Conduct Research: Gather Additional Sources | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA 2019 G6:M2:U2:L8

Conduct Research: Gather Additional Sources

In this Lesson

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • RI.6.1, RI.6.7, W.6.7, W.6.8, SL.6.2

Supporting Standards: These are the standards that are incidental—no direct instruction in this lesson, but practice of these standards occurs as a result of addressing the focus standards.

  • RI.6.10, W.6.10
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can conduct research to answer questions about another design solution that solved a critical problem. (W.6.7, W.6.8)
  • I can determine the relevance of possible sources. (W.6.8)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket (W.6.8)
  • Work Time B: Design Solution: Research note-catcher (RI.6.1, RI.6.7, RI.6.10, W.6.7, W.6.8, SL.6.2)
  • Closing and Assessment A: Dance Card protocol (W.6.7)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner - W.6.8 (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Mini Lesson: Search for Sources - W.6.7 (10 minutes)

B. Research: Search for Sources - W.6.7, W.6.8 (20 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Small Group Discussion - W.6.7 (10 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Preread Anchor Text: Students preread chapter 14 of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind in preparation for studying an excerpt from the chapter in the next lesson.

Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

  • W.6.8 – Opening A: Students complete an entrance ticket in which they skim and scan a short text for relevant evidence to answer a question.
  • W.6.7 – Work Time A: Students participate in a mini lesson, learning to effectively search for sources to complete research projects.
  • W.6.8 – Work Time A: Students practice searching for sources, evaluating sources for their relevance, and recording bibliographic information on their note-catchers.
  • RI.6.1 – Work Time B: Students work independently to find and cite evidence that supports their analysis of a critical problem and its design solutions.
  • RI.6.7 – Work Time B: Students search for information from various sources in order to develop a coherent understanding of their research topics.
  • W.6.7 – Work Time B: Students search for sources to complete their research projects.
  • W.6.8 – Work Time B: Students search for sources, evaluate sources for their relevance, and record bibliographic information on their note-catchers.
  • SL.6.2 – Work Time B: Students interpret relevant sources and use a note-catcher to explain how the source information contributes to the topic under study.
  • RI.6.7 – Closing and Assessment A: Students participate in a small group discussion to share information uncovered during their searches, helping all students to develop a more coherent understanding of their topics.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • Students who have experience with any of the research steps could be authorized as experts on those steps and allowed to teach or mentor the class or individual students on the steps.
  • Some students may be ready in Work Time B to start recording information from their newly found source onto the Design Solution: Research note-catcher.
  • Introduce students to some advanced search techniques, such as using connectors (and, or, not) or nesting search terms with connectors.

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • In the previous lesson, students learned to skim and scan for only the evidence most relevant to their research questions. In this lesson, students will continue their research and use that same strategy to find the most relevant evidence from a new source that relates to the research question.

Support All Students

  • Note that there is a differentiated version of the entrance ticket used in Opening A in the supporting materials download. ▲
  • Students may vary in their familiarity with research practices. Expect minimal knowledge, reminding students more comfortable with the research process that expectations of research can differ and that it is useful for everyone to review basic research principles.
  • Support students at varied reading levels by recommending databases for different reading levels (e.g., Newsela or Gale). ▲
  • Continue to monitor students to determine if there are issues surfacing as a result of the content of this lesson that need to be discussed as a whole group, in smaller groups, or individually.

Assessment Guidance

  • Circulate to monitor students’ ability to choose the more relevant information from their source to add to their note-catchers. Remind students that the goal is to identify, specifically, the problem and solution addressed by the innovator, rather than to produce a biography of the innovator.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students will learn how to determine the credibility of a website, as they continue fleshing out their Design Solution: Research note-catcher to get a broader picture of their topic. Students will build understanding of the final stages of the design thinking process as they approach the conclusion of the anchor text in chapter 14.

