D. Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts · Writing with Purpose, Voice and EvidenceResearch: Gathering Information and Recording Sources
D1.3 A2.3 A2.1 A3.1About 45 minutes
Learning goals- I can gather relevant information from several different sources.
- I can take jot notes in my own words, organized by my research questions.
- I can record where my information came from, including the creator and title.
Words to know
source
Where information comes from: a book, a website, a video, a map, an interview or a museum display.
relevant
Connected to your topic and your questions. Relevant information helps answer them.
jot notes
Short notes of key words and phrases, not full sentences.
paraphrase
To say an idea in your own words.
quotation
Someone's exact words, shown inside quotation marks with the speaker or writer named.
source list
A list at the end of a text that tells readers where your information came from.
plagiarism
Using someone else's words or ideas and pretending they are your own.
Remember from Grade 3
In Grade 3 you wrote research questions, used three or more sources, wrote notes in your own words and checked if a source was trustworthy. In Grade 4 you will use a variety of sources, sort your notes under sub-questions, and record every source carefully so readers know where your information came from.
Research is like detective work
A detective doesn't trust just one clue. They collect clues from many places and see if they match. Researchers do the same thing. Here is the plan:
- Ask a big question and 3 or 4 smaller sub-questions.
- Find different kinds of sources.
- Read or listen for information that answers your questions (relevant information). Skip what doesn't.
- Take jot notes in your own words.
- Record each source as soon as you use it.
| Kind of source | Good for | Remember |
|---|
| Non-fiction book | Clear facts, diagrams, glossary | Use the table of contents and index to find pages fast. |
| Encyclopedia (print or online) | A quick, trusted overview | Great to start with. |
| Website | Up-to-date information, photos, maps | Search with a grown-up. Check who made the site. |
| Video | Seeing how something moves or works | Pause often to take notes. |
| Interview | Real experience from a person | Ask permission, prepare questions, and say thank you. |
| Museum, park sign or map | Local information | Take a photo of the sign (with permission) so you can check it later. |
Taking jot notes
Jot notes are short. Write only the key words. This helps you use your own words later, instead of copying.
Source sentence: Beavers are rodents that use their strong front teeth to cut down trees, which they use to build dams and lodges.
Jot notes:
- rodent
- strong front teeth cut trees
- trees used for dams + lodges
Later, you turn your notes into new sentences: A beaver is a kind of rodent. It chews through trees with its strong front teeth, and it uses the wood to build dams and homes called lodges.
Worked exampleLet's sort notes under sub-questions
Big question: How do beavers survive in Canada? Sub-questions: What do beavers eat? Where do they live? How do they stay safe? Here are four notes: eats bark, twigs, leaves and water plants / lodge has an underwater entrance / slaps tail on water to warn others / likes to watch TV (written as a joke by a friend).
- Make a notes chart with one column for each sub-question.
- Eats bark, twigs, leaves and water plants goes under What do beavers eat?
- Lodge has an underwater entrance goes under Where do they live? (It also helps them stay safe from predators.)
- Slaps tail on water to warn others goes under How do they stay safe?
- Likes to watch TV is not relevant and not true. Leave it out.
Three notes are relevant and sorted under sub-questions. The joke note is removed. Sorting now makes writing paragraphs much easier later.
Recording your sources
Every time you take notes from a source, write down:
- Who made it: the author, creator or organization.
- The title of the book, article, website page or video.
- Where it came from: the publisher or the website name.
- When: the year it was made or updated, if you can find it.
For an interview, write the person's name (with their permission) and the date you talked.
At the end of your report, put these in a source list (sometimes called a bibliography). This is fair to the people who did the work, and it lets your readers check your facts.
Worked exampleLet's record a source
You took notes from a pretend book. Its cover says Busy Beavers by Sam Lee. Inside, it says Maple Leaf Press, 2024.
- Who made it? Sam Lee (the author). Write the family name first: Lee, Sam.
- What is the title? Busy Beavers (titles of books are written in italics when typed, or underlined by hand).
- Where did it come from? Maple Leaf Press (the publisher).
- When? 2024.
- Put it together in one line.
Lee, Sam. Busy Beavers. Maple Leaf Press, 2024.
An interview could look like this: Interview with Grandpa Joe Martin, by phone, March 4, 2026.
Your words, or their words?
If you use someone's exact words, put them in "quotation marks" and say who said them: As the park ranger told us, "Beavers are nature's engineers." Everything else should be in your own words. Copying without credit is called plagiarism, even by accident, so record sources as you go.
Is this source a good one?
Good researchers ask a few quick questions about each source:
- Who made it? A museum, library, government or expert is usually more trustworthy than an unknown person.
- Is it up to date? Look for a date.
- Does it match other sources? If two good sources agree, you can feel more confident.
- Is it trying to sell me something? Then it might only tell one side.
When you learn from an Elder, Knowledge Keeper or any community member, follow that person's or community's guidance about what may be shared, ask permission, and give them credit.
