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

   "Name one thing at school or in your neighborhood that bothers you and that you have never found a good answer about. Write it as a question. Could you answer it in one class period? In three weeks? Never?"

   Collect three or four questions and sort them on the board into "one class period," "a few weeks" and "too big to finish." Explain that W.9-10.7 asks students to conduct both kinds of research project: short ones, which answer a small question in a class period or two, and more sustained ones, which take weeks, use several sources and often solve a real problem. The question can be one the student generates, as in this warm-up.

   Introduce the research the lesson follows. Rafael, a tenth grader, starts a three-week project in Ms. Adeyemi's English class. Rafael, his school, his teacher, the librarian Mr. Holt and the facilities manager Ms. Park are invented for this lesson; the sources he reads (the EPA pages and a 2020 study) are real, and his notes on them are written for this page. Read Text 1 aloud. Students write one sentence: which of Rafael's two questions could he answer in three weeks, and why?

   1Day 1, September 8. Ms. Adeyemi gave us the assignment: a three-week research project on a question we choose ourselves, ending with a report of 800-1,000 words that uses at least four sources. My first question: How can we stop global warming?

   2Ms. Adeyemi read it and wrote in the margin: "Whole libraries try to answer this. What part of it could you actually find out in three weeks?" I thought about what bothers me every day. At lunch, almost nobody sits in the courtyard behind the cafeteria. It is all blacktop, with four metal picnic tables and no shade. Everyone crowds onto the strip of grass by the front lawn or eats inside.

   3Day 2, September 9. New question: Why is our lunch courtyard so much hotter than the front lawn, and what could the school do to make it usable in August and September? Ms. Adeyemi approved it. She also gave the class a warm-up first: a one-day project that answers one small factual question by the end of the next class, using at least one source and one observation.

   4My one-day question: How much hotter is the courtyard blacktop than the grass at lunchtime? Mr. Holt, the librarian, lent me the science department's infrared thermometer, which reads the temperature of a surface when you point it at the surface.

2. Direct Instruction20 minutes

   Break the standard into its parts, using Rafael's project:

   • Short and more sustained projects. Rafael's one-day project (Text 2) answers one factual question with one observation and one source. His three-week project (Texts 3-7) uses four sources, his own measurements and a survey to solve a problem.
   • A question or a problem, including a self-generated question. Rafael's final question comes from something he noticed, not from a list.
   • Narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate. Diagram 1 shows his question moving from too broad to researchable, then too narrow, then broad enough again.
   • Synthesize multiple sources and demonstrate understanding. His recommendation (Text 7) combines sources into one explanation and one plan, and states what his research cannot show.

   Read Text 2, the short project. Use Diagram 2 to show his readings. Then read Texts 3 and 4, his notes on the first two sources, and work through the examples below. Point out what each note adds: Rafael does not just copy facts; he writes what each source means for his question.

   1Field notes, September 10, 12:15 p.m. Sunny, light wind. Air temperature 91°F, from the National Weather Service reading for our town at noon. I took three readings on each surface and averaged them.

   2Courtyard blacktop, in full sun: 138°F, 141°F, 141°F. Average: 140°F. Concrete under the cafeteria overhang, in shade: 103°F, 105°F, 104°F. Average: 104°F. Front lawn grass, in sun: 95°F, 97°F, 96°F. Average: 96°F.

   3Answer to my one-day question: At 12:15 p.m. on September 10, the courtyard blacktop averaged 140°F, which is 44°F hotter than the grass on the front lawn. One day of readings does not prove that this happens every day, but it fits what the EPA says about dark pavement in the sun (Source A).

   4What this raised: The shaded concrete was far cooler than the sunny blacktop, but still warmer than the grass. So is the heat about shade, about the material, or both? That goes into my three-week question.

   1Source A: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Learn About Heat Islands." A heat island is an area, usually a city, that is warmer than the land around it. In the United States, the EPA says, daytime temperatures in urban areas run about 1-7°F higher than in outlying areas, and nighttime temperatures about 2-5°F higher.

