Day 1 Note Catcher. Use this page to capture anything you d like to remember. May Public Consulting Group. All rights reserved.

Three Scenarios: Processes for Conducting Research Scenario 1 For a research project associated with American literature, Erin s teacher asks every student to write a research paper around the following question: What place should 18 th century American authors have in schools curricula? Since the class has been reading literature from this period, and she likes it, she writes the following thesis statement about the topic: 18 th century American authors should be a part of every school s curriculum. She thinks about this for a while and decides to look for information in these categories to prove her thesis: how they influenced later writers, their current cultural importance, and the beauty of the literature. After her teacher shows the class how to tell if an online source is credible, Erin goes to several databases to look for information. During the next two weeks, Erin goes online at different times and looks for information about her categories. She finds two articles about how 18 th century American authors influenced later writers. She also finds several pieces praising the authors of this period. She has a tough time finding anything about the current cultural importance of these authors, so she starts looking for movies, TV shows, or songs that reference these authors. She finds several of these. She looks for quotes from the texts that support her thesis, making notes or highlighting/annotating the texts as she goes. She puts each quote on a note card, making sure to put the general category and citation information on each one. Once she collects information about all three categories, she writes an argumentative paper to persuade others that 18 th century American authors should be a part of every school s curriculum. For each section, she includes the quotes that support her thesis. She works with a partner, who helps edit her work, checking for spelling and punctuation errors. Then she turns in the finished paper. May 2013 2013 Public Consulting Group. All rights reserved. 5

New York State Common Core Scenario 2 After a unit on Hamlet, Ha Mi s teacher gives his students a research project. Their job is to research some aspect of the time period in which Shakespeare wrote, such as the culture, the language, or the politics of the time. Ha Mi thinks about this and decides to research the culture. She has a conference with her teacher to discuss the topic. They talk about what aspects of culture might be useful to include. Together, they decide that Ha Mi should look for information on clothing, manners, music, and other literature. Ha Mi makes these the four categories for her research and writes the following thesis statement: Clothing, manners, music, and literature were all important parts of Elizabethan culture. Ha Mi s class goes to the library to find information. To conduct her search, she looks online and in the library for information on each topic. She finds several informational texts that explain aspects of culture. She identifies several credible sources online, and checks out books from the library. Over the next week, she also finds a History Channel video on Shakespeare and watches that. In each source, she looks through for information about the four categories of culture she has identified, making notes and annotating as she goes. She collects all her information in a research folder, creating one section for each area. She copies relevant quotes from each source into her folder. Once she finds information for each category, she finishes her project. She writes an essay that describes the culture of Shakespeare s time by explaining what she found about each of these four categories. She begins with her thesis statement and develops an essay in four sections one section for each of her four categories. In each one, she explains what each source said about that topic, inserting quotes from the articles and books she read that match that area. Once she is done, she writes an introduction and a conclusion to her essay. May 2013 2013 Public Consulting Group. All rights reserved. 6

New York State Common Core Scenario 3 Marisol s English class has recently read The Influencing Machine, by Brooke Gladstone. Given the students interest and heated discussions, her teacher has decided the class should research the topic of advertising. After watching some ads and reading an article about advertising, Marisol discusses advertising with a small group. Together, they list things they re interested in and areas about advertising they could explore. Marisol picks three areas of investigation she d really like to know more about advertising to children, the effectiveness of advertising, and the effect of advertising on girls self image and reads a few short articles she finds online over the weekend. On Monday in class, her group discusses all of their ideas and initial findings. Marisol talks about an article on cereal advertising that she found fascinating. She also discusses how much her younger sister loves to watch TV. One of her classmates shares information he encountered about possible restrictions on advertising. Marisol decides to explore restrictions on advertising during television programs for preschoolers. She brings this area of investigation to the entire class, and everyone helps her brainstorm questions that could be asked about it. Marisol selects the ones that seem the most useful to guide her initial inquiry and to help expand her knowledge of the area. With these questions, she looks for credible, rich sources in several different databases, recording notes and thoughts as she reads. She finds some answers and comes up with new questions that she wants to explore. As her understanding deepens, she frames her questions into four categories: current laws about TV ads, cognitive development of preschoolers, TV viewing habits of preschoolers, and advertising strategies of various companies. She discusses and refines her research frame with her teacher and peers. Over the next week, Marisol continues her search along these four paths of inquiry. Once she feels that the information she has gathered has given her a good understanding of the area, she writes a few paragraphs to consolidate and explain her findings. Then she meets with her team again. Together, they review her research and discuss whether she has enough information at this point to answer all her questions. As they talk, they realize that her frame left out the perspective of parents, which now seems important. So, Marisol develops a new list of questions about parental habits and responsibilities, and looks for and analyzes additional information to answer them. Excited about her deepening understanding of advertising, she discusses what she s learned with her parents. During the discussion, she realizes she s developing a perspective on the issue based on her research. She then writes an essay explaining what she now thinks about restrictions on advertising to preschoolers, using the evidence she has collected. May 2013 2013 Public Consulting Group. All rights reserved. 7

