Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
Common Core State Standards, Grade 5, Writing · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026
What W.5.7 Means in Plain English
Fifth graders run a short investigation over a week or two. A report on Mars covers several aspects of the planet, its size, its surface and its moons, and the facts come from several sources, such as a library book, a science website and an encyclopedia.
Fourth grade (W.4.7) already investigates different aspects of a topic, but the wording does not require several sources. Fifth grade does. Sixth grade (W.6.7) starts from a question and refocuses the inquiry when the sources point somewhere new.
W.5.7 I Can Statements
I can turn a topic into a question I can research.
I can investigate different aspects of my topic.
I can use several sources and say where each fact came from.
W.5.7 Worked Example
Both students had the same class source list. One used a single website, and the other gave each part of the question its own source.
Prompt
Research question: How does a chameleon catch its food? Write a paragraph that answers it, using at least two of the sources on our class list.
Not YetChameleons catch bugs with their tongues. Their tongues are really long. I found this on a website about lizards.One fact from one source, and the investigation ends there. It never looks at how a chameleon spots an insect, how its tongue grabs one or how it holds on while it strikes.
Meets the StandardA chameleon catches its food by watching, striking and holding on. Our library book on reptiles explains that each of its eyes can move on its own, so it can watch two directions at once, and when it spots an insect, both eyes turn to lock on it. According to a zoo website on our class list, it then shoots out a tongue that can reach farther than the length of its own body, and the sticky tip pulls the insect back in a split second. A nature video showed the last piece: its toes grow in two bundles that grip a branch like tongs, and its tail curls around the branch, so the chameleon stays steady while it strikes. Put together, the three sources answer what none of them answered alone: a chameleon hunts with its eyes, its tongue and its grip.Each of the three aspects, spotting, striking and holding on, comes from a different source that the writer names. The closing sentence joins them into an answer that no single source gave.
Moves to Use
Start from a question, not just a topic.Split the question into aspects, such as finding, grabbing and holding.Use a different source for each aspect and name it.Finish by putting the aspects together into one answer.
Common Mistakes with W.5.7
A topic instead of a question
“My project is about chameleons.”
Try this: Have students turn the topic into a how or why question before opening any source, then approve it in a two-minute conference.
The whole project from one website
Every fact in the report traces back to the first search result
Try this: Require at least three sources of different kinds, such as a book, a website and a video, logged before drafting begins.
Every fact about one aspect
Twelve facts about how long a chameleon’s tongue is and nothing on how it finds or holds its prey
Try this: Give a planning grid with one column for each aspect of the question, and have students fill every column before writing.
Name the three aspects the strong response covers and the source for each.
How its eyes spot and lock on an insect (the library book), how its tongue grabs the insect (a zoo website) and how its toes and tail grip the branch (a nature video).
Why does the weak response fall short of a short research project?
It gives one fact from one source and never investigates how a chameleon finds an insect, how the tongue works or how it keeps its hold while striking.