Inquiry and Research: Developing and Revising Plans (TEKS.ELA.8.12.B)
Help Questions
Texas 8th Grade ELA › Inquiry and Research: Developing and Revising Plans (TEKS.ELA.8.12.B)
Initial research plan: Topic: How did the Texas Revolution shape modern Texas identity? Timeline: Day 1—pick topic. Days 2–4—read an entire 400-page book. Day 5—visit three museums across the state to take notes. Day 6—write the final paper and create a slideshow. Sources: whatever I find first on the internet and the museum plaques. Steps: read, visit, write. No time for narrowing the focus, checking source credibility, drafting, or citations. Travel will be by asking my parents to drive me statewide in one day.
Which revision would most improve the plan's feasibility, logical sequence, and chance of meaningful results?
Narrow the question to three key events of the Texas Revolution; use school library databases and one local or virtual museum resource; set a four-week plan: Week 1—refine research question and keywords; Week 2—gather 4–6 credible sources and evaluate them; Week 3—outline and draft; Week 4—revise, cite sources, and practice the slideshow.
Add a documentary film requirement with interviews across Texas and original reenactments; keep the same one-week timeline to make it more exciting.
Skip background reading to save time; write the thesis on Day 2 and search for any sources that agree with it.
Organize the steps alphabetically (draft, evaluate, outline, read, write) so it looks neat; keep the same single-day statewide museum trip.
Explanation
Option A fixes scope, adds credible sources, and structures a realistic, sequenced timeline with drafting and citations. B is overly complex and unrealistic for the time. C removes essential research steps and risks bias. D improves appearance but keeps unrealistic and illogical parts.
Initial research plan (group project): Topic: Is our town's tap water safe? Timeline: Week 1—survey every household in the city in two days. Week 2—buy lab kits online (no budget plan) and test water from random faucets around town without permission. Week 3—make a poster with results. Method: collect as much as possible; no clear sampling plan, safety steps, or analysis method. Roles: everyone does everything at the same time.
Which revision best improves feasibility, logical sequence, and meaningful results?
Delete the testing step to save time; just ask two classmates for opinions and make a poster from those quotes.
Add drone mapping and a citywide GIS database; keep the three-week deadline the same with no training.
Use a manageable sample: request permission to test from 30 households selected with a simple random method; get teacher approval and use school lab tools. Week 1—finalize research question, get permissions, safety briefing, and sampling plan; Week 2—collect and log data in shared sheets; Week 3—analyze trends, check for errors, and create the poster with clear citations and limitations.
Create a detailed color-coded schedule for surveying all 5,000 homes in two days by assigning 10 streets per student; assume everyone is home after school.
Explanation
Option C scales the project, adds permissions, safety, and a clear sampling and analysis plan within three weeks. A removes essential data collection. B adds tools beyond resources and training. D improves organization but keeps an unrealistic scope and timeline.
Initial research plan: Topic: Preserving Tejano music traditions today. Product: a 10-episode podcast featuring famous musicians from all over Texas, plus two original songs I will compose. Timeline: two weeks total. Steps: email several famous artists and hope for quick responses; record episodes as we go; edit on the last day. No consent forms, backup plan, or local sources if guests are unavailable; no schedule for drafting questions, transcriptions, or citations.
Which revision would most improve the plan's feasibility, sequence, and likelihood of meaningful results?
Keep the 10-episode plan but add a live concert and a statewide tour in the same two-week timeline to make it more authentic.
Drop interviews completely and just play favorite songs for 10 minutes; no sources needed.
Write to every major Tejano artist and wait until they all respond before starting anything; set no end date so quality stays high.
Scale to one focused episode featuring local voices (for example, a community center leader and a music teacher); secure consent; draft interview questions; gather 3–5 credible background sources; plan three weeks: Week 1—research and question design; Week 2—schedule and record two local interviews; Week 3—transcribe key parts, edit, cite sources, and reflect on limitations.
Explanation
Option D narrows scope, adds consent and source work, and creates a realistic, ordered timeline with drafting, recording, editing, and citations. A balloons scope unrealistically. B removes essential research. C stalls the project without a feasible schedule.
Initial research plan: Topic: How much food waste does our school cafeteria produce? Timeline: Start tomorrow and weigh all cafeteria trash every day for a month. Steps: bring my own scale and sort trash alone; change the menu in Week 2 to see if waste drops; no permission from administrators or custodians; no safety plan; analyze at the very end with whatever notes I remember.
Which revision best improves feasibility, logical order, and chances of useful results?
Keep daily measurements for a full month but add taste tests with every student during lunch tomorrow; still no permissions to save time.
Request permission from administration and custodial staff; run a one-week baseline audit with two sample days (midweek) using approved procedures and tally sheets; do not change the menu during data collection; assign roles (measuring, recording, supervising); schedule: Day 1—permissions and safety; Days 2–3—pilot and adjust; Days 4–5—collect data; following week—analyze, graph, and write conclusions with citations.
Eliminate measuring to avoid safety issues; instead, estimate waste by glancing at bins and guessing percentages after lunch.
