Research Arc Launch — The 4-Step Routine and the Two-Source Goal

Question-formation warm-up: teacher writes a vague topic on the board ('honeybees') and asks 'what is one SPECIFIC QUESTION you would research about this topic?' Children generate 5-7 candidate questions; teacher records.

• Affirm each question by name
• Sort questions into 'narrow enough' vs. 'too broad'
• Name the criterion: a research question is answerable in 2-4 sentences

M-3-S-RES-13-C Illustration

Reference image with 3 example questions: 'Tell me about honeybees' (red X, label 'too broad'), 'How many arms does an octopus have?' (red X, label 'too narrow — one fact answers it'), 'How do octopuses solve problems?' (green check, label 'good — specific, calls for explanation'). Print-ready 8.5x11.

This week you begin RESEARCHING for your second informational essay. The first essay drew on what you ALREADY KNEW. The second essay will draw on what you LEARN from TWO sources. Look at MG-5. The research process has 4 steps. STEP 1 — ASK: write a focused RESEARCH QUESTION about your topic. Not 'tell me about honeybees' (too broad). Not 'what color are honeybees' (too narrow — one sentence answers it). Goal: a question answerable in 2-4 sentences. Example: 'How do honeybees communicate with each other?' STEP 2 — FIND: gather information from AT LEAST 2 SOURCES. At G3, you will use one PRINT source (a book from our library) and one DIGITAL source (a teacher-curated kid-friendly website page printed out). STEP 3 — RECORD: use the 3-column template (SOURCE / FACT / MY PARAPHRASE) to note 3-5 facts per source. STEP 4 — SORT: group your recorded facts into 3 body-paragraph categories. The SOURCE-CARD system (MG-15) keeps your two sources organized — a blue index card for Source 1 (with title, author, year, type) and a green index card for Source 2.

• A good research question is specific but not yes/no. It calls for explanation.

  model Topic: octopuses. Bad question 1 (too broad): 'Tell me about octopuses.' Bad question 2 (too narrow): 'How many arms does an octopus have?' Good question: 'How do octopuses solve problems?'

  prompt Teacher models step 1 — formulating a research question.
• Both sources must be NAMED on the card. Date matters because facts can change over time.

  model Source 1 (blue card): 'The Octopus Scientists' by Sy Montgomery, 2015, book — from our library shelf. Source 2 (green card): printed page from a kid-friendly science website with author and date noted at top.

  prompt Teacher models step 2 — finding 2 sources.

• What makes a research question 'good'?
• Name the 4 research steps in order.

M-3-S-RES-13-A Chart

Reproduction of MG-5 at 11x17: 4 numbered circles in a flow — 1. ASK (purple, question-mark icon), 2. FIND (blue, book+screen icon), 3. RECORD (orange, note-card icon), 4. SORT (green, folder icon). Below: 'Paraphrase = MY words. Quote = SOURCE's exact words in quotation marks. ALWAYS name the source.' Print-ready, dyslexic-friendly font.

MG-5 Chart Physical / non-image

Research-process 4-step anchor poster: four numbered circles in a flow — 1. ASK (purple, with a question-mark icon: 'What do I want to know about ___?'), 2. FIND (blue, with a book + screen icon: 'Get information from at least 2 sources — print or digital'), 3. RECORD (orange, with a note-card icon: '3-column template — SOURCE / FACT / MY PARAPHRASE'), 4. SORT (green, with a folder icon: 'Group facts into body-paragraph categories'). Below: 'Paraphrase = MY words. Quote = SOURCE's exact words in quotation marks. ALWAYS name the source.' Print-ready 11x17.

• Pick a topic for your second essay (can be from your expert inventory or your 'topic I want to become expert on' column). Write your RESEARCH QUESTION at the top of a fresh notebook page.

  scaffold Question-stem cards: 'How does ___?' 'Why does ___?' 'What is the difference between ___ and ___?'
• Visit the curated source library. Pick 1 print source. Fill in your blue SOURCE 1 card (title, author, year, type).

  scaffold MG-15 visual at hand + library access
• Begin RECORDING (step 3) with the 3-column template — record at least 2 facts from Source 1 with paraphrases.

  scaffold MG-6 template at 1.5x + paraphrase-vs-quote anchor MG-7

M-3-S-RES-13-B Photograph

Reference photo of a Grade-3 classroom source library: a low shelf with informational books grouped by topic family (animals / people-and-places / how-things-work / world-cultures), each family bin labeled. Beside the shelf: a 3-ring binder of printed kid-friendly website pages, also tabbed by topic. Print-ready 4x6 photo for setup reference.

• Read your research question to a partner. Partner names: is it specific? Is it answerable in 2-4 sentences?
• Show your Source 1 card — complete with title, author, year, type.

• Hold up your Source 1 card.
• Predict: tomorrow we add Source 2 and meet more process verbs.

• At home tonight, look for a SECOND source on your topic — a book, a magazine, an encyclopedia, or an article a family member shows you. Bring the title and author on a sticky note.