In Advance

  • Based on the common errors identified in the previous lesson, identify mini lessons to facilitate during Work Time A. This may be whole group or a small group depending on the need.
  • Review the student tasks and example answers to get familiar with what students will be required to do in the lesson (see Materials list).
  • Conduct an initial search on each of the Innovator Options to ensure that all students will be able to find at least one relevant, appropriate resource.
  • Prepare copies of handouts for students, including the entrance ticket (see Materials list).
  • Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Work Time A: Connect a computer to a large, external monitor, such as a Smartboard, for modeling the search term process.
  • Work Time B: Provide computers or tablets for each student to continue the research process.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 6.I.A.1, 6.I.A.2, 6.I.B.6, 6.I.B.7, 6.I.B.8, 6.I.C.11, 6.I.C.12, 6.II.B.5, 6.II.C.6, and 6.II.C.7.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson continues to build upon students' understanding of the research process. A mini lesson guides students in effectively searching for relevant sources to answer research questions. With teacher support, students practice adjusting search terms to retrieve specific and useful information. They then apply these developing skills to their own research during subsequent research time.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to quickly determine the relevance and usefulness of their online search results, as this requires both language skills and digital savvy. For ELLs who have limited experience evaluating academic information online, it may be especially challenging to toggle among a non-linear series of online hyperlinks and extract useful information from an abundance of unfiltered sources. Allocate additional class time as needed to teach strategies that improve students' digital reading abilities and help them differentiate among the reading they might do online for pleasure versus reading online for a specific academic purpose.

Vocabulary

  • relevance (A)

Key

(A): Academic Vocabulary

(DS): Domain-Specific Vocabulary

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Researchers Do These Things anchor chart (one for display; from Module 2, Unit 2, Lesson 5, Work Time B)
  • Researchers Do These Things anchor chart (example for teacher reference) (from Module 2, Unit 2, Lesson 5, Work Time B)
  • Model Design Solution: "Bridges to Prosperity" note-catcher (one for display; from Module 2, Unit 2, Lesson 6, Work Time A)
  • Discussion Norms anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 13, Work Time B)
  • Critical Problem and Design Solution Research Project (one per student; from Module 2, Unit 2, Lesson 5, Work Time B)
  • Design Solution: Research note-catcher (one per student; from Module 2, Unit 2, Lesson 6, Work Time A)
  • Dance cards (one per student; from Module 2, Unit 1, Lesson 5, Closing and Assessment A)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 8 (example for teacher reference)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 8 (one per student)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 8 ▲
  • Device for internet research (one per student)

Assessment

Each unit in the 6-8 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize students' understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Opening

OpeningLevels of Support

A. Engage the Learner – W.6.8 (5 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as previous lessons to distribute and review Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 8 or optional Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 8 ▲ . Refer to the Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 8 (example for teacher reference) for possible responses.
  • Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as with the previous lessons to review learning targets and the purpose of the lesson, reminding students of any learning targets that are similar or the same as in previous lessons.

For Lighter Support

  • N/A

For Heavier Support

  • During Opening A, invite students who need heavier support to use Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 8 ▲.This resource includes images and a glossary to support student comprehension.

Work Time

Work TimeLevels of Support

A. Mini Lesson: Search for Sources - W.6.7 (10 minutes)

  • Ask students to retrieve their Critical Problem and Design Solution Research Project handout. Focus students on step number 3, and select a student to read it aloud.
  • Explain that, in this lesson, students will begin gathering more information about their chosen topic by finding sources outside of TED.com.
  • Remind students of the topic that has been used as a model: "Avery Bang: Building Bridges and Connecting Communities."
  • Display a search engine (such as Google), and model brainstorming search terms or keywords to find additional sources that would develop an understanding of the topic.
  • Ask:

"What types of results might we get if we type in 'Avery Bang'?" (Websites connected to her work with Bridges to Prosperity; sites connected to her personal life, such as social media.)

"What types of results might we get if we type in 'Bridges to Prosperity'?" (The company's official website; links to images of the bridges they have built.)

