Lesson 25: Skills for Conducting Research

Have students take out their Research Notes from Lesson 24 and any homework reflection about the research path they are leaning toward.

Turn and Talk

Say these Directions: Yesterday, we chose likely research paths and practiced writing open-ended questions about hidden innovators. Turn and talk with a partner to discuss your response to the question.

• Ask: How can a stronger inquiry question help us tell a fuller and more accurate story about a hidden innovator?

  • A stronger inquiry question helps because it pushes us past simple facts and toward important ideas about contribution, impact, and recognition. If I ask only who someone was, I may get a basic biography, but if I ask how their work changed science or why it was overlooked, I can find evidence that builds a fuller record.

Connection to Today's Learning

• Say: Previously, we focused on asking strong research questions. Today, we take the next step in the research process—figuring out how to find reliable information that answers those questions. Strong researchers do not search randomly; they plan how to find relevant and credible evidence.

This mini-lesson teaches students how to break a broad research question into smaller, focused inquiry questions that guide research.

A strong research question gives direction, but researchers also form smaller questions to investigate specific parts of the topic. These inquiry questions help organize research and lead to stronger evidence.

Display and Read:

How did Dorothy Vaughan’s contribution to computer programming advance NASA’s work?

Teach: Expanding a Broad Question into Inquiry Questions

• Say: This question is strong because it asks how Dorothy Vaughan’s contribution mattered. However, it is still broad. To answer it, I need smaller questions that break the topic into parts I can research. I look at the key ideas in the question: contribution, computer programming, and NASA’s work. Then, I turn each part into a more specific question.

Model and Deconstruct:

Display Inquiry Questions:

• What was Dorothy Vaughan’s role in computer programming at NASA?

• How did Vaughan’s learning FORTRAN change the work of the West Area Computers?

• Why was NASA shifting to electronic computing during this time?

• How did Vaughan’s leadership help others adapt to new technology?

  • Ask: How do these questions connect to the original research question? (They break the big question into smaller parts that help explain the answer.)

• Ask: What specific part of the topic does each question focus on? (her role, the technology change, NASA’s needs, and her leadership)

  • Ask: Why are these questions useful for research? (They help find specific evidence instead of trying to answer everything at once.)

To form strong inquiry questions, we:

• start with a broad research question

• identify key ideas (person, contribution, impact)

• turn each idea into a focused question using how or why

This helps us organize research and gather stronger evidence.

Say these Directions: Write two inquiry questions based on your own research topic. Focus on one part of your topic at a time, such as the person’s role, contribution, or impact.

Sentence Structures:

How did ___ contribute to ___? Why was ___ important to ___? What role did ___ play in ___? How did ___ affect ___?

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: You now have stronger inquiry questions that can guide better keyword choices and help you search for sources that explain the real significance of a hidden innovator’s work.

Part A: Keywords and Reliable Sources (W.6.8) (15 minutes)

This section guides students through the next step in the research process: matching the research question to the words and source types most likely to answer it. It also previews how diverse media formats can add information to a research topic.

Researchers do not just ask a question and hope for a good result. They plan what evidence might answer that question. Strong researchers ask:

• What keywords belong in my search?

• What synonyms might help if the first search is too narrow?

• What source type or media format might answer this best?

• What makes a source credible, authoritative, objective, relevant, current, or comprehensive?

• What makes a source worth using?

• Say: I wrote the question “How did Dorothy Vaughan’s contribution change what scientists or engineers were able to do at NASA?” If I search only for Dorothy Vaughan, I might get too many results that are not helpful. I want better results, so I will add keywords like computer programming, FORTRAN, NASA, and early computers. If that doesn’t work, I might try a similar word like coding. Now I think about the type of source: a NASA biography can give me background information, but a diagram or timeline of early computers could help me understand how her work helped NASA. This shows how a good question helps me choose better search words and useful types of sources. When I consider if a source is credible and worth using, I need to make sure it is up-to-date. A NASA website is likely credible and authoritative because it is maintained by a trusted scientific organization that keeps its research up to date. A random blog may not be reliable for the same things.

Give One, Get One

Use this routine to help students generate key search words, identify potential reliable sources, and hear additional ideas from peers.

Draw students’ attention to the Give One, Get One graphic organizer.

