Informative, Narrative & Research Writing
Aligned to W.9-10.2 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
Sustained research means using several authoritative sources and weaving their information into your own analysis instead of dropping quotes in. You evaluate each source's authority and avoid plagiarism through careful citation.
Worked examples
Example 1
Rather than writing 'A source says X,' you integrate it: 'Because urban traffic rose 20% (City Report, 2023), planners now favor bike lanes' — blending the fact with your point.
Example 2
Weak: A study found that reading aloud helps. Better: Children read to for twenty minutes a day entered kindergarten knowing roughly 1.4 million more words than those who were not (Logan et al., 2019) — a gap no single school year can close. The number is framed, sourced, and its significance is stated in the same breath.
Example 3
Common mistake: stacking quotations end to end and calling it a paragraph. Three sourced sentences in a row with no commentary between them is a list, not writing — the reader cannot tell which idea is yours. Use the sandwich: your sentence sets up the evidence, the evidence appears, then your sentence explains what it proves. Your voice should open and close every paragraph.
Practice questions
- Integrate a quote smoothly into your own sentence.
- Evaluate whether a source is authoritative.
- Synthesize two sources into one analytical sentence.
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
Escritura Informativa, Narrativa e Investigación
La investigación sostenida implica usar varias fuentes confiables e integrar su información en tu propio análisis, en lugar de simplemente insertar citas. Evalúas la autoridad de cada fuente y evitas el plagio mediante una citación cuidadosa.
Ejemplo 1: En lugar de escribir 'Una fuente dice X', lo integras así: 'Debido a que el tráfico urbano aumentó un 20% (City Report, 2023), los planificadores ahora prefieren los carriles para bicicletas' — combinando el dato con tu argumento.
Ejemplo 2: Débil: Un estudio halló que leer en voz alta ayuda. Mejor: Los niños a quienes se les leyó veinte minutos diarios llegaron al kínder conociendo alrededor de 1.4 millones de palabras más que los demás (Logan et al., 2019) — una brecha que ningún año escolar cierra solo. La cifra queda enmarcada, citada y explicada en la misma frase.
Ejemplo 3: Error común: apilar citas una tras otra y llamarlo párrafo. Tres frases citadas seguidas sin comentario entre ellas son una lista, no escritura — el lector no distingue cuál idea es tuya. Usa el sándwich: tu frase prepara la evidencia, aparece la evidencia, y tu frase explica qué demuestra. Tu voz debe abrir y cerrar cada párrafo.
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