1 - Introduction ~5 mins
Today you will
- search the web with quotes, a minus sign and a site filter
- ask an AI tool a question and check its answer
- log three searches in {{code:02_search_log}}
Your log counts for your Key Assignment.
If you have no topic yet, you can search about selling homemade cakes at a market.
Warm-up
Last time you looked something up, did you get links or an AI answer? Which did you trust more?
2 - Key Concepts ~5 mins
Traditional search gives you a list of links, and you choose which page to open.
AI search writes an answer for you and often lists its sources underneath.
Verification means opening one of those sources and checking one claim yourself.
Operators are extra marks that make a search sharper. Quotes keep words together, a minus sign drops a word, and {{code:site:}} searches just one website.
Never trust an AI answer until you have opened one of its sources.
Examples
- {{code:"food hygiene" cakes market Ireland}}
- {{code:cakes market Ireland -recipe -Pinterest}}
- {{code:food hygiene market site:fsai.ie}}
3 - Step-by-step Task ~15 mins
You will look up one project question in two ways, first with a normal search and then with an AI tool. Then you will check one AI claim on a real page. Keep a pen and paper beside you for notes.
If your own topic is not ready yet, use this question and prompt. Follow the steps in the box below.
Question: What Irish guidance applies if I sell homemade cakes at a local market?
AI prompt: I am an LCA student in Ireland planning to sell homemade cakes at a local market. Summarise the main food hygiene and registration points I should check. Use Irish sources only. List the source links so I can open them.
4 - Common Issues ~3 mins
Common snags
- If {{code:site:}} finds nothing, check there is no space after the colon, like {{code:site:fsai.ie}}.
- If the minus sign does nothing, put it right against the word, like {{code:-recipe}}.
- If the AI answer has no sources, don't use it as evidence. Do a normal search instead.
- If the AI tool is blocked, use the backup tool your teacher names.
5 - Build Your Search Log ~10 mins
Now you will turn your paper notes into a Search Log in {{code:02_research}}. Follow the steps in the box below.
Make your table look like this one, but use your own searches.
| # | Query | Tool | Best result (URL + why) | Verification note (AI only) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | food hygiene market site:fsai.ie | Google (traditional) | FSAI guidance page, clear Irish rules for small food businesses | n/a |
| 2 | Clear prompt asking for Irish sources on selling homemade food at markets | School AI tool | Answer summarised registration and labelling points | Opened the cited FSAI link; the labelling point matched the page |
Key Assignment: this log counts as evidence.
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