Generate and maintain a research-question inventory of topics to investigate
Exercise Difficulty 1 ~9 min eng.g4.s.ex_01

Research Question Inventory Build

Prompt

Open to a fresh 2-page spread in your writer's notebook. List 5 OPEN-ENDED research questions you want to investigate. For each: QUESTION + WHY-I-WANT-TO-KNOW + 2-3 candidate SOURCES.

M-4-S-EX-01 Illustration
Reference image of a Grade-4 research-question inventory showing 5 sample entries with QUESTION / WHY-I-WANT-TO-KNOW / S

Reference image of a Grade-4 research-question inventory showing 5 sample entries with QUESTION / WHY-I-WANT-TO-KNOW / SOURCES lines filled. Print-ready 8.5x11.

How it's presented
mode handwriting paper notebook spread
Answer criteria
type rubric
criteria
  1. 5 questions listed
  2. Each is OPEN-ENDED (How/Why/What/Who, not yes/no)
  3. Each has WHY-I-WANT-TO-KNOW line
  4. Each has 2-3 candidate SOURCES
Hints
  1. Open-ended = HOW / WHY / WHAT / WHO. Avoid yes/no.
  2. Source candidates make the question RESEARCHABLE — name 2-3.
Misconceptions to watch
  • Lists yes/no questions ('Was Sojourner Truth famous?').
  • Lists topics with no available age-appropriate sources.
Used in lessons