Researching My Invention

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SWBAT research their invention by gathering relevant information from multiple digital sources, using search terms effectively and assessing the credibility and accuracy of each source.

Big Idea


Lesson Opener

10 minutes


Connect: I will say,”At this point in the unit, we have generated ideas for inventions and practiced writing about them. Today we are going to research questions we have about our inventions or business ideas." 

Teach: I will say, “In order to build upon our research skills, we are going to practice gathering information from internet sources about our inventions or business ideas. I am going to practice the skill of generating questions I have about my invention and the strategy of using successful search terms and determining credibility of an internet source. The process I will use is as follows:

1)      Formulate questions I have about my invention/business idea using the research sheet.docx

2)      Narrow the topic of my question as a “search term”

3)      Search for my topic

4)      Determine how I can adjust my researching using the tip sheet

5)      Jot down pieces of evidence that can answer my question

6)     Label the source of my evidence."

I will model for the class how I jot down questions I have about my invention. Here is an example of how I search for my millionaire :) idea of the “Snackshirt”and hear is the Example of Lesson Opener.mp4

Active Engagement

5 minutes

Active Engagement:  Students will start their internet research using the tips sheet and the graphic organizer. I will check for understanding by looking over the shoulders of every level of learner (at least 3 students-one who is at standard, one is approaching standard, and one who is above standard). I will ensure that students are finding evidence that relates to their question, they are using the tips sheet and are labeling the source of the information.

After most of the class has found at least one piece of evidence, I will do the closing, then have them independently work on their own.

Closing of Active Engagement: I will say, “Who would like to share out how they used the tip sheet?” I will ask my 3 levels of learners, then clear up any misconceptions. Then I will close before the start independent practice.

“Remember, successful researchers go through many steps while researching for evidence. They formulate questions they have about their invention/business idea, then narrow the topic of their question as a “search term” for the topic. They then determine how they can adjust researching using the tip sheet. Researchers then jot down pieces of evidence that can answer their question and label the source of the evidence. 

Independent Practice

30 minutes

Independent Practice:  Students will be directed then be directed to find evidence on their own. Based on the time they have in class, I will give them a number of pieces of evidence I expect by the end of the class period. I will confer with them as they research using the possible conferences for gathering evidence for the research essay.

Partner Work: After about ten minutes of independently research, I will direct students to share their findings with their partners. I will say, “Share with the person next to you, your best piece of evidence so far. Share how you found it on the internet and the type of evidence you found.” Listen to the person sharing and give them feedback about what they could do next. You could give them advice about what type of evidence they could look for next, or another tip to use while searching for evidence.

Depending on time and where my learners are at in the lesson I will have students share out what their partner said. If during conferencing and walking around, I see that at least 85% of the students are completing their research successfully, then I will not further interrupt them with a whole group share out. I  will then have students go back to researching. 




I will collect students’ evidence gathering sheets as they are walking out of the door. I am looking to see what type of evidence they are collecting in order to pull certaintexts for their reading of non-fiction articles for the next days lesson.