D. Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts · Writing with Purpose and VoiceResearch: Questions, Sources and Notes in My Own Words
D1.3 A2.1 A2.2 A2.3 A3.3About 40 minutes
Learning goals- I can write research questions to guide what I look for.
- I can gather information from three or more sources and keep only what fits my topic.
- I can take notes and then write facts in my own words.
- I can make a simple list of my sources.
- I can research safely online and respectfully with people.
Words to know
research question
A question you want your research to answer.
source
Where information comes from: a book, website, video, map, or a person.
relevant
Connected to your topic and useful for your question.
paraphrase
To say an idea in your own words, without copying.
source list
A list of the sources you used, with titles and authors or names.
interview
Asking a person questions to learn what they know.
permission
Saying yes. You need permission to share someone's words, story or photo.
Remember from Grade 2
In Grade 2 you gathered facts from three or more sources, wrote short notes and checked facts that sources agreed on. In Grade 3 you will:
- start with research questions,
- keep only the facts that are relevant (that fit your topic),
- write facts in your own words, and
- make a source list.
Step 1: Ask research questions
Research questions are like a map. They tell you what to look for so you don't get lost in too many facts. Use the question words who, what, where, when, why and how.
Noor is writing an informational text about maple syrup. Her questions are:
- What is maple sap?
- When is sap collected?
- How is sap made into syrup?
- Who first made maple sugar in this land?
| Source | What Noor found (notes) | Which question? |
|---|
| 📖 Library book (Sweet Spring) | sap = watery juice inside maple trees | 1 |
| 🧑 Interview with her aunt, who runs a sugar bush | collect sap late winter / early spring, warm days, freezing nights | 2 |
| 🎬 Video about a sugar shack (with Dad) | boil sap a long time, water → steam, syrup left | 3 |
| 📖 Library book (Sweet Spring) | about 40 L sap → about 1 L syrup | 3 |
| 💻 Museum website (with Dad) | First Nations peoples made maple sugar long before Europeans arrived | 4 |
Step 2: Keep what is relevant
Not every fact you find belongs in your text. Ask: "Does this help answer one of my questions?"
Noor's aunt also told her, "My favourite breakfast is pancakes, and my dog's name is Biscuit." That's fun to hear, but it doesn't help answer Noor's questions about maple syrup. It is not relevant, so Noor leaves it out.
Worked exampleLet's paraphrase (use our own words)
Noor's book says: "Sugar makers boil the sap for many hours. Most of the water turns into steam and floats away, leaving thick, sweet syrup behind."
- Read the sentences carefully until you understand them.
- Cover the book so you can't copy.
- Write a short note: boil for hours, water → steam, syrup left.
- Later, write a sentence in your own words from the note: "The sap is boiled for a long time until the water goes away as steam and only syrup is left."
- Check the book again: Is the fact still correct? Yes!
Paraphrasing means the fact stays the same but the words are your own. Copying someone else's words and saying they're yours is not fair to the writer.
Step 3: Make a source list
At the end of your writing, list your sources so readers know where your facts came from. In Grade 3, a source list can be simple:
- Book: title and author. Sweet Spring by J. Maple
- Website: the name of the website or organization.
- Video: the title and who made it.
- Interview: the person's name and the date. Interview with Aunt Rania, March 3, 2026
(The book above is made up for this lesson.)
Learning from people
People are some of the best sources. Before an interview, write your questions. During it, listen carefully and take notes. After, say thank you.
In many First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities, knowledge is shared by Elders and Knowledge Keepers, often through stories and teachings told out loud. Some stories belong to a family or a community, and some are shared only at certain times of year. For example, in many Anishinaabe communities, some traditional stories are told only in winter. That's why you should always ask permission before you write down or share someone's story, and say who shared it with you.
Safe and responsible online research
- Search with a grown-up, and use sites your grown-up or teacher trusts.
- Never share your full name, address, school, phone number or passwords.
- Ask: Who made this site? Is it trying to sell me something? Do other sources agree?
- Pictures and words online belong to the people who made them. Ask before you use them, and say where they came from.
- If something online makes you feel worried or uncomfortable, stop and tell a grown-up right away.
Worked exampleLet's check if a source is trustworthy
Noor finds a website that says: "Maple syrup comes from pine trees!" The page has no author's name and lots of flashing ads for candy.
- Ask: Who made this? There is no name, so we don't know if an expert wrote it.
- Ask: Is it selling something? Yes, it has lots of candy ads.
- Ask: Do other sources agree? No. Her book, her aunt and the video all say syrup comes from maple trees.
- Noor decides not to use this website.
When a source has no author, is trying to sell things, and doesn't agree with other good sources, don't trust it.
Just for funBiscuit the dog didn't make it into Noor's maple syrup report. It was a ruff decision, but a good one!
