Launching the research process — from topic to research question; the 8-stage workflow

Quick-write: 'What's the difference between Googling a topic and actually researching it? What changes when you ask a QUESTION instead of just looking up a topic?'

• Circulate to read 3-4 quick-writes
• Press for the move from 'tell me about' to 'How did...?' or 'Why did...?'
• Acknowledge that the question is what turns information-gathering into inquiry

Welcome to G7 fall — the term you become a RESEARCHER. Until now, you've drawn evidence from texts I gave you. This term, YOU find the sources, YOU evaluate them, YOU synthesize across them, and YOU document every borrowed idea with formal MLA citation. The single most important first move: turn a TOPIC into a RESEARCH QUESTION. A topic ('the Maya') is not a question; a research question ('How did Maya astronomical knowledge shape their architecture?') is. The question is FOCUSED (one aspect, not the whole topic), ANSWERABLE (multiple sources can address it), and DRIVES INQUIRY (the answer is not obvious — you must research to find out). Murray called research 'discovery' — your question may shift as evidence accumulates. The 8-stage workflow (MG-2): PLAN (question) → RESEARCH (gather sources, apply CRAAP) → NOTE-TAKE (capture with citation at point of note) → DRAFT (synthesize) → CITE (in-text parenthetical + Works Cited) → REVISE (3-pass) → PUBLISH (typed MLA-formatted) → PRESENT (Researcher's Forum oral with visual aid). Today we launch with PLAN.

• Notice each question is FOCUSED (one aspect), ANSWERABLE (sources exist), and DRIVES INQUIRY.

  model Q1: How did codebreakers at Bletchley Park shape the war's outcome? Q2: Why did the United States intern Japanese-American citizens during WWII? Q3: What were the effects of WWII on women's participation in the U.S. workforce?

  prompt Topic: World War II. Generate 3 research questions.
• The same topic generates very different questions — each leads to different sources.

  model Q1: How does climate change affect food security in East Africa? Q2: What renewable-energy policies have most reduced emissions in the past decade? Q3: How are youth climate activists like Vanessa Nakate reshaping climate communication?

  prompt Topic: climate change. Generate 3 research questions.
• Scope is goldilocks. A good question is not too big, not too small.

  model Too broad (whole topic, not a question). Too narrow (one day of one person — unlikely to have sources).

  prompt TOO BROAD or TOO NARROW? Critique each: 'What's the deal with the Roman Empire?' / 'What did Caesar eat for breakfast on March 14, 44 BCE?'

• Pair-share: turn 'the Mali Empire' into a focused research question.
• Cold Call (Lemov): name one feature that makes a question RESEARCHABLE.
• Thumbs: I can distinguish a topic from a research question (up) / I need re-explanation (down)

M-7-F-RES-01-A Chart

MG-2 8-stage research-process workflow banner displayed at front: PLAN-RESEARCH-NOTE-DRAFT-CITE-REVISE-PUBLISH-PRESENT, color-coded with icons. Each stage labeled with a single-sentence definition. Print-ready 18x24.

MG-2 Chart

8-stage research-process workflow anchor: color-coded horizontal banner. 1. PLAN (formulate research question) — orange / question-mark icon. 2. RESEARCH (gather sources, apply CRAAP) — yellow / magnifying-glass icon. 3. NOTE-TAKE (capture quote/paraphrase/summary WITH citation at point of note) — green / note-card icon. 4. DRAFT (synthesize across sources) — blue / pencil icon. 5. CITE (in-text parenthetical + Works Cited) — purple / quote-mark icon. 6. REVISE (3-pass peer revision) — red / arrow-loop icon. 7. PUBLISH (typed with formal MLA formatting) — teal / printer icon. 8. PRESENT (Researcher's Forum oral with visual aid) — gold / microphone-and-easel icon. Bottom rule: 'Each stage has a name, a routine, and an anchor. Skip a stage and the next stage suffers.' Print-ready 18x24.

• Choose a topic from the curated list of 15 (Maya astronomy / Islamic Golden Age scholarship / Tang Dynasty inventions / West African Mali Empire / Black women in NASA / climate justice / language extinction / food sovereignty / indigenous science / sports analytics / music history / video-game design / refugee experience / urban planning / disability rights). Generate 3 candidate research questions.

  scaffold Question-stem starter card on desk: 'How did ___?' / 'Why did ___?' / 'What were the effects of ___?' / 'To what extent did ___?'
• Pair-evaluate: exchange your 3 questions with a partner. For each, label SCOPE (too broad / too narrow / just right) and ANSWERABILITY (sources likely findable yes/no).

  scaffold Scope-answerability 2-column checklist

• Choose your final research question from your 3 candidates (or refine one further). State it as a complete question.

• Restate: a research question is FOCUSED, ANSWERABLE, and DRIVES INQUIRY
• Preview tomorrow's mentor research-text reading + CRAAP source-evaluation introduction

• Refine your research question. Bring tomorrow with one paragraph explaining WHY this question matters to you (research-paper anxiety reduction — Lamott).