Fifth graders at the Anglo American School working on a research using the Big Six steps

There is a lot of information regarding problem-solving models available for teaching and reinforcing research, problem-solving, and writing processes. The Big Six information skills model (Big6) is one that is primarily aimed to be used at kindergarten through twelfth-grade  students. This model is intended to foster the acquisition of research, problem-solving, and metacognitive skills through the cooperation of both school library media specialists and classroom teachers. While a strong anecdotal record exists supporting the use of Big6, empirical research support is less evident in library and education literature.  Fifth-grade students are asked to research and write about events surrounding Native-American Indians.

Big 6 Research Method

BIG 6

1.  Task definition

What is my topic question or problem?

What needs to be done and what information do I need?

What do I already know?

What do I need to know?

What are keywords, concepts and other related topics I should use?

2. Information Seeking Strategies

What resources can I use?

Where can I find the information I need?

What print resources can I use?

What electronic sources can I use?

3.  Location and Access

Locate the resources and information in them

Have I found the best sources?

Have I used the parts of the book effectively to find information?

What point of view is represented in the source?

Have I used special reference sources?

What are relevant electronic sources I can use?

Do I use both secondary and primary sources?

4. Use of Information

Read and use the information and extract relevant facts.

Take notes on important information.

Do I understand the information?

Within my resources what is the main topic, subtopics, and important details.

Have I recorded all the bibliographic information I need to cite my sources?

What information do I still need to find?

5. Synthesis

Put it all together.

Organize information from multiple sources.

How am I going to organize my information?

What information should I include?

How will I present the information?

Have I cited all the sources I used?

6. Evaluation

Review and analyze the research process?

What have I learned about my topic?

Which resources were the most helpful?

Did I answer my research question?

What skills did I learn?