📖 ReadingGrade 4Lesson 21
← Back🔒 PDF with full access

Gather Info for Mini-Research Projects

Lesson preview: the Mini Lesson and Vocabulary are open to everyone. Guided practice, exercises, the parent checklist and the printable PDF worksheet come with full access (free 7-day trial or membership).

Learning Objectives

  • 1Use a structured note-taking frame to record source, key fact, and URL
  • 2Identify the key fact from a sample online source
  • 3Organize gathered information ready for a mini-research project
📘

Mini Lesson

Good research is not just about finding information — it is about recording it clearly so you can use it later. A note-taking frame helps you stay organized by capturing the source name, one key fact, and the URL for every piece of information you find.

The Research Note Frame

  • Source: the name of the website, book, or person you got the information from.
  • Key fact: the one most important piece of information you found there.
  • URL: the web address so you can go back and check the source.

How to Take Good Research Notes

  1. Read the source carefully — do not copy long sentences.
  2. Write the key fact in your own words (paraphrase).
  3. Note the source name and URL right away — you will forget it later.
  4. Collect at least two notes from different sources to check your facts.
Research note frame with three rowsA note-taking template showing Source, Key Fact, and URL rows with example content.Research Note FrameSourceNational GeographicKey FactBees pollinate 70% of cropsURLwww.natgeo.com/beesRecord one note per source — add more rows as needed.
Research process stepsFour-step research process from question to notes.The Research Process1Write a research question2Find two or more sources3Read and take notes4Organize your note frames
💡

Write notes in your own words, not copied sentences. If you copy exact words, put them in quotation marks and note the source — otherwise it becomes plagiarism.

Vocabulary
Note-taking frame
A structured template for recording source, key fact, and URLe.g. A three-row table with Source, Key Fact, and URL is a note-taking frame.
Paraphrase
Rewriting information in your own wordse.g. Instead of copying "Bees pollinate 70% of crops," write "Bees help grow most of our food."
URL
The web address of a webpagee.g. www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bees is a URL.
Plagiarism
Using someone else's words or ideas without giving credite.g. Copying a paragraph without quoting or naming the source is plagiarism.
Free · 7 days · No credit card

Unlock the full HSEA system for 7 days.

Add your first kid profile and your 7 days start: every lesson in every grade, saved progress for each child. Nothing to set up, no card required, nothing to cancel.

  • ✓ All 1,680 lessons, Grades 1–6, every subject
  • ✓ Profiles + saved progress for every kid
  • ✓ Printable lessons with answer key
Start your 7-day free trial →
Already convinced? See full membership plans →
← Lesson 20: Evaluate Online SourcesLesson 22: Read About Global Issues →