Sixth Grade · Writing · week 28

Starting with a Real Question

Form a focused, genuine research question and gather brief evidence from two or three sources to answer it.

This unit is a short research cycle from question to presentation, and it starts with a genuinely good question -- one you actually want the answer to, specific enough to research in a few sources, and not answerable with just "yes" or "no." "How do earthquakes happen?" works; "Are earthquakes bad?" does not.

Once you have your question, a mini-research project only needs two or three focused sources -- you are looking for a clear, well-supported answer, not an exhaustive report like the ancient-civilization unit.

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Let real curiosity lead -- ask "what have you actually wondered about lately?" rather than assigning a topic.
  • Test the question with "could someone answer this in one word?" -- if so, it needs sharpening.
  • This is intentionally a smaller research cycle than the ancient-civilization unit -- two or three sources is genuinely enough.
  • A question connected to this year's science or history studies works well, but any genuine curiosity is fair game.
Talk about it:
  • What question did you choose, and what made you curious about it?
  • Why is your question better than a simple yes/no question?
  • What two or three sources do you plan to use?

Mastery looks like: They write a specific, genuinely curious research question that cannot be answered with a single word, and identify two or three sources to research it.

Common stumbles: Choosing a question answerable with "yes," "no," or one word instead of one requiring real explanation.

Homework for this lessonType it, write it with a stylus, or print it for pencil & paper.open →
Records attendance + 15 min of Writing for this learner.
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