Worksheets

Lesson 1: Discovery & Investigation
​
Objective:
Students will learn to actively engage with texts, ask critical questions, and begin exploring themes and topics for future writing.

Activity 1: Passive vs. Active Reading

Mini-Lesson (10 minutes)
Explain the difference:

• Passive reading = reading without questioning or interaction.
• Active reading = engaging with the text through annotation, asking questions, and connecting ideas.

Activity: Annotation Practice (20 minutes)
Use a short public domain article or excerpt:
Text Suggestion:

• “On Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
  https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16643

Instructions: Students annotate the passage, marking:

• Important ideas
• Repetitions or patterns
• “Why” and “How” questions

Worksheet 1: Active Reading Annotation Guide
Line/ExcerptWhat Stands Out?Why?Questions (Why/How)

Activity 2: Research Scavenger Hunt (30 minutes)

Instructions:
Students choose a general area of interest (e.g., climate change, ancient civilizations, media influence, etc.). Using Google Scholar or a school library database, they locate:

1. A scholarly article
2. A news article
3. A website or blog

For each source, students must:

• Write the full citation
• Summarize in 2–3 sentences
• Ask one “why” or “how” question

Worksheet 2: Research Scavenger Hunt Tracker (attached)
Source TypeCitationSummary (2–3 sentences)QuestionScholarly
News
Blog/Web
Class Discussion Prompt (10 minutes)
Prompt:
“What themes are emerging from the sources you found? Which ideas or topics sparked your interest the most—and why?”
Encourage students to jot down their top 2–3 emerging themes for potential writing.

Independent Practice

Find and Annotate Two Sources:

• One Primary Source
• One Secondary Source

Students should:

• Print (or screenshot) and annotate each
• Use sticky notes or digital comments to mark:
  • Author’s purpose
  • Surprising facts
  • A personal connection
  • One “why” and one “how” question

Worksheet 3: Source Annotation Reflection
Source TypeTitle/LinkNotes/ObservationsPersonal ReactionPrimary
Secondary
​
Public Domain Primary Source Suggestions:

1. Frederick Douglass – “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”
   https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16117
2. Elizabeth Cady Stanton – Declaration of Sentiments
   https://guides.loc.gov/primary-sources-women-vote/declaration

Secondary Source Suggestions (Open Access):

1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
   https://plato.stanford.edu/
2. Internet History Sourcebooks Project
   https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/