Improving Effective Research Skills with Effective Keywords

Students meet ELA Common Core State Standards by learning how different keywords produce different search results. Students practice select effective keywords to answer a research question, and test those keywords in online searches.

[MUSIC].

Good afternoon Ms. Ramos.

>> Today's lesson is going to
be called the key to key words.

My name is Olga Ramos and
I teach at Amistad Dual Language School

found in Inwood,
Washington Heights, Manhattan.

Who can read the goal for me?

Caitlin, loud voice.

>> Identifying keyword strategies that
will give you the best search results.

>> Very good.

And the objective of this lesson is to
have the kids become more aware of precise

and also negative words that they can
use in order to better their searching.

Let's just review some of the vocabulary.

Sydney.

>> Keywords,
most important words related to a subject

that you type into a search
engine when looking for info.

>> Sound familiar?

>> Yes.
>> Yes.

>> Common core standards for

researching are all about searching and
initiating research projects.

This is a good segue into doing that.

>> Recite, clear and exact.

>> Hm, you want something to be precise,
with precision.

Clear and exact.

Next, synonyms.

Larissa.

>> Words with-
>> The same.

>> Same
>> Or similar?

>> Or similar meaning.

>> Very good.

I'm going to do kind of
an opening activity.

And we're gonna kind of play what
we would probably know as Taboo.

I'm gonna need three volunteers.

Come and help us with our activities.

And what they are essentially gonna do is
that they're gonna practice their skills

of describing and looking for
alternate words and

other precise descriptions in
order to get their point across.

Try to describe it.

>> It's green and gray.

It clips things together.

>> Do you wanna call on someone?

>> Reggie.

>> A stapler.

>> Correct.

A stapler.

Very good.

Round of applause.

>> [APPLAUSE]
>> Thank you.

Now we're gonna go a little faster.

>> You can use it on the computers.

It'll help you a lot to
use mostly on desktops.

Lucas.

>> A mouse?

>> Yeah.
>> Correct.

What were some of the things
that you could notice,

that you guys just did during this game?

Before you answer me, talk to each other.

>> I think that constantly they're
describing it, but without saying.

>> I was [INAUDIBLE] because I
[INAUDIBLE] out different things.

>> What was that?

>> Precisely.

>> Very good because you're an exact.

The second activity is called fetch.

I'm going to have them sit in pairs.

They're going to be working in computers.

They're literally going to go and
fetch answers for searching activities.

This helps because they're already
starting to build their skill of synonyms

and making precise selections of words and
how that can affect their searching.

The questions are as follow.

What foods are toxic to dogs?

What types of dogs are the smartest?

What jobs do dogs do for people?

And, what are some of the smallest and
largest dog types?

You like our theme?

Dogs.
>> Yes.

>> Right, right.

What they're essentially gonna do on the
first one is that they're only going to

use one keyboard.

They have to tell us how many
results were found on the page and

then they have to look at
the first three results.

They need to make an educated guess
whether they think that they're going to

find the answer to their
question in those results.

>> Okay begin.

>> One word in the search engine.

That word will give off lots and
lots and lots of topics.

>> And a seal?

>> Yeah sure.

>> The next one allows
them to use two key words.

And they repeat the same thing.

>> How many keywords did
it take to find the answer?

>> It took about four.

>> Noticing that you have to what?

>> Be precise.

>> Be more precise.

Very good.

Keep going.
By the time they got to the last

selection, which is basically,
they need to use more keywords.

They're bound to find their answer.

You found some of the answers?

[SOUND] Okay, there it goes.

How was your experience?

>> The first key word search,
we put poison to see what would come out.

It was poison, but
it wasn't like poison for dogs or

anything that we were looking for.

>> We found one of them, one website told
us a little bit of the jobs they do.

>> Using one key word wasn't that great.

>> No.

>> But as you got more precise and maybe
some of you started using some synonyms,

then, all of a sudden, you started getting
some of the results that you wanted.

Then next, that was kind of a segway
to now doing this challenge I call it

the prepare challenge.

Go.

>> [CROSSTALK]
>> I love how you're guys

are working together.

You guys are brainstorming,
you're picking each other's brains.

That's great.

Five minutes.

We have two pairs that are finished.

>> This one.

>> Okay.

>> Golden retriever.

>> Two minutes.

>> The first activity helped a lot because
we knew already how to be more precise and

how to find out better the information.

>> You have to be more specific
with the words that you pick.

Cuz I, me and my partner put dogs but

it didn't help us with
learning what size they were.

Then we put for the second one dog sizes,
and then it helped us more.

>> The take away is I think, them seeing
the connections on how these things that

they're learning, these strategies, these
skills actually affect their real life.

The fact that sometimes through
the common sense curriculum

we're able to do those things,
it's wonderful.

What did we learn about our key words?

Emmanuel.

>> We learned that when we're gonna use
key words we have to be more specific.

>> Or what?
What was that word that we learned today?

Everyone.

>> Precise.

>> Precise.

Let's go back to our goal screen.

Who can read that for me very loudly?

Chrisindi.

>> Identifying keyword strategies that
will give you the best search results.

>> Did we meet our goal?

>> Yes.

>> We did.

Congratulations.

Pat yourself on the back.

>> Pat, pat.

Woo, woo.

[MUSIC]