Hands-on activityInterview a family expert
You need: paper, a pencil and a grown-up or older family member to interview (in person or by phone or video call with a grown-up's help).
- Choose a topic the person knows about: a job, a hobby, a sport, cooking, a place they lived, or what school was like when they were young.
- Write 4 research questions using who, what, where, when, why, how.
- Ask your questions. Write short notes (key words, not full sentences).
- Read your notes back to the person and ask, "Did I get that right?"
- Ask permission: "May I share what you told me in my writing?"
- Say thank you, then write the interview in a source list: Interview with ___, date.
- Find two more sources on the same topic (a book and a video or website with a grown-up) so you have three.
Your turn
1Write two research questions about polar bears.
Examples: Where do polar bears live? What do polar bears eat? How do polar bears stay warm? Any questions starting with a question word work.
2How many sources should a Grade 3 researcher use?
3Your question is "What do beavers eat?" Is this fact relevant: Beavers have orange front teeth.
No, it doesn't answer what beavers eat. (It might fit a different question, like What do beavers look like?)
4Paraphrase: "The Canada goose flies south in large V-shaped flocks when the weather turns cold."
Example: "When it gets cold, Canada geese fly south together in a V shape." Same fact, your own words.
5What two things do you write in a source list for a book?
The title and the author.
6Why should you ask permission before sharing someone's story?
Because the story belongs to them (or their family or community). Some stories are only shared in certain ways or at certain times, so we ask and show respect.
7Name one thing you should never type online.
Any one: your full name, address, school, phone number or password.
More practice: warm-up
1What does paraphrase mean?
To say an idea in your own words.
2Is a library book a source?
3What do you say at the end of an interview?
4Who should be with you when you search online?
5What do we call a fact that fits your topic?
More practice: on your own
1Your topic is snowy owls. Sort these facts: relevant or not? a) They have thick feathers on their feet. b) My cousin's name is Owen. c) They hunt lemmings.
a) relevant, c) relevant, b) not relevant (it isn't about snowy owls).
2Turn this note into a sentence in your own words: chickadee, stays all winter, eats seeds + insects.
Example: "Chickadees stay here all winter and eat seeds and insects."
3Write a source list entry for an interview with your neighbour Mr. Lee on October 5, 2026.
Interview with Mr. Lee, October 5, 2026.
4A website about wolves has no author and says wolves can fly. What should you do, and why?
Don't use it. We don't know who wrote it, and the fact is not true. Check better sources, like a library book or a museum or park website.
5Why is it better to cover the book before you write your note?
So you don't copy the words. You have to think and use your own words.
Challenge
1Write 4 research questions about the CN Tower, each starting with a different question word.
Examples: Where is the CN Tower? (Toronto) When was it built? How tall is it? Why was it built? Any 4 different question words work.
2Your book says sap is collected when nights are below freezing and days are above freezing. A website says sap is collected in the middle of summer. Your aunt, who runs a sugar bush, agrees with the book. What do you write, and why?
Write that sap is collected when days are above freezing and nights are below freezing (late winter or early spring). Two sources agree, and one of them is an expert who does it every year. The website doesn't match, so don't use it.
3Paraphrase in one sentence: "Monarch butterflies lay their eggs only on milkweed plants. When the caterpillars hatch, they eat the milkweed leaves."
Example: "Monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed, and the caterpillars eat its leaves after they hatch." The facts stay the same, but the words and sentence are new.
Quiz
1. What is a research question for?
2. Which is the best paraphrase of "Moose are excellent swimmers and can swim many kilometres."?
3. Your topic is How bees make honey. Which fact is relevant?
4. What goes in a source list for a book?
5. A website has no author, flashing ads, and facts that don't match other sources. What should you do?
6. An Elder shares a story with your class. What should you do before writing it in your project?
Big idea (D1.3): Grade 3 writers gather information from three or more sources. This lesson adds research questions, choosing relevant information, paraphrasing and a simple source list. It connects to Strand A: rights and responsibilities online (A2.1), online safety and privacy (A2.2), evaluating information (A2.3), and respect for First Nations, Métis and Inuit ways of sharing knowledge (A3.3).
How to help at home:
- Help your child write questions before opening a book or website.
- Practise "read, cover, say, write": read a sentence, cover it, say the fact aloud, then write it.
- Always supervise online searches. Talk about who made a website and whether it is trying to sell something.
- Be a good interview subject! Let your child interview you about your job, childhood or a hobby.
Common difficulties:
- Copying word for word. Covering the source and saying the fact aloud first helps a lot.
- Keeping every fact. Ask, "Which question does this answer?"
- Forgetting the source. Have your child write the source beside each note right away.
If your family or community has protocols for sharing stories or teachings, this is a good chance to talk about them.