POSING INQUIRY QUESTIONS Successful research results from posing good inquiry questions. When you have to solve a difficult problem or want to investigate a complex idea or issue, developing questions about things you need to know helps guide your research and analysis. But not all questions are created equal. Some lead to dead ends, while others open up vistas of knowledge and understanding or best of all: more questions! GENERATING QUESTIONS Generating questions is most fun and effective with friends the more minds the merrier. And starting with lots of questions helps you find the best ones. When brainstorming questions, consider many things about your area of investigation, for instance: How is it defined? What are its major aspects? Where did it originate? What are its causes and implications? What is its history? What other things is it connected to or associated with? What are its important places, things, people, and experts? OD LL DUCATION SELECTING AND REFINING QUESTIONS Once you have a huge list of possible questions, select and refine them by asking yourself a few things about them: Are you genuinely interested in answering your question? Research requires hard work and endurance. If you don t care about your questions you won t do the work to answer them. The best questions are about things you actually want and need to know. Can your question truly be answered through your research? Some questions are unanswerable (How many walnuts are there in the world?) or take years to answer (What is the meaning of life?) Your inquiry questions must put you on a reachable path. Is your question clear? Can you pose your question in a way that you and others understand what you are asking? If it s confusing, then perhaps you are asking more than one thing. That s great: just break it into two questions. The more good inquiry questions you have the better. What sort of answers does your question require? Interesting, meaningful research comes from interesting questions. Good inquiry questions are rich enough to support lots of investigation that may even lead to multiple answers, and more questions. Questions that can be answered with a simple YES or NO generally do not make good inquiry questions. Do you already know what the answer is? Good inquiry questions are actually questions. If you already have answered the questions for yourself, then you won t really be inquiring through your research. If you already know what you think, then you won t get the true reward of research: a deeper knowledge and understanding of things you want to know about. 9

I. INITIATING INQUIRY STUDENT RESEARCH PLAN TOOLS HANDOUTS I determine what I want to know about a topic and develop inquiry questions that I will investigate. 1. Exploring a Topic Exploring a Topic TCD Checklist 2. Choosing an Area of Investigation Exploring a Topic Potential Sources Area Evaluation Checklist 3. Generating Inquiry Questions Posing Inquiry Questions II. GATHERING INFORMATION I find and take notes on sources that will help me answer my inquiry questions and define the scope of my investigation. III. DEEPENING UNDERSTANDING I analyze key sources to deepen my understanding and answer my inquiry questions. IV. FINALIZING INQUIRY I synthesize my information to determine what I have learned and what more I need to know about my area of investigation. I gather and analyze more information to complete my inquiry. 1. Finding and Assessing Sources Potential Sources Assessing Sources 2. Making and Recording Notes Taking Notes 3. Framing Inquiry Research Frame Posing Inquiry Questions 1. Selecting Key Sources Potential Sources Assessing Sources 2. Analyzing Researched Information 3. Writing Evidence-Based Claims Taking Notes Forming EBC 1. Organizing Evidence Research Frame EBC Criteria Checklist Forming EBC Handout Connecting Ideas Forming EBC 2. Evaluating Research Organizing EBC Research Evaluation Checklist 3. Refining and Extending Inquiry Repeat Parts II and III using the revised Research Frame V. DEVELOPING AND COMMUNICATING AN EVIDENCE-BASED PERSPECTIVE I review and synthesize my research to develop and communicate an evidence-based perspective on my area of investigation. OD LL DUCATION 1. Reviewing Research Research Frame 2. Expressing an Evidence-Based Perspective 3. Preparing to Meet Research Purposes Organizing EBC Evidence-Based Perspective EBC Criteria Checklist Connecting Ideas 11

ASSESSING SOURCES ASSESSING A SOURCE TEXT S CREDIBILITY Look at the information you can find about the text in the areas below, and consider the following questions to assess a source text s credibility: PUBLISHER DATE AUTHOR TYPE What is the publisher s relationship to the topic area? What economic stake might the publisher have in the topic area? What political stake might the publisher have in the topic area? When was the text first published? How current is the information on the topic? How does the publishing date relate to the history of the topic? What are the author s qualifications/ credentials relative to the topic area? What is the author s personal relationship to the topic area? What economic/political stakes might the author have in the topic area? What type of text is it: explanation, informational article, feature, research study, op/ed, essay, argument, other? What is the purpose of the text with respect to the topic area? ASSESSING A SOURCE TEXT S ACCESSIBILITY AND INTEREST LEVEL Consider your initial experience in reading the text, how well you understand it, and whether it seems interesting to you: ACCESSIBILITY TO YOU AS A READER Am I able to read and comprehend the text easily? How do the text s structure and formatting either help or hinder me in reading it? Do I have adequate background knowledge to understand the terminology, information, and ideas in the text? INTEREST AND MEANING FOR YOU AS A READER Does the text present ideas or information that I find interesting? Which of my Inquiry Paths will the text provide information for? Which inquiry questions does the text help me answer? How? ASSESSING A SOURCE TEXT S RELEVANCE AND RICHNESS Using your Research Frame as a reference, answer the following questions: OD RELEVANCE TO TOPIC & PURPOSE What information does the text provide on the topic? How might the text help me accomplish the purpose for my research? LL DUCATION RELEVANCE TO AREA OF INVESTIGATION How is the text related to the specific area I am investigating? Which of my paths of inquiry might the text provide information for? Which inquiry questions might the text help me address? How? SCOPE AND RICHNESS How long is the text and what is the scope of the topic areas it addresses? How rich and extensive is the information it provides? How does the information in the text relate to other texts I have found? 13

