How to Teach Source Cards & Note Cards
Through the creation of source and notecards students can better organize information and prepare for the composition of a research paper. Through demonstration, you can make the process necessary to create these cards clear to your students. By carefully educating your pupils on the creation of these cards you can not only allow them to successfully complete their current research project, but also prepare them for research paper success in years to come.
Instructions
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Assign a simple research project to create purpose. If students have no reason to create source and notecards they will likely pay little attention to the task. Select a research topic that does not pose too much of a challenge to ensure that students' attention is on the creation of these cards and not the complexity of the research topic.
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Create posters featuring the desired source and note card formats. Either create your posters on the computer and use a copier to blow them up, or craft them by hand on poster board. On each poster, provide an example of what an effectively organized source or note card would look like to serve as an example to your pupils.
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Produce a handout containing this information for easy student reference. Because the process of creating source and notecards can be tedious, it is helpful if students have a sample to reference as they create their own cards. This also cuts down on the number of format questions you will likely have to answer.
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Explain the parts of each card, referencing the posters and handouts as you move through your explanation. Avoid moving too quickly through your explanation as a rapidly paced explanation could prove difficult for students to follow.
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Create a sample source card with pupils. Give each student an index card, and select a book to use as an example. Instruct all students to follow along and create a source card for the selected text as a class to ensure that they understand the process.
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Ask each student to produce a note card to go with the cooperatively created source card. Allow each student the opportunity to peruse the book you used to create the source card and instruct them each to create a notecard with information from the text to go with the already created source card.
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Assist students as they use their newly developed skills to create source and note cards. Sit with students at the library, or circulate around the room if they are completing this task in class. Correct any errors in card formatting immediately to ensure that students do not continue to make the same mistakes, but instead properly follow the format and successfully create their cards.
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References
- Photo Credit writing book image by AGphotographer from Fotolia.com
