Florida B.E.S.T. ELA.9.C.4.1
The Standard
Conduct research to answer a question, drawing on multiple reliable and valid sources, and refining the scope of the question to align with findings.
Florida B.E.S.T. Standards for English Language Arts
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students begin with a focused question, locate several trustworthy sources, and take notes that address the question. As evidence changes their understanding, they narrow or revise the question and combine findings into an answer.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain why each source is credible, relevant, and current enough for the topic. The final answer combines evidence from multiple sources and addresses a clear, manageable question.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may treat the first search result as reliable, use pages that repeat the same original source, or confuse relevance with credibility. They may keep a question that is too broad or change it without explaining how the evidence shaped the revision.
How to Assess It
- Give students three short source descriptions about teen sleep and ask them to choose two, justify each choice, and narrow the question, “How does sleep affect teenagers?”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Set out six printed sources on school start times; students sort them by reliability and mark the author, date, evidence, and purpose.
Ask students to write how one new finding would change the question, “Should our school start later?”
Play Source Draft: teams choose the strongest source card for each claim and earn a point when their reason names specific evidence.
Have students investigate lunch waste using the district website, a local news report, and a student survey, then revise their starting question.
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Printable ELA.9.C.4.1 Worksheet
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Related Standards
- ELA.6.C.4.1
Conduct research to answer a question, drawing on multiple reliable and valid sources, and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.
- ELA.10.C.4.1
Conduct research to answer a question, refining the scope of the question to align with findings, and synthesizing information from multiple reliable and valid ...
- ELA.7.C.4.1
Conduct research to answer a question, drawing on multiple reliable and valid sources, and generating additional questions for further research.
- ELA.8.C.4.1
Conduct research to answer a question, drawing on multiple reliable and valid sources, and generating additional questions for further research.
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