Research Resources from the Blogiverse

Hi friends!

I’m gathering research resources as food for thought over my spring break this week. Some of my favorite librarian bloggers have some amazing ideas to breathe new life into your spring research plans!

Bibliography Boot Camp

Do you find it challenging to keep your citation lessons interesting? Jennifer Lewis (aka Miss Liberry Teacher), created an active, engaging Bibliography Boot Camp, complete with cadences and boot camp style exercises.

What a fun way to help your students learn how to cite their sources! You can get the details here on her blog post.

Video to Prompt Student Questions

Another challenge can be teaching students to ask questions. Sandy Liptak, on her Lessons by Sandy blog, shared a super idea for using an intriguing animal video, shot in her own backyard, to jump start the questioning process.

Wouldn’t your students love this? I know mine would! Not only an animal movie, but a glimpse into a teacher’s backyard! You can read her blog post here.

Energize Research Reading and Writing

The Librarian in Cute Shoes, Cynthia Alaniz, recommends this book, Energize Research Reading and Writing, by Christopher Lehman. The subtitle is Fresh Strategies to Spark Interest, Develop Independence, and Meet Key Common Core Standards, Grades 4-8. Can you use some fresh strategies? I can!

I peeked at the table of contents on Amazon, and then I promptly put this book in my cart and checked out. Thanks for the recommendation, Cynthia Alaniz!

I hope these three great ideas will inspire YOUR research plans as much as they have mine! At this time of year, I am ready for a time of rest and reflection over spring break so that I can be ready for fourth and fifth grade research projects in the next couple of months. If you’ve got a favorite strategy for teaching research, I’d love to hear about it in a comment!