How do you structure your research essay?

In this lesson you will learn how to organize your research

essay by using boxes and bullets.

Let’s ReviewPreparing to write

Research a topic

Generate a big research question

Write your thesis statement

1 2 3 4Outline your essay

How do people invent new things?

There are many ways to invent new things.

A Common Mistake

Leave the introductory outline behind

Core Lesson

Write your introduction in boxes and bullets.

1

2 Make each bullet of your introduction a new box in the body outline.

3 Add details to each body paragraph outline as bullets.

Core Lesson

Write your introduction in boxes and bullets.

1There are many ways to invent new things.

One way to invent something new is by studying nature.Another way to invent new things is by accident.New objects are also invented through trial and error.

Core Lesson

2 Make each bullet of your introduction a new box in the body outline.

There are many ways to invent new things.

One way to invent something new is by studying nature.

Another way to invent new things is by accident.

New objects are also invented through trial and error.

Introductory outlineOne way to invent something new is by studying nature.

Body outline

Another way to invent new things is by accident.

New objects are also invented through trial and error.

Core Lesson

3 Add details to each body paragraph outline as bullets.

One way to invent something new is by studying nature.

Body outlineNotes

“Nature Inspires Advances in Technology” by Margaret Webb Pressler

• Inventors: - George de Mestral: Velcro (studied

burrs). - Christopher Viney: sunscreen bug

repellant (studying hippo sweat).- Scientists: a new kind of needle for

painless shots (studying mosquitos). - Kellar Autumn: developing a strong no-

residue tape (studying geckos’ toe hair).- Airplane design came from studying

birds (biomimicry).

• George de Mestral created Velcro by studying burrs

• Biomimicry is creating a new design by studying nature.

• Lots of scientists are trying to solve problems today by observing nature.

• The Wright brothers’ plane was designed through biomimicry.

Core Lesson

Another way to invent new things is by accident.

Body outlineNotes

• Frank Epperson made the popsicle

• Cornelius Vanderbilt made the potato chip by complaining

• Spencer Silver and Arthur Fry invented post-its together

• Dr Harry Coover tried to make a kind of plastic but it came out as super glue.

3 Add details to each body paragraph outline as bullets.

“Accidental Inventions” by Emily McGee• Invention Design:- Some inventors don’t even mean to invent

anything, they just stumble upon a solution to a problem, or something that people will buy.

• Inventors: - The Epperson kids helped their father, Frank

Epperson, come up with the name “popsicle” for his invention: frozen soda.

- Cornelius Vanderbilt: created potato chips at a restaurant by sending his soggy fries back to the kitchen to be made thinner.

- Spencer Silver & Arthur Fry: invented post-it notes by accidentally creating a weak glue and adding it to choir notes.

- Dr. Harry Coover: accidentally made super glue while trying to make plastic.

Core Lesson

New objects are also invented through trial and error.

Body outlineNotes

• The motor didn’t work on the Wright brothers’ airplane twice, but Orville fixed it himself.

• Plane was damaged after falling to ground during the first attempt, but they kept making attempts.

• Post-its: the glue wasn’t as strong as Silver wanted it, so Fry tried it out as page notes.

3 Add details to each body paragraph outline as bullets.

“The First Flight” by Karen Shaw• Timeline:- Nov. 5: tested the motor and damaged the

propellers.- 2nd time motor didn’t work, Orville fixed it

himself.

• Problems:- Plane was slightly damaged after first flight

attempt (fell to ground).- The plane broke 3 times, but they kept trying.- The first airplane only flew 2 days and then

never again. It was damaged beyond repair.

Core LessonEssay Outline

One way to invent something new is by studying nature.

Another way to invent new things is by accident. New objects are also invented through trial and error.

There are many ways to invent new things.

One way to invent something new is by studying nature.

• George de Mestral created Velcro by studying burrs

• Biomimicry is creating a new design by studying nature.

• Lots of scientists are trying to solve problems today by observing nature.

• The Wright brothers’ plane was designed through biomimicry.

Another way to invent new things is by accident.

• Frank Epperson made the popsicle• Cornelius Vanderbilt made the potato chip by

complaining• Spencer Silver and Arthur Fry invented post-its

together• Dr Harry Coover tried to make a kind of plastic but

it came out as super glue.

New objects are also invented through trial and error. • The motor didn’t work on the Wright brothers’

airplane twice, but Orville fixed it himself. • Plane was damaged after falling to ground during the

first attempt, but they kept making attempts. • Post-its: the glue wasn’t as strong as Silver wanted it,

so Fry tried it out as page notes.

Core Lesson

Write your introduction in boxes and bullets.

1

2 Make each bullet of your introduction a new box in the body outline.

3 Add details to each body paragraph outline as bullets.

In this lesson you have learned how to organize your research

essay by using boxes and bullets.

Guided PracticeOutline the boxes of the body paragraphs below in using information from the introduction.

Some battles of the Civil War were caused by mistakes.

The Attack on Fort Sumter was caused by a mistake.

Soldier mistakes caused the Riot in Baltimore.

Soldiers started the Battle at Ball’s Bluff by accident.

Introductory outline

Body outline

Extension Activities

Extension Activities

Use the thesis: Summer is the best time of year. Create boxes and bullets for an introduction and 3 body paragraphs for an essay.

