Middle School English Language Arts Instructional Guide

Standard: Writing 4

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria

Learning Intentions:

Conduct short research projects to craft an argument or answer a question. a. Gather, synthesize, and use information from credible sources on the topic. b. Generate ideas to demonstrate understanding of the topic under investigation. c. Avoid plagiarism by quoting or paraphrasing and provide basic bibliographic information for sources. d. Interact and collaborate with others throughout the writing process.

● Students will be able to understand how to conduct short research projects effectively. ● Students will be able to learn how to gather and synthesize information from credible sources. ● Students will be able to generate ideas to demonstrate understanding of the topic under investigation. ● Students will be able to avoid plagiarism by properly quoting or paraphrasing and providing bibliographic information for sources. ● Students will be able to interact and collaborate with others throughout the research and writing process. Success Criteria: ● I can conduct a short research project to craft an argument or answer a question. ● I can gather and synthesize information from credible sources. ● I can generate ideas to demonstrate my understanding of the topic under investigation. ● I can avoid plagiarism by properly quoting or paraphrasing and providing bibliographic information for my sources. ● I can interact and collaborate with others throughout the research and writing process.

Nouns (Know)

Verbs (Do)

● Research Process ● Argument ● Question ● Information ● Source ● Plagiarism ● Quote ● Paraphrase ● Bibliographic Information ● Writing process

● Generate Ideas ● Research ● Cite ● Synthesize ● Evaluate ● Collaborate

Sample Question Stems and Prompts for Discussion

● "What strategies can you use to gather and synthesize information from credible sources?" ● "Why is it important to provide proper attribution for sources to avoid plagiarism?" ● “What steps do you take to avoid plagiarism when using sources in your writing?” ● “How do you determine if a source is credible and reliable for your research project?” ● “What strategies do you use to gather information from a variety of sources on a given topic?” ● "How can collaboration with others enhance your research and writing process?"

Last Updated May 30th, 2024 Middle School ELA, Page 113