As your student digs into his/her source texts to mine for information on the Notable in question, there are several different methods of organizing the chosen details.
Mrs. Adams introduced the method that utilizes 3X5 cards as the vehicle for important facts last year. This strategy is particularly useful because when it comes time to create a Key Word Outline, the cards can be organized into stacks based on the type of facts contained on them. In other words, all the facts on Childhood can be lumped together, and the KWO is practically right there laying on the floor!
Another strategy might be to go straight to the Key Word Outline style. This is helpful for the student that may not be able to hold on to small cards without losing some of them. My recommendations for this method include starting with a separate page for each "section" of the KWO. I would want students to have a page of Key Word Outlining reserved for each topic that will eventually be included; for example, I might have a page of Outlining for my Notable's Education, and then a separate page for Personal Life.
If your student would rather start to compile things in a Word Document or Google Doc, I would be fine with that. Keep in mind, however, that it is easy to slip into a "Cut and Paste" attitude that results in plagiarism problems. Additionally, a Key Word Outline will still need to be made, so frustration may occur when a student wants to push forward with something that already might be starting to look like a report...
Regardless of the style of collection your student selects, it is IMPERATIVE that each fact be linked to the source from which it came.
Do not let your student start to collect facts without citing the source. We will be creating a Bibliography, and students will need to know from where their information came.
Feel free to email me with any questions. We will be working this week and next on research, but my expectation is that progress will also be made at home. Please ensure that this is the case.
