D. Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts · Writing for Every Purpose

Researching: Three Sources and Sorting Notes

D1.3 D1.4 A2.2 A2.3 A3.3About 40 minutes

Learning goals

I can gather facts about a topic from three or more sources.
I can write short notes using key words, and record where each fact came from.
I can check facts by comparing sources.
I can sort my notes into groups and put them in an order that fits the kind of text I am writing.
I can stay safe when I look for information online.

Words to know

research
Looking for information to learn about a topic.

source
Where information comes from: a book, a website, a video, or a person who knows a lot.

notes
Short key words you write to remember a fact. Notes are not full sentences.

fact
Something that is true and can be checked.

sort
To put ideas that go together into the same group.

sequence
To put ideas in order: what comes first, next and last.

Writers are researchers

In Grade 1 you gathered facts from one source. In Grade 2 you use three or more sources. Why?

You learn more facts.
You can check that a fact is true. If three sources say the same thing, you can trust it more.
Different sources give different kinds of information. A video shows how something moves. A person can tell you what they have seen.

Kind of source	Example	Remember
📖 Book	a library book about beavers	Look at the table of contents and pictures.
💻 Website	a site a grown-up helps you find	Search with a grown-up.
🎬 Video	a nature video	Pause it to write a note.
🧑 A person (expert)	a park ranger, a farmer, a grandparent, an Elder or Knowledge Keeper	Ask politely and say thank you.
👀 Observing	watching birds at a feeder	Write or draw what you see.

Kinds of sources

Learning from people

People are important sources. In many First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities, knowledge is passed down by telling it out loud. Elders and Knowledge Keepers share stories and teachings with younger people. Listening carefully and respectfully is one way of learning.

When you learn from any person, ask first, listen carefully, and thank them. When you write, say who taught you.

Worked example

Let's take notes from three sources

Kai is writing about beavers. He uses three sources: a library book, a video his dad found, and a park ranger who visited his class.

From the book he writes key words: thick brown fur, flat tail, build dams with sticks and mud, eat bark.
From the video: chews down trees with big front teeth, swims with webbed back feet.
From the park ranger: stores branches under water for winter food, lodge door is under water, eat bark.
He writes the source beside each note: (book), (video), (ranger).
Two sources both said beavers eat bark, so Kai feels sure that fact is true.

Kai now has notes from three sources, and he knows where each fact came from.

Kai's notes from three sources. The book and the park ranger both say beavers eat bark, so Kai can trust that fact more.

Writing notes, not sentences

Notes are quick. Write only the key words.

Source says: "Beavers have large front teeth that never stop growing."
Note: teeth never stop growing

Write facts in your own words later, when you write your text.

A note keeps only the key words (underlined). You will write the full sentence in your own words later.

Worked example

Let's check a fact

One website says beavers eat fish. Kai's book says beavers eat bark, leaves and water plants. The park ranger says beavers only eat plants.

Two sources (the book and the ranger) agree: beavers eat plants.
Only one source says fish, and it doesn't match the others.
Kai asks his dad to help him check one more good source. It also says beavers eat plants.

Kai does not use the fish fact. Beavers eat plants, like bark, leaves and twigs. Comparing sources helped him catch a mistake.

Sorting your notes

Now Kai has lots of notes. Next he sorts them into groups that go together. For an information report, the groups are subtopics, like what they look like, where they live and what they eat.

What they look like	Where they live	What they eat
thick brown fur	ponds, rivers, streams	bark
flat tail	build dams with sticks and mud	leaves and twigs
big front teeth that never stop growing	lodge door under water	store branches under water for winter

Kai's sorted notes. Each column becomes one part of his report.

Order depends on the kind of text

The way you sort and sequence depends on the form you are writing:

Personal narrative: put events in time order (beginning, middle, end).
How-to: put steps in the exact order someone must do them.
Information report: group facts by subtopic. Start with an introduction.
Persuasive text: state your opinion, then give your reasons, then end by saying your opinion again.

Staying safe online

Search the internet only with a grown-up.
Never type your full name, address, school or phone number.
If you see something that worries you or feels wrong, stop and tell a grown-up right away.
Not everything online is true. That is another reason to check three sources!

Just for fun

A beaver's front teeth are orange because they have iron in them, which makes them extra strong. Built-in tree-chopping tools!

Hands-on activity

Be a beaver researcher (or pick your own animal)

You need: paper folded into 3 columns, a pencil, and a grown-up helper.

Pick an animal that lives in Canada (beaver, moose, Canada goose, loon, chickadee, polar bear).
Find three sources: a library book, a website or video with a grown-up, and a person you can ask.
Write at least 2 notes from each source, with the source in brackets, like (book).
Label your columns Looks, Home, Food and sort your notes into them.
Circle any fact that two sources agreed on.

Keep your notes. You will use them to write an information report later in this unit!

Your turn

How many sources should you use for research in Grade 2?

Name three kinds of sources.

Turn this sentence into a short note: "Polar bears have black skin under their white fur."

Why should you write down where each fact came from?

Two sources say chickadees stay in Ontario all winter. One says they fly south. What should you do?

Sort these notes into Looks and Food: black cap, eats seeds, eats insects, white cheeks.

What should you do if you see something online that worries you?

More practice: warm-up

What is a source?

Are notes full sentences or key words?

Who should be with you when you search online?

What do you say to a person who shares their knowledge with you?

True or false: Everything on the internet is true.

More practice: on your own

Write a note for this fact: "Monarch butterflies fly all the way to Mexico in the fall."

Why are three sources better than one?

You are writing a how-to about making pancakes. Should you sort your notes into subtopics or put them in step order?

Who could be an expert source for a report about firefighters?

Kai's note says lodge door under water (ranger). What does (ranger) tell us?

Challenge

Sort these moose notes into three groups and name each group: long legs, eats twigs, lives in forests, big antlers (males), eats water plants, lives near lakes and swamps.

A website about moose has lots of ads flashing and no name of who wrote it. A library book was written by a wildlife scientist. Which source would you trust more, and why?

Put these narrative notes in time order: got home tired, packed a lunch, hiked to the waterfall, ate lunch by the water.

Check your understanding

Quiz

How many sources does a Grade 2 researcher try to use?

Which is a good note?

Two sources say one thing and one source says something different. What is the best thing to do?

Which is the safest way to search online?

For a how-to, how should you organize your notes?

Why do writers record where facts came from?

For parents and teachers

Big idea (D1.3, D1.4): Grade 2 writers gather information from three or more sources, then sort and sequence it to suit the form (time order for narratives, step order for procedures, subtopic groups for reports). This lesson also touches on digital safety (A2.2), evaluating information (A2.3), and oral knowledge-sharing in First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities (A3.3).

How to help at home:

Visit the library together and borrow 2 books on one topic. Add a short video you choose together, and a person your child can interview.
Model note-taking: read one sentence aloud and ask, "What are the 2 or 3 most important words?"
Always supervise online searches. Use child-friendly sites and talk about why not everything online is true.
If your family or community has Elders or Knowledge Keepers, talk about the respect shown when learning from them.

Common difficulties:

Copying whole sentences. Cover the book after reading a sentence and ask your child to say the fact in their own words, then write key words.
Losing track of sources. Use a coloured dot or letter for each source.
Sorting by "where I found it" instead of by topic. Ask, "Which notes are about food? Which are about homes?"