Lesson 34: Research, Part 5, Choosing a Solution and Developing a Claim

Keep students with their current research partners so they can build directly from the work they did in Lesson 33. Have students take out their research notes from Lesson 33 and one current source.

Turn-and-Talk

• Say: In the previous lesson, we practiced paraphrasing and quoting so we could use sources ethically. Today, we are using those same notes to further our quest for potential solutions. This matters because your final argument needs to explain what should change and support that idea with sufficient evidence.

• Ask: If you could change one thing about the barrier you researched, what would it be?

  • If I could change one thing about my barrier, I would make paid job training easier to access because several of my sources show that people get blocked by cost and lack of experience.

• Say: Partner A, share your idea first in one or two sentences. Then Partner B, build on it or name a different change.

Connection to Today’s Learning

Students have already learned how to gather credible evidence and paraphrase it. Now they will use those same skills to test which solutions are strong enough to defend in writing.

Use the consistent teacher-maintained model topic of employment so students see how today’s skill fits the research progression from the previous lessons..

Language Study

Say these Directions: Strong argumentative writing does not stop at naming a barrier; it also considers what should change, who is responsible, and whether the evidence supports that change. Here is a model source sentence from the U.S. Department of Labor webpage on registered apprenticeships.

“Registered Apprenticeship is an industry-driven, high-quality career pathway where employers can develop and prepare their future workforce, and individuals can obtain paid work experience, classroom instruction, and a portable, nationally recognized credential.”

Teach: Using a Source to Find and Test a Solution

• Say: When we read this sentence like a researcher, we are not only asking, “What is the problem?” We are also asking, “What change is this source offering as a solution?”

  • First, I notice what the source is describing. Here, the source is not just describing employment barriers; it is proposing registered apprenticeships as one possible answer.

  • Next, I test the solution by asking who would be responsible, and the sentence tells me employers would play a major role.

  • Then I ask who would be affected, and I can see that individuals who need training and work experience would benefit.

  • Finally, I ask whether the source gives evidence that this could work, and the details about paid work experience and recognized credentials suggest this is realistic because it connects training to actual hiring needs.

• Say: Researchers identify a potential solution and immediately evaluate it instead of copying it into notes without thinking.

• Ask: Based on this sentence, what solution is the source proposing?

  • The source is proposing registered apprenticeships as a solution because it describes a program where people get training, paid experience, and a credential.

• Ask: Who would be responsible for helping make this solution happen, and who would it affect?

  • Employers would help make it happen because the sentence says they prepare their future workforce, and it would affect people who need skills and job experience.

Connection to Today’s Learning

Now students will return to their own research and gather multiple possible solutions so they can compare them before choosing one to defend.

If students need more support with: Evaluating Solutions in Sources

• Distinguishing Problem from Solution:

  • Prompt students to finish these two stems aloud first: “The problem is ___. A solution the source suggests is ___.”

• Evaluating Realism:

  • Have students use a two-part note: “This could work because ___. This might be hard to implement because ___.”

• Written Output:

  • Allow students to provide an oral recording of one solution note or use speech-to-text tools before transferring the idea to the organizer.

Learning in Action Part A: Find 2–3 Possible Solutions (W.7.8) (17 minutes)

Students first work silently in the organizer, then share one promising solution with a partner. Circulate and prompt with research reflection questions: What new information did you learn today? What changes do you need to make to your process?

Routine: Think-Pair-Share

Say these Directions: Using your sources, identify two or three strategies for addressing the barrier you are researching. For each one, go beyond just naming it. Note who proposed it, who would be responsible for carrying it out, who would be affected, and what evidence supports or challenges its effectiveness. Record your findings in a chart like the one below:

Here is a completed sample row from the teacher model topic of employment:

• Ask: Which solution in your notes currently seems most promising, and what evidence makes you think that?

  • The most promising solution in my notes right now is expanding paid apprenticeships because one source explains that students earn money while learning skills, so the program deals with both cost and lack of experience at the same time.

Say these Directions: Complete your chart. Then turn to your partner, share your strongest row, and listen for one question or suggestion that could improve your notes.

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

If students need more support with: Collecting and Comparing Solutions

• Finding Solution Language in a Source:

  • Tell students to scan for verbs like create, expand, protect, fund, require, or improve.

• Comparing Two Solutions:

  • Offer the frame “This solution is stronger than ___ because the source shows ___.”

• Organizing Writing:

  • Have students highlight their notes with one color for solution, another color for who is responsible, and a third color for evidence that it works.