   2Causes the EPA lists: fewer trees and plants, because hard, dry surfaces such as roofs, sidewalks, roads and parking lots give less shade and moisture; building materials that absorb and give off more of the sun's heat than natural surfaces; tall buildings and narrow streets that block the wind; heat from vehicles, air conditioners and buildings; and calm, clear weather, which makes heat islands worse. On a warm day, the EPA says, ordinary roofing can reach as much as 66°F warmer than the air.

   3My note: This page is about whole cities, not one courtyard. I can use its causes to explain our blacktop, but I should not report its city-wide numbers as if they were measured at our school.

   1Source B: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Using Trees and Vegetation to Reduce Heat Islands" (the version online through 2022, which the Internet Archive has saved; the EPA has since shortened the page) and "Benefits of Trees and Vegetation." Trees and plants cool an area in two ways. They block the sun, and they release water through their leaves, which the EPA calls evapotranspiration.

   2That version of the EPA page says that shaded surfaces may be 20-45°F cooler than the peak temperatures of unshaded materials. Evapotranspiration, alone or together with shade, can help lower peak summer temperatures by 2-9°F.

   3My note: My shaded concrete was 36°F cooler than the blacktop in the sun, which falls inside the EPA's range, so my Day 3 readings and Source B agree. Grass cools by evapotranspiration, which may explain why the lawn was cooler than the shaded concrete. A young tree takes years to grow a wide crown, though, so a tree planted this fall would not shade the tables next September.

   • Narrowing a question that is too broad

     Rafael's first question is "How can we stop global warming?" Ms. Adeyemi asks "What part of it could you actually find out in three weeks?" (Text 1, paragraph 2).

     Result: He narrows to a problem he can observe and measure: why the lunch courtyard is so hot and what the school could do (paragraph 3). The new question still connects to heat, but it fits the time, the sources and a real place.

   • Running a short project

     The one-day question is "How much hotter is the courtyard blacktop than the grass at lunchtime?" Rafael takes three readings on each of three surfaces and averages them (Text 2, paragraphs 1-2).

     Result: His answer gives the time, the place and the result, then names its own limit: "One day of readings does not prove that this happens every day" (paragraph 3). A short project can be complete and still modest.

   • Letting a short project shape a sustained one

     The shaded concrete was cooler than the sunny blacktop but warmer than the grass. Rafael asks: "is the heat about shade, about the material, or both?" (Text 2, paragraph 4).

     Result: The short project did not just produce a number; it produced the next question. That question sends him to sources about shade (Source B) and about pavement materials (Sources C and D).

   • Using a source within its limits

     Source A gives city-wide numbers. Rafael notes: "I should not report its city-wide numbers as if they were measured at our school" (Text 3, paragraph 3).

     Result: He uses what the source can support, the causes of heat islands, and sets aside what it cannot. Knowing what a source is about is part of demonstrating understanding of the subject.

   • Checking a source against one's own data

     Source B says shaded surfaces may be 20-45°F cooler than unshaded ones. Rafael compares his own readings: the shaded concrete was 36°F cooler (Text 4, paragraph 3).

     Result: His field data and the EPA agree, so each makes the other more convincing. Synthesis starts here: two sources, one of them his own, now support one claim.

3. Guided Practice15 minutes

   Pairs read Texts 5 and 6. Sources C and D seem to disagree about cool pavement, and on Day 8 Rafael narrows his question to one fix before Mr. Holt pushes him to broaden it again. Pairs fill in the synthesis grid below, one row per source, then answer the two questions after it.

   1Source C: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Using Cool Pavements to Reduce Heat Islands." Cool pavements are paving materials that reflect more of the sun's energy, let water evaporate, or are otherwise changed to stay cooler than ordinary pavement. The EPA reports that in a pilot study in Arizona, ordinary asphalt reached surface temperatures up to 152°F at midday, while the surface of cool pavements stayed 10-16°F cooler. The EPA also says these technologies are less advanced than other ways of reducing heat islands, and there is no official standard or label for cool paving materials.

