Grades 9-10: Writing Effective Research Papers – All Content Areas
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Common Core Standards
Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
WHST.9-10.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
WHST.9-10.1(a) Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among the claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
WHST.9-10.1(b) Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claim(s) and counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form and in a manner that anticipates the audience's knowledge level and concerns.
WHST.9-10.1(c) Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
WHST.9-10.1(d) Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
WHST.9-10.1(e) Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from or supports the argument presented.
WHST.9-10.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.
WHST.9-10.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology's capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.
WHST.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.
WHST.9-10.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
Language
L.9-10.3(a) Write and edit work so that it conforms to the guidelines in a style manual (e.g., MLA Handbook, Turabian's Manual for Writers) appropriate for the discipline and writing type.
Description of Unit
This Grades 9-10 unit titled “
Writing Effective Research Papers- All Content Areas” from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education contains 6 lessons, approximately 120 minutes in length. The unit is designed to extend over a period of time to allow for
developing,
drafting,
editing and
completing a research paper. This unit
focuses on the process for writing research papers. The lessons guide students through the process of selecting a topic, developing a thesis, and cultivating sources to provide support for their claims. The culminating authentic performance task is the creation of a well-crafted and properly cited research paper.
Cautions
Connecticut teachers are cautioned that teacher notes and preparation materials are extensive and will require familiarity to be used effectively. Prior to beginning this unit, it will be important to select or develop a timeline for completion of the research paper, since some of the steps require considerable time for students to accomplish. Depending on the intent of the unit and the variability of student learners, three time options are provided. While some accommodations and supports for students who are ELL, have disabilities and/or read below the grade level are provided, it will be important to make adaptations as necessary. An additional time consideration should be how much work is completed during class and outside of class. If the work is assigned as homework, unit planners suggest keeping a computer lab open after school for students with limited access to a computer. The primary resource for information on research papers and the handouts used in this unit is titled, "Teacher and Student Guide for Writing Research Papers." It is available for download in the curriculum units listing once you sign in. The standards listed above have been selected as the targeted standards. Individual teachers will need to add standards relevant to their own subject areas and that are addressed by the curriculum of the course for which research papers are being written.
Since this unit aligns with the Grades 9-12 Social Studies Frameworks for Inquiry in the Social Studies, these social studies standards could be added and/or replace some of the targeted standards listed above. For a direct link to this source, see below.
Connecticut Elementary and Secondary Social Studies Frameworks
Rationale for Selection
The unit is an exemplary example of how to take students through the steps of
writing a research paper. It includes a
progression of learning where concepts and skills advance and deepen over time. Lessons are designed to gradually remove supports, requiring students to demonstrate their independent capacities. Lessons include
formative assessments with aligned rubrics to inform instruction for each step of the research process. The unit’s performance task elicits direct observable evidence of the degree to which a student can independently demonstrate the major targeted grade level CCSS standards and also
includes an aligned rubric.
