Marriage and Divorce Trends in America

A Lesson on research questions and gathering information.

Selecting a Topic For this assignment your topic has been

selected for you. You should first turn your topic into a

question.– This will guide your search for information.– Example research questions

• How has the number of divorces in America changed in the past 10 years?

• What are some of the causes of divorce in America?

Research Questions

Answer question #1 on the handout.

Researching the Topic

Internet searches– Google.com– AltaVista.com

Interviews Newspapers Magazine or journal articles

Research Question

Internet resources require critical examination.– .org and .edu resources are generally reliable.– .com requires closer scrutiny– Don’t forget the public library

Researching the Topic

Conduct an internet search for your research question.

Choose one article that you will use to write your report.

Respond to #2 on your handout.

Gathering Information

Helpful Hints– Write in fragments.– Write facts and key ideas only.– Write notes that answer your research question.

Gathering Information

We’re almost finished for today.– Respond to #3a and #3b on your handout.– Submit your handout.