   2Source D: Ariane Middel and others, "Solar reflective pavements—A policy panacea to heat mitigation?" Environmental Research Letters, 2020. The researchers measured streets in two Los Angeles neighborhoods on July 30, 2019, some coated with a reflective sealant and some not. The coated surfaces were about 4-6°C (about 7-11°F) cooler than regular asphalt. But the coating reflected more sunlight up onto people. At midday, the mean radiant temperature, a measure of the heat a person's body takes in from the sun and nearby surfaces, was about 4°C (about 7°F) higher over the coated pavement. Air temperature barely changed.

   3My note: At first C and D seem to disagree. They are measuring different things. C measures the pavement's surface. D also measures the heat reaching a person standing on it, and that person is exactly who I care about.

   1Day 8. Source C convinced me. New question: Should our school coat the courtyard with reflective sealant? I started looking only for sources about coatings.

   2I showed the question to Mr. Holt. He asked what my project was for. I said, to make the courtyard usable at lunch. He said: "Then look at what Source D says about people. A question about one fix can only come out yes or no. Your problem is a courtyard people won't sit in. Compare the fixes." I reread Source D and saw he was right: a coating alone could make the tables feel hotter at noon.

   3Day 9. New question, broader again: Which fix, or mix of fixes, would make the courtyard usable at lunch? I listed four options to compare: a reflective coating, shade sails over the tables, trees along the south edge and replacing part of the blacktop with grass.

   4Day 10. I surveyed 60 students in two lunch periods. 41 of them said heat is the reason they avoid the courtyard. 12 said there are not enough tables, and 7 gave other reasons. I also asked Ms. Park, the district's facilities manager, which options the district has used before. She said the district has put shade sails over seating at two elementary schools, and that planting trees needs a spot where roots will not lift the blacktop.

   Synthesis grid (pairs fill in the blank cells)

   Source	What it says about the courtyard problem	Agrees with, or complicates, which other source?	How Rafael can use it
   Day 3 field notes
   Source A (EPA, heat islands)
   Source B (EPA, trees)
   Source C (EPA, cool pavements)
   Source D (2020 Los Angeles study)
   Day 10 survey and Ms. Park

   Discuss: (1) Why was narrowing to "Should our school coat the courtyard?" a step backward for this project, when narrowing on Day 2 was a step forward? (2) Which two sources together show that a coating alone is a risky choice for tables where students sit at noon?

4. Independent Practice15 minutes

   Read Text 7, Rafael's recommendation. Students mark each sentence that combines two or more sources with an S, and each sentence that states a limit with an L. Then they begin their own project: (1) write a self-generated question about a problem at school or in the community; (2) write a one-day short-project question that would help answer it; (3) list two kinds of sources they will need, including one observation or interview; (4) predict one way the question might need to be narrowed or broadened.

   The quiz uses Texts 1-7 (Warm-Up, Direct Instruction, Guided Practice and this phase); point students back to them when they take it.

   1Recommendation: Shade First, Trees for the Long Term

   2The courtyard is hot because it is dark pavement with no shade, not only because the weather is hot. On September 10, the blacktop was 140°F in the sun, while concrete a few steps away under the overhang was 104°F (my field notes). The EPA explains the pattern: hard, dry surfaces give "less shade and moisture" and absorb more of the sun's heat (Source A), and shaded surfaces can be 20-45°F cooler than unshaded ones (Source B). Heat matters to students too: 41 of the 60 students I surveyed said it is why they avoid the courtyard.

   3A reflective coating looks like the simplest fix, and it does cool the pavement surface (Source C). But the Los Angeles study found that reflective pavement sent more of the sun's heat up onto people, so a person standing on it took in more heat at midday, even though the air was barely cooler (Source D). Since students sit at the tables at noon, a coating by itself could make lunch worse.

   4Shade solves both problems at once: it cools the surface and keeps sun off the students. The district already uses shade sails over seating (Ms. Park), so the school could add them over the four tables before next August. Trees along the south edge would add shade and evapotranspiration (Source B), but they take years to grow, and they need a spot where roots will not lift the blacktop. I recommend shade sails now and trees as a long-term plan.

   5My research has limits. I measured on one day, at one time. Before the school spends money, someone should measure under the shade sails at an elementary school at noon.

