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Lesson 4

We will meet in our research teams, review the Foundation Unit Research and Presentation Guide, preview the Section Diagnostic, and begin discussing a plan for our research. We will also select a choice reading text.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I formulate inquiry questions that will deepen my understanding of the pathway topic?

  • Can I work productively with my research team to identify task expectations, create a work plan, and organize materials to effectively conduct research?

Texts

Core

  • Digital Access
    • Foundation Unit Pathway Texts
  • Unit Reader
    • Excerpt from Covering: The Hidden Assault on our Civil Rights, Kenji Yoshino, Random House, an imprint and division of Penguin Random House LLC., 2006
    • Excerpt from From The War on Poverty to the War on Crime: The Making of Mass Incarceration in America, Elizabeth Hinton, Harvard University Press, 2016
    • “Prologue: The Woman in the Photograph,” excerpt from The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot, Crown Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC., 2011
    • “What Role Does Ethics Play in Sports?,” Kirk O. Hanson and Matt Savage, Santa Clara University, 2012

Optional

  • Unit Reader
    • “A Fable for Tomorrow,” excerpt from Silent Spring, Rachel Carson, HMH Brands and Media, 1962

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Discuss

We will discuss our takeaways from the Foundation Unit research and Presentation Guide and work as a research team to determine the best ways to work in a group.

Step 1

In your research teams, introduce yourselves and explain why you found this pathway interesting.

Discuss your review of the Foundation Unit Research and Presentation Guide.

  1. What information do the guides provide that can help you conduct research?

  2. What processes and questions can you use to commence your research?

Step 2

In your teams, write three to five norms for your group and place them in the center of your groups. Norms are behaviors that every person agrees to so the group works successfully.

Norms might include the following:

  • We will speak respectfully to each other.

  • We will listen to everyone’s ideas, even ideas we might personally disagree with.

Discuss how you will keep track of notes and information in your teams.

With your group members, respond to the following questions:

  1. How will work be divided to ensure that all group members are equally knowledgeable and prepared?

  2. How will we hold ourselves accountable?

  3. How will decisions be made?

  4. How will we pace ourselves to make sure the task is completed on time?

Complete the following statements:

  • In order to be a successful research team, we need to . . .

  • In order to be a successful research team, I need to . . .

  • I will need help with . . .

  • My biggest contribution to my team will be . . .

Activity 2: Read – Discuss – Write

We will read and discuss seed texts and determine the texts’ central ideas.

Step 1

Reread and discuss the your research team’s common seed text:

  • Sports Ethics: Kirk O. Hanson and Matt Savage, "What Role Does Ethics Play in Sports?"

  • Ethics of Social Justice: Elizabeth Hinton, an excerpt from From the War on Poverty to the War on Crime: The Making of Mass Incarceration in America

  • Environmental Ethics: Rachel Carson, "A Fable for Tomorrow," an excerpt from Silent Spring

  • Ethics of Identity and Representation: Kenji Yoshino, an excerpt from Covering

  • Biomedical Ethics: Rebecca Skloot, an excerpt from The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Broadway Books, 2011

Use the Attending to Details Tool with the following guiding question to establish and deepen your understanding of the text:

  1. What are the text’s central ideas?

Step 2

Read section 1 of the Foundation Unit Research and Presentation Guide, titled Initiating Inquiry.

Find the inquiry questions on the Foundation Unit Pathway Texts associated with your pathway.

Brainstorm one to two additional inquiry questions with your teammates based on the details and understanding you have gained from reading the seed text.

Note: Additional information about inquiry questions can be found in the Questioning Reference Guide.

Activity 3: Read – Discuss

We will prepare for the Section Diagnostic.

Examine the Section 2 Diagnostic Checklist. Read sections 2 and 3 of the Foundation Unit Research and Presentation Guide.

Discuss with your research team what you need to do to be successful on the Section Diagnostic.