Collaborative Problem-Solution Essay: Draft Introduction | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA 2019 G6:M2:U3:L3

Collaborative Problem-Solution Essay: Draft Introduction

In this Lesson

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • W.6.2a, W.6.4, W.6.5, SL.6.2

Supporting Standards: These are the standards that are incidental—no direct instruction in this lesson, but practice of these standards occurs as a result of addressing the focus standards.

  • RI.6.1, RI.6.7, W.6.8, W.6.9b, SL.6.1, L.6.6
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can analyze the structure of the model essay introduction. (W.6.2a)
  • I can determine the characteristics of an effective focus statement by analyzing the model. (W.6.2a)
  • I can collaboratively write an introduction with a strong focus statement for a problem-solution essay about William. (W.6.2a)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Work Time A: Introduction Sentence Strips (W.6.2a)
  • Work Time B: Draft Collaborative Introduction (RI.6.1, RI.6.7, W.6.2a, W.6.2c, W.6.2d, W.6.2e, W.6.4, W.6.5, W.6.8, W.6.9b, SL.6.2, L.6.6)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner – W.6.5 (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. The Painted Essay®: Sort and Color-Code the Parts of an Introduction – W.6.2a (15 minutes)

B. Collaborative Writing: Draft an Introduction – W.6.2a (20 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Reflect on Learning – SL.6.1 (5 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Independent Research Reading: Students read for at least 20 minutes in their independent research reading text. Then they select a prompt and write a response in their independent reading journal.

Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

  • W.6.5 – Opening A: Students complete an entrance ticket in which they give and receive peer feedback on their Problem-Solution Writing Planners and use that feedback to strengthen their writing.
  • W.6.2a – Work Time A: Students analyze the introduction of the Model Problem-Solution Essay: “Bridges to Prosperity.”
  • W.6.2a – Work Time B: Students work with their partners to draft an introduction for their problem-solution essays on William.
  • W.6.4 – Work Time B: Students produce clear and coherent introductions, taking into account the purpose of the piece and the context needed by the reader.
  • W.6.5 – Work Time B: With support from their partners, students develop their writing, producing a collaborative draft of an introduction.
  • SL.6.2 – Work Time B: Students interpret the information they have collected from diverse media and use it to explain how design thinking was used to solve a critical problem.
  • In this lesson, students work to become effective learners, focusing on a characteristic of their choice as they draft their introductions.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • An optional Mini Language Dive, intended for use after Work Time A, is available in the supporting materials download. ▲ This Mini Language Dive invites students to explore the way in which the opening sentence of the Model Problem-Solution Essay: “Bridges to Prosperity” evokes empathy in the reader as a way to help the reader understand why a problem is critical. Consider developing an extension to this Mini Language Dive that prompts students to produce alternative first sentences to the model essay that target other habits of character.

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • In the previous lessons, students compared the model note-catcher to the model writing planner to understand the steps of the writing process. In this lesson, students analyze the introduction of the model essay and compose their own for their collaborative essay about William.

Support All Students

  • Students may need additional support drafting their introductions. Group those students and lead a discussion that will guide them to giving context to the reader about how an innovator addressed a critical problem.

Assessment Guidance

  • Use the Grade 6 Writing Process checklist to assess students’ writing abilities in Work Time B (see the Tools Page at http://eled.org/tools).

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students will draft the first proof paragraph of their collaborative essays.

