CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.7
The Standard
Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and 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 investigate a focused question using several useful sources. They take notes, combine findings into an answer, and develop narrower follow-up questions from gaps or conflicting information.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students choose useful search terms and gather relevant details from several sources. They organize the findings into a clear answer and identify a specific gap, conflict, or new question worth investigating.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may treat one source as enough or collect unrelated facts without answering the main question. They may copy sentences instead of paraphrasing, or ask follow-up questions that are too broad to investigate.
How to Assess It
- Give students three short source excerpts and one research question. Ask them to write a three-sentence answer using all three sources, then add one focused follow-up question.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs four printed sources and a note grid, then have them match each claim to evidence from at least two sources.
After reading two conflicting accounts, discuss what remains unclear and write one focused question that could resolve the disagreement.
Play Question Ladder: teams revise broad question cards into searchable questions, then earn points for specific terms and manageable scope.
Investigate a proposed school rule using the handbook, a student survey, and an administrator interview, then recommend a change.
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Printable W.7.7 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.7, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
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What This Unlocks
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Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.7
Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.7
Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focuse...
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