Make a detailed chart for weighing three times per lunch period for 30 consecutive days, including weekends, using my personal kitchen scale; analyze during the last evening.
Explanation
Option B gains permissions, adds safety, uses a manageable sampling plan, avoids changing variables mid-study, and builds in analysis time. A adds unrealistic tasks without approvals. C removes essential data collection. D improves organization but is impractical and unsafe for the resources.
Student Research Plan (Initial Draft) Title: Rebuilding After the Storm: Galveston 1900 Goal: Find out everything about how Galveston changed after the 1900 hurricane. Steps:
- This weekend, ride to Austin to look at state archives; also go to a museum in Houston.
- Next week, interview 15 city officials downtown about current building rules.
- Make a 10-minute documentary with historical photos by Friday.
- Cite any sources I remember at the end. Timeline: One week total. Resources: Phone, bike, school laptop.
Which revision would most improve this plan's feasibility, logical sequence, and chance of producing meaningful results?
Add a map animation and plan to interview people in every Texas coastal city to show statewide impact.
Skip interviews and just guess the changes from photos to save time on research.
Narrow the question to "How did the 1900 hurricane influence Galveston's building codes in the decade after the storm?" Use the local library's digital newspaper archive and two history books; schedule one phone interview with a local historian; take notes with a source log; extend the timeline to three weeks; final product: a 3-page report with citations.
Reorder the plan to start editing the documentary before gathering sources so the video style guides the research; keep the one-week timeline.
Explanation
Choice C narrows scope, uses accessible sources, adds note-taking and citation, includes a targeted interview, and sets a realistic multi-week timeline. A expands the scope and workload beyond resources. B removes an important research step (corroboration). D changes sequence in an illogical way and keeps an unrealistic timeline.
Team Research Plan (Initial Draft) Topic: Cafeteria Food Waste Goal: Fix cafeteria waste. Steps:
- Tell the principal to change the menu.
- Survey the entire school in one day with 30 questions.
- Collect trash for a week and estimate waste by looking at it. Timeline: 5 days. Roles: Not assigned. Safety/Permissions: Not addressed.
Which revision would best improve feasibility, sequence, and the likelihood of meaningful results for this collaborative project?
Focus the question to "How much edible food is thrown away during 7th grade lunch, and why?" Assign roles (data, survey, permissions, analysis); get approval and gloves; collect tally data from one lunch period on two days; give a 5-question survey to 30 students; analyze and present a 1-page action brief; timeline: 2 weeks.
Eliminate data collection to save time and just present a list of solutions to the principal tomorrow.
Add a composting pilot for the entire district and measure every cafeteria for one month to get a bigger dataset.
Create color-coded spreadsheets for every grade level's daily waste but keep the 5-day timeline and require 500 survey responses.
Explanation
Choice A narrows scope, sequences permissions and safety before data collection, assigns roles, and sets a realistic sample and timeline. B removes essential research steps. C is far too complex for available time/resources. D improves organization but sets unrealistic expectations for time and sample size.
Independent Inquiry Plan (Initial Draft) Topic: Does music help students focus when reading? Steps:
- Play loud music in the library and time how fast 200 students read.
- Compare times and decide if music helps. Timeline: One afternoon. Permissions/Measures: Not included.
Which revision most improves the plan's feasibility, logical sequence, and chance of meaningful results?
Include more music genres and test during all class periods this week with as many students as possible to cover the whole school.
Remove the reading task and just ask people if they like music while reading to get quick opinions.
Keep the same plan but ask teachers to send classes to the library at the same time so data collection is faster.
Limit to 12 volunteers with guardian permission. In a quiet room, have each student read a short passage twice—once with low-volume instrumental music and once with no music—counterbalanced. Use a brief comprehension quiz after each reading, record results in a data table with anonymous IDs, analyze, and write a 2-page report over two days.
Explanation
Choice D sets an ethical, small-scope design with permissions, a controlled procedure, clear measures, and a realistic timeline. A scales up complexity without addressing consent or control. B removes the meaningful measurement. C creates logistical problems and ignores permissions and control.
Cross-Curricular Plan (Science + ELA) (Initial Draft) Topic: How salinity changes after storms along the Texas coast. Steps:
- Drive to 10 beaches after any storm.
- Collect daily water samples for two weeks.
- Buy a refractometer.
- Make charts and finish in one week. Permissions/Backup Plan: Not included.
Which revision would most improve feasibility, sequence, and meaningful outcomes given limited time and resources?
Add drone footage of every beach and collect hourly samples at each site to get very detailed data.
Refine the question to one area: "How did salinity in Galveston Bay change before and after the last two major storms?" Use publicly available monitoring data from state/federal websites for two stations; plan a three-week timeline for data gathering, analysis, and citations; present a 4-slide summary of methods, findings, and limits.
Skip collecting or analyzing data and just write a general history of hurricanes on the Texas coast.
Start by designing final graph templates before locating any data to save time; keep the one-week deadline.
Explanation
Choice B narrows scope to a manageable area, uses accessible secondary data, sequences analysis and citation, and sets a realistic multi-week schedule. A greatly increases complexity. C removes key research steps. D prioritizes product over process and keeps an unrealistic deadline.