"Researching" is what many students will say was their least favorite part of the GC curriculum. However, it is one of the most critical skills needed. At least two classes should be spent teaching students basic tools for conducting sound research and putting them to practice.
“Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing.” -
Wernher von Braun
Class #1
Of course, the process of researching takes years to master, so it is ultimately up to you what you think are the most important things the students should know how to do. Try using this WikiHow to guide your lesson. Some key topics include finding legitimate sources (.org, .gov, official country websites), efficient Google searches (and using Google scholar), skimming (using CTRL + F to search for key words), and paraphrasing.
Class #2
Since the topic of GC very well may still not have been announced, try having the students do some researching of their own on something more general and relevant, such as the United Nations. You could create your own WebQuest or use the activity below to get students comfortable with surfing the Internet and finding relevant information.
*NOTE* In my proposed curriculum, I do not include the writing of a position paper. Therefore, I do not see it as necessary to teach students how to do MLA citations. While properly citing sources is a very important part of research, I found that it was very difficult to get students to understand this and ended up using up a lot of our precious GC time. If you feel that MLA should be at least introduced, http://www.easybib.com/ could be a great tool for you to do this (as well as a shortcut for the kids;).