Research a specific question: gather information from a variety of sources, record observations, take brief notes, sort them into categories and answer in a short report

Learning goal: This lesson teaches the parts of two of Ohio's 2026 writing standards for third grade, first implemented in 2027-28. You will engage in a brief research project, collaboratively and independently, by gathering information from a variety of sources on a topic, recording observations and composing a short report using grade-level vocabulary and sentence structure. To do that, you will recall information from personal experiences or gather information from sources to take brief notes, sort evidence into focused categories and answer a specific question in writing.

A brief research project starts with a specific question. A brief research project takes a few days, not a few months. It works best when it begins with a specific question, one you can answer in a short report. "Squirrels" is a topic, and it is far too big: a whole book could not tell everything about squirrels. "How do gray squirrels get ready for winter?" is a specific question. It tells you what to look for, and it tells you when you are done: when you can answer it. You can work collaboratively, with a group, and independently, on your own. In a group, you share sources, split up the reading and compare notes. On your own, you take your own notes and write your own answer. In this lesson the class shares one question, and each student writes his or her own report.

Gather information from a variety of sources. A source is anywhere information comes from. There are several kinds: print sources, such as books and magazine articles; digital sources, such as a web page or video that an adult helps you choose; people who know about the topic, whom you can interview; your own observations; and your personal experiences, things you remember seeing or doing. Use a variety, at least three kinds, because different kinds often give you different evidence. A book may explain why something happens; your own observation shows you what really happens outside your window. When two reliable sources each found a fact on their own and say the same thing, you can trust the fact more. If one source simply copied the other, they count as one. When they disagree, look again or ask an adult. A source counts only if it is on the topic and helps answer the question. A web page about building bird feeders has squirrels in its pictures, but it does not tell how squirrels get ready for winter, so leave it out. For every source, write its title and where you found it, and give it a letter (A, B, C) to use in your notes.

Recording observations. An observation is something you notice with your senses at the moment it happens: what you see, hear, count or measure. To record observations, write the date, the time and the place first. Then write exactly what you noticed, with numbers when you can count ("2 squirrels"), and add a quick sketch if it helps. Write what happened, not why it happened. "A squirrel buried an acorn by the fence post" is an observation. "The squirrel was saving it for January" is a guess, because you cannot see why the squirrel did it. Keep guesses out of the observation column; write them in a separate column headed "I wonder" or "I think." Never fill in an observation you did not make. If you looked and saw nothing, write "no squirrels seen."

Take brief notes. A note is a short reminder of one fact, written in your own words. It is brief: key words and short phrases, not whole copied sentences. Write one fact per note, and put the source letter in front of it so that you know where it came from. A sentence in a source such as "Gray squirrels bury nuts one at a time in many different places" becomes the note "A: bury nuts one by one, many spots." If you need the author's exact words, put them in quotation marks and write the source letter. A personal experience becomes a note too: "Me: saw a squirrel dig in our flower bed last fall."

Sort evidence into focused categories. Evidence is the information that helps answer your question. A category is a group of notes that are about the same part of the answer. Make your categories from the question. "How do gray squirrels get ready for winter?" has three parts to look for: food, shelter and their bodies. A category is focused when every note in it is about one thing. "Squirrel facts" is not focused, because any note would fit. Sort each note into one category. If a note fits nowhere and does not help answer the question, set it aside. If a category has only one note, it is thin: gather more before you write if you can, or keep that part of the report short.

Answer a specific question in writing. Your first sentence answers the question directly, and it uses the question's own words, so the reader knows you answered it: "Gray squirrels get ready for winter by storing food, building warm nests and growing thicker fur." The next sentences give the evidence from each category. Check that you answered the question that was asked. Telling what color squirrels are, or how fast they run, answers a different question.

Compose a short report using grade-level vocabulary and sentence structure. A short report has a title, an opening sentence that answers the question, a few sentences for each category, a closing sentence and a list of sources. Grade-level vocabulary means using the exact topic words from your notes, such as bury, store, nest and hibernate, instead of vague words such as stuff, things and do. If you use a special word the reader may not know, explain it: "a leaf nest, called a drey." Grade-level sentence structure means complete sentences, each with a subject and a predicate, and a mix of short sentences and longer ones joined with and, but, so, because or when. Do not begin every sentence the same way, and do not run two sentences together without a joining word. To turn notes into sentences, put two related notes together: "bury nuts, many spots" and "find by memory, smell" become "Gray squirrels bury nuts in many different spots, and they find many of them again by memory and by smell."

Original article — Source A (print): Squirrels Store Food for Winter

In the fall, gray squirrels are busy collecting acorns, walnuts and other nuts. They do not keep all their nuts in one place. Gray squirrels bury nuts one at a time in many different places. In winter, when food is hard to find, they dig many of the nuts up again, finding them by remembering where they hid them and by smell. Some nuts are never dug up. A buried acorn that is forgotten can sprout and grow into a new oak tree.

