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organizesm  Organizing Your Information


Before you search

On the page on pre-searching you can find links to tools to help you develop the questions that will help you search. For example a KWL chart (What I Know / What I Want to Know / What I Learned) chart has room for questions, but also for the answers you find.

As you search

Tools learn_usethis

Note Boxes
Divide a page in 8 - in each box put no more than 5 words in each box. The boxes can later be cut apart and the notes reorganized. Older students will want to have a way to identify the source of the note. The notes can be sorted by topic, by the sub-questions students have developed...

Graphic Organizers can help you organize your thinking.
A number are available from the LEARN site.
You will need to login with your LEARN username and password
Once you are logged in click on the green menu item: Focus Online
KWL chart
    Questions and Answers

Excel Spreadsheet (or Google Doc  link to a sample - you can save it with a new name and use it)
Label your columns: What I want to Know / URL / Quote / Notes / How I Used It
  • List your questions under What I I Want to Know
  • Use a separate row for each url that answers a particular question
  • Copy and paste the pertinent information under Quote
  • Write notes in the next column
  • Did you use this information in your final product? Copy and paste the text of how you used it - you will never be accused of plagiarism
  • Did you evaluate the reliability of the information?

You can go to this Google Spreadsheet. If you have a Google doc account, save it with a new name and start editing!
One advantage of a Google Spreadsheet is that students working collaboratively in a group can share information.

Use a Social Bookmarking Tool
Learn to use Delicious
  • As you visit sites, bookmark them in Delicious
  • Make sure you add notes about how useful the site is as well as pertinent information.
  • You can copy and paste from the site into the notes field.
Learn more


* Photo: awagami+1 "yuzen autumn" memo organizer detail (spruce and pumpkin), by Craig Anczelowitz, adapted from Flickr licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic.