Georgia 9.T.RA.1.a
The Standard
Generate questions to guide research, make connections between complex topics, explore creative solutions, narrow focus, and/or refine text creation. (I)
Georgia's K-12 English Language Arts Standards · Texts (T) · Research & Analysis
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students turn a broad subject into focused, answerable research questions. They revise those questions when they find connections, encounter new evidence, consider solutions, or clarify the text they plan to create.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can turn a broad topic into a focused question that requires evidence and analysis. They can write supporting questions that connect ideas or test possible solutions. After reviewing a source, they can explain how and why their question should change.
Common Misconceptions
- Students often choose questions that are too broad, too narrow, or answerable with one fact. They may collect unrelated questions without identifying how the ideas connect. They may also keep the first question even when evidence points toward a better focus.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Give students the topic "school start times" and ask for one focused research question, two supporting questions, and one possible revision after new evidence.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs index cards with broad topics, then have them arrange question cards from too broad to focused and explain their choices.
Ask students to write about how two issues, such as sleep and school schedules, might connect and what questions the connection raises.
Play Question Ladder: teams revise a factual question three times until it requires comparison, analysis, or a proposed solution.
Have students choose a school concern, interview one stakeholder, then revise their research question based on the response.
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Printable 9.T.RA.1.a Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 9.T.RA.1.a, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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Related Standards
- 6.T.RA.1.a
Generate questions to guide research and make connections between related topics of interest, formulating questions to investigate complex topics and ideas. (I)
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The 10th Grade version of this standard.
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The 11th Grade version of this standard.
- 12.T.RA.1.a
The 12th Grade version of this standard.
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