Before every successful expedition, every member of the team must check their supplies. Replace missing items and fix things that are broken. It helps if you make a list.
There are three supply stations. You must visit each one. The first two stops should be done on your own, the last may be completed as a team.
There's a scratchpad in your workbook to keep notes.
Stop here first.
The research topic is the general idea of your presentation. If you have a research topic, what is that topic?
A research question considers a segment of that topic. What is it that drives your research? What do you want to know more about?
Some presentation topics lend themselves easily to research. For others, you'll want to think more broadly. What aspects of your topic would it be helpful to have some background information on?
A search phrase is what you type into the search bar.
With most search engines, you can type in pretty much whatever you'd like and get results.
With databases, you need to be a bit more strategic. Strip your topic and/or research question into simple keywords that you can connect with AND/OR/NOT.
Write down a search phrase for your topic, using AND, OR, and NOT appropriately.
With your team, brainstorm additional keywords you can use.
Think of synonyms of the words in your search phrase.
Consider not just your topic, but people, events, and issues associated with your topic.
If you don't find anything on your topic, are there any individual parts that you can separate out? Or maybe there's a similar topic that you can use as a comparison.
Will you accept this side quest? If you've finished with your supplies, but the expedition isn't ready to move on, this quest is for you!
Open the Credo Database linked below. Credo is a database filled with encyclopedias. Your search results will all be encyclopedia entries.
Search for your topic in Credo. Keep your search phrase very simple. The Mind Map will appear either above or to the right of your results.
The Mind Map is interactive. It shows concepts related to your topic. Clicking on any of these will both update the results and bring up more related concepts.
Write down additional topics and ideas that can help you with your research! These might come from the mind map, or they might come from an article. Reading an encyclopedia article is a great way to come up with ideas for more keywords and research questions.
Reference database that provides access to a large number of biographical sources, atlases, and encyclopedias covering the arts, business, economics, history, literature, science, technology, religion, philosophy, politics, psychology, geography, country studies, and more.