Researching Writing

Read the excerpt from "At School."

"Most immigrant families tried to keep their children in school until the age of fourteen, when a youngster could obtain full-time working papers. But that was not always possible. During hard times, kids had to drop out of school early. In the days before World War I, it was an accomplishment to finish grammar school."

Based on this excerpt, what can the reader infer about immigrant children in the early 1900s?

• They sometimes left school to help America’s war effort.

• They were not interested in higher education beyond grammar school.

• They were the only members of their family able to obtain employment

• They had a great deal of responsibility and helped support their families

Read the excerpt from "At School."

"The children became Americanized much faster than their parents. Often this caused painful conflicts in immigrant families. A gap appeared between the children and their parents. The parents clung to Old World customs and beliefs. The kids spoke English all day with their friends. They thought in American terms. More than anything else, they wanted to be accepted as equals in their adopted land."

Which other detail best supports the idea that children became comfortable in America more quickly than their parents?

• Students were also instructed in the fundamentals of health, hygiene, and personal grooming.

• During hard times, kids had to drop out of school early. In the days before World War I, it was an accomplishment to finish grammar school.

• When they left school, they looked, talked, and acted just like other American kids.

• Many kids went directly from grammar school to special vocational schools sponsored by private agencies.

Read the paragraph from "Home Place Retold."

"They became merchants, carpenters, teachers, clergy, and (most often) farmers. Their landscape was Watonwan County in western Minnesota. Young families worked hard to build a life. They came from a farming tradition that included methods unknown to many Americans. As usual, new ideas were viewed with some doubt. The use of crop rotation, for example, was common for the newcomers. They also used potassium for fertilizer. Their practices produced better crops than other farms. A good idea is hard to ignore, and they soon gained status as first-rate farmers."

Which best paraphrases this paragraph?

• Immigrant families worked extremely hard when they came to America and quickly gained status

• Using potassium as fertilizer, a technique of immigrant farmers, helped many people.

• New farming techniques had a major impact on farming in the Midwest, producing first-rate crops.

• Immigrant families brought new farming techniques to America, which proved very effective.

Read the passage.

"A study shows that smartphones can lead to unhappiness. The report analyzed a large national survey. It shows that self-esteem and happiness of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders rose during the 1990s. It then dropped sharply in 2012, when more than half the households in the US began to own smartphones. The report also shows that increased time spent on screens lowered the well-being of adolescents.

Jana is writing about the harmful effects of cell phone use."

Which detail would be most useful to her?

• Smartphone ownership reached 50 percent in 2012.

• Adolescent well-being decreases with screen time.

• Adolescent self-esteem rose during the 1990s.

• The report analyzed a survey.

Read this writing prompt:

"A community council plans to build a new facility that will benefit young people in your area. The council is not sure what kind of facility would be most useful. Write a letter that includes research to express what you think is the best choice."

Which source would be most useful in writing a response to this prompt?

• a survey of local teenagers

• a podcast about skateboarding

• a video of a community council meeting

• an interview with the council chairperson

After completing the research process, writers should include their findings by -

• claiming that all facts are their own ideas.

• listing the facts they found after each paragraph.

• copying any research word for word.

• combining the information with their own writing.

Which student would be most helped by using a thesaurus?

• Tobey wants to find the in-depth meaning of arrogant.

• Aiden is looking for synonyms for the word flat.

• Luke needs to find several definitions of content.

• Emily wonders how to pronounce synthesis.

Which student would be most helped by using a dictionary?

• Anthony wants to find an in-depth meaning for the word boisterous.

• Ethan is looking for many words to describe his humorous character.

• Kailey needs to find a new way to say that something is important.

• Alexa is looking for antonyms for the word expensive.

Read this passage:

"Childhood obesity is a serious problem in the United States putting children and adolescents at risk for poor health. Obesity prevalence among children and adolescents is still too high.

For children and adolescents aged 2–19 years, the rate of obesity was 18.5% and affected about 13.7 million children and adolescents."

–Child Obesity Facts, Centers for Disease Control

Which detail best supports the idea that obesity affects children of all ages?

• Childhood obesity is a big problem in the United States

• Obesity puts children and adolescents at risk.

• 18.5% of people aged 2–19 are obese.

• The number of obese children is too high.

Read and use the dictionary entry to answer the question.

compact [kuhm-pakt] adjective

1. joined or packed together; closely and firmly united; dense; solid; compact soil

2. arranged within a relatively small space; a compact kitchen

compact [kuhm-pakt] verb

1. to join or pack closely together; consolidate

2. to make firm or stable

compact [kom-pakt] noun

1. a small case containing a mirror, face powder, and a puff

Which sentence correctly uses the word compact as a noun?

• The Sullivan family has a compact car, which makes parking simple.

• Alicia folded the blanket into a compact square that fit inside her suitcase.

• Mrs. Jenkins pulled a compact from her purse and checked her makeup.

• Mr. Jameson compacted the trash tightly into the big plastic bin.