Topic Focus and KWHLAQ Charts

Today's Goal: Brainstorm with your whole group - everything you know and want to know about your topic.

The Plan:

1. 4th Quarter One-Pager expectations (the resources tab has been updated as well)
2. NoRedInk Quiz
3. Read
4. Research Hyperdoc
5. Topic Selection
6. KWHLAQ

Research Hyperdoc

1. I have sent you a thing!
2. You will find that thing in Google Drive. 
3. It will be called "Group _ - Research Hypderdoc" with a letter group.
4. You and your team have access to the SAME DOCUMENT. What you type, your partner can see. What your partner types, you can see. It's called collaborative writing/working.
5. Find it, open it, skim it.

Here's the thing: Research is hard. That's partly why many of you have partners or teams. That's also why I have created a document for you that will help us follow through every step of the research process. It may feel tedious to go through each of these steps as carefully as we are going to, but for you to be a strong researcher, you have to be able to do all of the steps. Taking the shortcut on research is how you end up plagiarizing or sharing inaccurate information. Taking the shortcut is how you end up with poorly written work, as well.

On this document, you will find a lot of information, but the only thing you HAVE to worry about today is STEP ONE. It's in RED.

STEP ONE:

Topic Selection: Most of you have your topic already approved. If you do not, I will be discussing it with you today and hopefully we will find the focus so you can move forward.

Names: Fill in your names.

KWHLAQ: 

Image Source

Guess what! You only have to do half of this! It's very difficult to complete the LAQ portion if you haven't done the research to learn anything yet. This means your job today is to complete the KWH portion. By "complete those portions," I mean: write literally as much as you possibly can in each of those three boxes.

• K - What do you KNOW? Anything you even think you know about your topic goes here. Anything.
• W - What do you WANT to know? Include questions and thoughts. As many as you possibly can, no matter how small or not small. Have at least 10.
• H - HOW will you find out? (hint: come up with more than "I'll Google it")

Reminders/Homework:

• READ!
• As a team, make sure to finish STEP ONE on your Research Hypderdoc by next class
• You DO NOT have to do the LAQ boxes. You DO have to do the KWH boxes.
• One-Pager due Friday, May 10 AND Friday, June 7
• Here are your NEW directions/expectations
• NoRedInk: Pronouns!
• Diagnostic quiz due by Friday May 3. That just means take the quiz and do your best. Please don't worry about whether or not you're right. This is what we use to show our growth, just like you saw on the chart in class today. Just do your best. 
• Pronoun Practice: This will be available to you STARTING on Friday afternoon, and it will be due by Thursday, May 30. There are 8 topics, so you have quite a bit of time to do it, but you will be MISERABLE if you wait until the last second. Don't do that.

Research Databases and Search Tools

Today's Goal: Learn some really important and useful tools for researching on the internet with our amazing and wonderful school librarian, Ms. Uyloan. 

The Plan:

1. Read
2. GALE Research Database
3. Gathering citations
4. EasyBib Add-on
5. Google Advanced Search Tools
6. General Research practice time

Reminders/Homework:

• Read your book!
• NoRedInk Quiz on Monday/Tuesday.

Research Topics

Today's Goal: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.10
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
The Plan:

1. Read
2. Research Mind Map
3. Topic Brainstorm Results
4. Topic Request

Research Mind Map
It's a simple task with massive results:

Write "Research" in the middle of your sheet of paper, and work with your partner to write down every word that you can think of that relates to researching, being an effective researcher, and what steps you have to take.

Draw lines to connect ideas that are connected, and see if you can use short words and phrases to share everything you know about the process of researching and the qualities of a researcher.

Topic Brainstorm Results

CLICK HERE to visit the results of your brainstorm.

In order to decide on a final topic, the topic must be able to answer the following three questions with "YES":

1. Is it in a specific place and time in the world (not the future)?
2. Did the event or issue cause some sort of problem or struggle that people must face?
3. Can action be taken by people to support this problem or the effects of this problem?

In addition, I will implore you to choose a topic that is maybe not widely discussed (i.e. probably not 9/11).

Here is your task in the next few weeks:

Write an article with your group or partner in which you:

• Address the causes of the event or problem
• Share the effects that this problem has had on the people or the community
• Identify people and/or organizations who work to assist in recovery efforts.
• How do they help?
• What solutions have they put in place to help those in need?
• Include a “Call to Action” for your readers that includes steps they may take to get involved

Topic Requests
Please take a moment to review the list we have been making, or even visit Newsela.com to see if there are other events or stories that you would be interested in learning more about.

You'll get a sticky note.
Please write your top three topic choices on that sticky note, in order.

If you want to work alone more than anything in the world, please note this on your sticky note, but I make no guarantees.

Reminders/Homework:

• Read!
• No Red Ink Quiz April 29 and April 30. 
• The material will cover the last three practice assignments. If you haven't done them, I suggest you do.

Group Writing and Brainstorm

Today's Goal:
CSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.10
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. (Today we're focusing on the shorter time frames, but we're moving into an extended written project)

The Plan:

1. Read!
2. Research Mind Map
3. Group Writing Activity
4. Current Issues Brainstorm
5. Work on No Red Ink if time.

Research Mind Map

It's a simple task with massive results:

Write "Research" in the middle of your sheet of paper, and work with your partner to write down every word that you can think of that relates to researching and being an effective researcher and what steps you have to take.

Draw lines to connect ideas that are connected, and see if you can use short words and phrases to share everything you know about the process of researching and the qualities of a researcher.




Group Writing Activity:

You'll be sitting in your Book Club groups today and participating in a group writing activity. It's not the easiest thing to complete at home, so if you were absent today, please take some time to reflect and consider the following questions:

• What was the most important MESSAGE or World Issue from your Book Club Novel? Why?

• What does effective RESEARCH look like?

• What do effective research questions look like? How do you create them?

• What does it mean to make change?

• If you're working with a team, what does TEAMWORK and COOPERATION look like?

• Why is it important to listen to others' stories?

Current Issues Brainstorm:
After reading about different immigration stories in your Book Club groups, you will be choosing a problem or event that people in the world have been affected by. Working alone or with a partner, your job is to do a short investigation and/or brainstorm current issues or events or problems that people in the world are facing.

As you think of potential topics, fill out this google form:



Reminders/Homework:

• No Red Ink Quiz April 29 and April 30. 
• The material will cover the last three practice assignments. If you haven't done them, I suggest you do.
• Read a book! 
• If you think of any new "world events" that you can add to our brainstorm, please fill out the form again! The more ideas we have, the better!

Friday, April 12

Today's Goal:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.6.2
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

The Plan:

1. Read
2. No Red Ink "Building Complex Sentences"
   It's possible you have already completed this. 

Reminders/Homework:

• Make sure you have a book and read it. 
• Fill out "I Finished a Book!" form when you finish books.
• Complete the NoRedInk Assignment "Building Complex Sentences" if you haven't already.

SBAC Testing

Today's Goal:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.10
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience

The Plan:

1. Log in.
2. Start testing.

Please make sure you have a physical book and earphones for the next two weeks.

Please do your best! Show off! I believe in you!