Learning Goals & Products

Learning Goals

1

Students will be able to evaluate and synthesize World Cup-related research sources to develop a focused expository claim about the tournament’s global influence.

2

Students will be able to construct an argumentative thesis about a 2026 FIFA World Cup issue using credible evidence and explicit reasoning.

3

Students will be able to integrate quoted and paraphrased evidence from multiple sources with accurate citation in an expository or argumentative essay.

4

Students will be able to revise an essay draft to strengthen organization, audience awareness, and the connection between evidence and reasoning.

5

Students will be able to collaborate in a public defense by presenting research findings, responding to questions, and defending a position on a World Cup-related controversy.

Products

individual

Revised World Cup Research Essay Portfolio

Each student submits a polished expository or argumentative essay on a 2026 FIFA World Cup topic, along with source notes, an evidence map, a draft, and a reflection explaining revision choices. The portfolio proves independent research, source use, and individual control of claims and reasoning.

Student choices
Background and Significance of the World Cup — (expository)
Research a specific country, team, or player — (expository)
Issues of the world cup. Do the issues outweigh the benefits? — (argumentative)
Greatest event on the planet. Why the world cup helps bring the globe together. — (argumentative)
team

World Cup Public Defense Panel and Synthesis Board

Teams present a collaborative panel defense of a shared controversial question connected to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, then publish a synthesis board showing where the strongest evidence lies and how competing positions compare. Each member’s research must feed the discussion and the team must respond to audience questions.

Rubric
Competency Progression Rubric Competency-first rubric
Category
Learning Goal
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
Deeper Learning Competencies
Effective Communication
  • I can share my ideas during discussions and write brief expository/argumentative responses that clearly connect to my World Cup research question and audience purpose
  • I can use notes from sources (e.g., quotes, statistics, maps) to support what I say, with minimal but accurate citations in my draft.
  • I can communicate my claim and reasoning in writing and speaking by organizing evidence into topic sentences and evidence maps
  • I can synthesize multiple sources to explain how research informs or persuades an audience and I can revise with feedback to improve clarity, structure, and audience awareness.
  • I can communicate with empathy and effectiveness by participating actively in discussion circles, responding to others’ ideas, and presenting my writing at the Showcase with a clear explanation of my evidence choices
  • I can integrate paraphrases and quotations smoothly with accurate in-text citations, and I can revise for purpose and audience by strengthening transitions, organization, and the logic connecting evidence to claims.
  • I can communicate confidently and persuasively by tailoring my message to a specific audience at the Publishing Celebration and exhibition board, using discussion and visitor feedback to deepen my message
  • I can independently synthesize sources into a well-structured expository and argumentative set, demonstrate sophisticated reasoning (e.g., explaining significance and addressing counterpoints), and revise consistently to make my writing most effective and well-cited.
Deeper Learning Competencies
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
  • I can generate a research question about the World Cup that is focused on culture, global impact, or interconnectedness and use a few sources (e.g., clips, maps, statistics, quotes) to answer it
  • I can identify what each source contributes to my claim and explain my reasoning in a simple way.
  • I can refine my research question by narrowing or broadening it based on what my sources show
  • I can synthesize information from multiple sources to build a clear expository or argumentative claim, and I can explain how the evidence supports my reasoning more than one step.
  • I can independently evaluate and select the most relevant evidence to solve the writing’s problem of persuasion or explanation and adjust my inquiry when sources conflict or are incomplete
  • I can integrate evidence by connecting it to specific topic sentences and showing how explanation links sources to my claim with discipline-specific thinking.
  • I can independently design a strong research plan (including a self-generated question), sustain inquiry over time, and synthesize sources in ways that deepen understanding (e.g., comparing perspectives, identifying patterns, addressing counterclaims)
  • I can clearly articulate how my reasoning informs and persuades an audience, revising my claim and evidence choices to strengthen the overall argument.
Deeper Learning Competencies
Content Expertise
  • I can locate and summarize key information from provided World Cup sources (news clips, maps, statistics, quotes) and use it to support a basic expository or argumentative claim.
  • I can synthesize information from multiple sources to explain how evidence connects to my claim, and I can choose the most relevant details to match an expository or argumentative purpose and audience.
  • I can evaluate sources for usefulness and credibility, narrow or broaden my research question as needed, and integrate evidence with clear explanation (paraphrase, quotation, and in-text citation) to strengthen reasoning in my writing.
  • I can independently develop discipline-specific claims that are strongly supported by synthesized, well-justified evidence across sources, and I can refine my writing by strategically revising organization, topic sentences, and evidence use to persuade or inform a specific audience.
Deeper Learning Competencies
Collaboration
  • I can contribute to my team’s project by completing assigned roles on time and using group notes to stay aligned with our research and writing goals.
  • I can collaborate with my team by sharing relevant evidence, asking clarifying questions, and helping revise our ideas to better answer the essential question.
  • I can lead or co-lead collaboration by coordinating tasks, building on peers’ suggestions, and proposing evidence-based revisions that strengthen claims and organization for a specific purpose and audience.
  • I can independently sustain high-quality collaboration by resolving conflicts respectfully, integrating multiple classmates’ feedback into polished drafts, and reflecting on how our teamwork improved the research-to-writing connections in my final portfolio and exhibit.
Deeper Learning Competencies
Academic Mindset
  • I can generate a focused research/expository/argument topic or question about the World Cup’s culture and global impact and explain why it matters to my audience
  • I can choose a few sources I am given and use them to support my writing with basic paraphrase and simple in-text citations.
  • I can narrow or broaden my research question as I learn more and show that I understand the topic by synthesizing information from multiple sources
  • I can revise my draft by adding clearer claims, stronger topic sentences, and more accurate citation while explaining what evidence best supports my reasoning.
  • I can independently refine my inquiry plan (including a self-generated question) and justify how my sources answer it, using evidence maps to show connections between claims and reasoning
  • I can strengthen my writing through targeted revision choices—organizing ideas for purpose and audience and integrating paraphrase, quotes, and explanations to make my argument/exposition persuasive.
  • I can take ownership of my learning by setting goals for research and revision, then iteratively improving my writing and portfolio based on what works best for my audience and purpose
  • I can consistently evaluate source relevance and quality, synthesize across sources with sophisticated reasoning, and reflect on how my thinking changed and improved across drafts.