Informational Writing: Researching a Topic

Research writing requires active engagement because students must experience the messiness of inquiry to understand its real demands. Skimming a list of sources or copying notes does not build the evaluative or analytical muscles needed for authentic research. These activities put students in the driver’s seat, where they test their own questions, sort through conflicting information, and revise their thinking as they go.

• 6th Grade
• English Language Arts
• 3 activities
• 30 min–45 min

Ready-to-Use Activities

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Format Name: Keyword Exploration Stations

Set up stations with different research topics. At each station, students brainstorm keywords related to the topic, then use a provided list of search engines to find one credible source. They record their keywords and the source found.

Prepare & details

Design a research question that is both focused and answerable.

Facilitation Tip: During Question Quality Check, ask students to trade questions with a partner and circle any word that could be narrowed further.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

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

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 30 min·Pairs

Format Name: Research Question Refinement

Provide students with broad research topics. In pairs, they draft initial research questions, then share with another pair to offer feedback and refine the questions to be more focused and answerable. The class discusses effective question design.

Prepare & details

Justify the selection of specific keywords for an online search.

Facilitation Tip: For Keyword Brainstorm Challenge, limit the brainstorm to one minute per category (who, what, where, when) to force specificity.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

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

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 40 min·Individual

Format Name: Note-Taking Organizer Design

Students explore various note-taking methods (e.g., Cornell notes, graphic organizers, outlines). They choose one method and create a template for organizing notes on a sample research topic, explaining why their chosen method is effective.

Prepare & details

Explain how to organize preliminary research notes effectively.

Facilitation Tip: In Source Speed Triage, require students to write only one-word judgments (reliable, outdated, biased) on sticky notes to keep the pace brisk.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

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

Teaching This Topic

Start with the assumption that students do not yet understand how to balance breadth and depth. Teach them to treat research as detective work: they gather clues, discard red herrings, and follow the strongest leads. Avoid the trap of assigning a big research paper too soon. Instead, build muscle with mini-inquiries where students refine questions and sources in real time, so they see how inquiry evolves. Research shows that students improve when they practice evaluating credibility early and often, not just when the final product is due.

What to Expect

Students will leave with a clear sense of what makes a research question focused and searchable, how to scan sources quickly without reading every word, and how to turn raw notes into usable evidence. They will also recognize that research is not linear and that refining questions is part of the process, not a sign of failure.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Source Speed Triage, watch for students who assume sites at the top of search results are automatically the best.

What to Teach Instead

Use the activity to explicitly compare the same search query across different search tools or browsers. Ask students to record the top three results from each and justify which source they trust most based on authorship, date, and organizational credentials, not ranking position.

Common Misconception

During Research Notes Gallery Walk, watch for students who copy sentences verbatim in their notes.

What to Teach Instead

Require students to close the source after reading, write their note in their own words on a sticky note, then check back only to verify accuracy. Display a model note that shows paraphrasing and citation side by side.

Common Misconception

During Question Quality Check, watch for students who keep broad questions because they fear running out of information.

What to Teach Instead

Use the activity to practice narrowing collaboratively. Provide a broad topic like 'school lunches' and guide students to ask 'who, what, where, when, or which aspect?' until they land on a focused question that can be answered in 3–5 focused sources.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

After Question Quality Check, collect each student’s focused research question and three keywords. Review for specificity and relevance to the topic before they proceed to sourcing.

Exit Ticket

After Source Speed Triage, give students a short sample paragraph and ask them to identify one piece of information that answers a potential research question and explain why the source seems credible based on authorship, date, and organizational affiliation.

Discussion Prompt

During Research Notes Gallery Walk, pause students and ask them to share one way their initial research question changed after reviewing their first three sources. Facilitate a brief discussion on how new information should reshape inquiry.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask students to research the same topic using three different search tools (e.g., Google, DuckDuckGo, a library database) and compare the top three results for reliability.
• Scaffolding: Provide a partially completed research log with source snippets already paraphrased; students only need to add citations and their own reflections.
• Deeper exploration: Invite students to interview a local expert (librarian, park ranger, historian) and compare the expert’s insights with their written sources, noting any contradictions or gaps.