Keyword Hot P tato

Lauren Wallis Reference & Instruction Librarian

An activity for practicing generating keywords and searching library databases

Keyword Hot Potato: Part 1 • Five groups

• Five sheets with a broad topic • Five different colored markers

• One minute to write keywords about the topic

• Pass the keyword hot potato! • Sheets are passed until each group has had each sheet

• At the end of the last rotation, groups Instagram pictures of the completed sheets • We use the Instagram pictures to talk about their keywords

Students get practice thinking through many different angles

of a research topic

As the sheets get passed around, groups have to get

more creative with their

keywords

Keyword Hot Potato: Part 2 • Each group gets three “paper database” sheets

• Instructor briefly navigates to a library database and explains that first we’ll practice with “paper databases”

• Using the topic on the hot potato sheet they ended up with, groups construct

three different combinations of search terms • Groups discuss and write down the information they think they will get with

their search terms

• Groups Instagram their paper database sheets

• Instructor demonstrates database searches using student keyword combos

Students generate three different sets of terms and

make a hypothesis about

the information these terms

will produce

As we try out the terms in the library database, we’re

able to discuss the

differenced between broad

and narrow searches…

…how some terms don’t need to be included in a

search because they’re

already inherent…

…the benefits of being specific about broad terms

and phrases…

…and more! This activity is entirely guided by the

students’ ideas.

Student Learning Outcome:

Students develop tools for

strategizing about the search

terms they use in library

databases.

…and sometimes there’s

Instagram art…

…and selfies.