Lesson 22: Flex Research: When Sources Disagree

Turn and Talk

Have students take out their visual source note and place it beside their journal paper.

Say: Previously, we treated images as sources and noticed how visual choices shape what we learn. Today, we are taking that same source and putting it next to a second source on the same topic so we can test what stays the same and what changes. This helps us answer our unit question because art connects to history more clearly when we study it from more than one point of view.

Say these Directions: Turn and talk to respond to the following question.

Ask: What did your visual source make clear, and what still needs a second source to explain?

• The visual source made clear that celadon pottery was detailed and carefully made because the pitcher has a delicate handle and carefully designed flowers on it. A second source still needs to explain how artisans got that green color or what happened during firing.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Researchers do not stop with a strong first source. We will learn how to find a second source with text that matches the same narrow topic and how to compare a visual and a written source responsibly.

Say: When two sources address the same topic, good researchers compare them instead of choosing one right away. Today we are learning three moves: find a close match, notice agreement, and explain differences.

Display a brief teacher model using the shared class topic: How do images communicate the value of Korean celadon craft?

Teach:

I begin by conducting a search on the narrowest part of my topic, so I use Goryeo celadon glaze firing instead of a broad phrase, such as “Korean art.” Then I check who made the second source and what it seems intended to do before I read deeply. If both sources suggest celadon required skill, that is an agreement. If one source focuses on beauty while the other focuses on firing, that difference may come from purpose or audience, not because one source is automatically wrong. My job is to explain that reason clearly.

Display the following model notes:

• First source: museum photo and caption of a celadon vase from “Korean Ceramics of the Goryeo Period”

• Search terms: Goryeo celadon glaze firing

• Second source: teacher-selected short informational section from an article on Korean pottery found during keyword search

• Agreement: Both sources present celadon as carefully made and highly valued.

• Difference: The museum source emphasizes the finished object; the informational source explains the process of firing.

• Likely reason: The image source is made for viewers studying an object, while the informational source is made for learners who want explanation.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: We are ready to use precise search terms, locate a second source, and begin comparing what each source adds.

Part A: Find a Second Source (W.6.7, W.6.8) (15 minutes)

Think-Pair-Share

Students work in pairs with their visual source note and the teacher-provided source bank.

Teach

I do not choose the first source that uses the word pottery. I choose the source that matches the same narrow topic as my first source note. If my image is about celadon glaze, then a source about firing or celadon technique is a closer match than a source about all Korean history.

Say These Directions: Use your visual source note and circle two or three key words from that note, scan the source bank for a close match, and choose a second source on the same narrow topic. Then begin the Comparing Multiple Sources organizer by recording information about both sources before you read closely.

Learning in Action B: Corroborate and Explain Differences (RI.6.9) (15 minutes)

Turn and Talk

Students finish their organizer and then rehearse one oral comparison before sharing with the class.

Say These Directions: Now use both sources together. Finish your organizer by naming at least one agreement, one difference, and one likely reason for that difference. In your talk, use words like both, while, however, and because.

Ask: How does corroborating these sources strengthen the research you are building for this unit?

• Corroborating strengthens my research because now I have more than one kind of evidence. The image helped me notice what artisans created, and the second source helped me explain how that work connects to skill, process, and tradition.

Quick Write

Say These Directions: Use your organizer to answer both reflection questions in 2–4 sentences. Name what you learned from comparing sources, and identify one new inquiry question or next step for your research.

• What new information did you learn by corroborating two sources today? What new inquiry question or next step do you have?

  • By corroborating two sources, I learned that celadon pottery was not only beautiful but also depended on careful firing and glaze decisions. My new inquiry question is how artisans controlled kiln heat so precisely. My next step is to look for a source that explains the kiln process in more detail.

Connection to Future Learning

In the next lesson, students can use today’s corroborated notes to make stronger explanatory claims about craft, process, and heritage across sources.

Review your Comparing Multiple Sources organizer. In your Journal, write one sentence using while or however to explain a difference between your two sources.