Overview

Lesson Procedure

65-65 minutes of class time across 5 phases.

1. Warm-Up10 minutes
2. Direct Instruction20 minutes
3. Guided Practice15 minutes
4. Independent Practice15 minutes
5. Closure5 minutes

1. Warm-Up10 minutes

   Warm-Up Prompt

   "Write down one thing you have wondered about this week, something you could not answer on your own. Then ask yourself: could I find the answer in one website, or would I need to read several things?"

   Take five or six questions and sort them on the board into two columns: questions one fact can answer (for example, "How tall is Mount Everest?") and questions that need several sources and some explaining (for example, "Why do some mountains have snow in summer?"). Tell students that W.6.7 is about the second kind: a short research project is a few days of work to answer one question, using several sources (books, articles, websites or interviews that give information). The standard adds one more skill: refocusing the inquiry, which means changing or narrowing the question when what you learn shows that a better question is needed.

   Introduce Amara, an invented sixth grader, who has five days for a short research project on a question of her choice. Read her first research log entry aloud. Ask: is "Why is the ocean salty?" a good question for five days? Take a quick vote and save the answers for later.

   1Starting question: Why is the ocean salty?

   2Why I want to know: On our class trip to the beach, a wave hit me and I got a mouthful of seawater. It was awful. The creek behind my house isn't salty at all, so where does all that salt come from?

   3What I already know: Seawater tastes salty, and you can't drink it. Rivers flow into the ocean.

   4My plan: The project is due in five days. I need at least three sources, and my answer should be about 200 words. Mr. Solis, our school librarian, showed me the science shelves and the library's online encyclopedia. I'll start there and take notes on index cards, one card for each fact, with the source written at the top.

2. Direct Instruction20 minutes

   Use Diagram 1 to show the research process. A researcher asks a question, finds several sources, takes notes and then checks: is this still the right question? If it is, the researcher combines the sources into an answer. If not, the researcher refocuses and searches again. Refocusing is not a sign of failure; the standard expects it "when appropriate."

   Read Sources A and B, the first two sources Amara found. All four of her sources, and their titles and publishers, were written for this lesson, but the facts in them are real. As students read, they mark with a star each fact that helps answer "Why is the ocean salty?"

   1Most of the salt in the ocean began in rocks on land. Rain is slightly acidic, because it takes in a small amount of carbon dioxide from the air as it falls. Over many years, this weak acid wears away rock and dissolves tiny amounts of minerals. Streams and rivers carry the dissolved minerals down to the sea.

   2River water carries so little salt that it tastes fresh. Once the water reaches the ocean, though, the salt stays. The sun warms the ocean's surface, and water evaporates into the air, but the salt is left behind. Over millions of years, the salt has built up.

   3A smaller amount of salt enters the ocean from below. Hot springs on the sea floor, called hydrothermal vents, and underwater volcanoes release minerals into the water.

   4The two most common dissolved substances in seawater are chloride and sodium. When seawater dries, they join to form sodium chloride, the same compound as table salt.

   1Scoop up a liter of ocean water, let it dry, and you will find about 35 grams of salt at the bottom of the container. That is about 3.5 percent of the water's weight. Scientists call this measure salinity.

   2Salinity is not exactly the same everywhere. Near the mouths of big rivers, fresh water mixes in, and the ocean is less salty. In hot, dry places such as the Red Sea, more water evaporates, and the sea is saltier. Even so, scientists think the ocean as a whole has stayed about equally salty for a very long time. Salt leaves the water, mostly by settling into the mud and rock of the sea floor, at about the same rate that rivers bring it in.

   3The ocean is not the only salty water on Earth. Some lakes are salty too, and a few are much saltier than the sea. Utah's Great Salt Lake is so salty that no fish can live in most of it. How did a lake get that way?

   Then read Amara's Day 2 log, including her talk with Mr. Solis. Work through the five examples. The first three follow Amara; the last two show classmates (also invented) whose questions needed refocusing for other reasons.

   1Day 2 notes: Sources A and B both answer my question. The salt comes from rocks on land, rivers carry it to the ocean, and when the water evaporates, the salt stays behind. That took me one evening. But now I have a new question. The creek behind my house flows into Miller Lake, and Miller Lake isn't salty. So why isn't every lake salty like the ocean?

   2Me: My question is already answered, and I have four days left. Is that bad?

   3Mr. Solis: Not at all. It means your question was a good start, but it may be too small for the whole project. What are you curious about now?

