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9th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 10 of 14

Research & Credibility

Peer review, AI output and synthesis

What your child practices

Students practice effective research questions, peer review, conflicting sources, sampling, lateral reading, checking AI output for invented sources, and citing and synthesizing evidence honestly.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: E1.11(A); E1.11(G); E1.11(H) · research questions, conflicting sources, credibility and citing

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Use peer-reviewed sources when you can, and ask who funded a study.
  2. Read laterally: check what other reliable sources say. AI tools can invent sources and facts.
  3. Correlation is not causation: two things happening together doesn’t prove one causes the other.

Example: Ice cream sales and sunburns both rise in summer. Does ice cream cause sunburns? They happen at the same time. Both are caused by something else: hot, sunny weather. Answer: No: correlation does not prove causation.

Research & Credibility in Texas

In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), this is unit 10 of 14 in 9th grade English Language Arts, after Form & Composing and before Proofreading.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Texas Education Agency (TEA)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    A survey of 50 people from one club is used to describe a whole state. What is the problem?

    • the survey is too long
    • the sample is not representative
    • 50 is too many
    • surveys never work

  2. Question 2

    What is peer review?

    • experts checking research before it is published
    • a type of citation
    • a book report
    • friends liking a post

  3. Question 3

    What is a credible author?

    • someone with many followers
    • someone who agrees with you
    • someone who writes long posts
    • someone with relevant expertise and a record of accuracy

  4. Question 4

    Why is it important to note the date you accessed a website?

    • it is required for books
    • it shows your opinion
    • it makes citations longer
    • web content can change after you read it

  5. Question 5

    What is a limitation of content generated by AI tools?

    • it is always peer-reviewed
    • it can include errors, invented sources and hidden bias
    • it cites every source correctly
    • it cannot write sentences

  6. Question 6

    Which practice best supports academic honesty in a research project?

    • citing at the end if there is time
    • citing only books
    • keeping track of sources and citing all borrowed ideas
    • only citing direct quotes

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