Research Project Mini — Question, Sources, Synthesis
Tween chooses a question they're curious about, finds three sources, evaluates their credibility, and synthesizes an answer. Parent facilitates the research process and asks probing questions about source quality. This activity reveals research methodology understanding, source evaluation skills, and the ability to synthesize information from multiple inputs into a coherent answer.
Free to do together whenever you like.
What you'll need
A device with internet access for research. Paper and pencil for notes. The child should choose a question they're genuinely curious about — the activity works poorly with assigned topics. Good questions are specific enough to research but broad enough to have multiple perspectives: 'Why do we dream?', 'Is social media actually bad for teens?', 'Could humans live on Mars?', 'Why did the Roman Empire fall?'
How it works
The 3-step guide, with what to look for at each step, is for signed-in parents.