Extension Activities

Extension Activities

Work Backwards!• Look at a completed student essay. • Try to create the boxes and bullets outline that

the writer used by searching for the main ideas and details in each paragraph.

Let’s ReviewQuick Quiz

Use research notes of your own to organize your essay using boxes and bullets.

Lesson Slides RubricUse this rubric to ensure your

lesson plan is great!

Writing Lesson Rubric  Criteria for Success Things to avoid

Storyline or Arc of the Lesson

There is a clear arc to the lesson.  One slide leads naturally to the next so that there is a flow and a building of meaning

All the components of the lesson are there but they seem disconnected, as if the author wrote each without thinking about how they fit into the whole. 

Hook Slide

The teacher poses a simple question that illicits the response, “yeah, I do wonder how that works…”  

The question is short A relevant example is included when it is short and 

further pulls the learner in  The question mirrors what the student will do in 

the guided practice

The question seems formulaic, inauthentic, or overly “school-ish” (message: you have to learn this because you’re in school rather than, this is genuinely interesting)

The hook is overly-complicated and potentially confusing The question does not parallel the guided practice 

questions

Objective Slide

The objective follows the form (you will learn X by doing Y)

Is concise and follows the form provided in the examples

Does not follow the form Is overly vague in describing either the X or the Y Is too long Is written for teachers but not students

Let’s Review

Reminds the student of how this lesson fits within the writing process

Is as concise as possible

Is either too detailed or not detailed enough in connecting the lesson to other lessons

Leaves out important touch points Makes the lesson overly dependent on the other lessons 

(student will be confused or feel like they’ve made a mistake, if they watch this lesson alone)

Is too elaborate

Common Mistake Points out a “common mistakes” that students 

make and quickly explains why that is a mistake The mistake is overly simplistic or complicated.  Does 

not feel authentic

Steps

Clearly connects with the objective Includes 2-3 steps that a writer can take to achieve 

the objective Is student focused (the steps accurately imagine 

what a student who has never done this before will need to do)

Is logical and specific (you can visualize the act of doing the step.  There is no magic leap that happens between steps)

The connection with the objective is unclear Includes 4+ steps (and therefore should be split into two 

or more lessons) Involves a  magic leap that assumes a student can make 

a leap between steps that is natural to an adult

Modeling

Is in “think aloud” format.  The teacher is opening up his/her thought process to the student and modeling the struggle; showing how he/she drafts and revises ideas in his/her mind

Engages the learner by asking questions along the way to build suspense

Examples are authentic  - they show empathy for the learner and his/her interests, concerns, problems without speaking down the learner

Fails to explain his/her thinking along the way.  The teacher effortlessly runs through the steps as if it’s all obvious and easy

Does not ask any questions along the way to pull the learner in

Uses examples which are unlikely to connect with the learner’s life

 

Steps and Objective Review

Reviews the steps and objective in a “see what I just did” way

Serves as a “let’s pull this all together” moment that helps organize the lesson in the learner’s mind

Creates abrupt feeling between the modeling and the reviewing (subtext: “we’re done modeling, let’s quickly bring this lesson to a close.”)

Guided Practice Challenges the learner to carry out the same steps Is at the same difficulty level modeled in the lesson 

Seem unrelated to the hook question Is at a different difficulty level than that modeled in the 

lesson

Extension Activity Suggestions

Includes suggestions for at least 2 extensions Includes a suggestion for a struggling student who 

needs more opportunities for practice as well as a student ready to be challenged more

Suggestions should clearly build from the approach in the core lesson

Does not include differentiation Does not thoughtfully connect or flow from the lesson Does not clearly build from the approach in the core 

lesson

Aesthetics

The slides use the correct colors (blue, green, red) in the correct sequence 

The slides use the correct fonts The slides use handwriting and the handwriting 

appears as written in the right places The slides only use the headers/titles provided  The slides use the provided visuals or include 

visuals created by the author or LearnZillion The slides use animation, highlighting, and circling 

to scaffold the learning, keeping the eye focused on what the teacher is introducing/explaining

The slides clean and uncluttered.  The visuals and text do not exceed the maximum amount (see tutorial for example of maximum)

The slides use other colors or vary the order of the colors

The slides add new headers/titles that aren’t part of the template

The slides use clip art The slides are cluttered Animation is distracting and feels more like sizzle than 

part of the steak

Graphic and Image TemplatesCopy and Paste items from these slides to

make your presentation look great!

You can copy and paste these items into any slide

Green text box that appears letter by letterGreen text box that fades inBlue text box that appears letter by letter

Blue text box that fades inRed text box that appears letter by letterRed text box that fades in

You can copy and paste these items into any slide—make sure you copy both the bubble and

the text!Do I feel strongly about it?Do I have a

lot to say?

Do I feel strongly about

it?

Do I have a lot to say? Do I have a lot to

say?

You can copy and paste these items into any slide. You can resize them as

needed! Use black text when you write in me please! Also, keep my text left-justified rather than centered!

Use black text when you write in me please! Also, keep the text left-justified rather than centered!

All arrows can be recolored by changing the “shape fill.” You can also resize them or rotate

them!

[Write first step here…]1

2 [Write second step here…]

3 [Write third step here…]

You can use these when discussing main ideas or steps in a process…

You can resize any of these boxes and use them to highlight text or ideas.

Let’s Review

A Common Mistake

Guided Practice

Quick Quiz

Extension Activities

Core Lesson