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KidReporter Research Hints and Guidelines

The Assignment

You have an assignment or a great original idea for a story - what's next? You need facts and figures - information. Research is easy if you have a plan. First you need to create a title for you story. The title will also function as your purpose for writing the story.

Let's look a few titles of KidReporter stories.

"North American River Otter" - Click on the link and read the story. Does the title reflect what's contained in the story?

Here's another KidReporter story - "Why Mr. Bauer is a Hero" - click on the link and read the story. What could the author have done to connect the title to the end of the interview?

The Plan

Now you know that having a title will help you focus on the information you want to include in your story. Let's make a plan. Your story should be informative and therefore, will answer questions. What are the questions you want to answer in your story? Make a list or outline for your story. Be sure and include the opening paragraph to introduce your topic and a closing paragraph to sum it all up.

The Research

Where can you go to find answers to your questions? The local public library is a great place to start when you're researching some topics. There is also a library online - the Awesome Library - the Awesome Library organizes the Internet and provides 37,000 carefully reviewed resources, including the top 5 percent in education. Whether you're at the library in your neighborhood or online, you will find reference material on most subjects - encyclopedias, dictionaries, books, newspapers and magazines to name a few.

Here is a list of other online library resources:

  • The Smithsonian
  • Internet Public Library
  • The Newseum - Museum of News
  • The Franklin (Benjamin) Institute - In the spirit of inquiry and discovery embodied by Benjamin Franklin, the mission of The Franklin Institute is to inspire an understanding of and passion for science and technology learning.

    KidReporters often use another method of research - an interview with a knowledgeable sources. This type of interview can be in person or by telephone. It is great if you can record the interview for use when you are writing your story.

    NewsCertified Exchange has created NewsCertified.com, a searchable, on-line database of experts who are certified to be ready for any type of interview.

    Some KidReporter assignments are about experiences. When you are assigned to visit a museum or place of interest, it's important to visit the website of that "place" prior to your visit. Plan your story as outlined above and be prepared to get the answers to all of your questions while you are on location.

    If you want to check facts or figures. Here is a list of many databases that are online. US Downloadable Databases - These are databases that can be downloaded in whole or in part and imported into a spreadsheet or database so that you can check facts, find statistics and track down reliable information.