Lesson 1
Frame Research
We will build an initial research frame by generating and grouping inquiry questions to build inquiry paths that will further guide our investigations, and we will learn about the Research Frame Tool.
Lesson Goals
Can I revisit, refine, and revise my understanding, knowledge, and work based on discussions with others and feedback and review by myself and others?
Can I phrase inquiry questions in a way that will effectively convey their precise meaning to my learning community?
Can I sort and revise inquiry questions to make them more helpful to guide research?
Texts
There are no texts for this Lesson.Materials
Tools
Reference Guides
Question Sets
Editable Google Docs
Activity 1: Read – Write – Discuss
We begin the section by reading the Section Diagnostic, reviewing the Research Process, and understanding how the work in this section builds toward the Culminating Task.
Review the Section 2 Diagnostic Checklist, Research Evaluation Checklist, and the next section of the Research Process. In your Learning Log, write down 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.
The Research Evaluation Checklist will be used during the remaining sections of the unit as a way for you to self-assess your group’s work, for you to assess other research teams’ work, and for your teacher to assess and provide feedback. In this section of the unit, Parts 1, 2, and 3 are relevant, given the stage of the research process. Part 1 is focused on adequacy and sufficiency of research, which will be addressed in this section of the unit. Part 2 is focused on credibility and richness of sources, and Part 3 is focused on range of perspectives, both of which are addressed in the next few lessons.
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 use your Central Research Question to draft your research frame; begin gathering, assessing, and annotating potential sources; and then revise the research frame and your potential sources as needed to enable and guide your investigation.
Activity 2: Read – Write – Discuss
We will review feedback from our peers and teacher on our research to date to revise our central research question.
Review the notes your team took while presenting your research ideas to the class and any feedback your teacher provided on the following research portfolio materials:
the final Exploring a Topic Tool with your team’s refined potential area of investigation and Central Research Question
your Central Research Question Checklist for your refined question
your inquiry questions
three to six Potential Sources Tools for your most relevant and credible sources thus far
individual reflections
Determine whether you need to refine or completely redraft your Central Research Question based on your observations or feedback. You might need to revisit previous Exploring a Topic Tools to see if another area of investigation might be more viable than the one your team presented.
Activity 3: Read – Write
We will review strategies for creating inquiry questions and follow as our teacher models the generation of inquiry questions.
In your group, reread the Posing Inquiry Questions for Research section of the Questioning Reference Guide. Have one member of your group note any questions or points of confusion.
Follow along as your teacher models how to generate helpful inquiry questions related to a Central Research Question.
Activity 4: Write
We will generate inquiry questions to help guide our team’s investigation.
Access a pad of sticky notes or cut a sheet of paper into several smaller pieces.
Generate as many inquiry questions connected to your Central Research Question as you can, building from those you already created during Section 1. Write each question on a sticky note or small piece of paper.
Save these for Activity 6.
Activity 5: Read – Write – Discuss
We will learn about the Research Frame Tool and begin drafting our team’s initial research frame.
Step 1
Review the Research Frame Tool. It is similar to the Exploring a Topic Tool in that it provides spaces to follow various research pathways. However, this tool helps you narrow and refine the focus of your research by separating it into different components, or inquiry paths.
The Research Frame Tool contains the following elements:
your team’s now refined Central Research Question
inquiry paths and their descriptions
inquiry questions and keywords for each inquiry path
The Central Research Question is your team’s big, overarching question that is driving your research. During this lesson, you will break that big question into smaller buckets—these are the inquiry paths—to help direct your research. Your investigation into each inquiry path is guided by inquiry questions.
You can also note keywords related to each inquiry path to help you search for sources.
Ask any questions you might have about it and how to use it.
Step 2
Work with your group to complete your initial Research Frame Tool. Add your Central Research Question to the top box, and then record the results of your sorting and grouping by adding the names of your inquiry paths and all inquiry questions for each. Remember that you might find additional questions or paths even as you transfer your thinking into the tool. Adjust your process as needed.
Step 3
After the work is completed, work as a group to reflect on your Central Research Question and review all the titles of your inquiry paths to make sure that they fit the following guidelines:
they cover a wide range of aspects and questions about the Central Research Question
they are clearly distinct from one another
they seem to be equally important
Share your reflections with the class.
Activity 6: Write – Discuss
We will interact with the words we defined to cement our understanding of their meaning.
The research process is driven by inquiry and is recursive, but what exactly does that mean?
Work with a partner or group to respond to the vocabulary exercises, as directed by your teacher, for the following words:
aspect
distinct
recursive
Activity 7: Discuss – Write
We will sort and group our possible inquiry questions into inquiry paths on Research Frame Tools to help guide our research.
Step 1
In teams, return to your drafted inquiry questions and work together to sort and group the questions into categories. These categories will become your inquiry paths.
Since you wrote your questions on sticky notes or small pieces of paper, this will make trying out possible groupings easier. Group the questions in ways that make sense to your team, and do not be afraid to change your thinking. Be sure to listen to one another’s reasoning and find the groupings that work best for your project.
Step 2
Once you have solidified the groupings of your questions, give each group a title or name that reflects the focus of that group of questions. These titles or names are your inquiry paths. Write these on the Research Frame Tool. Then, write down the inquiry questions you have for each inquiry path.
Remember that you might find additional questions or paths even as you transfer your thinking into the tool. Adjust your process as needed. Each research team’s project will be different and therefore will likely have a differing number of inquiry paths. In order to ensure that your paths are specific enough, aim to have at least two or three at this stage in the process. Remember that your team will continue to revise your ideas, so you might add or remove inquiry paths or inquiry questions as you continue your research in this section especially.
Step 3
After the work is completed, work as a group to reflect on your Central Research Question and review all the titles of your inquiry paths to make sure that they fit the following guidelines:
they cover a wide range of aspects and questions about the Central Research Question
they are clearly distinct from one another
they seem to be equally important
Share your reflections with the class.
Activity 8: Read
For homework, we will read the assessing sources reference guide and review the Potential Sources Tool.
You have already used Potential Sources Tools to begin searching for sources related to your Central Research Questions. The tool is related to the Assessing Sources Reference Guide.
For homework, read and annotate the Assessing Sources Reference Guide, noting any questions or points of confusion in your Learning Log. Use the following guiding questions to help you read and annotate:
Why do researchers assess sources?
What elements of a text do researchers consider when assessing a source?
How are the Potential Sources Tool and Assessing Sources Reference Guide related?
When and how do you assess sources? How has your experience assessing sources compared to the guidance offered in the reference guide?
Record new or interesting words you encounter in your Vocabulary Journal.