English Language Arts and Reading.8.12.B

The student is expected to

develop and revise a plan;

inquiry research TEKS talk image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Inquiry and research: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student engages in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes for a variety of purposes.

Provide example research plans that show a continuum of effectiveness such as one plan that is ineffective, one that is very effective, and one or two in the middle of that spectrum. Have students review the plans and rank them from most effective to least effective. Document observations of their conversations. Have students use the most effective plan as a mentor text" to guide their own plan development. Observe and note whether students are transferring the most salient components of the most effective plan. Assessment will include both teacher observations recorded during conferences with students while they write their plans and also review of students’ plans as they complete first drafts.

Provide students with a template to use as they complete each step in developing their research plans. The template can include the following:

  • Research question
  • How information will be gathered
  • How information will be analyzed
  • Who the intended audience is
  • How the final product will be presented

Further Explanation

Students should be able to develop and revise a plan that includes each of the steps in the research process. Students should understand that a research plan is a timeline created around the research process. They should consider questions like What exactly am I supposed to do? and What am I expecting to find? Students should also be able to reevaluate the research question and revise it based on source analysis and follow the final steps of drafting (or equivalent preparation), revision, editing, and presenting results in an appropriate mode of delivery (written, oral, or multimodal).

Students are expected to create and follow a plan that includes all the steps in the research process. Students should understand that a research plan is a timeline created around the research process. A fundamental condition in developing a plan is the clear understanding of the assignment. Students should ask themselves questions such as “What exactly am I supposed to do?” and “What am I expecting to find?” Then, they should take the initial steps to find accurate, significant, and relevant sources to support the topic of inquiry, intermediary steps of reevaluating and revising the research question based on source analysis, and the final steps of drafting (or equivalent preparation), revision, editing, and presenting results in an appropriate mode of delivery (written, oral, or multimodal).
a timeline created around the research process that identifies the initial steps needed to find accurate, significant, and relevant sources to support the topic of inquiry or working thesis; intermediary steps of reevaluating the research question and revising the thesis based on source analysis; and the final steps of drafting, revising, editing, and presenting results in an appropriate mode of delivery

Research

1. Lewis, K. R., Simmons, S., & Maniotes, L. (2018). Building a culture for learner voice and choice through inquiry. Teacher Librarian, 45(4), 2427. Retrieved from https://go.galegroup.com

Summary: The guided inquiry design is presented as a strategy to improve student writing process. The target of the strategy is to provide more opportunities for students to be engaged in and motivated by the writing process. The inquiry design focuses on student choice and student voice incubated in a culture in which students are encouraged to ask questions and classroom instruction is guided by participatory dialogue.

2. Maniotes, L. K. (2019). Getting to great questions for inquiry and research. Teacher Librarian, 46(3), 17–20. Retrieved from https://www.gale.com

Summary: This article provides an overview on how to use guided inquiry as a means to increase students' capacity to comprehend a text. However, Guided Inquiry Design is often used as an inquiry process for research and ways to gain a deeper understanding and gain information. The article includes resources that provide additional support.

Voyager Sopris Learning. (2008). The writing process for step up to writing. Step Up For Writing Series, Expository Paragraphs. Retrieved from https://www.voyagersopris.com

Summary: This one-page resource outlines eight steps in the writing process. The stages include prewriting, planning, drafting, revising, editing, writing a final copy, proofreading, and finally submitting the final copy.