Week 4 • Investigate the evidence
What supports your idea?
Begin when Mr. Fullerton assigns Week 4. Bring your problem choice, Week 3 Decision-Maker Map, and any coach feedback.
You have a problem worth investigating and a likely decision-maker. Now gather information that helps you compare two possible approaches. You do not need to prove that your first idea is best. Be ready to change your mind.
Your destination: an Evidence Board—a section in your iCivics Project Notebook where you organize source notes, compare two approaches, and explain a provisional recommendation. Allow about 40–55 minutes, divided into short work periods.
Your six steps for Week 4
- Learn what evidence can and cannot tell you.
- Practice checking a claim.
- Investigate the supplied case or your project topic.
- Draft your Evidence Board and compare two approaches.
- Discuss the evidence and revise your thinking.
- Check your work and finish.
A claim needs support
Something you say is true: “Some students cannot use the current borrowing time.”
An observation, count, document, or statement that helps you check a claim.
What that evidence cannot establish: a few students’ answers do not tell us what everyone needs.
A source is where information comes from. Record enough detail to find it again. Ask who created it, when, how they know, and whether it actually answers your question. An official page can explain an organization’s rules; it may not describe how every student experiences them.
“Four of six students in one small group said the borrowing time conflicts with an activity.”
Supported: Four students in that group reported a conflict.
Not established: Every student in the school has a conflict.
Next question: Would another time help these students, and what do other students need?
Different sources can add different pieces. Two websites repeating the same survey are not two separate surveys. A person’s experience matters, but be careful about applying it to people you have not heard from.
Compare before choosing
For each approach, ask: Who benefits? Who might still be left out? What time, people, or materials are needed? Who must approve it? What is still unknown? A trade-off means gaining something while giving up something else—for example, more borrowing time may require more staff time.
How far does the evidence reach?
Gather evidence you can explain
Choose one route. The supplied case includes everything needed to practice; no game login or outside interview is required.
Route A • Fictional book-room evidence pack
All facts below are invented for learning. They are not findings about your school or Allentown. Each source comes from the same fictional case.
In a group of six students, four reported that the current borrowing time conflicts with an activity. Two reported that the current time works. Students were not asked which other time they prefer.
A second 15-minute session each week would need a staff member and principal approval. Staff availability has not been checked.
Students could request a book and collect it during an existing supervised arrival period. The plan would need staff approval and a way to request books on paper as well as online. Some students may want to browse before choosing.
Two approaches to compare
- Approach 1: Add a second borrowing session.
- Approach 2: Offer request-and-collect during the existing arrival period.
Use at least two source notes. Explain what each supports and what it leaves unanswered. Neither approach has been tested. You may recommend one provisionally or explain why more evidence is needed.
See one model evidence note
Source: Week 4 fictional pack, Source B.
What it says: A second session needs staffing and approval.
How it helps: It identifies a condition for Approach 1.
Limit: It does not tell us whether a staff member is available.
Next question: Can the school staff another session?
Route B • Investigate your project topic
- Write one question you need evidence to answer.
- Use two useful sources supplied by Mr. Fullerton or found on relevant school, organization, or government pages. Record the title, organization, link, and date when available.
- For each source, write a detail in your own words, how it helps, and one limit or unanswered question.
- Compare two realistic approaches using the questions in Step 4. Do not invent prices, survey results, or official permissions.
If you cannot find enough useful information, use Route A to practice and record what your own project still needs. Ask Mr. Fullerton before arranging interviews or collecting student information.
For your community proposal, focus on changes your identified school role, organization, or government body could consider.
Use your Week 3 topic-fit feedback. If your AC topic is awaiting review, practice with Route A and keep your topic provisional. This activity does not approve a federal bill topic.
Use your Week 3 topic-fit feedback. Look for evidence that challenges your preferred approach, and check whether sources repeat the same original information. If approval is pending, use Route A to practice.
My Evidence Board
Your Evidence Board belongs in your existing iCivics Project Notebook. It is the Week 4 section, not a separate document.
Open your notebook here each time
Teacher review: The Week 4 section is ready in the master notebook. Mr. Fullerton will assign each student a private copy through Google Classroom; this button will be connected to that grade’s assignment before launch.
