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Lesson: Categorizing Research Questions

Description

In this lesson, students organize the research questions they previously generated into categories. Categorizing questions engages students in analysis of the content of questions. Generating labels for questions categorized requires students to synthesize information by coming up with labels that describe categories. Additionally, by labeling categories, students identify the big ideas about the topic under study. This provides a graphic organizer in their mind to which they will add the myriad of facts they will gather during their research.

Learning Outcomes   I   Suggested Procedure   I   Assessment    for this Lesson

Materials for this Offline lesson:

  • Pocket charts (at least 6) or post-it tape to allow students to tape questions on board
  • Whiteboard/markers(2-3)
  • Sentence strips (50-100)
  • Red medium tipped markers
  • Research questions on sentence strips or construction paper
  • Pocket chart racks (optional)
  • Push pins
    		• Time allotment: 45 - 50 minutes

    Grade Level: Grade 2 - 12

    Information Literacy Standard:
    6. The student who is an independent learner is Information literate and strives for excellence in Information-seeking and knowledge generation.

     

    Learning Outcomes

    Students will be able to categorize questions by topic.
    Students will label the topics for each category.

    Set-up

    Suggested Procedure

    Grades 2 through 5

    Tell students that they did a great job of generating questions. You counted over 60 questions. The problem is what to do with all these questions? Any suggestions? Students will generally come up with the notion that the questions need to be organized.

    Ask the students which method they think would be best to organize the questions. While you want students to ultimately decide to categorize questions by content, students may not initially decide on that method. Usually the older the students (4th - 5th grade and above) will choose this method. Younger students may choose to organize them by alphabetical order, by type of question, or by what the question starts with. Allow students to make these choices and begin categorization. Usually after categorizing just a few questions students will recognize that organizing the questions in this manner does not yield the kind of results they want.

    When students finally decide on the content method for categorization, ask students if they see a category where they would like to begin.
    • Ask a student to pick a question, read it aloud, and tell what category (s) he is thinking of to begin the categorizing process.
    • Have the student take the question and put it into one of the pocket charts or on the board.
    • Ask the class if anyone sees other questions that belong with the first categorized question.
    • Choose a student, have the student choose the question, read the question aloud, and tell why she thinks it belongs with the first question. Ask the class if they agree.
    Next ask students if they see another category that could be started?
    • Choose a student, have the student choose a question, read the question and explain a new category. Have the student put the question in a different pocket chart.
    • Tell students if they find two questions that are exactly the same, they are to put the question that is the same behind the other question.
    • Continue with this process for 2 or 3 more students.
    • Now excuse all students to choose a question and either add to a category or start another category.
    Students will take ownership of this process. They will approach charts and discuss with others what they think belongs or does not belong in categories. It is a good idea to record some of these conversations because it is a testament to students higher order thinking.
    Once all questions have been categorized, go over each category with the class, having different students read each question, and then ask if they agree with the category chosen. Continue in this manner until you have finished reviewing all categories.
    • As you are going over each category, ask students to think of a label that will describe that category. Ask the class if they agree with suggested categories.
    • Have a student take a blank sentence strip and write the label for the category on the sentence strip with a medium tipped red marker.
    • Have the student put the labeling sentence strip at the top of the category.

    Grades 6 through 12

    The process enumerated above can be shortened for students who have categorizing knowledge. Students in upper grades with experience in categorizing can break into cooperative groups to categorize questions.

    Assessment

    Categorizing research questions requires students to analyze information and synthesize that information into new knowledge to be used. This new knowledge becomes the graphic organizer or the organizational schematic in the student's brain with which the student can categorize and store new data/information as it is gathered. As the teacher guides this initial learning experience, he/she is also assessing those students who can analyze and synthesize information and those who cannot. As the teacher repeats this process throughout the year, an important assessment component is to see which of those students who, during the initial categorizing experience, could not analyze and synthesize information, can now do so.

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    link to UCLA 21st Century Literacies Initiative    		 This page was last updated February 19, 2002
    This lesson was created to support the AT&T/UCLA Initiatives for the 21st Century Literacies.
    Categorizing Research Questions was created by Sharon Sutton