Evaluating Evidence: Adversities Faces in the Middle Ages | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA 2012 G6:M2B:U1:L10

Evaluating Evidence: Adversities Faces in the Middle Ages

In this Lesson

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Long Term Learning Targets

  • I can write informative/explanatory texts that convey ideas and concepts using relevant information that is carefully selected and organized. (W.6.2).
  • I can use evidence from a variety of grade-appropriate texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. (W.6.9)

Supporting Targets

  • I can evaluate my research to choose the most relevant evidence for my essay.
  • I can organize the evidence I have chosen into quote sandwiches.

Ongoing Assessment

  • Homework: Three Adversities (from Lesson 9)
  • Quote sandwiches for each body paragraph

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Unpacking Learning Targets (3 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Evaluating Research to Choose the Most Relevant Evidence (20 minutes)

B. Sharing Chosen Evidence (7 minutes)

C. Modeling the Quote Sandwich (8 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Working on Quote Sandwich (7 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Complete the three graphic organizers, one for each adversity you have chosen to focus on in your essay.
  • In this lesson, students evaluate the evidence they have gathered through research to determine the most relevant to help them explain the adversity they are describing and the most compelling to make it interesting for the reader. This is modeled for them by selecting a student to work with in front of the class. Consider choosing a student who may need additional support, so that he or she is ahead when it comes time to work independently.
  • Students use the quote sandwich organizer to arrange their evidence into paragraphs. This organizer is called a quote sandwich organizer across the modules, but to make sense in this lesson, it has been described as an quote sandwich. References are made to quote sandwich too, so that students are familiar with this term. The process of filling out a quote sandwich organizer is modeled in this lesson with a body paragraph of the model essay. Students then complete an organizer for each adversity they have chosen to focus on in their essay.
  • Post: Learning targets.

Vocabulary

evaluate 

Materials

  • End of Unit 1 Assessment Prompt: Adversity in the Middle Ages (from Lesson 9; one per student)
  • Researcher's notebook (from Lesson 5; one per student)
  • Quote Sandwich Guide: Adversity Faced by Townspeople in the Middle Ages (one to display)
  • Model Essay: Adversity Faced by Townspeople in the Middle Ages (from Lesson 9; one per student)
  • Quote Sandwich graphic organizer (three per student)

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Unpacking Learning Targets (3 minutes)

  • Invite students to read the learning targets with you:

* "I can evaluate my research to choose the most relevant evidence for my essay."

* "I can organize the evidence I have chosen into quote sandwiches."

  • Ask them to discuss with an elbow partner:

* "What does evaluate mean?"

  • Cold call students to share their responses. Listen for them to explain that evaluate means to compare the evidence collected to determine which is the most relevant.
  • Learning targets are a research-based strategy that helps all students, especially challenged learners.
  • Reviewing the key academic vocabulary in learning targets can prepare students for vocabulary they may encounter in the lesson.
  • Posting learning targets allows students to reference them throughout the lesson to check their understanding. The learning targets also provide a reminder to students and teachers about the intended learning behind a given lesson or activity.

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Evaluating Research to Choose the Most Relevant Evidence (20 minutes)

  • Remind students that for homework, they looked over the research they had gathered to identify the three adversities they want to focus on in their essays. Invite them to refer to their completed Homework: Three Adversities sheet and to share their choices and the reasons they chose them with an elbow partner.
  • Ask students to reread the End of Unit 1 Assessment Prompt: Adversity in the Middle Ages and focus them on the second bullet:

* "Include at least one piece of relevant and compelling evidence from the research texts in your explanation of each adversity (collected in your researcher's notebook)"

  • Ask pairs to discuss:

* "What does it mean by relevant and compelling?"

