The Question
The 'question' for your assignment or research can also
be in the form of an instruction. You must make sure that you understand
your question or assignment. The evaluation
of your project will be based on how well you answered the question.
- Read the question - make sure you know what all of the
words mean (check in a dictionary).
- Discuss the question with someone else to make sure you
understand it.
- Ask your teacher for more explanation about the question.
Click here to learn more about asking questions.
- Hightlight or underline the key words in the question.
- Make a list of other key words
related to your question or assignment.
- Sort your key words into groups or categories.
Here is a sample question. By understanding the meaning
of all of the words, you can better understand the question.
How does a seismograph
record the magnitude of an earthquake? Build
your own using everyday materials?
 What
do I do first?
Look up seismograph
and magnitude in
the dictionary. From the dictionary.com
website, here are the meanings:
- Seismograph - any of various instruments for
measuring and recording the vibrations of earthquakes
- Magnitude - size; extent; dimensions: to determine
the magnitude of an angle
What's
next?
Make a list of other key words
(a mini word wall) that you discover while discussing, reading or thinking
about the question. For example: earthquake;
measurement; tremor; Richter scale; intensity, tsunami, geology, fault,
tectonic, instrument, epicentre...
And
then...
Using the information above, you may decide to work on the
following tasks or categories:
- Describe how a seismograph works and how it is
made. [blue]
- Discuss how the intensity of earthquakes is measured
and what scales are used for these measurements. [red]
- Design a seismograph, make a list of requirements
and construct your own seismograph. [green]
- Include additional information of interest about
earthquakes. [orange]
These
tasks or categories become the Sub Topics for your research. Assign a
colour to each category to help you organize your
jot notes.
Go
to the Jot Notes page to learn how to make
and organize notes from your research.
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