Name Area of Investigation Topic SOURCE Title: Location: # Author: Text Type: Publication Date: General Content / Key Ideas / Personal Comments: Connection to Inquiry Paths: Credibility: [ ] High [ ] Medium [ ] Low Relevance/Richness: [ ] High [ ] Medium [ ] Low Accessibility/Interest: [ ] High [ ] Medium [ ] Low SOURCE Title: Location: # Author: Text Type: Publication Date: General Content / Key Ideas / Personal Comments: Connection to Inquiry Paths: Credibility: [ ] High [ ] Medium [ ] Low Relevance/Richness: [ ] High [ ] Medium [ ] Low Accessibility/Interest: [ ] High [ ] Medium [ ] Low SOURCE Title: Location: # Author: Text Type: Publication Date: General Content / Key Ideas / Personal Comments: Connection to Inquiry Paths: Credibility: [ ] High [ ] Medium [ ] Low Relevance/Richness: [ ] High [ ] Medium [ ] Low Accessibility/Interest: [ ] High [ ] Medium [ ] Low OD LL DUCATION POTENTIAL SOURCES 15

Name Inquiry Path # Source(s) # Inquiry Question: SEARCHING FOR DETAILS SELECTING DETAILS I read the sources closely and mark words and phrases that help me answer my question. My details (and references): I select words or phrases from my search that I think are the most important for answering my question. I write the reference of the next to each detail. ANALYZING AND CONNECTING DETAILS What I think about the details and how I connect them: I re-read parts of the texts and think about the meaning of the details and what they tell me about my question. Then I compare the details and explain the connections I see among them. MAKING A CLAIM I state a conclusion I have come to and can support with evidence from the texts after reading them closely. OD LL DUCATION My claim that answers my inquiry question: FORMING EVIDENCE-BASED CLAIMS 21

Research Assignment Makeover Handout Purpose The purpose of this activity is to work as a team to design a CCSS aligned research project and draft a communication to parents about it. Once complete, you will be able to practice designing instruction and coaching others in this area. The goal is to apply each of these ideas to your curriculum. Therefore, it is more important to think through how you will do this rather than to dermine what tools you might use. Directions As a group, talk through how to execute each area in the inquiry and research process, paying careful attention to what steps you can take to keep the inquiry moving productively and purposefully forward. As you work with the person doing the redesign, use these probing questions to help generate additional detail and thought. General Idea How will you do that? How does this connect to? Can you be more specific about.? Can you tell me more about? What is your idea for this research project? What would you like for students to do? Write (or cut/paste) into the space below: May 2013 2013 Public Consulting Group. All rights reserved. 29

New York State Common Core Design Initiating Inquiry What is the broad topic they will be investigating? If this will be determined through instruction at a later time, how will this be determined? What might you have students read, view, or listen to as a way to begin their inquiry? How will you help students determine what they really want to know about this topic? How will you help them learn to write and revise inquiry questions? May 2013 2013 Public Consulting Group. All rights reserved. 30

New York State Common Core Gathering Information How will you show students how to find credible sources on their topic? How will you show students how to assess sources against their inquiry questions? How will you show students how to make and record notes from the sources they find? How will you show students how to create a frame for their research based on the information they gather? Deepening Understanding How will you help students determine which of their sources are key sources to analyze deeply? How will show students how to analyze within and across sources and create evidencebased claims about those sources? May 2013 2013 Public Consulting Group. All rights reserved. 31

New York State Common Core Finalizing Inquiry How will you help students determine whether they are done researching? What will you do to make sure students know how to revise or broaden their inquiry if they need to? Developing And Communicating an Evidence-Based Perspective How will you teach students to synthesize their analyses into an evidence-based perspective? How will you show students what to do with that perspective once they have it? What will your product be? How will you show students how to integrate their perspective into that product? Communication Draft a communication to parents about this research assignment, using things parents should see, hear, and do to support this work. Feel free to take language directly from the PowerPoint s and adapt it to suit your needs. May 2013 2013 Public Consulting Group. All rights reserved. 32