Research & Source-Based Writing — Workshop · English 11: American Voices, Identity & Public Memory, Grade 11
Develop a bounded question, verify contextual sources, synthesize primary-text evidence, and write a revised 1,800–2,200-word research-supported argument. Read Gatsby alongside the inquiry.
An inquiry portfolio
Your assignment
Develop a focused research question about the assigned book or the source packet’s issue. Collect and evaluate additional verifiable sources, build an evidence matrix, and write a source-based explanation or argument. Submit the 1,800–2,200-word research argument, five-entry source notebook including two verified contextual sources, source matrix, question history, drafts, and revision commentary.
Use three to five sessions of 35–45 minutes for planning, drafting, feedback, and revision. For the book study, use the separate six-week plan. Grade 11 developed essays generally reach 1400 words when the task warrants it; presentations last 6 minutes. Assess meaning and evidence before length.
Prepare
- Assigned selections in the reading library; download the complete book when needed.
- A paper notebook or the portfolio fields below.
- The assignment criteria and a dictionary or style reference.
- A parent, teacher, or discussion partner; a solo recording can support rehearsal.
Plan, draft, revise
- Read and annotate the assigned selection (book). State the task, audience, and a tentative claim or narrative focus.
- Gather three useful details with paragraph, line, chapter, or source labels. Explain what each contributes; note one uncertainty.
- Plan a sequence or reverse outline. Draft without trying to polish every sentence first. Keep quotations short and traceable.
- Ask a partner one focused feedback question. Discuss a plausible counter-reading or a confusing moment before revising.
- Revise meaning and organization, then edit conventions and verify citations. Save the earlier version.
- Submit the final piece, the evidence notes, and a reflection explaining two changes and one next goal.
Discuss your choices
- Which detail most affected your interpretation, and why?
- What could a reasonable reader question or interpret differently?
- How did your revision change meaning, organization, or audience understanding?
- What evidence or skill do you still need to develop?
Success criteria
- A focused response to the assigned purpose.
- Accurate use of the reading or an honestly presented experience.
- Relevant evidence or purposeful narrative detail with explanation.
- A coherent structure and language suited to the audience.
- A substantive revision and a clear reflection.
- Submit the 1,800–2,200-word research argument, five-entry source notebook including two verified contextual sources, source matrix, question history, drafts, and revision commentary.
A model planning page
| Portfolio part | What to record |
|---|---|
| Purpose and audience | What should a reader understand, and who is that reader? |
| Evidence | A short detail, its location, and the reason it matters. |
| Draft plan | Paragraph or scene functions, not just topic labels. |
| Feedback | One question you asked and the answer that affected revision. |
| Revision | Old wording, new wording, and the reader problem solved. |
| Reflection | A strength, an unresolved question, and a next goal. |
Parent / teacher model and marking guidance
A strong portfolio shows how the question narrowed, how each source was checked, and where the evidence agrees or conflicts. It includes traceable notes, a draft, citations, and a revision record; invented sources earn no evidence credit. Grade-specific direction: Lena discovers that naming a worker without naming her choices can still reduce her to a decorative role. The program, archive records, and evidence panel connect public identity with institutional power. The visitors who do not read the panel complicate any claim that the omission has been completely repaired.
- Score each dimension from 0 to 3, for a total of 15. Treat the profile as feedback, not proof of course completion.
- Purpose: 0 missing; 1 vague or inconsistent; 2 clear and mostly sustained; 3 precise, sustained, and appropriately qualified.
- Evidence/detail: 0 absent or invented; 1 weakly related; 2 relevant and mostly accurate; 3 well selected, contextualized, and traceable.
- Reasoning/craft: 0 absent; 1 repeats or labels; 2 explains important relationships; 3 explains choices and addresses a complication.
- Organization/language: 0 prevents understanding; 1 uneven or frequently unclear; 2 generally coherent and readable; 3 purposeful sequence and effective language with few distracting errors.
- Revision/reflection: 0 absent; 1 cosmetic; 2 meaningful change with an explanation; 3 specific improvements linked to feedback and a transferable next goal.
Accept a different interpretation when the learner supports it with relevant evidence. Discuss the draft before assigning a final mark.