botanists study plants
6. Activity: Here is a sentence using the word botany: In botany class we
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went on a field trip and identified all the trees and flowers we saw. Use
the word botany in your own made-up sentence. Tell your teacher or study
partner what botanists do. __________
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7. Word Clearing: Another part of biology studies animal life—it is called
zoology. The word zoo is short for zoological garden which means
garden of the animals. The scientists who study about the habits,
behavior and environment of animals are called zoologists. __________
8. Activity: Here is a sentence using the word zoology: In zoology class, we
learned about the different animals that live in South Africa. Use the word
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zoology in your own made-up sentence. Tell your teacher or study partner
what zoologists do. __________
Zoologists study animals
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9. Word Clearing: The branch of science that studies the structure of the
human body is called anatomy. The word anatomy comes from an earlier
word that means dissect—dissect means to cut or take apart or show the
different parts of something. Therefore, anatomy became the name given
to the science that studies the different parts of the human body. Here is a
sentence using this definition of the word anatomy: Janet’s desire to be a
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doctor resulted in her studying anatomy in high school.
Another definition of anatomy is the detailed examination of something to
see what it is made of or what it involves. Here is a sentence using this
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definition: He studied the anatomy of movie making because he wanted
to make his own movies. Students who want to be doctors, dentists or
chiropractors use both definitions: they must know how various parts of
the human body work so they study the anatomy (a detailed examination)
of anatomy (the human body). __________
10. Activity: Use both definitions of the word anatomy in your own made-up
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sentences. Tell your teacher or study partner a reason why you should
know something about the structure of your own body. __________
11. Word Clearing: The name of the branch of science that studies the
earth’s soil and rocks, earth’s interior, and how earth was formed, is called
geology. The word comes from geo which means earth and as we
learned earlier, -ology means the study of—so geology is the study of
earth. The scientists who study geology are called geologists. Their study
of the earth includes finding ways to predict when earthquakes will happen
or when volcanoes will erupt. __________
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Geologists examine volcanic eruptions
12. Activity: Here is a sentence using the word geology: In geology class we
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learned about the different kinds of rocks that can be found around our
homes and school. Use the word geology in your own made-up sentence.
Tell your teacher or study partner some of the things geologists do.
__________
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13. Word Clearing: The name of the branch of science that finds out what
things are made of, the ways they react with each other and how to mix
them together to make something new is called chemistry. The word
comes from the word alchemy which means “pouring metal” and alchemist
was someone who tried to mix cheap metals with other things in an
attempt to make them turn into gold or silver. As you might imagine, it
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was not successful but the science that came out of alchemy has been
successful. Today scientists who work with chemistry are called chemists
and some things they have made are plastics, “wash and wear” clothes,
and medicines. __________
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The formula for water is 1hydrogen and 2 oxygen atoms
14. Activity: Here is a sentence using the word chemistry: In chemistry class
we learned that H2O is the chemical formula for water. Use the word
chemistry in your own made-up sentence. Tell your teacher or study
partner some of the things chemists study. __________
15. Word Clearing: The name of the branch of science that has to do with
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the study of motion is called physics. It comes from a word that means
natural things, in other words things are naturally in motion. Physics
deals with what makes things move such as the movement of light,
heat, sound and electricity.
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Modern physics, as it is taught today, started with Isaac Newton who
lived during the 17th century. He pointed out that the there are reasons
(laws) why things move the way they do. You may be familiar with his
explanation of why an apple falls from a tree or the moon stays up in
the sky: he called it the law of gravity. Scientists who study physics
are called physicists. __________
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Physicists want to know how things move
16. Activity: Here is a sentence using the word physics: In physics class we
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studied about the German physicist Albert Einstein and learned about his
famous formula: E = mc2. Use the word physics in your own made-up
sentence. Tell your teacher or your study partner some of the things
physicists do. __________
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E stands for energy, m for mass and c for the speed of light
17. Word Clearing: The name of the branch of science that studies weather,
temperature, rainfall, dampness or dryness and wind speed is called
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meteorology. The word meteorology comes from two words: meteoron,
(thing) “in the air” and logos “the treating of.” So how things treat the air
around us would be a study of the weather. Scientists who study the
weather are called meteorologists. A hundred years ago, they observed
plant and animal behavior as a way of predicting weather conditions but
today they use computers and weather satellites (objects put into space
by man that circles around the planet). Through their ability to forewarn
people when dangerous hurricanes or tornadoes are coming, they save
lives and property. __________
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Meteorologists help us prepare for the coming weather
18. Activity: Here is a sentence using the word meteorology: Christopher’s
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study of meteorology made it possible for him to tell us if the clouds in the
sky were bringing rain or not. Use the word meteorology in your own
made-up sentence. Tell your teacher or study partner some of the things
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meteorologists are able to do. __________
19. Word Clearing: The name of the branch of science that studies the
heavenly bodies—sun, moon, stars, planets—is called astronomy. The
word comes from the word astron which means “star” and nemein which
means “dictate the laws of.” Long, long ago stars were used to navigate
ships—this may mean that astronomy is the oldest of all the sciences.
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During ancient times people wondered how fast stars travelled and if there
was life on other planets. Scientists who study astronomy are called
astronomers. Today, astronomers use powerful telescopes and send
spacecrafts to take photographs of our universe and these pictures make
us rich with answers. __________
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It is fun to look at the stars on a clear night
20. Activity: Here is a sentence using the word astronomy: Astronomy uses a
telescope to see the stars and moon. Use the word astronomy in your own
made-up sentence. Tell your teacher or study partner why we know more
about space than our ancestors did. __________
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21. Activity: Draw a line from each branch of science to what that particular
branch studies. __________
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
Anatomy

Astronomy

Biology
studies earth’s soil and rocks

Botany
studies the human body

Chemistry
studies heavenly bodies

Geology
studies animals

Meteorology
studies motion

Physics
studies plants

Zoology
studies the weather
studies living things
studies makeup & reaction of things
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