Student Driven Research
Students will create a research claim and support the claim through supporting evidence to design and conduct a student designed research project.
Overview
Students develop a research claim and design and conduct their own investigation, drawing on science, math, and English. They begin with an "I wonder" brainstorm and videos on how researchers solve problems, then use a variables and graphing notebook and topic-selection activities to narrow a topic. Article analyses of reputable sources lead to a problem statement, research question, and testable hypothesis, supported by a practice experimental design lab. Students then design a data table and experiment, carry out their research with teacher check-ins, analyze and graph the data, and write a conclusion and abstract. They share results on a research poster in a gallery walk.
Lesson Objectives
- Create a research claim and support the claim through supporting evidence to design and conduct a student designed research project.
Standards
NGSS · 4
- HS-ETS1-1Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
- HS-ETS1-2Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.
- HS-ETS1-3Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
- HS-ETS1-4Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem with numerous criteria and constraints on interactions within and between systems relevant to the problem.
CCSS Math · 4
- HSS-ID.A.1Represent data with plots on the real number line (dot plots, histograms, and box plots).
- HSS-ID.A.2Use statistics appropriate to the shape of the data distribution to compare center (median, mean) and spread (interquartile range, standard deviation) of two or more different data sets.
- HSS-ID.A.3Interpret differences in shape, center, and spread in the context of the data sets, accounting for possible effects of extreme data points (outliers).
- HSS-IC.B.3Recognize the purposes of and differences among sample surveys, experiments, and observational studies; explain how randomization relates to each.
CCSS ELA · 8
- RST.9-10.1Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions.
- RST.9-10.3Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks, attending to special cases or exceptions defined in the text.
- RST.9-10.6Analyze the author's purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text, defining the question the author seeks to address.
- RST.9-10.7Translate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text into visual form (e.g., a table or chart) and translate information expressed visually or mathematically (e.g., in an equation) into words.
- SL.11-12.1.aCome to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
- RST.11-12.1Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to important distinctions the author makes and to any gaps or inconsistencies in the account.
- RST.11-12.7Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., quantitative data, video, multimedia) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
- RST.11-12.8Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying the data when possible and corroborating or challenging conclusions with other sources of information.