Just for funFunny-but-true: a beaver's front teeth are orange! They contain iron, which makes them extra strong for chewing through trees. (That fact goes in your notes. Likes to watch TV does not.)
Hands-on activityResearch with three kinds of sources
You need: paper folded into 3 columns, a pencil, and a grown-up to help with the internet.
- Choose an animal, a place in Canada or a job in your community.
- Write a big question and three sub-questions. Put one sub-question at the top of each column.
- Find three different kinds of sources: for example, a library book, a website you search with a grown-up, and an interview with someone who knows about your topic.
- Take jot notes under the right sub-question. Use key words only.
- Every time you use a source, write it on the back of the page: who made it, title, where it came from, and the year.
- Circle any fact that two sources agree on. Put a question mark beside any fact you found in only one place.
- Show a grown-up your notes and tell them one thing you learned in your own words.
Your turn
1Write two sub-questions for the big question What is life like in the Arctic?
Examples: What is the weather like? What animals live there? How do people travel in winter? What do communities do for fun?
2Turn this sentence into jot notes: Maple trees are tapped for sap in early spring, when nights are cold and days are warm.
Example: maple trees tapped – early spring – cold nights + warm days (key words only).
3Is this note relevant to a report on how snowy owls hunt? Snowy owls have very good hearing.
Yes. Good hearing helps an owl find animals it hunts, even under snow.
4What four things should you record about a source?
Who made it, the title, where it came from (publisher or website) and when (the year).
5Why is it a good idea to use more than one kind of source?
Different sources give different kinds of information, and you can check that facts match.
6Write a source line for a pretend book: Ice Roads by Mira Shah, published by Polar Press in 2023.
Shah, Mira. Ice Roads. Polar Press, 2023.
Using someone else's words or ideas and pretending they are your own.
More practice: warm-up
1Name three kinds of sources.
Any three: book, encyclopedia, website, video, interview, map, museum display, magazine.
2Are jot notes full sentences?
No. They are short key words and phrases.
3What do you put around someone's exact words?
Connected to your topic and questions.
5Where does a source list go?
More practice: on your own
1Paraphrase: Sound travels faster through water than through air.
Example: Sound moves more quickly in water than it does in air. Same fact, new words.
2A website about bears has no author and no date, and it sells bear toys. Should you trust it as your main source? Why?
Not as your main source. You don't know who made it or when, and it is trying to sell something. Check its facts against a library book or a trusted site.
3You want to learn about a powwow in your area. Who could you interview, and what should you do first?
Example: a community member who attends or organizes the powwow, or a staff member at a local Indigenous friendship centre. First ask permission, prepare respectful questions, and follow their guidance about what may be shared. Then give them credit.
4Sort under the sub-questions Food or Home: builds nest on cliff ledges, eats fish, lives near the ocean.
Food: eats fish. Home: builds nest on cliff ledges, lives near the ocean.
5Why should you record a source right away instead of at the end?
So you don't forget where a fact came from, and you won't accidentally use someone's work without credit.
Challenge
1Two sources disagree. One says a hiking trail is 5 km long. The other says it is 8 km. What should a researcher do?
Check a third trustworthy source (like the park's official website or map) and look at the dates: one source might be older, or the trail might have changed. Use the information that matches the most reliable, up-to-date source, or explain that sources disagree.
2Rewrite this note so it is in your own words and not copied: Rocks are broken down into smaller pieces by water, wind and ice in a process called weathering.
Example: Water, wind and ice slowly break rocks into small bits. This is called weathering. Look for new sentence order and new words, keeping the special word weathering.
3Explain why a source list is fair to the people who made the sources and helpful to your readers.
It is fair because it gives credit for their work. It is helpful because readers can find the sources to check facts or learn more.
Quiz
1. Which is the best jot note for Polar bears have black skin under their white-looking fur?
2. Which note is relevant to a report on how geese migrate?
3. What should you record about a book you used?
4. Which source is likely the most trustworthy for facts about a provincial park?
5. When you use someone's exact words, you should
Big idea (D1.3): Grade 4 writers gather and record relevant information from a variety of sources, using a variety of strategies, and record the sources they use. This connects to Strand A: evaluating information (A2.3), rights and responsibilities online such as giving credit (A2.1), and using research skills across subjects (A3.1).
How to help at home:
- Search together. Grade 4 children should not search alone. Use child-friendly search tools and talk about who made each site.
- Visit the public library. Librarians love helping children find books and trusted online databases.
- Help set up interviews with relatives or neighbours. Practise polite questions and thank-yous.
- When your child finds a surprising fact, ask, Where did you find that? Does another source say the same thing?
Common difficulties:
- Copying whole sentences. Have your child read a paragraph, close the book, then jot only key words.
- Too many notes that don't answer the questions. Keep the sub-questions in front of them.
- Forgetting sources. Make recording the source the first step, before any notes.
Respectful learning: When learning from Elders, Knowledge Keepers or community members, follow their guidance about what may be shared, and always give credit.