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Leading Edge 8th grade - Mrs. Sanchez - U.N. Sustainable Development Goals research project

The Atlas of Sustainable Development Goals 2020 presents interactive storytelling and data visualizations about the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Step 1: Choose a Topic:

done in class

Step 2: Collect Background Information:

• Decide with your group how you will collect information: a simple, straightforward Google Doc? Google Spreadsheet (scroll down to #4)? Google Drawing? Google Keep?

• Start with the Sustainable Development Goals Knowledge Platform developed by the United Nations. Navigate to your goal, and go through the page (and other pages linked on it), collecting both facts and keywords.

• Do a basic search in Google and DuckDuckGo. Keep the source (name and URL) of everything you write down!

Step 3: Organize Information & Citations:

• Look at what you have collected so far. Are some sources better / more complete than others? Are there 'holes' in your research? What other information do you need to find out, or other aspect you need to research?

• Do more research in more specialized resources: databases, and Google Scholar. You can even try to connect with experts (brush up on your email etiquette here)

• Organize the information you have found in themes / sub-topics. Have you now researched all angles of the topic?

Step 4: Evaluate Information & Write Driving Question

• Evaluate your sources. Are they credible? Is there bias creeping in? Have they talked about all sides of the topic, or focused on one angle? When was this written - and is there newer content available? etc. Select the best sources.

• Re-read what your sources say and take notes. Everything that you get directly from that source, put in quotation marks; everything that you paraphrase, keep as is (but make sure you keep track that it came from that particular source). Unsure of how to paraphrase? Read this.

• Read your notes: are there data and claims that contradict each other? Do further research to check what the data actually is. Does any of your sources create a strong emotional response? Double-check those - often, they leave one side of the argument out, in order to further their claim.

Step 5: Design Draft

• Organize your notes, keeping your goal in mind: an interesting, well-researched, and powerful infographic.

• Select the data that is most engaging or surprising: infographics are about creating an emotional response in people, in a very short amount of time.

Step 6: Edit, Correct & Revise

• Play around with different templates and layouts: what will 'pack the most punch'?

• Review your notes: is there anything you have forgotten? This is the time to make those last-minute decisions and changes.

• Double-check spelling, vocabulary, and grammar.

Step 7: Design Final Draft & Cited References

• You know what you want to say, and you know how you want to say it. So create your infographic, cite your sources, and get the job done!