Credible sources, prior art, citation, source bias, needs assessment.
What to do if absent- CER:
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning — make a claim, back it with evidence, explain your reasoning.
- SOP:
- Standard Operating Procedure — the exact steps to follow (especially in a lab).
- Tracker:
- Your PLTW progress log where you record completed evidence.
- myPLTW:
- The PLTW course site where you do the online activities — you open it through Schoology.
Week overview - Finding the truth: credible sources, prior art, and needs assessment
Evaluate sources for credibility and bias, survey prior art, and write a focused needs assessment for your ER redesign.
- 1List three questions your ER redesign still needs answered before you can design well.
- 2Find one source for each question and record its author, date, and publisher.
- 3Rate each source for credibility and note any possible source bias in one phrase.
- 4Search for prior art: find one existing ER solution others have already tried.
- 5Add a citation for every source to your annotated source packet using a consistent format.
- 6Write a two-sentence needs assessment naming the gap your design will address.
- • You will be able to judge a source's credibility and possible bias.
- • You will be able to cite sources in a consistent format.
- • You will be able to write a focused needs assessment.
Daily lessons this week
Open any day for its full lesson, the work due that day, and guided notes.
Research question list classified by evidence type (data vs. expert source) and a research log set up with the required columns.
Source credibility check: three sources scored on authority, accuracy, currency, and bias, plus one prior-art identification and keep/reject decisions.
Annotated source set with two-sentence annotations, consistent citations, and at least one bias flag.
Annotated ER research notes packet: research questions, credible sources with annotations and citations, needs-assessment summary, and one evidence gap.
Quick intro to the week
- Hook: a good designer borrows from everyone who solved part of the problem before, then cites them honestly.
- Today's goal: build an annotated source packet you can actually trust to guide your ER design.
- Monday's bioethics debate on source bias matters here: who funded a study can shape what it claims.
- Reminder: your graded source packet and needs assessment live in the PLTW course shell.
Your PLTW coursework this week
Do this: Advance PLTW Problem 1 by completing the research and needs-assessment benchmark in the online course shell.
- • Credibility depends on the author, evidence, and publisher behind a source.
- • Prior art is existing work that addresses part of your problem.
- • Detect possible source bias in a reference.
- • Write a citation in a consistent format.
📋 PLTW evidence due: annotated source packet with citations and a written needs assessment in the course shell.
All PLTW activities are completed inside the PLTW course environment — this page only gives direction.
This week's PLTW tracker
Your week at a glance. Check off each deliverable as you finish it, then submit so Mr. Mendoza can see how the class is pacing.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
| Day | Date | Focus | Key deliverable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | Tue, Feb 2 | Research kickoff | Research question list classified by evidence type (data vs. expert source) and a research log set up with the required columns. |
| Wednesday | Wed, Feb 3 | Credible source check | Source credibility check: three sources scored on authority, accuracy, currency, and bias, plus one prior-art identification and keep/reject decisions. |
| Thursday | Thu, Feb 4 | Annotation and citation | Annotated source set with two-sentence annotations, consistent citations, and at least one bias flag. |
| Friday | Fri, Feb 5 | Submit research notes | Annotated ER research notes packet: research questions, credible sources with annotations and citations, needs-assessment summary, and one evidence gap. |
- M: no school
- T: research kickoff
- W: shortened-day source check
- Th: annotations
- F: research notes submit
Due by week's end: Annotated ER research notes.
What to do when absent
Most days, this class is your PLTW coursework — and PLTW is online and individual. So being out usually just means doing exactly what we did in class, from home.
Open Schoology (CMSD) and keep goingHow to get there: open the CMSD website, click Clever, sign in with your Microsoft (district) account, then open Schoology from Clever.
You can't do those from home — do this instead: Annotated source packet.
Class still runs. A substitute will post today's plan — complete the online activity above; it's built to be self-guided. Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
MedlinePlus Evaluating Health InformationVocabulary
Virtual resources
Teacher-posted resources
Classroom documents for this lesson. Ones marked “Open the file” open right here; the rest are posted in Schoology. Use the label on each card to choose the right move.
Open this when the class reaches this activity and use it to complete the required lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched Research documentation and source credibility by path:Biomedical-Innovations/Problem-1_Emergency-Room/1.1_Emergency-Room; keywords:research, documentation, credibility, scavenger, website. Score 162. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
Open this when the class reaches this activity and use it to complete the required lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched Research documentation and source credibility by path:Biomedical-Innovations/Problem-1_Emergency-Room/1.1_Emergency-Room; keywords:research, documentation, scavenger. Score 146. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
Open this when the class reaches this activity and use it to complete the required lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched Research documentation and source credibility by path:Biomedical-Innovations/Problem-1_Emergency-Room/1.1_Emergency-Room; keywords:research, documentation, scavenger. Score 146. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
How to get there: open the CMSD website, click Clever, sign in with your Microsoft (district) account, then open Schoology from Clever.
Standards this week
WebXam practice
Drop your Week 3 here. Use a clear file name (your initials + project). Routine work still goes to Schoology (via the CMSD portal).
Upload a project