Research Assignment

"Aotearoa"

Achievement 90060

3 Credits

Context/setting;

This activity uses the context of the learners own background or interest in aspects of living in Aotearoa as a basis for research.

Think about the following topics/ideas;your whakapapa or family backgroundyour family's migrationyour turangawaewae or the place you feel at homethe significance and history of a cultural practicea significant New Zealand place or a place in New Zealand which is significant to yourselfcurrent events in the news/mediapolitical ideasinternational issues relating to New Zealandcommunity issues

You may also research any possible topic you can think of which interests you, but you must make it relevant to New Zealand.

DO NOT begin your Research Assignment until your teacher has verified your topic!!!

This activity requires you to research an aspect of being a New Zealander or of the New Zealand environment, and to record your findings.

You will ask a number of research questions and draw conclusions from a range of material. You will record the steps you take as you follow the research process. When you have

gathered your material, present it as a written report.

Your teacher will show you models to help you plan, research and record your findings. You will complete work in class and for homework. Your teacher will guide you on how much time

you have to prepare the task.

You will be assessed on how well you:plan the research

collect, select and record relevant information from a range of sourcesrecord the research process

organise and present information as a final written report.

Introduction

Some of us are part of families that have lived in Aotearoa a very long time. Others of us have moved here only recently. Whoever we are and however long we have been here, there are people, places and activities that we regard as special to this place. Something special that Aotearoa has to offer may be the reason why your family moved here.

The people you know or have known, the places you have been and the activities you are involved in are all rich sources of information for your research.

As you work through tasks 1 to 4, look over the exemplars from page 6. Discuss their strengths and areas where they could be improved. You may complete research on the topics shown here but you cannot use any of the material from the exemplars as part of your own research.

Task 1: Planning your research

What aspect of living in Aotearoa are you going to research?Some possibilities are:a New Zealand place / my turangawaewae or place you feel at homegrowing up a cultural practicemy family background

Write THREE research questions that relate to your research topic.Your questions need to be broad to open up your investigation and allow you to draw conclusions and make judgements.

Brainstorm a range of possible sources of information.

1. 2. 3.

Research Questions ;

My advice is to create about five questions... and pick the most appropriate ones...

Task 2: Recording the research process

You need to keep a log of the processes you follow as you set about your research.

Research Log

Date Source Relevant Question and Information

Task 3: Recording information

For each resource you use, write up a page where you organise the information from that resource under your key questions. Head up each page with:SourceCreator/writerPublisher/ownerDate of publicationInformation relevant to key questions

Task 4: Drawing conclusions and presenting information

Read over all the material you have gathered and consider carefully what conclusions you can draw. Make draft notes for each of your key questions where you select key information and jot down your initial ideas on conclusions and judgements.

Present your information and conclusions as a research report.

Before beginning your own research look over the research exemplars on the following pages. Look over the research reports in the exemplars from page 6 discussing their strengths and what aspects could be developed further. Pay particular attention to how the excellence exemplar presents key information together with conclusions and judgements.

The steps in the research process shown in the exemplars have been set out in various ways. Your teacher will give you guidance about how you should set out your research steps and report, either using the templates from tasks 1 and 2 or a format shown in one of the exemplars.

Even though you can complete research on one of the topics used in the exemplars, you may not use any of the information shown as part of your own research.

View examples in class

Discuss with Peers

Create ideas

Compare examples with other examples....

Choose a Topic

Brainstorm your Topic

Evalulate and analyse

information recieved

Organise your

information

Decide how to best present

your information

Complete your production

log

Edit and hand in...

Decide on your Key Questions

Create a diagram of the Research Process...

Key Questions...

Key Questions form the basis of your research Assignment. They are vital at every stage and will define the scope of your study, focus your collection of information and give a structure for your presentation. The first thing you need to do is ask yourself what is worth knowing about your subject.....

Good key questions do not overlap...

Good key questions are only about one thing...

Good key questions are able to get clear-cut answers...

Good Key questions are open...

Key Questions...To create your key questions follow these guidelines:

Create a Brainstorm on your topic, writing everything you can think of that connects to your topic. Order doesn't matter, just write down all your thoughtsAsk a friend what they would want to know about the topicCircle key words and ideasThen rewrite the information use the key words and ideas, putting all work into relevant groups. Exclude any ideas that appear to be repetitiveFrom each main key word or idea develop a key question (or several) that would cover the informationTake your key questions / ideas to your teacher to discuss ...

Identifying Possible Sources...This means writing down the people and places you will go in order to find the information you need. You will not know how valuable they are until you refer to them, but your choices should show that you have an idea of what different kinds of sources are likely to provide.

The best research projects include information from a wide variety of sources

Identifying Possible Sources... Brainstorm ideas

Different sources

Identifying Possible Sources... Brainstorm ideas

I assume you found some of the following sources...Please ensure you know what all sources are...

Email

Letters

Surveys

Questionnaires

Interviews

Television

Newspapers

Radio

Museum

Government Departments

Medical Facilities

Community Organisations

The Internet

Search Engines

Websites

CD Rom

Appendix

Glossary

Year Books

Wikipedia

Periodicals

Reference SectionLibrarian

INNZ (Information NZ)

Magazines

Articles

Microfiche

Vertical File

Year Books

Documentaries

Identifying Possible Sources...

Primary Source;

Secondary Source;

Write what you consider the following two different types of resources are;

Identifying Possible Sources...

Primary Source;A first-hand source that will have been written or recorded at the time of

the event/issue. For example: photographs, letters, diaries, speeches, film footage.

Secondary Source;A source that has made a comment or interpretation about the event after it

has taken place. For example: a book, report, magazine article. They may continue to be produced many years after the event.

Identifying Possible Information...

ScanningScanning is the key to reading at high speed. It is a very useful technique if

you want to read something for specific information. You scan a page by holding your first and second fingers apart. Place these two fingers at the top of the page or screen of text. Your two fingers effectvely split the page into three columns. Run your fingers slowly down the page concentrating your attention on your key words. When yoou locate key information, then read the sentence or paragraph more carfully to see if it provides useful information

SkimmingOnce you've found a key word by scanning then skim read the written text

quickly to see if it is relevant. If it is, then read it again more slowly and then begin to take notes. never take notes on the first reading as they tend to become too long.

Note-takingWhen writing notes try to identify the main idea. Once the main ideas has been

sorted out, it is important to identify the details that support he main idea. It is also importnat to separate facts from opinion. Facts are statements of actuality, such as dates and names. The personal interpretation of facts is opinions.

Recording your Information... Research Log

Research Log

Date Source Relevant Question and Information

One of the most important tasks involved with succeeding with this activity is to complete your Research Log.

This is taken very seriously. You must record the date, Where you got your information from (i.e. all source information, full details of text, website etc...) and then under Relevant Question and Information, state clearly which Key Question your information was relevant to and what specifically information you found. You must also print out or copy all information you use, so you can clearly reference it in the future.

This must be taken seriously and completed with detail. Your Research Log is an on-going document. It maybe pages and pages long. All information must be handed in. The notes you take in the third column will provide you with the infoamriton you need to answer your Key Questions.

Recording your Information... Research Log

1. You must print or photo copy all information you use and find. This must be attached to your log as evidence.

2. You must record all relevant information found in your log, this must be completed in an on-going fashion

3. You should allocate a different colour high-lighter to each question (but remember to keep it the same colour all the way through your assignment). You should use this to mark specific information on your copies of work

3. Remember to ensure you copy all information sources clearly into your log - you will need this to make your Bibliography.