Lesson Title: Selecting a Research Topic

Unit: Research Writing

Grade: 9
Standard: CCSS.ELA.W.9-10.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a
question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when
appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject
under investigation.

Into: (10 minutes)

1. Students respond to the following question in their digital journal: If you could solve any
issue in the world what would it be and why?
2. Students post topic of writing on a jamboard
3. We briefly discuss some of the ideas that are presented.

Through: (25 minutes)

1. Introduce learning goals
2. Teacher: Gives instruction with use of the digital slide presentation
3. Students: Listen actively and take notes on presentation handouts
a. Pause to give students time to think about their research topics

Beyond: (15 minutes)

1. Students will create a research question on a topic of their choosing that will be the
focus of their essay and presentation

Assessment: Students will turn in research question with their copy of the presentation notes

Next steps: After students have successfully demonstrated that they have written a research
topic, our next step will be to learn how to evaluate the credibility of online sources.