Virginia SOL 10.R.1.A
The Standard
Formulate and revise questions about a research topic, broadening or narrowing the inquiry as necessary.
Virginia Standards of Learning for English
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students turn a general research interest into focused, researchable questions. They revise questions after initial reading, narrowing an unwieldy topic or broadening one that yields too little useful evidence.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can identify whether a question is too broad, too narrow, or manageable. The student can revise it by changing the population, period, place, issue, or scope, then explain the choice.
Common Misconceptions
- Students often mistake a topic phrase for a research question. They may write yes or no questions, treat the first question as final, or confuse narrowing with adding detail. Some narrow the question until useful sources are nearly impossible to find.
How to Assess It
- Use this exit ticket: Rewrite “How does social media affect teenagers?” as one narrower question and one broader question. Label each and explain when each revision would be useful.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups topic cards and strips labeled population, time, place, and issue. Students arrange strips to build and revise research questions.
Write two versions of your question, then explain to a partner which version is manageable and what evidence could answer it.
Play Question Clinic: teams diagnose questions as too broad, too narrow, or workable, then earn points by making precise revisions.
Examine how a local reporter might narrow a school attendance topic into a question that can be answered with available records and interviews.
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Printable 10.R.1.A Worksheet
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Related Standards
- 9.R.1.A
The 9th Grade version of this standard.
- 12.R.1.A
Formulate and revise questions about a research topic broadening or narrowing the inquiry as necessary.
- 8.R.1.A
The 8th Grade version of this standard.
- 11.R.1.A
Formulate and revise questions about a research topic broadening or narrowing the inquiry as necessary.
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