The Common Core standards specify that students need to conduct both brief and sustained research and that this research be woven into many different classroom contexts. Students need to participate in multiple activies in which they gather and synthesize information.
This hand-out helps students to do exactly this. Students begin by brainstorming current classroom topics and then as a class, create a list of example claims. They then choose one to support with evidence (research skills and in-text citations are emphasized on this hand-out), and finally they put everything together into an argumentative essay. (Argumentative essay template is included with reminders and help with formatting, so that students feel comfortable putting everything they have learned together into one unique and interesting essay.)