Lesson 28: Evaluate Sources for Relevance

This section helps students refine their research decision-making by distinguishing between sources that are generally related to a topic and those that directly answer an inquiry question. Students build on prior work with credibility and usefulness to develop a clearer understanding of relevance as the most important factor in selecting evidence for research. Emphasize that strong researchers prioritize sources that provide specific, direct information about an innovator’s contribution, impact, or recognition rather than sources that only offer background or broad context. Students should begin to recognize that relevance determines which sources will actually support their final writing and presentation tasks. Students also continue applying media analysis skills by deciding whether sections, headings, captions, diagrams, or timelines provide central evidence or only extra background information.

Have students take out their sources from previous lessons and their Research Notes graphic organizer.

Think-Pair-Share

Say these Directions: Yesterday, we figured out which sources were most useful for our research. Today, we are taking that a step further by deciding which sources most directly answer our inquiry questions. Think-pair-share with a classmate about the following question:

• Ask: How is a relevant source different from a source that is only generally related to your topic?

  • A relevant source directly answers my inquiry question or explains my innovator’s key contribution. A source that is only generally related may mention the person or topic, but it does not give the information I need most for my research.

Connection to Today's Learning

• Say: Now that we can name the difference between related information and relevant evidence, let’s test which sources truly belong in our research set.

Paraphrasing to Evaluate Relevance

Use this routine to teach students how to paraphrase source information in order to determine whether it is specific and direct enough to support their inquiry question. Students learn that paraphrasing is not just a writing skill—it helps researchers decide if a source provides usable evidence or only general background information.

Say: Researchers do not just collect information—they test whether that information actually answers their question. One way to do that is by paraphrasing. When I restate a detail in my own words, I can see more clearly whether it is specific, direct, and useful, or if it is just general background.

Model Sentence

The engineer tested the heat shield many times and showed that it protected the capsule during reentry.

Explain that paraphrasing does not mean changing one or two words. It means keeping the original meaning while rebuilding the sentence in a new way.

• Say: First, I ask, “What is the key idea?” The key idea is that repeated testing proved the heat shield protected the capsule. Now I can paraphrase: “Repeated testing provided evidence of the heat shield’s effectiveness, particularly in protecting the capsule during reentry.”

• Say: Finally I ask: Does this detail directly answer my research question, or is it just background? This detail is relevant because it explains the innovator’s contribution, the heat shield, and why it mattered, it protected the capsule.

Student Task

Now students practice the skill, using their own sources collected for their chosen subject.

Say these Directions:

1. Choose one short sentence from one of your sources.

2. Paraphrase the sentence in your own words.

3. Then answer:

• Does this detail directly answer your inquiry question?

• Is it central evidence or background information?

Connection to Today's Learning

• Say: When you paraphrase clearly, you can make stronger decisions about which sources—and which details—belong in your research. Next, you will use this same thinking to rank your sources by relevance.

Part A: Which Sources Answer the Question (W.6.8) (15 minutes)

This section focuses on helping students evaluate how directly a source answers their inquiry question by identifying central versus less relevant details. Students learn to prioritize evidence by examining whether a source explains the innovator’s key contribution, provides specific supporting details, or includes meaningful visuals that clarify understanding. Emphasize that relevance is determined by how clearly and directly a source contributes to answering the research question, not simply by whether it mentions the topic. Students should begin ranking sources using evidence-based reasoning, preparing them to build a focused and effective research set.

Say these Directions: Relevant sources do at least one of these jobs:

• directly explain the innovator’s key contribution

• provide evidence about impact, obstacles, or recognition

• answer a specific inquiry question with details

• include supporting visuals or features that clarify important information

Explain that less relevant sources may still mention the topic but stay too broad, repeat known facts, or focus on side issues.

Teacher Think-Aloud:

• Say: I am looking at three sources, and they all connect to my innovator in some way. One source gives a general biography, one source explains the actual scientific work, and one source focuses mostly on the history of NASA. The NASA history source is interesting and related, but it is not directly answering my question about the innovator’s contribution. In the section with the labeled diagram, the second source specifically explains the work and its effect, so it is more relevant. That is the kind of source I want to keep.