5. Closure5 minutes

   Exit ticket: (1) Name the moment Rafael broadened his question, and say what would have gone wrong if he had not. (2) Quote one sentence from Text 7 that uses two sources at once. Then hand out the homework texts below: Nadia's research log (Text 8) and her notes on three sources (Text 9). Nadia, her school and the custodian are invented; the two published sources in Text 9 are real, and the notes on them are written for this page.

   1Day 1. My first question for the three-week project: Why are birds dying all over the world?

   2Why I care: The new library at our school has a wall of glass two stories high that faces a row of oak trees. Twice this month I have found a bird lying under that wall. Mr. Dominguez, our head custodian, keeps a notebook. Since September 1 he has found 11 dead or stunned birds below the library glass and 1 below all the other windows of the school put together.

   3Day 2. Ms. Adeyemi says my Day 1 question is too big. My second try: What kind of bird hit the library window on October 3? She says that one is too small for three weeks, because one look in a field guide answers it. I need something in between.

   1Source 1: Scott R. Loss, Tom Will, Sara S. Loss and Peter P. Marra, "Bird-building collisions in the United States: Estimates of annual mortality and species vulnerability," The Condor, 2014. The authors combined data from 23 studies. They estimate that between 365 million and 988 million birds are killed by hitting buildings in the United States each year. Their middle estimate is 599 million. Fewer than 1 percent of the deaths happen at high-rise buildings; almost all happen at homes and at buildings of 11 stories or fewer.

   2Source 2: American Bird Conservancy, "Frequently Asked Questions About Birds and Glass." Birds treat reflections as real objects, so glass that reflects trees, sky or shelter can lead them to fly into it. A single decal does not work: to a bird it is simply an obstacle to fly around. Markers work when they cover the glass in a pattern with no spaces more than two inches wide. Markers on the outside surface of the glass work better than markers inside.

   3Source 3: Mr. Dominguez's notebook, September 1 to October 15. 11 birds below the library glass, 1 below all other windows. 8 of the 11 were found in the morning, before 9 a.m.

Differentiation Strategies

Assessment Guidance

1. Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In Text 1, paragraph 2, why does Ms. Adeyemi push back on Rafael's first question, "How can we stop global warming?"

   AGlobal warming is not a topic that the EPA or any other government agency has published sources about. BIt is too broad: no set of sources could answer it in the three weeks the project allows. CRafael's question is not self-generated, because Ms. Adeyemi assigned the topic of global warming. DThe question asks how to solve a problem, and a research project may only answer factual questions.

2. Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   What is the source of Rafael's Day 2 question?

   AA list of approved topics that Ms. Adeyemi handed out on the first day of the project BA question that Mr. Holt, the librarian, suggested while lending him the infrared thermometer CA fact from Source A about city temperatures that surprised him while he was reading DSomething he noticed every day at lunch: almost nobody sits in the blacktop courtyard

3. Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Which feature makes Rafael's Day 3 project a short research project rather than a sustained one?

   AIt answers one small question by the next class with one observation and one source. BIt uses an infrared thermometer, and projects that use equipment are always counted as short. CIt ends in a recommendation to the school, which a sustained project is not expected to make. DIt uses no sources at all, only Rafael's own readings of the three surfaces at 12:15 p.m.

4. Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Using the averages in Text 2, how many degrees hotter was the courtyard blacktop than the air temperature at noon?

   A36°F B44°F C49°F D8°F

5. Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In Text 2, paragraph 3, why does Rafael write that "One day of readings does not prove that this happens every day"?

   AHe suspects the infrared thermometer was broken, because the readings on the blacktop were far too high. BHe is stating the limit of his data honestly: one day at one time is a small sample. CMs. Adeyemi required every student to include one sentence of doubt, whether or not it fit the data. DHe found a source that says blacktop is cooler than grass on most days, so his data must be wrong.

6. Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In Text 3, paragraph 3, what does Rafael decide about Source A's numbers for whole cities?

   AHe will report them as measurements from his school, because the EPA is a reliable source. BHe will drop Source A from the project, because a page about cities says nothing useful about a courtyard. CHe will replace them with numbers from Source D, since the Los Angeles study measured city streets. DHe will use its causes to explain the blacktop, but not report its city numbers as school data.

7. Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   According to Source B (Text 4), what are the two ways trees and plants cool an area?

   AThey block the sun, and they release water through their leaves. BThey reflect sunlight upward, and they block the wind near the ground. CThey store heat in their trunks by day and release it slowly at night. DThey absorb the heat of vehicles, and they lower the number of buildings.

8. Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In Text 5, paragraph 3, how does Rafael explain the apparent disagreement between Source C and Source D?

   ASource D is a single study, so Rafael decides it must be wrong and follows the EPA instead. BSource C is about roofs, not pavement, so it does not apply to the courtyard at all. CThe sources measure different things: C the pavement surface, D also the heat reaching a person. DThe Los Angeles study used a different thermometer, so its results cannot be compared with anything.

9. Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   On Day 8 Rafael narrows his question to "Should our school coat the courtyard with reflective sealant?" Why does Mr. Holt push him to broaden it again (Text 6, paragraph 2)?

   AA question about school property must be approved by the district first, and coating would not be approved. BA question about one fix can only come out yes or no, and his problem is a courtyard people won't use. CReflective sealant has been banned in Los Angeles, so no sources about it are available to students. DRafael already had four sources, and a sustained project must stop adding sources after the first week.

10. Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    In Rafael's Day 10 survey (Text 6, paragraph 4), about what percent of the students surveyed said heat is the reason they avoid the courtyard?

    A41 percent B20 percent C12 percent D68 percent

11. Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Which sentence from Text 7 does the most to synthesize sources, rather than report one source?

    A"Since students sit at the tables at noon, a coating by itself could make lunch worse." B"On September 10, the blacktop was 140°F in the sun, while concrete a few steps away under the overhang was 104°F." C"Heat matters to students too: 41 of the 60 students I surveyed said it is why they avoid the courtyard." D"I measured on one day, at one time."

12. Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Why does Rafael recommend shade sails first and trees only as a long-term plan (Text 7, paragraph 4)?

    ASource B says that trees make heat islands worse, so the school should avoid planting any trees at all. BMs. Park said the district refuses to plant trees at any school because of the cost of watering. CTrees take years to grow, while the district already uses shade sails and could add them by August. DHis survey showed that students prefer shade sails, and 41 of them asked for sails by name.

13. Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    A student's question for a three-week project is: "In what year was our town's public library built?" What is the best advice?

    AKeep it: a question with one clear answer is the easiest kind to research. BBroaden it: one fact answers it, so ask a question the date helps answer. CNarrow it: the question covers too many years of the library's history. DDrop it: libraries are not a subject that sustained research can cover.

14. Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    A student is frustrated by late school buses. Which question fits a sustained research project that tries to solve the problem?

    AWhy are school buses late so often in cities and towns all over the United States? BWhat time did Bus 7 arrive at our school on Tuesday morning last week? CAre school buses painted the same shade of yellow in every state? DWhat schedule or route changes would cut late bus arrivals at our school?

15. Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer

    A student's one-day project counts drinks at two water fountains during one lunch period and finds the second-floor fountain used far more than the first-floor one. Write a question this finding could raise for a sustained project, name one source it would send the student to, and explain how this matches what Rafael's short project did (Text 2).

    Show model answer

16. Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer

    Write one sentence that synthesizes Source D (Text 5) and Rafael's Day 10 survey (Text 6). Name both sources in your sentence.

    Show model answer

17. Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer

    Identify one place where Rafael narrowed his inquiry and one place where he broadened it. For each, cite the text and explain why the change was appropriate.

    Show model answer

18. Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer

    Rafael ends his report by saying his research has limits (Text 7, paragraph 5). Name one limit and describe the evidence that would address it.

    Show model answer

19. Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer

    A classmate wants to research "Why is social media bad?" Rewrite the question so that it fits a three-week research project, and explain the change in one or two sentences.

    Show model answer

20. Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer

    How does Text 7 show that Rafael understands the subject he investigated, not just that he found sources? Give two pieces of evidence from the text.

    Show model answer

These standards connect to W.9-10.7: 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.