   4Me: Why some lakes are salty and most aren't.

   5Mr. Solis: That's a good refocus, because it grows out of what you just learned. Before you switch, make sure you can find sources. Try the geography shelf and the website for Great Salt Lake visitors.

   6Me: Should I throw away my first cards?

   7Mr. Solis: Keep them. You'll still need to explain where the salt comes from.

   8New question: Why are a few lakes salty when most lakes are fresh?

   • Choosing a question for a short research project

     Amara's starting question, "Why is the ocean salty?", came from her own experience: "a wave hit me and I got a mouthful of seawater" (Text 1, paragraph 2). Her plan names a deadline, "at least three sources" and a length of about 200 words.

     Result: The question fits a short project: it asks "why," so it needs explaining rather than one fact, and it is not a yes-or-no question. Her plan also shows the project is short: one question, a few sources, a few days.

   • Drawing on several sources: each source adds a piece

     Source A explains where the salt comes from: rain "wears away rock and dissolves tiny amounts of minerals," and rivers carry them to the sea. Source B gives a number: a liter of seawater holds "about 35 grams of salt," or about 3.5 percent.

     Result: Neither source alone gives the whole picture. Amara's note card combines them: "Salt starts in rocks and is carried by rivers (A). The ocean is about 3.5 percent salt (B)." Each fact keeps its source letter, so she can name it later.

   • Refocusing when the question is answered too quickly

     On Day 2, Amara writes, "Sources A and B both answer my question" and "That took me one evening." Source B has also raised a new puzzle: some lakes are "much saltier than the sea."

     Result: Amara refocuses on a related question, "Why are a few lakes salty when most lakes are fresh?" It grows out of what she learned, it still needs several sources, and her first notes still help. Mr. Solis calls it "a good refocus."

   • Refocusing a question that is too broad

     Dario starts with "What is the history of the Olympic Games?" After an hour he has notes on ancient Greece, twenty cities and hundreds of sports, and no way to fit them into 200 words.

     Result: He refocuses on one part: "Why were the modern Olympic Games started in 1896?" The new question is narrow enough for a short project, and his sources on the first modern Games in Athens still apply.

   • Refocusing when no source can answer

     Mei asks, "What will my town look like in the year 2200?" The librarian points out that no source can report what has not happened yet, so every answer would be a guess.

     Result: Mei refocuses on a question sources can answer: "How has my town changed since 1950?" Old maps, newspapers and the town's historical society can all help. A good research question has an answer that can be found.

3. Guided Practice15 minutes

   Pairs read Sources C and D, the sources Amara found for her refocused question. Then they fill in the note-taking chart below, writing the source letter after each note. Use Diagram 2 to check the chart: it shows which source helps with which part of Amara's new question.

   1Great Salt Lake, in northern Utah, is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere. Three main rivers, the Bear, the Weber and the Jordan, flow into it. No river flows out.

   2That is the key to the lake's salt. Every river carries a small amount of dissolved minerals. In most lakes, water flows out through a river or stream and carries those minerals away. Great Salt Lake is a terminal lake: water can leave it only by evaporating. The water goes up into the air, and the minerals stay behind. Year after year, the salt builds up.

   3Great Salt Lake is what remains of a much larger ancient lake, Lake Bonneville, which covered much of western Utah during the last ice age. As the climate became warmer and drier, the big lake shrank.

   4Today, the water in most of the lake is several times saltier than the ocean. Fish cannot live in it, but tiny brine shrimp and brine flies can, and millions of birds stop at the lake to eat them.

   1Most lakes on Earth are fresh. What makes the difference is where the water goes.

   2Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes, is fed by more than 200 rivers, and its water flows out through the St. Marys River. Lake Tahoe, on the border of California and Nevada, drains into the Truckee River. Because water keeps flowing out of these lakes, the minerals that rivers bring in are carried away, and the lakes stay fresh.

   3A lake with no outlet is different. The Dead Sea, with Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west, is fed mainly by the Jordan River, and no river leaves it. The region is hot and dry, so water evaporates quickly. The Dead Sea is almost ten times as salty as the ocean, so salty that people float on its surface without trying.

   4Scientists call lakes like the Dead Sea and Great Salt Lake terminal lakes. Many of them are in dry places, where evaporation is strong.

   Note-taking chart for Amara's refocused question (pairs fill in the blank cells)

   Part of the question	Notes (with source letters)
   Where does the salt come from?
   Why does the salt build up in some lakes?
   Why do most lakes stay fresh?
   Which lakes are salty, and how salty?
   How salty is the ocean?