When connected, open your attached notebook from Mr. Fullerton’s assignment and find Week 4 • My Evidence Board. Type in the blue response boxes. Google Docs saves automatically while connected. Return through this same button each time.
Your notebook prompts
- My investigation question: What do I need to learn about our problem?
- Evidence note 1: What is the source? What does it say? How does it help? What does it not establish?
- Evidence note 2: Answer the same questions for another source. Does it add information or repeat the first source?
- Approach 1: Who benefits? What resources and approval does it need? What is its main drawback or uncertainty?
- Approach 2: Answer the same comparison questions. How is this approach different?
- My provisional recommendation: Which approach looks more promising, or what must we learn before choosing? Use evidence and name one trade-off.
- After comparison: What did I change or keep, and why? What did I contribute, and what evidence will I seek next?
Draft your notes and comparison first. Complete the final reflection after Step 5.
Let evidence improve the idea
Project coaching: 11:45–12:15 • G4 Thursdays • G5 Mondays • G6 Tuesdays.
- Prepare: Bring your own evidence notes and comparison.
- Share: Each person explains one source and its limit.
- Discuss: Students lead while Mr. Fullerton listens. Compare both approaches using the same questions. Ask, “What would make us change our recommendation?”
- Revise individually: Improve your own board. Explain the evidence that influenced your thinking.
- Report back: Your agreed spokesperson shares the recommendation, strongest support, trade-off, and next research question when Mr. Fullerton rejoins.
Discussion Guide
Invite every voice and give both approaches a fair hearing.
Evidence Checker
Ask where each claim comes from and whether it goes beyond the source.
Connection Maker
Record the team’s comparison, provisional recommendation, and remaining question.
Rotate from Week 3. A fourth member serves as Process Checker, checking that everyone contributes and has a next step. Everyone completes their own Evidence Board.
Working independently or waiting for your group?
Compare your notes with the model note in Route A. Then argue for the approach you did not initially prefer: what is its strongest benefit? Use that comparison to revise your recommendation or explain why it remains the same. Record your own next question.
Team record: In your assigned shared document, add both approaches, the sources considered, your provisional recommendation, its trade-off, unresolved questions, and each member’s next contribution. Preserve earlier entries.
Make a smaller, stronger claim
I cannot tell whether something is evidence.
Ask where it came from. “I like this idea” is a preference. “Four students reported a conflict” describes information you can trace to the discussion notes. A preference can tell you what one person values; it does not prove the idea will work.
My sources disagree.
Check whether they studied the same people, time, and question. Describe the disagreement and what would help resolve it. You do not need to hide uncertainty.
Both approaches have drawbacks.
That is normal. Explain which drawback seems more manageable and what you need to check. You can recommend gathering more evidence before making a final choice.
Sentence starter: “Source ___ suggests ___, but it does not tell us ___. Compared with ___, I tentatively recommend ___ because ___. We still need to check ___.”
Check your evidence and reasoning
- I recorded two traceable sources or used the clearly labeled fictional source pack.
- I explained what each source supports and one limit or unanswered question.
- I compared two approaches using the same questions.
- I connected my provisional recommendation to evidence and a trade-off.
- I explained my individual contribution, revision, and next research question.
Follow Mr. Fullerton’s posted Pearson directions for the subject and submission. This website does not submit work to Pearson. If assignment details are not posted, your notebook remains ready for review.
Stop here • Week 4 is complete
You may improve your Evidence Board. Begin Week 5 when Mr. Fullerton assigns it. Next, turn your evidence and recommendation into a draft plan.
Teacher guide • Week 4
Look for a claim matched to evidence, traceable sources, a fair comparison, recognition of limits, and an individual revision. Two source notes are a manageable starting point, not a guarantee that a proposal is ready. Assess reasoning rather than agreement with a preferred solution.
G4 compares community solutions. G5–6 build research notes for an approved AC topic, including purpose, possible eligibility and provisions, and resource questions. Keep topic approval separate from the quality of this practice task. Route A allows full participation while a topic awaits review.
All book-room facts are original fictional teaching material. No external resource is necessary for completion. Before launch, assign private student copies of the completed Weeks 1–8 master through Google Classroom, connect each grade’s assignment link, and provide the relevant dates and submission directions.