DEFINING

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During this step you need to ask yourself:
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• What exactly do I have to do?
• What do I already know?
• What do I have to find out?
• Can I choose the presentation format? If so, what is the best way to present the information?
• Who will be the audience for this task?
• How am I going to be marked for this task?

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STRATEGIES FOR DEFINING

Underline the instructional keywords

• Instructional keywords in the assignment / task are those words that tell you what to do with the information you find.
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  • Instructional words and what they mean

Underline the information keywords

• Information keywords in the assignment / task are those that relate to the content of your assignment.

Define any words you don't know

• Use a dictionary to define any words you're not sure of.
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  • Cambridge Dictionary

Brainstorm what you already know

• Brainstorming will allow you to build on what you already know about the topic.
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  • ​MindMup allows you to create free brainstorms

Check the assessment criteria

• Find out the criteria you're going to be assessed on. (You should be able to find this on Connect)

Explore the topic

• Explore the general topic to get an idea of its scope and what's involved.
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  • Britannica Kids Encyclopaedia
  • ​Encyclopaedia Britannica

Create focus questions

• Focus questions help you to focus on what you've been asked to do so you don't get sidetracked.
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  • 5Ws and 1H (Who, What, Why, When, Where and How)
  • Bloom's Taxonomy
  • Question Matrix
  • Questioning Toolkit

Decide on the type of information you need

• Do you need to use any primary sources of information?
• Will secondary sources suit this assignment / task?