1.
| Task Definition | |
| Select a manageable topic | |
| Create an essential question | |
| Refine your topic by making a list of questions to ask yourself | |
| Create timeline/action plan for your research project | |
| Use research to find employment, research college or trade schools, purchase goods and services, plan vacations, and locate people and places |
| Select information from a variety of sources (print and electronic- Proquest & databases purchased for CBAs and Argumentative Paper to investigate a topic) | |
| Analyze and evaluate the appropriateness of sources to see if they have the information you need and defend your choices | |
| Develop search strategies | |
| Identify appropriate people to gain information |
| Identify key words (synonyms & bold words) | |
| Distinguish between primary and secondary sources | |
| Use text & organizational features and graphics, such as headings & numberings to locate and access information to research a topic and verify meaning | |
| Use electronic sources such as Internet, web-based data sources, CD-ROM, pull-down menus, key word searches, and icons to locate and access information | |
| Use sources with multiple perspectives |
| Use multiple sources, such as encyclopedia & other reference materials, pamphlets, book excerpts, newspaper and magazine articles, letters to an editor, oral records, research summaries, scientific and trade journals, tables, blueprints, electronic technology manuals, bills of lading, medical charts, mechanical manuals) |
| Use reading comprehension and vocabulary strategies to understand the text and transfer knowledge of vocabulary to comprehend other grade-level text | |
| Adjust reading rate to comprehend the text (skimming vs. deep read) | |
| Identify main idea and supporting details | |
| Summarize text (Cornell Notes or others) | |
| Create an informational summary that includes an introductory statement, main ideas, and supporting text-based details | |
| Determine and extract relevant information | |
| Take notes, paraphrase, enter data | |
| Use prior knowledge | |
| Interpret and draw conclusions from text & text features | |
| Use evidence to verify meaning | |
| Verify content validity, credibility & authenticity, bias | |
| Determine between fact & opinion | |
| Arrange information in a graphic organizer | |
| Make connections and transfer this information to new situations | |
| Identify and define content area vocabulary critical to the meaning of the text and use it in your writing | |
| Make inferences based on implicit and explicit information and provide justification for those inferences | |
| Judge the accuracy of the information in a text, citing text-based evidence, author’s use of expert authority, author’s credibility to defend the evaluation | |
| Examine author’s logic; cite reasons | |
| Judge author’s effectiveness in use of persuasion and propaganda | |
| Make judgments about author’s effectiveness in supporting her/his beliefs |
| Organize information in an appropriate graphic organizer or outline of the student’s choosing (list, sequence, description, compare/contrast, chronological order, cause/effect, order of importance, process or procedural, pro/con) | |
| Analyze similarities & differences within and between texts (common knowledge) | |
| Analyze, interpret, and synthesize information from a variety of texts | |
| Generalize about processes and concepts after reading multiple texts | |
| Predict consequences & provide evidence to support the best solution or your belief (call to action) | |
| Revise predictions & inferences based on evidence from research; cite passages from the text to defend your position or thesis; draw conclusions | |
| Use own words in an objective voice | |
| Remain accurate to original text | |
| Compare & contrast information from multiple sources to gain a broad understanding of the topic | |
| Read several accounts of the same event and make inferences about the impact each would have on the reader | |
| Integrate information from different sources to form conclusions about author’s assumptions, biases, credibility, cultural and social perspective and world views | |
| Compare and contrast the logic and use of evidence (existing and missing information; primary sources and secondary sources) | |
| Create a thesis statement from a narrow topic | |
| Complete a pre-write, using relevant information that will support your thesis (use details relevant to topic to support opinions and ideas | |
| Produce multiple hand-written or electronic drafts of your paper from your pre-write | |
| Include information audience needs to know about topic; do not assume background knowledge | |
| Reread, revise, and edit paper several times | |
| Use multiple resources to identify needed changes (e.g., writing guide, adult, peer, criteria and/or checklist provided by teacher, thesaurus) | |
| Uses multiple resources to edit (e.g., dictionary, peer, adult, technology, writing/style guide, 4-Strand rubric, textbook) | |
| Proofreads draft for errors | |
| Creates a finished product for intended audience as specified by teacher (extended writing project, research report, PowerPoint, brochure, information poster, etc.) | |
| Uses technology to create and enhance productUse writing GLEs and 4-Strand Rubric for content, organization, style and conventions |
| Monitor progress toward implementing the plan, making adjustments and corrections as needed | |
| Analyze and evaluate the product using established criteria (teacher requirements for the research project, class created research rubric, etc.) | |
| Explain strengths and weaknesses of own writing using criteria such as checklists, anchor papers, rubric, content scoring guides | |
| Provide evidence that goals have been met; analyze personal growth | |
| Set goals for further improvement |