Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.
Common Core State Standards, Grade 6, Writing · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026
What W.6.7 Means in Plain English
Sixth graders start a short project from a question, not a topic, and answer it from several sources. When the sources show the question is too big (“Why was the Great Wall built?”), they narrow it to one they can answer: why did the Ming dynasty rebuild it?
Fifth grade (W.5.7) investigates different aspects of a topic using several sources. Sixth grade frames the project as a question and expects the writer to change course when the evidence calls for it. Seventh grade (W.7.7) adds generating related, focused questions for further research.
W.6.7 I Can Statements
I can write a research question a short project can answer.
I can answer my question using several sources and name each.
I can refocus my question when my sources point somewhere new.
W.6.7 Worked Example
One student answered the first question from one website. The other let the sources change the question, then answered the new one.
Prompt
Research question: Why was the Great Wall of China built? Use at least three sources from the class list. If your sources show the question is too broad, refocus it, then write a paragraph that explains the change and answers your final question.
Not YetThe Great Wall of China was built to keep out invaders. It is thousands of miles long and you can even see it from space. I got this from a website.One source, and the question never changes, even though “why was it built” has a different answer for every dynasty that built a wall. A second source would also have caught the claim about seeing it from space, a popular myth.
Meets the StandardMy first question, why the Great Wall was built, turned out to be too broad, because my first two sources showed that different dynasties built different walls over roughly two thousand years. I refocused on the wall most visitors see today: Why did the Ming dynasty rebuild the Great Wall? An encyclopedia article explained that Mongol groups to the north kept raiding Ming lands. A history book on the Ming added that in 1449 a Mongol army captured the Ming emperor himself, and that after this disaster the government turned to defending its border rather than fighting beyond it. A museum website showed that the Ming replaced many older walls of packed earth with brick and stone, which is why so many of their sections still stand. So the Ming rebuilt the wall because years of raids, and one terrible defeat, convinced them a stronger border was safer than war.It shows the inquiry changing: the writer explains why the first question was too broad and names the narrower question the sources pointed to. Three sources each answer a different part of it, and the last sentence answers the refocused question instead of the original one.
Moves to Use
Write the question first, then test whether a short project can answer it.Read two sources before deciding the question is the right size.Refocus when the sources show the question is too broad, and say why.Use each source for a different part of the answer, and name it.Answer the question you ended with, not the one you started with.
Common Mistakes with W.6.7
A question too big for the project
“What is the history of China?” for a two-week project
Try this: Have students read two sources, then rewrite the question so it could be answered in one or two pages before they continue.
Refocusing without saying so
A report that answers a different question from the one on its cover page
Try this: Keep a research log where students record each version of the question and the source that made them change it.
Several sources saying the same thing
Three websites that all repeat the same paragraph about the wall’s length
Try this: Require sources of different kinds, such as an encyclopedia, a book and a museum site, and check that each adds something new.
What was the writer’s first question, and why was it too broad?
Why the Great Wall was built. The first sources showed that different dynasties built different walls over roughly two thousand years, so there was no single answer.
What is the refocused question?
Why did the Ming dynasty rebuild the Great Wall?
What does each of the three sources add to the answer?
The encyclopedia explains the Mongol raids, the history book adds the emperor’s capture in 1449 and the turn to defense, and the museum website explains the brick and stone that let Ming sections last.