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Lesson 1

Organize Evidence to Address Inquiry Paths

We will review our notes and analyses across our sources to address the inquiry paths that have framed our research.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I compare, contrast, evaluate, and synthesize evidence from a variety of sources to make claims?

  • Can I engage in close reading and prepare myself to discuss complex ideas meaningfully with my research team?

Texts

There are no texts for this Lesson.

Materials

Tools

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read – Write – Discuss

We will discuss the Section Diagnostic, review the Research Process, and understand how the work in this section builds toward the Culminating Task.

Step 1

Review the Section 4 Diagnostic Checklist, Research Evaluation Checklist, and Research Process. Write down in your Learning Log what you notice and wonder about this next section of the unit and how it helps to support your work toward the Culminating Task.

Share your observations and questions with the class during discussion.

Remember that the Research Evaluation Checklist is used as a way for you to self-assess your group’s work, to assess other research teams’ work, and for your teacher to assess and provide feedback. In this section of the unit, all parts of the checklist are relevant, given the stage of the research process.

Step 2

Note that your team is now moving into the next phase of the research process. Remember that this process is not necessarily linear, as you will revisit, revise, and continue to move forward throughout all the sections of this unit. In this section, your team will finalize your inquiry by refining claims and organizing evidence, finalizing the Research Frame Tool and your sources, and composing an invitation for possible audience members to attend the presentation, which you will develop and deliver in the final section of the unit.

Activity 2: Discuss – Write

We will develop each new claim into a written paragraph and revise our previous claims and paragraphs based on feedback and revised thinking about our project. Our teacher will move from team to team to answer questions about our plans and goals.

Step 1

Meet with your research team to review and discuss the feedback from your teacher about the research portfolio that you submitted for the Section 3 Diagnostic.

Step 2

Review your team’s inquiry paths and questions. Review the paragraphs your team wrote in Section 3 for your claims.

Using feedback from your teacher and continued thinking and research, continue to use the Forming Evidence-Based Claims Tool and the Organizing Evidence Tool to create additional claims and organize evidence for each of your inquiry paths. Work to incorporate information from multiple sources into your existing claims as well as your new claims.

Step 3

Finish developing each new claim into a written paragraph. Revise the paragraphs you wrote in Section 3 to include multiple sources. Each paragraph should do the following:

  • state and explain the claim

  • include supporting evidence using direct quotations and paraphrases from your sources

  • include appropriate transitional phrases

  • include proper citations and references to your sources

Step 4

Remember, the claims you settle on and develop become the content for your presentation. The points of debate or contention you might uncover can help you frame your presentation topic in a way that will interest, engage, and challenge your audience. The number of claims each research team has will vary depending on the topic, but most teams should aim to have at least three.

Remember also that the research process is not a straight line. Do not be afraid to revise as needed depending on how your thinking evolves and what you uncover in your search.

Activity 3: Discuss

We will conference with our teacher to get feedback and ask questions.

While your team works during this lesson, your teacher will conference with teams about developing your claims with evidence from multiple sources, clarifying any questions your team might have, and using the Research Evaluation Checklist and the Culminating Task Checklist to help you refine your thinking and research materials.