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Lesson 3

We will continue conducting research with our research team by searching for and analyzing texts for our pathway topic. This will help us prepare for the upcoming Socratic Seminar for the Section Diagnostic.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I build an understanding about my pathway topic?

  • Can I work productively with my research team to gather and write down ideas, details, and evidence from various useful sources to answer inquiry questions?

Texts

There are no texts for this Lesson.

Materials

Tools

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Discuss

We will review our group’s norms so we can collaborate effectively on our research.

Review your group’s norms. Discuss how effective your note-taking and note-holding processes are, and make adjustments, if necessary.

Respond to the following question:

  1. What is important for your group to do to be ready for the Culminating Task?

Remember, you can find your pathway, pathway texts, and pathway inquiry questions in the Foundation Unit Pathway Texts.

Activity 2: Read

We will use inquiry questions to search for new sources to read in our research teams.

Individually, search for texts related to your pathway topic.

Use your inquiry questions, either from the Foundation Unit Pathway Texts, or ones generated by the team, to focus your search for texts specific to your research purpose.

Each team member should find one text to analyze and bring back to the team to discuss.

Activity 3: Read – Write

We will complete a copy of the Evaluating Ideas Tool to deepen our understanding of the text.

Step 1

Individually, use an inquiry question to complete a copy of the Evaluating Ideas Tool for the source you have found from your search.

Be sure to select textual details that specifically relate to your inquiry question.

Step 2

Now, use questions from the Foundation Unit Research and Presentation Guide to assess the source’s relevance and credibility.

As a team, share your Evaluating Ideas Tool and thoughts on your source’s relevance and credibility with your team. Use the following guiding questions to have a discussion about each source:

  1. What are the central ideas presented in the text?

  2. How does the text help me respond to our inquiry questions or achieve our research goals?

  3. How current is the information on the topic?

Share your quotes and response with your group members who read the same text.

Activity 4: Discuss

We will discuss our articles with our other pathway group members.

Return to your entire group. Discuss each team member’s article in your group and spark discussion using the following questions:

  1. What does this article say about what it means to be an American?

  2. How did this article affect my understanding of what it means to be an American?

  3. Does this article provide more of a historical or a current perspective?

  4. What have I read in other texts that support what I read in this text?

  5. What have I read in other texts that refute what I read in this text?

  6. What parts of my article must my other team members read and understand?

  7. How might we use this article in our research presentation?

  8. What new questions did this text raise?

  9. What else do we need to know for our research presentation?

Activity 5: Discuss

We will evaluate our group’s effectiveness for this lesson.

Revisit your group’s norms and rate your group from one to four on a Likert scale by responding to the following statement:

We followed all of our group norms, which made our time effective (strongly disagree, disagree, agree, strongly agree).

Respond to the following question:

  1. What do we need to do to be an effective research team?

Activity 6: Read

We will read and analyze a new text for homework.

For homework, choose another text from the research list. Read and annotate it. You might use a Reading Closely Tool to help you with your analysis.

Make sure you write down new or interesting words you encounter in your Vocabulary Journal.