   Discuss as a class: which part of the question needed the most sources? Could Amara have answered her new question with Source C alone? What would her answer have been missing?

4. Independent Practice15 minutes

   Read Amara's finished answer (Text 7). Students underline each place where she names a source. Then they begin their own short research project. (1) Write a question and test it: it asks how or why, it can be answered in a few days, and sources for it probably exist. (2) List three different kinds of sources you could use, such as a library book, an encyclopedia article and an interview with an adult who knows the topic. (3) Write one way you might refocus the question if your first sources surprise you.

   Circulate and ask each student the question Mr. Solis asked Amara: "What are you curious about now?" The quiz uses Texts 1-7 (Warm-Up through Independent Practice).

   1Every river carries a little salt. According to Source A, rain slowly wears away rock and dissolves tiny amounts of minerals, and streams and rivers carry them along. There is so little that river water tastes fresh.

   2What happens next depends on whether a lake has a way out. Lake Superior and Lake Tahoe both have rivers flowing out of them, so the minerals are carried away and the lakes stay fresh (Source D). Most lakes work this way.

   3A few lakes have no outlet. Three main rivers flow into Great Salt Lake in Utah, and none flow out, so water leaves only by evaporating. The water rises into the air, and the minerals stay behind (Source C). This is also why the ocean is salty (Source A). Over many years the salt builds up, until most of Great Salt Lake is several times saltier than the ocean, which is about 3.5 percent salt (Sources B and C). The Dead Sea, which also has no outlet and sits in a hot, dry region, is almost ten times as salty as the ocean (Source D).

   4So a lake turns salty when water can leave it only by evaporating, and it stays fresh when a river carries the water, and the salt, away.

5. Closure5 minutes

   Exit ticket: (1) Name one reason a researcher might refocus a question. (2) Write your own research question and one sign that would tell you it needs refocusing. Then hand out the homework texts below: Jalen's first research log entry (Text 8) and the three short sources he found (Text 9).

   1Starting question: Why do cats' eyes glow in the dark?

   2Why I want to know: Last night my cat, Pepper, was sitting in the dark hallway. When I turned on my flashlight, her eyes glowed bright green.

   3What I already know: Cats can see at night. Their eyes look green or yellow in the dark.

   4My plan: Find three sources, take notes on cards, and write a 150-word answer by Friday.

   1Source 1, from an invented library book, Caring for Your Cat: A cat's eyes do not make any light of their own. What looks like a glow is light bouncing back. Behind the retina, the part of the eye that senses light, cats have a shiny layer called the tapetum lucidum, Latin for "bright carpet." Some light passes through the retina without being sensed. The shiny layer reflects that light back through the retina, which gives the eye a second chance to use it. This helps cats see in dim light, although no animal can see in complete darkness.

   2Source 2, from an invented nature center newsletter: On our night walks, visitors often ask about the eyes shining at the edge of the trail. Deer, raccoons, dogs and foxes all have the same kind of reflecting layer as cats, and so do many other animals that are active at night or at dawn and dusk. The color of the eyeshine depends on the animal and can be green, yellow, white or even blue. People do not have this layer. In flash photos, human eyes sometimes look red, but that is the flash reflecting off blood-rich tissue at the back of the eye, not off a reflecting layer.

   3Source 3, from an invented pet website: A cat's whiskers are thick, stiff hairs with nerves at their roots. They sense tiny movements of air and touch objects close to the cat's face, which helps a cat move around in dim light.

Differentiation Strategies

Assessment Guidance

1. Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Which question is best for a short research project?

   AEverything there is to know about volcanoes around the world BHow tall is Mount St. Helens today? CHow do scientists warn people before a volcano erupts? DIs Mount St. Helens in the state of Washington?

2. Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In Text 4, why does Amara decide to refocus her question?

   AHer first two sources already answer it, and she has become curious about salty lakes. BMr. Solis tells her that questions about the ocean are not allowed for this project. CSources A and B disagree about where the salt in the ocean comes from. DShe cannot find any sources at all about the ocean in the school library.

3. Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Which fact does Amara get from Source A that Source B does not give?

   AThe ocean is about 3.5 percent salt by weight, on average. BThe Red Sea is saltier than most of the ocean. CNo fish can live in most of Great Salt Lake. DRain slowly wears away rock and dissolves minerals.

4. Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Which sentence in Amara's answer (Text 7) combines information from two sources?

