Language Arts · Grade 6

Active learning ideas

Informational Writing: Research Questions

Active learning transforms abstract concepts like research questions into concrete skills. Students engage with real materials, immediate peer feedback, and tangible outcomes, which helps them see how refining questions leads to better research. This approach builds confidence as students move from vague ideas to precise inquiries.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.7

• 25–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 30 min · Pairs

Pairs: Question Refinement Relay

Partners receive a broad topic card. One student writes an initial question; the other refines it using a criteria checklist for specificity and answerability. They switch roles twice, then share the final version with the class. Display best examples on a wall chart.

Design a research question that is both specific and answerable.

Facilitation Tip

During the Question Refinement Relay, circulate to listen for pairs debating the specificity of their questions, offering prompts like 'What detail could we add to make this clearer?'

What to look for

Provide students with three potential research questions about a given topic, two broad and one focused. Ask them to identify the focused question and explain in one sentence why it is better for research.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Inquiry Circle
• 35 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Research Question Sort

Provide cards with topics, strong questions, and weak ones. Groups sort into categories and justify placements with evidence. Discuss as a class, then create group anchor charts of sorting rules. Extend by generating new questions.

Differentiate between a broad topic and a focused research question.

Facilitation Tip

In the Research Question Sort, model how to justify categorizations aloud, showing students how to explain choices using criteria from the lesson.

What to look for

In pairs, students write a research question for a shared topic. They then exchange questions and use a checklist (Is it specific? Is it answerable? Is it interesting?) to provide feedback to their partner. The feedback should include one suggestion for improvement.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Inquiry Circle
• 40 min · Small Groups

Whole Class: Inquiry Question Carousel

Post broad topics around the room. Groups rotate every 5 minutes to write and refine one research question per station. Vote on strongest questions class-wide and compile into a shared research question bank.

Justify the importance of a well-crafted research question for effective inquiry.

Facilitation Tip

For the Inquiry Question Carousel, assign each station a different aspect of question quality so students analyze one criterion at a time, preventing overwhelm.

What to look for

Students are given a broad topic, such as 'Canadian Wildlife'. Ask them to write one specific and answerable research question about this topic on their exit ticket. They should also briefly state why their question is better than the broad topic.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 04

• Inquiry Circle
• 25 min · Individual

Individual: Personal Inquiry Draft

Students select a self-interest topic and draft three questions, self-assessing with a rubric. Pair share for one round of feedback, then revise independently. Submit final question to start mini-research.

Design a research question that is both specific and answerable.

What to look for

Provide students with three potential research questions about a given topic, two broad and one focused. Ask them to identify the focused question and explain in one sentence why it is better for research.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should model the thinking behind strong research questions, especially for students who default to broad or yes-or-no questions. Use mentor texts where authors pose clear, answerable questions and challenge students to compare weak and strong examples. Avoid rushing to correction; instead, let students discover flaws through sorting, ranking, and discussion. Research shows that students refine questions most effectively when they see the consequences of poor questions in their own work.

By the end of these activities, students will confidently craft specific, answerable research questions that guide focused inquiry. They will recognize vague questions as dead ends and use evidence to justify their question choices. Their writing will demonstrate clarity and purpose because their research is anchored in strong questions.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Research Question Sort, some students may assume any question about a topic is acceptable.

  After sorting, have students explain why vague questions like 'What happened in the Canadian space program?' belong in the 'needs work' pile. Use the sorting cards to highlight that focused questions like 'How did Chris Hadfield's leadership affect Canadian astronaut training?' lead to stronger research.

• During the Personal Inquiry Draft, students may believe broader questions give them more freedom.

  Ask students to map their broad question to its potential sources and dead ends. Use the narrowing steps from the mind-mapping warm-up to guide them toward a question that balances scope and focus, like 'What three key events shaped Indigenous land rights in Ontario between 1960 and 2000?' instead of 'What is Indigenous land rights?'.

• During the Inquiry Question Carousel, students might prefer yes-or-no questions for simplicity.

  Set up a role-play where students pretend to research a 'yes' answer and realize they lack evidence. Then contrast this with a 'how' or 'why' question, using the carousel stations to show how open-ended questions lead to richer exploration and stronger sources.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle