Standard: 6.W.7 – Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.
Grade level: Grade 6
Subject: English Language Arts
Domain: Writing
Teacher Overview
This standard emphasizes the importance of research skills in the 6th-grade English Language Arts curriculum. By conducting short research projects, students learn to gather and evaluate information from multiple sources, which is crucial for developing critical thinking and analytical skills. This standard lays the groundwork for more advanced research tasks in higher grades. Students should have a foundational understanding of reading comprehension, note-taking, and summarizing. They should also be familiar with using both library and online resources for gathering information.
Mastering this standard prepares students for more complex research projects, enabling them to evaluate the credibility of sources and synthesize information into cohesive arguments or narratives.
Common Misconception 1
A common misconception is that any source found online is reliable. This is incorrect because not all online sources are created equal; some may be biased, outdated, or lack proper citations.
Intervention 1
To address this misconception, teach students how to evaluate the credibility of sources by checking the author’s credentials, the publication date, and the presence of citations or references.
Common Misconception 2
Another misconception is that once students find an answer, their research is complete. This is incorrect because research is an iterative process that often requires refining the question and seeking additional sources for a comprehensive understanding.
Intervention 2
Encourage students to continually review and refine their research questions and to seek out additional sources that offer different perspectives or more detailed information.
Prerequisite Knowledge
Students should have basic skills in reading comprehension, note-taking, and summarizing information from texts. They should also be familiar with using a library and online resources for gathering information.
Subsequent Knowledge
After mastering this standard, students will be able to conduct more complex research projects, evaluate the credibility of sources, and synthesize information from multiple texts into a cohesive argument or narrative.
Instructional Activities
- Assign a project where students must research a historical event and present their findings.
- Have students write a report based on a science experiment they conduct.
- Ask students to develop a biography on a famous person, using multiple sources.
- Organize a project where students investigate a local environmental issue and propose solutions.
- Conduct a classroom debate where students must prepare arguments based on researched information.