   A"Lake Superior and Lake Tahoe both have rivers flowing out of them, so the minerals are carried away and the lakes stay fresh." B"Over many years the salt builds up, until most of Great Salt Lake is several times saltier than the ocean, which is about 3.5 percent salt." C"The water rises into the air, and the minerals stay behind." D"The Dead Sea, which also has no outlet and sits in a hot, dry region, is almost ten times as salty as the ocean."

5. Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In Text 4, what does Mr. Solis ask Amara to do before she switches to her new question?

   AThrow away her first note cards so they do not confuse her BChoose a new topic that has nothing to do with salt water CMake sure she can find sources for the new question DFinish answering her first question in full before she changes it

6. Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   According to Source D, why does Lake Tahoe stay fresh?

   AIt is fed by more than 200 rivers. BIt is in a hot, dry region where water evaporates. CIt is much deeper than Great Salt Lake. DWater flows out of it into the Truckee River.

7. Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Amara wants to add one sentence about living things in salty lakes. Which of her sources would help most?

   ASource A, because it explains where the salt in seawater comes from BSource C, because it names the tiny animals that live in Great Salt Lake CSource D, because it explains why Lake Tahoe and Lake Superior stay fresh DSource B, because it explains why the salt in the ocean stays about the same

8. Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Which situation is a good reason to refocus a research question?

   AYour first source has more pictures than words, so you want to find a new source. BYou found three sources that agree, and together they answer your question well. CA classmate has already chosen a question about a similar topic for the project. DAfter an hour of reading, your question turns out to be too big for a short project.

9. Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   A student starts with "How do animals live in the desert?" Which refocused question is best for a short project?

   AHow do camels go for so long without drinking water? BDo any animals live in the desert? CWhat is the definition of a desert? DHow do all the animals on Earth find water to drink?

10. Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Source B says a few lakes are "much saltier than the sea" but does not explain why. What does this show about drawing on several sources?

    ASource B is not credible, so Amara should stop using it at once. BAmara should copy Source B's question into her answer. COne source can raise a question that another source answers. DEvery source should explain every part of a question.

11. Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Why was Mr. Solis right that Amara should keep her first note cards?

    AA librarian always wants students to hand in every note card they make. BHer new question still needs to explain where the salt comes from. CHer first question will come back after she finishes the new one. DThe note cards prove that she spent five days on the project.

12. Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Which sentence in Text 7 answers Amara's refocused question most directly?

    A"According to Source A, rain slowly wears away rock and dissolves tiny amounts of minerals, and streams and rivers carry them along." B"Three main rivers flow into Great Salt Lake in Utah, and none flow out, so water leaves only by evaporating." C"Lake Superior and Lake Tahoe both have rivers flowing out of them, so the minerals are carried away and the lakes stay fresh." D"So a lake turns salty when water can leave it only by evaporating, and it stays fresh when a river carries the water, and the salt, away."

13. Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Source B says the ocean is about 3.5 percent salt. Source D says the Dead Sea is "almost ten times as salty as the ocean." Using both sources, about how salty is the Dead Sea?

    AA little less than 35 percent salt BAbout 3.5 percent salt, like the ocean CAbout 350 percent salt DExactly 10 percent salt

14. Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    A student's question is "What will Great Salt Lake look like in the year 3000?" Why should it be refocused?

    AIt is a yes-or-no question, so it needs only a one-word answer. BIt is about a lake, and lakes are too small a topic to research. CNo source can report the future, so any answer would be a guess. DIt is too narrow, because one number from a website would answer it.

15. Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer

    Use Sources B and D together to explain why the Red Sea and the Dead Sea are both saltier than most of the ocean. Quote each source once.

    Show model answer

16. Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer

    A classmate's research question is "How are video games made?" Explain why it may need refocusing, and write a better question for a short project.

    Show model answer

17. Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer

    Plan a short research project of your own: write your question, explain why it fits a short project, and name three different kinds of sources you would use.

    Show model answer

18. Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer

    Compare Amara's starting question (Text 1) with her new question (Text 4). Explain why the new question is better for her five-day project, quoting her log.

    Show model answer

19. Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer

    Suppose Amara had used only Source C. Name two things her answer would be missing, and say which source supplies each one.

    Show model answer

20. Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer

    A student researching "Why do volcanoes erupt?" finds that all of her sources are written for college students, and she cannot understand them. Give two things she could do, and explain which one is a refocus.

    Show model answer

These standards connect to W.6.7: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.

Standard text: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy. © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.