Say these Directions: In the left column, write key search word combinations under “My Ideas.” A key search word is an important word you would type into a search. Next, meet with a partner and share your ideas. Write your partner’s search words in the right column. Then, review both columns and choose your top three strongest search words. For each of these, name a type of reliable source (such as a book, article, educational website, diagram, or timeline) that could help you find information.

When your chart is complete, discuss the question below. The partner should listen and respond by restating their partner’s ideas. Agreeing or challenging them, then suggesting one improvement.

• Ask: Which source type or media format would best help answer your research question, and why?

  • A diagram or chart would help answer my question about how an innovator’s work changed a process because it can show steps or results visually. For background, I would still need an article, but the diagram could make the contribution clearer and help me interpret how the work functioned.

Emphasize that strong researchers revise their keywords and search strategies as they learn more, and that this flexibility will help them find better information. By the end of this section, students should have a focused set of keywords, including at least one related or more precise term, and be able to explain which source types or formats could help answer their question and why.

Part B: Text Features and Structure in Media Sources (RI.6.5) (15 minutes)

This section teaches students to analyze how sections and text features help develop ideas in informational and popular media texts.

• Say: Strong researchers also pay attention to how information is organized and presented. A heading, caption, diagram, or timeline is not included by accident. Authors use these features to help readers understand important ideas and connections.

When researchers read informational texts or popular media sources, they pay attention to structure. Different sections serve different purposes. A paragraph may introduce a problem, explain evidence, or show an impact. A sidebar on a webpage can highlight important vocabulary or provide additional background information. Text features help readers locate information more efficiently and understand ideas more clearly.

Say these Directions: Read “Meet the Human Computer Who Helped Launch the Space Age” and discuss your response to the question with your class.

Display, read and think aloud using the text set text.

• Say: This heading tells me the section will explain NASA’s transition to electronic computing. The paragraph underneath explains how Dorothy Vaughan adapted to the shift from human computers to electronic computing. The timeline helps me understand when the transition happened, and the caption explains why Dorothy Vaughan’s programming work was important during that time.

• Ask: How does the heading help the reader understand the section?

  • It previews the main idea and helps organize information.

• Ask: How does the timeline or graphic contribute to the development of ideas?

  • It helps explain the sequence of events and makes the information easier to understand.

• Ask: Why might an author include a caption with an image or graphic?

  • The caption explains the importance of the image and connects it to the topic.

• Ask: How does this section fit into the overall structure of the text?

  • It explains one part of the larger topic and helps develop the main idea.

Strong readers and researchers analyze:

• how sections contribute to the overall meaning

• how text features clarify or emphasize ideas

• how graphics and captions support understanding

• how organization helps readers follow information

Turn and Talk

Say these Directions: With a partner, examine one text feature or section from the source. Discuss how it helps develop the ideas in the text and supports the reader’s understanding.

This Quick Write is an opportunity for students to connect their inquiry questions, keyword choices, and source analysis. Remind students to explain not only which source or media format could help answer their question, but also how a text feature or section from that source could contribute to understanding important ideas.

Quick Write

Use this reflection to help students connect their research question, keyword choices, source selection, and analysis of text features. Students should explain how a source or media format could support their research and how a section, heading, caption, graphic, or other text feature contributes to understanding the topic.

Students write in their journals or on journal paper. Offer possible success criteria to guide student responses:

• I can name a source or media format that matches my research question.

• I can explain why the source is credible, relevant, or useful.

• I can explain how a section or text feature contributes to the development of ideas.

• I can show how my keywords will help me find useful information.

Say these Directions: Write two to three sentences to answer the question.

• Ask: What source or media format could help you answer your research question, and how could a section or text feature from that source help develop your understanding of the topic?

  • One source that could help me answer my research question, “How did Dorothy Vaughan’s work in computer programming help NASA complete important projects?”, is a NASA biography or a timeline of early computing. The timeline would help me understand when important events happened and how her contributions fit into NASA’s transition to electronic computing. Captions and headings in the source could also help clarify key ideas and organize information. Using key search words such as computer programming, NASA, and early computing will help me find these sources more quickly.

Optional Sentence Starter:

One source or media format that could help me answer my research question is ___ because it provides information about ___. A section or text feature, such as ___, could help me better understand ___. My key search words, including ___, will help me locate this source.

Homework

Instruct students to perform their own initial research about their chosen research path and come to the next class with two articles or sources, and one sentence explaining why they may be credible and relevant.