• Written Output:

  • Allow students to provide an oral explanation of one row before writing it down or use speech-to-text tools to capture notes.

Learning in Action Part B: Decide and Defend One Solution (W.7.1.a, W.7.1.b) (13 minutes)

Teach: Turning Solution Notes into a Claim

• Say: I do not want to jump from my chart straight into a paragraph without deciding what I actually believe.

  • First, I choose the solution with the clearest evidence, not just the one I personally like most.

  • Next, I turn that choice into a claim by naming the solution and the barrier it addresses.

  • Then I add evidence from my organizer, using attribution so the reader knows where the information came from.

  • After that, I explain why the evidence matters by answering the question “So what does this prove?”

• Say: That reasoning is what turns notes into argument. If I can clearly say which solution is strongest and why, I am already building a body paragraph for my final essay.

Routine: Turn-and-Talk

Say these Directions: Choose the solution from your organizer that you find most convincing so far. Talk it through with your partner first, then write a short research-based response in your journal that names the solution, uses evidence from at least one source, and explains why this option currently seems strongest.

• Say: Partner A, explain your choice in about 30 seconds, and point to the evidence in your notes. Partner B, ask one question: “What makes that solution more realistic or stronger than the others?” Then switch. After both partners share, write your response.

• Ask: After hearing your partner’s feedback, which solution are you choosing to defend right now?

  • After talking it through, I am choosing expanded public transit access for students because my notes show it would help people get to school and work, and one local report gives actual evidence that attendance improved when transportation access increased.

Say these Directions: Draft one or two sentences that restate your idea. Use and underline at least one word, phrase, or clause that shows the connections between the parts of your claim or idea.

• Public transit access for students would reduce inequality by helping people get to school and work. For example, one local report showed that attendance at school improved when transportation access increased.

Students use partner feedback to test whether their chosen solution is arguable and evidence-based before writing.

Display the following writing model if needed for support and guidance:

One solution that seems most convincing for the barrier of limited job access is expanding paid apprenticeships for teenagers and young adults. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, apprenticeships give people paid work experience while they learn, which helps remove the barrier of needing experience before getting hired. In another source, a workforce article explains that recognized credentials can make employers more willing to hire applicants who are just starting out. This solution seems realistic because businesses, schools, and government agencies can share responsibility instead of expecting one person to solve the barrier alone. For these reasons, paid apprenticeships are a strong solution to the employment barrier.

• Say: Let’s look at the writing model and circle any words or phrases that connect the claim, evidence, and reasoning together (for example: according to, which helps, this suggests, for these reasons, because). These are what we call “cohesion connectors.” As you draft your own response, use cohesion connectors that clarify the relationship between your claim, your evidence, and your reasoning.

• Say: Now let’s look at the writing model to consider its formal or academic style. When you draft your argument, you will want to replace any casual or vague words with precise academic language. (For example, replace “this is bad” with “this creates inequality,” or replace “people should fix it” with “policymakers should expand access.” Your writing should sound like a researched argument, not a casual conversation.

If students need more support with: Deciding and Defending One Solution

• Writing a Clear Claim:

  • Provide the frame “The most convincing solution so far is ___ because ___.”

• Integrating Source Evidence:

  • Provide the frame “According to ___, ___.”

• Explaining Reasoning:

  • Provide the frame “This evidence matters because ___.”

• Written Output:

  • Allow students to say their paragraph aloud to the teacher or a partner first or to use speech-to-text before revising for clarity.

Have students write a brief response evaluating a solution using evidence for their exit ticket.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Take one minute to look back at your chart and your short response. Then answer the following prompt using at least two specific details from your sources or notes.

• Ask: Which solution do you find most convincing so far, and why? What new question or next step came up as you evaluated solutions today?

Optional Sentence Starter:

The most convincing solution so far is ___ because ___.

• The solution I find most convincing so far is expanding paid apprenticeships because one U.S. Department of Labor source says apprentices can earn pay while learning, and another source explains that recognized credentials can improve hiring chances. Those details make the solution seem realistic because it connects training to actual jobs. A new question I have is whether programs like this exist in my local area. My next step is to find one local source that shows how this solution works in a real community.

• Say: Today’s work moves you closer to the performance task because strong arguments do more than describe barriers. They also defend a change that is realistic and supported by evidence. The notes you made today can become the core of a body paragraph in your final essay.

Scoring Rubric

Consult the rubric on the second page of the Performance Task Handout:

Instruct students to continue reading one credible source on their chosen topic and take notes in their Journal on the following prompt:

• Add one new detail about a possible solution or one detail that challenges the strongest solution you have identified.