Real Connections Research

Overview

Students research real-life examples of resilience and positive uses of power (in their community or historical/biographical figures). They connect findings to themes from the unit texts by using comprehension strategies and preparing a short presentation or poster.

Learning intentions

• Students will identify ideas, characters, events, and issues in a researched text and explain how these reflect resilience and power.
• Students will use comprehension strategies (visualising, questioning, inferring, summarising) to analyse and organise research information.
• Students will form and justify an opinion about a chosen figure’s or community member’s actions and their impact.
• Students will plan and draft a brief presentation or poster that communicates key findings to an audience.

Success criteria

• I can summarise key points from my research using my own words (not copied).
• I can explain how my example shows resilience and a positive use of power (with evidence).
• I can make connections to themes from our unit texts (at least one clear link).
• I can present or display my information clearly using an appropriate format and effective voice/visual choices.

Curriculum links

• Literature: identify and explore ideas, points of view, characters, events, and/or issues in literary texts from historical, social and cultural contexts (including Australian contexts).
• Literacy: use comprehension strategies such as visualising, predicting, connecting, summarising, monitoring, questioning, and inferring to analyse and summarise information.
• Literature: form an opinion about characters, settings and events and justify a response with reasons and references to evidence.
• Literacy: plan, create, rehearse and deliver presentations by selecting text structures, language features, and features of voice.

Lesson structure (50 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Retrieval + purpose

• Teacher asks: “What does resilience look like when people face challenges? What counts as ‘positive power’?”
• Students quick-write 2 sentences linking one unit text theme to real life (no names required).

2. 5–12 min · Mini-lesson: choosing evidence

• Teacher models a research thinking routine: Question → Find evidence → Summarise → Connect to text themes.
• Students receive a one-page “Evidence Checklist” and underline: character/people involved, challenge, actions, outcome, and community impact.

3. 12–24 min · Research sprint (guided choice)

• Teacher circulates with two “pathways” question prompts:
• Pathway A (scaffold): community member, family story, local service, or a well-known Australian figure with clear, documented examples.
• Pathway B (challenge): a less familiar figure or event with multiple perspectives, plus a “why it matters” explanation.
• Students use provided printed sources and/or teacher-curated digital readings (no searching required) to collect 6–8 dot points and 1 quotation or precise fact they can paraphrase.

4. 24–34 min · Comprehension monitoring + connection

• Teacher leads a short class check: students stop and answer “How do I know?” for one claim (what evidence supports it?).
• Students complete a “Connection Row” organizer: Theme from unit text → Evidence from research → Explanation of how they match.

5. 34–45 min · Drafting presentation/poster plan

• Teacher demonstrates two structures briefly (choose one):
• Presentation: Hook (1 sentence) → Problem/Challenge → Resilience actions → Positive power → Link to unit theme → Closing opinion.
• Poster: Headline → Key facts boxes → Resilience evidence → Positive power evidence → Theme connection line → Short captioned quote/fact.
• Students create a rough layout using sentence starters and visual/section headings; rehearse once quietly to a partner.

6. 45–50 min · Exit ticket (readiness check)

• Teacher collects a quick exit ticket:

1. My example of resilience is…
2. My example of positive power is…
3. One theme link to the unit text is…

Resources

• Research packs (teacher-curated articles/biographies) and/or curated digital texts accessible via school devices
• “Evidence Checklist” printable and “Connection Row” organizer
• Poster templates (A3) and/or presentation slide templates (optional)
• Sentence starters for summarising, explaining, and opinion justification
• Highlighters, sticky notes, pens/pencils
• Timer displayed; partner checklist for rehearsal

Assessment

• Formative during research: teacher checks dot points using the Evidence Checklist (accuracy, paraphrasing, relevance).
• Formative during connection: students’ Connection Row reviewed for a clear link between research and unit text theme.
• Exit ticket: determines whether students can identify resilience + positive power and articulate at least one justified theme connection.

Differentiation

• Support for all: sentence starters (e.g., “This person shows resilience when…”, “The impact on others is…”, “This connects to our text because…”).
• Scaffolded pathway (Pathway A): preselected topics with clearer cause/effect information and guided prompts.
• Extension pathway (Pathway B): requires comparing two perspectives (e.g., how different people interpret the same action) and writing a stronger “why it matters” justification.
• EAL/SEN considerations: allow oral rehearsal before writing; provide a word bank for resilience, power, impact, evidence, and connection; accept short paragraphs or bullet points on the organizer before final format.
• Christmas Island context option: students may choose a local or community-based example (school community, cultural practice, service organisation, or a notable local story) with teacher-provided background notes to reduce access gaps.