Standard 6: Research Students will engage in inquiry to acquire, refine, and communicate accurate information.

12.6.W.1 ​Students will formulate and refine a viable research question. 

Student Actions

Teacher Actions

• Students read and analyze examples of research questions.

• Students formulate possible research questions.

• Students develop viable research questions.

• Students revise research questions as needed to produce a clear, usable research question.

• Teachers provide examples of research questions for students to read and analyze.

• Teachers share a variety of strong examples of viable research questions.

• Teachers share rubrics, which include criteria present in a viable research question.

• Teachers provide opportunities for students to select criteria included in a well-developed research question to guide their research.

• Teachers model how to create and refine a usable research question by discussing the pros and cons of different versions of various research questions.

• Teachers provide opportunities for students to develop viable research questions.

• Teachers give students feedback on their potential research questions.

Recommendations

Key Terms & Related Objectives

When students share research questions that are too broad, teachers can...

• Provide mentor texts that exemplify an aspect of the broad topic to spark student thinking in order to narrow the topic.

• Help students discover subtopics within the broader category.

When students share research questions that are too narrow, teachers can...

• Provide students with broader categories of research they can explore.

• Have students brainstorm related topics individually or as a whole group to widen the research questions.

• Mentor Texts: final drafts of writing by authors, teachers, and current or former students that can be studied to discover craft moves and other writing traits.

• 12.6.R.1: Gathering information

ACT College & Career Readiness Standards

SAT Content Dimensions

While no specific ACT standards were identified for this objective, a crosswalk is available.

While no specific SAT dimensions were identified for this objective, a crosswalk is available.