Original web page — Source B (digital): Winter Nests and Warm Coats

Gray squirrels do not hibernate. They stay active all winter. To keep warm, a squirrel may build a leaf nest, called a drey, high in a tree, or it may live in a hole in a tree trunk. In the fall, a gray squirrel's fur grows thicker, which helps it stay warm. On very cold or stormy days, squirrels may stay in their nests.

Worked example 1 — Gathering from a variety of sources, collaboratively. Ms. Park's class, an invented class, asks, "How do gray squirrels get ready for winter?" The group lists possible sources: Source A, a printed article about storing food; Source B, a web page about nests that the teacher chose; a video about building a bird feeder; three mornings of watching the oak tree outside the window; and Ravi's memory of a squirrel digging in his flower bed. They keep A (print), B (digital), the window watch (observation) and Ravi's memory (personal experience): four kinds, all about squirrels getting ready for winter. They leave out the bird-feeder video, because it does not help answer the question. Then they split the work: two students read A, two read B, and everyone takes a turn at the window. Each student still takes his or her own notes.

Worked example 2 — Recording observations. At the window, Lena first writes: "Tues., 9:00 a.m., oak tree. A squirrel was hungry. It hid an acorn for later." She checks each part. "Hungry" and "for later" are guesses, because she cannot see what a squirrel feels or plans. Her revised record: "Tues., Oct. 7, 9:00 to 9:10 a.m., oak tree by the playground. 2 squirrels seen. 1 squirrel dug a small hole by the fence post, pushed in an acorn and patted dirt over it. 1 squirrel carried a mouthful of leaves up the oak tree." In her "I think" column she writes: "Maybe it is saving the acorn for winter (Source A says they do)." On Thursday no squirrels came, so she writes "Thurs., Oct. 9, 9:00 to 9:10 a.m.: no squirrels seen." She does not make up an entry.

Worked example 3 — Brief notes, sorted into focused categories. Lena's notes: "A: bury nuts one by one, many spots." "A: find them again by memory, smell." "A: forgotten acorn can grow into oak." "B: leaf nest (drey) high in tree." "B: fur grows thicker in fall, helps keep warm." "B: do not hibernate." "Obs: squirrel buried acorn by fence post." "Obs: squirrel carried leaves up oak." "Me: squirrels have bushy tails." Her categories come from the question: Food, Shelter, Body. Food: bury nuts, find by memory and smell, buried acorn by fence post. Shelter: leaf nest, carried leaves up oak. Body: thicker fur. Body has only one note, so it is thin; Lena keeps that part of her report short. "Do not hibernate" is not a way of getting ready, so it does not go in a category; it is background that explains why getting ready matters, and she may use it in her report. "Forgotten acorn can grow into oak" is true but tells what happens to the tree, not how squirrels get ready, so she sets it aside. "Bushy tails" fits no category and does not answer the question, so it is set aside too.

Worked example 4 — Answering the question in a short report. Lena writes:

How Gray Squirrels Get Ready for Winter

Gray squirrels get ready for winter by storing food, building warm nests and growing thicker fur. In the fall, they bury nuts one at a time in many different spots. I watched a squirrel bury an acorn by our fence post. When food is hard to find in winter, squirrels dig up many of their nuts again by memory and by smell. Squirrels also build leaf nests, called dreys, high in trees, and I saw one carry leaves up the oak. Gray squirrels do not hibernate, so they stay active in the cold, and their fur grows thicker in the fall to help them stay warm. These three kinds of getting ready help squirrels live through the cold months. Sources: A, "Squirrels Store Food for Winter"; B, "Winter Nests and Warm Coats"; my observation, Oct. 7.

Check: the first sentence answers the question in its own words; each category gets sentences; topic words (bury, dreys, hibernate) replace vague words; short and longer sentences are mixed, joined with and, when and so; and the observation is labeled as hers.

Research record (record task): Make a four-part record for your own project. Part 1, sources: a table with the letter, the title, the kind (print, digital, person, observation, personal experience) and where you found it; include at least three kinds. Part 2, observation log: date, time, place, what I saw, and a separate "I think" column. Part 3, notes: at least eight brief notes, each with a source letter and in your own words. Part 4, category chart: two or three focused categories made from your question, every note sorted, and the notes you set aside listed with the reason.

Independent performance: With your teacher, choose a specific question about something you can observe near school or home, such as birds at a feeder, an ant trail or a plant growing on a windowsill. Work with a group to gather sources and share observations, then write your own short report. Success criteria: (1) your question is specific enough to answer in a short report; (2) you used at least three kinds of sources, all on the topic; (3) your observation log has the date, time and place and keeps guesses separate; (4) your notes are brief, in your own words and labeled with a source letter; (5) every note is sorted into a focused category or set aside with a reason; (6) your first sentence answers the question in writing, using its words; (7) your report uses exact topic words, explains any special word, has complete sentences and joins at least two sentences with and, but, so, because or when; (8) you list your sources.