"What types of results might we get if we type in the title of her TED Talk 'Building Bridges and Connecting Communities'?" (A link to the TED Talk; general websites about bridges; websites that use the phrases 'building bridges' and 'connecting communities' in a metaphorical way.)

  • Test out each prediction by typing in the search term and viewing the results.
  • Model scanning the results page to identify the relevance of sources. Explain that relevance means related to what is being discussed. Model scanning the results page and asking, "Does this source look like it will answer my question? Am I likely to find relevant information here?"
  • Invite students to join in evaluating the relevance of the sources.
  • Turn and Talk:

"Which of these search terms provided the most relevant and useful result? Explain your thinking." (Answers will vary. Guide students to notice that the official website of the company, Bridges to Prosperity, provides the most detailed, credible, and relevant information.)

  • If students have a lot of experience with online research, teach them advanced search tricks, or have a knowledgeable student do so. Note these steps on the Researchers Do These Things anchor chart.
  • Draw attention to the Model Design Solution: "Bridges to Prosperity" note-catcher. Remind students that the next step after choosing a source is skimming and scanning for evidence, as was discussed in the previous lesson. Note that the bibliographic information for their new source should be recorded under Part II: Source Information. New research found from this source should be labeled as "Source 2" in Part I: Research Details.
  • Write the steps for today's work time on the board to assure clarity.
    1. Use search terms to find another source on your chosen topic.
    2. Skim and scan for relevant evidence from this source.
    3. If the source appears to be useful, note the bibliographic information of the source in Part II.
  • Remind students that they should not write down the bibliographic information of a source until after they have determined that the source will be useful. They may need to click on a few links before they find a helpful source.
  • Check for understanding using a total participation technique, such as Thumb-O-Meter.

For Lighter Support

  • During Work Time A, modify the research mini lesson, so that practice tasks can be completed in small groups without heavy teacher supervision. Group students according to their needs, and if time allows, have students come together as a whole class to share what they learned during their collaboration.

For Heavier Support

  • Strengthen students' understanding of search terms by first asking them to describe differences among the search terms selected for the model exercise of Work Time A ("Avery Bang," "Bridges to Prosperity," and "Building bridges and connecting communities"). Invite students to add a fourth sample search term and explain why this one might lead to useful information.

B. Research: Search for Sources - W.6.7, W.6.8 (20 minutes)

  • Invite students to retrieve their Design Solution: Research note-catcher.
  • Think-Pair-Share:

"Which search terms seem most appropriate for finding another source on your topic? Explain your thinking."

  • Circulate and monitor as students discuss to guide them towards choosing effective search terms.
  • Ensure each student has a device connected to the internet and is able to access to the internet. Release students to find additional sources that enhance their understanding of their chosen topic and how the innovator used design thinking to solve a critical problem. Circulate to support students as they work, asking questions like those that follow:

"Who is working on this problem and solution? Where are they from? What are their backgrounds and qualifications?"

"How did this problem become known? What caused an interest in this problem?"

"Why is this a critical problem?"

"What has been the impact of this solution on this critical problem?"

  • Three minutes before the end of the time, ask students to pause their research and put away their devices. Then refocus the group and invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.
  • If productive, cue students to practice metacognition and think about their own thinking:

"What strategies helped you succeed today? I'll give you time to think and discuss with a partner."
  • N/A

Closing & Assessments

Closing

A. Small Group Discussion - W.6.7 (10 minutes)

  • Have students review their notes and annotate the most interesting or strongest information they found so far. Invite students to retrieve their dance cards. Name a dance partner group for students to join.
  • Reminding students of the Discussion Norms anchor chart, invite students to begin sharing the information they chose. Guide students to share specific information by using prompts, such as "What are you excited about?", "What new questions arose during your research?", "What are your next steps in the process?"
  • Refocus the class. Invite students to reflect on the habits of character focus in this lesson, discussing what went well and what could be improved next time.

Homework

Homework

A. Preread Anchor Text

  • Students preread chapter 14 of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind in preparation for studying an excerpt of the chapter in the next lesson.

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