CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.7
The Standard
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.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Writing Standards
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students develop a focused research question tied to an issue or knowledge gap. They manage brief inquiries and longer projects, revising the scope when needed. They combine ideas from several reliable sources into a clear answer.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can turn a broad topic into a manageable question and adjust it as new evidence appears. They explain agreements, conflicts, and gaps among sources, then support an answer with evidence and their own reasoning.
Common Misconceptions
- Common mistakes include treating the first question as fixed, choosing a topic that is too broad, or selecting sources that repeat one view. Students may string together quotes or source summaries without explaining how the ideas connect.
How to Assess It
- Give students a broad topic and three short source excerpts. Ask for a focused question, a synthesis paragraph using two excerpts, and one possible scope revision.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups six source cards on school start times, then have them sort evidence, revise a question, and build a claim.
Ask students to write: When should a researcher narrow a question, and when should the question become broader?
Run a Question Clinic where pairs score sample questions for scope, evidence access, and answerability, then rewrite the weakest one.
Have students investigate a school problem, such as cafeteria waste, and submit an evidence-based recommendation to the principal.
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Printable W.11-12.7 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.7, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.7
Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.7
The Grades 11–12 version of this standard.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.7
The Grades 9–10 version of this standard.
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