Sustained Research from a Real Question
Aligned to W.11-12.7 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
Strong research begins with a question narrow enough to answer and open enough to require synthesis — pulling from several sources and reconciling where they disagree. When early findings complicate the question, refine it rather than forcing the evidence to fit.
Worked example
A student starts asking 'Is social media bad for teens?' but the sources split by platform and age, so she narrows to 'How does nighttime phone use affect high-school sleep?' — a question the evidence can actually answer, and the tighter focus makes the research usable instead of endless.
Practice questions
- Draft a research question, then narrow or broaden it once so multiple sources are genuinely needed to answer it.
- List the kinds of sources that would answer it and note where they might disagree.
- Explain how you would synthesize two conflicting sources into a single reasoned finding.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Investigación Sostenida desde una Pregunta Real
La buena investigación empieza con una pregunta lo bastante estrecha para responderse y lo bastante abierta para exigir síntesis — reuniendo varias fuentes y reconciliando dónde discrepan. Cuando los primeros hallazgos complican la pregunta, refínala en vez de forzar la evidencia a encajar.
Ejemplo: Una estudiante empieza preguntando '¿Las redes sociales dañan a los adolescentes?', pero las fuentes se dividen por plataforma y edad, así que la estrecha a '¿Cómo afecta el uso nocturno del teléfono el sueño de la preparatoria?' — una pregunta que la evidencia sí puede responder, y el enfoque más ajustado vuelve útil la investigación en vez de interminable.
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