  • Select volunteers to share their ideas with the whole group. Listen for them to explain that relevant means it is of the same topic as the adversity, and compelling means that it makes the reader want to continue reading.
  • Tell students that now that they have identified the three adversities on which to focus their essays, they need to choose evidence to support their ideas in their essay. To do this, they need to evaluate the evidence they have collected in their researcher's notebooks to determine which is the most relevant to support an explanation of each adversity.
  • Select a student and invite her to help you model this process with the whole group. Invite the student to share her researcher's notebook and one of her adversities with the group.
  • Tell students that now that they have identified the three adversities on which to focus their essays, they need to choose evidence to support their ideas in their essay. To do this, they need to evaluate the evidence they have collected in their researcher's notebooks to determine which is the most relevant to support an explanation of each adversity.
  • Select a student and invite her to help you model this process with the whole group. Invite the student to share her researcher's notebook and one of her adversities with the group.
  • Ask the class:

* "Which of these pieces of evidence is relevant to this adversity?"

  • Ask the student you are modeling with what she thinks. Invite her to put a star next to the pieces of evidence that are relevant.
  • Explain that students should aim to have at least one piece of evidence from research, but not more than two pieces per adversity. So, if they have more than three pieces of evidence starred when they have finished, they must evaluate the evidence further to choose only the two most relevant and compelling.
  • Model this with the student. Once the student has two quotes starred, ask the class:

* "Which of these is the most relevant and compelling? Why?"

  • Invite the student to underline the two that she thinks are the most relevant and compelling.
  • Hearing a complex text read slowly, fluently, and without interruption or explanation promotes fluency for students: They are hearing a strong reader read the text aloud with accuracy and expression and are simultaneously looking at and thinking about the words on the printed page. Be sure to set clear expectations that students read along silently in their heads as you read the text aloud.
  • Modeling the activity for students can provide them with the expectations you have of their independent work. It can also provide students with the confidence to work independently, giving you time to help students who require additional support during Work Time.

B. Sharing Chosen Evidence (7 minutes)

  • Invite students to pair up with someone else to share the evidence they have chosen to use in their essay. Emphasize that students need to be able to justify why their choices are relevant and compelling.
  • Encourage students to ask their new partner questions about why they chose one piece of evidence above another.
  • Invite students to change the evidence they have selected after talking to their new partner, if they think it's necessary.
  • Consider pairing ELLs who speak the same first language in order to deepen their discussion.
  • Guiding questions can put students back on the right track and can deepen their thinking about their choices.

C. Modeling the Quote Sandwich (8 minutes)

  • Display the Module 3A: Unit 2: Lesson 7 Supporting Materials Quote Sandwich Guide: Adversity Faced by Townspeople in the Middle Ages.
  • Direct students to retrieve the Model Essay: Adversity Faced by Townspeople in the Middle Ages they annotated in Lesson 9. Remind students that the three paragraphs in the middle are the body paragraphs and invite them to reread the third body paragraph.
  • Read the paragraph at the top of the guide aloud. Point out the three parts of the quote sandwich.
  • Invite students to discuss with an elbow partner:

* "How has the author used the quote sandwich to plan the body paragraph?"

  • Select volunteers to share their responses. Listen for them to explain that the sandwich tells the author how to write the paragraph. Each part of the sandwich is a part of the paragraph.
  • Showing a model of a completed organizer that is connected to the model essay guides students in the expectations you have of them.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Working on Quote Sandwiches (7 minutes)

  • Distribute the Quote Sandwich graphic organizers. Explain that students are to use one organizer per adversity to help them map out the three body paragraphs of their essay. They are going to do this independently. Explain that they may discuss ideas with an elbow partner, but this work is to be their own.
  • Circulate to support students in filling out their organizers. Ask guiding questions:

* "How can you introduce the adversity?"

* "How can you include the evidence you have selected?"

* "How can you explain the evidence you have selected?"

  • Remind students to use the evidence they have underlined in their researcher's notebook.
  • Consider seating students who may need additional support in one area to work with them as a group.

Homework

Homework
  • Complete the three graphic organizers, one for each adversity you have chosen to focus on in your essay.

Created by EL Education, on behalf of Public Consulting Group, Inc.
© Public Consulting Group, Inc., with a perpetual license granted to EL Education, Inc.

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