Submitted by ddorzweiler on Sun, 03/27/2011 - 22:44
Created By:
Debra Dorzweiler
Title/Role:
Teacher Librarian
Organization/School Name:
Penn Elementary School
Location:
Iowa
Grade Level:
5, 6
Type of Lesson:
Lesson in a unit
Type of Schedule:
Combination
Collaboration Continuum:
Moderate
Content Area:
Language Arts
Content Topic:
Discoveries and Inventions
Scenario:
Classroom teachers and the TL met to plan a research project. Students will conduct research on a discovery or invention. The teachers have a list of possible questions to guide the research. To increase student interest in the project, the TL proposed letting students first try to develop their own research questions. If the students have trouble coming up with good questions, they can still choose from the list of possible questions. Students have already practiced asking questions of text before, during and after reading. To help build their background knowledge, they have already read a short nonfiction book on a discovery or invention. To begin the research project, students will come to the library for a lesson on asking questions. This will be a two-part lesson. During the first week the TL will model how to ask questions. The following week the students will develop their own research questions. The TL will check the students' questions before they begin their research. Students may be asked to change their questions or choose one from the list of research questions.
Overview:
What makes a good research question? We will be exploring the difference between fact-based questions or "closed" questions and questions that require making inferences and synthesizing information or "open" questions. We will discuss why open questions make better research questions.
Final Product:
After they complete their research, students will be writing a research paper. The library lessons on questioning will help them develop better questions to guide their research.
Library Lesson:
Students will be able to identify questions as being either closed (or requiring a simple factual answer) or open (or requiring a complicated answer that involves both facts and opinions).
Estimated Lesson Time:
60 minutes
Have you taught this lesson before:
Yes
Strategies for differentiation:
Provide additional assistance for students who need it. If students are not able to come up with their own questions, have them choose three questions from the list of teacher-generated questions.