Unit Plan 31 (Grade 5 ELA): Extended Research Project
Grade 5 research and technology unit: guide students through planning inquiry questions, gathering reliable sources, paraphrasing accurately, and using digital tools to organize, cite, and present their findings effectively.
Focus: Planning inquiry, gathering from multiple sources, note-taking, tech
Grade Level: 5
Subject Area: English Language Arts (Writing—Research & Technology)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
Researchers ask sharp questions, find trustworthy sources, take useful notes, and build clear products with technology. This week, students plan an inquiry, gather information from multiple print/digital sources, learn to paraphrase/quote with simple citations, and use digital tools to draft and share findings. By Friday, each learner will have an inquiry plan, organized notes with source info, a working outline, and a tech-enabled draft start.
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…
- Plan and carry out a short research project by generating a focused question and sub-questions; refine scope as they learn (W.5.7).
- Gather relevant information from multiple sources; paraphrase and quote accurately; summarize important ideas; provide basic bibliographic information for each source (W.5.8).
- Use technology to collect notes, organize ideas, and produce/share writing (documents/slides), including simple inserted visuals and formatting (W.5.6).
Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 5
- W.5.7, W.5.8, W.5.6
Success Criteria — student language
- I wrote a focused research question and 3–4 helpful sub-questions.
- Every note I take is tagged with a source and written in my own words (or clearly quoted).
- I collected information from at least three sources (print and/or digital).
- My outline and draft start show a clear structure with basic citations/attributions.