Selecting a Topic

I have decided to my Personal Information Inquiry Paseo 2 project using the I-SEARCH research process. There are four steps to this process: selecting a topic, finding information, using information, and developing a final product (Lamb, 2015). The goal of this process is for individuals “to do independent, personal research, not merely to re-search a topic that has probably been investigated by students and adults many times before” (Lyman, 2006, p.62). I-SEARCH is meant to be very personal and encourages first-person narration.

The first step in the I-SEARCH process is selecting a topic. Asaf et al. call this “What I Knew (or didn’t know) about My Topic” (2011, p.32). For this assignment, I decided to make a blog about planning a trip to Denmark. In sixth grade, I created a brochure for a trip to Denmark because I heard it was the happiest country in the world. Since then I have continued desiring to travel to Denmark someday. It helps to make a new plan of action should I ever have the time and money to make a trip to Denmark.

Prior to any research, I know a few things of interest about Denmark. Denmark has a Legoland theme park. I have never been to a Legoland before, and if I am in Denmark, then I might as well travel to the Legoland located in the country where Lego Bricks were first made. Denmark is also the birthplace of famous individuals. I like the Little Mermaid and would enjoy seeing the statue of her in Copenhagen or seeing sites relating to the author Hans Christian Anderson. There are a few famous Danish filmmakers like Carl Theodor Dreyer and Lars von Trier. Potentially seeing a film studio or watching Danish films at a local theater could be fun. Finally, Denmark has some important ties to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Book of Mormon was first translated into Danish, there were early missionary efforts in Denmark, and there is a Mormon temple located in Denmark.

To put it simply, I am interested in:

·         Legoland

·         Hans Christian Anderson

·         Movies

·         Mormonism

My questions about the trip are:

·         How much does it cost to fly to Denmark?

·         How should I pay for goods and services?

·         How far does it take to go from the capital, Copenhagen, to other sites?

·         What food and culture does Denmark have to offer tourists?

I will use the Google search engine to find travel sites and to use as my map. There are many travel guides to begin my search as well. I can use Lonely Traveler, Expedia, and Visit Denmark as basic resources. As I continue my project, I will examine the quality of the sources I use in order to make the best presentation imaginable.

References

Asaf, L.C, Ash, G.E, Saunders, J, & Johnson, J. (2011). Renewing two seminal literacy practices: I-Charts and I-Search papers. Voices from the Middle 18(4), 31-42. Retrieved form http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Journals/VM/0184-may2011/VM0184Renewing.pdf

Lamb, A. (2015). Information inquiry and instructional analysis. Retrieved from http://eduscapes.com/instruction/5.htm#a

Lyman, H. (2006). I-Search in the age of information. English Journal, 95(4), 62-67. Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Journals/EJ/0954-march06/EJ0954Information.pdf