Think-Pair-Share

Say these Directions: Choose three sources from your current set. For each source, find one detail that directly relates to your research topic and one detail that is less central. Then rank the sources from most relevant to least relevant for your research right now.

With a partner, discuss your findings and answer the question.

• Ask: Which source most directly answers your inquiry question, and what specific detail makes it the most relevant?

  • The science article is the most relevant because, in the section explaining the innovator’s experiment, it directly shows what the contribution was and why it changed the field. The biography source mentions the person’s life, but it does not specifically address the key contribution in as much detail.

This section builds students’ ability to prioritize sources by distinguishing between central evidence and less relevant details. Students should be able to explain why one source ranks higher than another by pointing to specific sections, features, or information that directly answer their inquiry question. Emphasize that strong researchers justify rankings using clear evidence rather than general impressions. By the end of this section, students should be able to identify the most relevant source and defend that choice using precise academic language.

Part B: Build Your Final Short List (W.6.7) (15 minutes)

This section guides students in narrowing their research to a small set of highly relevant and useful sources that will form the foundation of their final work. Students apply their understanding of relevance to select only those sources that most directly support their inquiry questions and provide strong evidence for explaining an innovator’s contribution and impact. Emphasize that effective researchers do not keep every source they find but instead curate a focused set of materials that will lead to clearer, more accurate writing. Students should begin to see how selecting stronger sources now will make note-taking, paraphrasing, and drafting more efficient and meaningful in upcoming lessons.

• Say: Researchers need a short list of sources that are both useful and relevant. Usefulness tells us if a source has helpful information. A source can be useful, but not relevant enough to include in our final list. Relevance answers this question: Which sources most directly help me explain my innovator’s contribution and significance? You will record your two to three most relevant and useful sources in your Research Notes graphic organizer.

• Say: I do not need every source I found. I only need the sources that most directly help me explain the innovator’s work and why it matters. One source gives great background information, but another source is more relevant because, in the section under the heading about the discovery, it specifically addresses my inquiry question. While both sources relate to my topic, the second source belongs in my top list because it will give me stronger notes for writing. That is the source I will record first in my Research Notes organizer.

Say these Directions: Review your ranked sources. Choose the two to three sources that are both most relevant and most useful for your inquiry questions. Write those source titles in the left column of the middle rows of your Research Notes graphic organizer.

• Ask: Which source will you record first in your Research Notes organizer, and why is it central to your research?

  • I will record the museum article first because it directly explains my innovator’s key contribution and includes a diagram that makes the process easier to understand. While another source gives broader background, this source is more relevant because it specifically addresses the question I need to answer in my final project.

By the end of this section, students should be able to justify why a source is central by referencing how it directly answers their inquiry question or explains a key contribution. Emphasize that selecting stronger sources strengthens the quality of their final writing and reduces reliance on less useful background information.

Connection to Today's Learning

Students now have a clearer evidence hierarchy and a stronger Research Notes organizer. In the next lesson, they will begin paraphrasing and recording key information from these top sources.

Check for Understanding

Provide students with a confidence continuum (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.

This section assesses students’ ability to justify source selection using clear reasoning about relevance and centrality. Students reflect on how well their chosen sources directly answer their inquiry questions and support their understanding of an innovator’s contribution. Emphasize that strong researchers can explain not only why a source is useful, but why it is more relevant than other options by referencing specific details, sections, or features within the source. By the end of this section, students should be able to compare sources and clearly articulate why one belongs at the top of their research list.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: In two to three sentences, name your most relevant source and explain why it belongs at the top of your list. Compare it to one less central source and explain what makes the difference.

• Ask: What makes your top source more relevant than another source you found?

  • My top source is the science article because it directly answers my question about the innovator’s contribution. While another source relates to the same person, it mostly gives background facts and is less central to my research. The science article is more relevant because it specifically explains the work I need to describe in my final project.

  • Optional Sentence Starter:

    • “This source is most relevant because ___. While another source ___, this one ___.”

Instruct students to review the two or three sources they recorded in the left column of the middle rows of their Research Notes graphic organizer. They should take notes in their Journal on the following prompt:

• Mark one section that directly answers your inquiry question. Then, write one sentence naming that section and one sentence explaining why that detail is central to your research.