• A RESEARCH MODEL can be used to guide people of all ages in solving an information problem. These skills can be applied across situations—to school, personal, and work settings. The FINDS Skills are applicable to all subject areas across the full range of grade levels. Students can use the FINDS Skills whenever they need information to solve a problem, make a decision, or complete a task.
                                                                                                                                                                                                        

    What is FINDS?                                                                   

    FINDS serves as an acronym for the steps in the research process:

    Focus, Investigate, Note, Develop, and Self-reflect.
     
    Focus on the information need:  Once you understand the essential question or performance task, you can begin to create a research plan.
    • What is my assignment, or the information problem to be solved?
    • What are my questions (or thesis sentence)?
    • What types of information will be needed?
    • How will I organize my search plan?
    • What keywords and related search terms would be best for my topic?


    Investigate resources to look for an answer:    Access and use appropriate print, non print and electronic resources to extract key evidence that supports an answer to the essential question or performance task.
    • What are some sources I can use to find my information?
    • How will I evaluate these sources?
    • Is currency an important criteria?
    • Where will I find these sources?
    • How will I locate the information within each source?
     

    Note and Evaluate:  Practice close, analytical reading of print and digital resources related to the essential question and/or performance task.  Extract relevant information (evidence) by taking notes and citing key resources.

    • Does the information I found relate to the topic and questions?
    • How do I take notes so they are in my own words?
    • Do I have information from multiple sources and different points of view?
    • Do I have all the information I need?
    • Have I evaluated the information I found?


    Develop information into knowledge for presentation:

    • How should I present the information to best share what I learned?
    • How do I organize my information and ideas for my final presentation?
    • Are my conclusions based on the research evidence?
    • How do I organize my citations? 
    • How do I use technology to enrich, publish and/or present my project?


    Self- Reflect

    • What criteria will I use to judge my product?
    • Did I present the information in the best way for my audience?
    • Was my research process efficient and effective?
    • How could I improve my search process next time?