Claim 4: Students can engage in research/ inquiry to investigate topics and to analyze, integrate, and present information.

Learn About Claim 4

• What is the rationale for Claim 4?
  The Common Core standards reflect the fact that inquiry and critical thinking are essential attributes of a student who is college and career-ready, enabling students to produce new insights, perspectives, solutions, and products. The standards include a number of references to the kinds of research and investigation in which students should be prepared to engage. Read more.

• What does sufficient evidence looks like for Claim 4?
  Research and inquiry tasks are a means by which students can demonstrate their ability to think critically, analyze and synthesize information, and communicate effectively. At each grade level, students will explore a topic, issue, or complex problem that may involve working with peers to gather and /or interpret information from multiple sources. Read more.

• What are the assessment targets for Claim 4?
  The targets that are provided are for grades 4, 8, and 11, serving as elementary, middle, and high school examples of the targets that the Consortium will be developed for grades 3-11. Each assessment target is accompanied by the related standard(s) in the CCSS from which it is drawn, and by the intended cognitive rigor/depth-of-knowledge (DOK) required by the assessment target. Read more.

Unit/Lesson Planning

Tools

• Understanding the Standards
• Study the Standards at Your Grade - ELA & Literacy    
  Explore the CCSS ELA concept organizers and unpacked content for your grade or subject developed by other CCSS states.
• Expanded Definitions for CCSS in ELA & Literacy    
  This document, created by the Rhode Island Department of Education provides additional information to help expand understanding of the Critical Areas of Focus for ELA & Literacy.

• Planning Templates
• Quality Review Rubric for Units and Lessons    
  The Tri-State Collaborative (composed of educational leaders from Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island and facilitated by Achieve) has developed criterion-based rubrics and review processes to evaluate the quality of lessons and units intended to address the Common Core State Standards for ELA & Literacy.

Teaching & Learning

Tools

• CCSS Evidence Guides: Aligned Practice Made Clear    
  These tools provide specific guidance for what the CCSS for ELA / literacy and math looks like in planning and practice. They are designed as developmental tools for teachers and those who support teachers.

• Instructional Strategies
  The Common Core standards reflect the fact that inquiry and critical thinking are essential attributes of a student who is college and career-ready, enabling students to produce new insights, perspectives, solutions, and products.
• Inquiry Charts (I-Charts)   12/28/2012 (36.50 KB)
  Inquiry Charts (I-Charts) provide a structured guide for compiling research from multiple sources.
• Research Interviews   01/02/2013 (34.50 KB)
  Research Interviews offer opportunities for students to gain experience with primary sources of information.
• Speech   01/09/2013 (33.50 KB)
  Speech provides opportunities to construct and justify arguments.
• Creative Research Projects   01/02/2013 (33.50 KB)
  

Additional Resources

• Videos of instruction
• Improving Research Skills with Effective Keywords (6-8)    
  In this middle school lesson, students use precise vocabulary to improve Internet searches.
• Understanding Fair Use in a Digital World (6-8)    
  Middle school students determine the 'fair use' of material using two videos.

• Differentiating for individual student needs
• Meeting the Needs of English Language Learners    
  The documents on this page provide all educators with resources that focus on the needs of English learners. Educators should continue to reference the resources available on other CCSS pages for content-specific information.
• Meeting the Needs of Students with Disabilities and Diverse Learners    
  The documents on these pages provide all educators with resources that focus on the differentiated instruction of students with special needs. Educators should continue to reference the resources available on other CCSS pages for content-specific information.
• Differentiation Training Module    
  This site contains 10 training modules on differentiation, developed as part of the Oregon DATA Project. GET PASSWORD

• Lessons
  NOTE: The inclusion of links to these sites does not constitute an endorsement by ODE.
• EduCore: Literacy Tools    
  Understand the Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) framework, learn how to use the templates to create reading/writing assignments, and view sample modules for ELA, social studies and science developed by teachers.
• Open Education Resources (OER) Commons    
  A collection of open education resources (OER) including Common Core implementation plans, transition guides, assessment tasks, exemplars and curriculum.

Assessment

Tools

• Smarter Balanced Sample Summative Items for Teachers
  Covering all possible item types (selected response, constructed response, extended response, technology enhanced, and performance tasks), these samples include student items, as well as sample student responses and evaluation rubrics where appropriate. Educators can use these items to get an idea of how to design classroom tasks that will prepare students for the Smarter Balanced Assessment.
• Grades 6-8    
• Grades 9-11    
  
• Sample Items and Tasks for Students    
  The items on these sites include a combination of computer adaptive items (selected response, constructed response, extended response) and performance tasks. Items can be scored using sample student responses and their accompanying scores as reference for reviewing your answer.
• Writing Rubrics    
  NOTE: Rubrics for research are at the end of this document.

• Karin Moscon     (503) 947-5706
  Secondary/Post Secondary Transitions - Education Program Specialist, CTE Civil Rights