B. Weighing the Reasons: Eliza's Identity (15 minutes)

• Remind students that they have worked very hard as a class to gather and analyze relevant and specific evidence from the text. Praise them for filling out their Eliza Character Trackers so diligently.
• Point out that the class has used the evidence to generate reasons to support both claims: that Eliza both has and has not changed internally.
• Explain to students that although they have many relevant pieces of evidence and a number of reasons, not all of these are equally strong. Some of the reasons are weaker or not as convincing as others. Other reasons are compelling--that is, they are very convincing. They make sense and are supported by strong evidence from the text.
• Emphasize the importance of finding compelling reasons by giving an example from the students' experience. Consider this example, and modify and/or substitute as your professional judgment dictates:

*   "I'm trying to convince you to go see a movie. I might say, 'You should go because it's a short movie--it's only 90 minutes long.' The reason is true and it is supported by evidence (90 minutes long), but it isn't very compelling. Brevity isn't usually a reason someone strongly likes or dislikes a movie. But if I said, 'You should go to the movie because nine out of 10 teenagers say it's a great movie,' that might be a more compelling reason. What peers think of a movie usually does influence whether or not someone sees it, and it is supported by evidence--a statistic."

*   "Here is a tricky one: I might say, 'Meryl Streep is in it.' Is that a compelling reason for you personally? No, because it is only a piece of evidence, and it is not connected to a reason. You don't know who Meryl Streep is. So even though that's relevant, it isn't compelling. But if I explained, 'The acting in this movie is fantastic! Meryl Streep is in it, and she is a really good actress who has won numerous awards!' then that reason becomes more compelling to you."

*   "Here is another tricky one: I might say, 'I saw this movie before, and it's funny! I'd like to see it again.' You might ask, 'What happened in it that is funny?' If I can't answer you, then my reason isn't compelling. Even if you like funny movies, a reason that I can't support with evidence is unlikely to convince you."

• Explain that to write a convincing argument essay, students need to select compelling reasons and support those reasons with evidence in a way that their reader will understand why they are compelling.
• Distribute the End of Unit 2 Assessment: Pygmalion Argument Essay Prompt or project it on the document camera. Invite students to read along while you read the prompt aloud. Remind them that the prompt focuses on Eliza, not any other character. Other characters' changes are irrelevant details.

• Remind students that they have learned a lot about Eliza's character from reading the play. They now know a lot about her character traits and her values, which make up her internal identity. Therefore, when they are thoughtfully considering their evidence, they should ask themselves: "Given what I know about Eliza in the beginning of the play and Eliza at the end, is there strong evidence that she has changed internally--or strong evidence that she has not changed internally?"
• Direct the students' attention to the reasons under the document camera. Say something like the following:

*   "Now let's practice weighing the reasons. For example, one of the ways Eliza changed that we wrote down is that "she has a stronger sense of self-worth." Now, that may be true. However, it's also true that in order for her self-respect to be stronger, she still has to have self-worth from beginning to end--and in that way, she hasn't changed at all. Because of this, I might argue that this is one of the weaker pieces of evidence that she has changed internally."

• For the rest of Work Time B, refer to the Take a Stand Teacher Guide.  You also will need to refer to Take a Stand Statements (in the supporting materials).