In Advance

  • Prepare Organize the Model: Introduction strips for Work Time A. Cut them out in advance to save time during class.
  • Review the Informative Writing checklist from Unit 3, Lesson 1 to become familiar with what will be required of students over the remainder of the unit.
  • Review the student tasks and example answers to get familiar with what students will be required to do in the lesson (see Materials list).
  • Prepare copies of handouts for students, including the entrance ticket (see Materials list).
  • Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Work Time B: Display and replay the TED Talk: Avery Bang: "Building Bridges and Connecting Communities," setting a new purpose for each viewing. For this lesson, ask students to listen specifically for the information that should be included in the introduction.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 6.I.A.1, 6.I.A.4, 6.I.B.6, 6.I.B.7, 6.I.C.10, 6.I.C.11, 6.I.C.12, 6.II.A.1, 6.II.A.2, 6.II.B.5, 6.II.C.6, and 6.II.C.7.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson invites students to first engage with the introduction of the Model Problem-Solution Essay: "Bridges to Prosperity" by rearranging sentence strips to reproduce the introduction before reading it aloud together as a class. This exercise hones student attention to smaller and more manageable amounts of text at a time, improves awareness of paragraph structure by allowing students to easily move around sentences to understand their function in a sentence, and unites reading and speaking skills by requiring active reading and collaboration.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to draft the introductions of their essays. Make Work Time B more focused and/or more playful by inviting students to simulate the sentence strips activity from Work Time A. Provide blank strips to each pair, and encourage them to draft their introduction, one sentence at a time, on the strips, before piecing them together. Allocating attention to one sentence at a time may help students feel less overwhelmed. This exercise may also reinforce the idea that each sentence in the introduction serves a related, but distinct, purpose and should not simply repeat information.

Vocabulary

  • N/A

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Model Problem-Solution Essay: "Bridges to Prosperity" (example for teacher reference) (from Module 2, Unit 3, Lesson 1, Work Time A)
  • Informative Writing checklist (example for teacher reference) (from Module 2, Unit 3, Lesson 2, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Criteria for Effective Informative Writing anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson 8, Work Time B)
  • Design Solution: William note-catcher (example for teacher reference) (from Module 2, Unit 1, Lesson 13, Work Time A)
  • Problem-Solution Writing Planner: William (example for teacher reference) (from Module 2, Unit 3, Lesson 2, Work Time B)
  • Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time A)
  • Work to Become Ethical People anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time A)
  • Work to Contribute to a Better World anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 3, Lesson 8, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Problem-Solution Writing Planner: William (one per student; from Module 2, Unit 3, Lesson 2, Work Time B)
  • Model Problem-Solution Essay: "Bridges to Prosperity" (one per student; from Module 2, Unit 3, Lesson 1, Work Time A)
  • Informative Writing checklist (one per student; from Module 2, Unit 3, Lesson 1, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Design Solution: William note-catcher (one per student; from Module 2, Unit 1, Lesson 13, Work Time A)
  • Dance cards (one per student; from Module 2, Unit 1, Lesson 5, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Independent reading journal (one per student; begun in Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 6, Work Time B)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Problem-Solution Essay: William (example for teacher reference)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 3 (one per student)
  • Organize the Model: Introduction strips (one per pair)
  • Scissors (optional; one per partnership)
  • Lined paper or devices with word-processing software (one per partnership)

Assessment

Each unit in the 6-8 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize students' understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Opening

Opening

A. Engage the Learner - W.6.5 (5 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as previous lessons to distribute and review Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 3. Students will also need their Problem-Solution Writing Planner: William.
  • Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as with the previous lessons to review learning targets and the purpose of the lesson, reminding students of any learning targets that are similar or the same as in previous lessons.

Work Time

Work TimeLevels of Support

A. The Painted Essay®: Sort and Color-Code the Parts of an Introduction – W.6.2a (15 minutes)

  • Move students into their predetermined writing partners.
  • Distribute Organize the Model: Introduction strips and scissors. Direct students to cut out the strips.
  • Remind students of the parts of an introduction:
    • Context: information to engage the reader and provide needed background
    • Focus statement
  • Explain that pairs need to put the parts together in the right order.
  • Tell students that when they have finished, they will check their work against the Model Problem-Solution Essay: “Bridges to Prosperity.”
  • Invite students to begin, and circulate to support students in reading and sorting the strips of the introduction.
  • Refocus whole group.
  • Invite students to chorally read the introduction together as a class, stopping after each sentence to explain its function in the paragraph. As needed, allow processing time and cue students to think internally:

“I’ll give you time to think and write or sketch.”

For Lighter Support

  • For further practice with the paraphrasing skills targeted during Unit 2, invite students who need lighter support to paraphrase two or three sentences from the introduction of the Model Problem-Solution Essay: "Bridges to Prosperity." Challenge them to not only exchange words for their synonyms, but also to rearrange structural components of the sentence(s) to produce grammatically distinct sentences that preserve the same ideas as the originals.
  • In Work Time A, after students analyze the introduction of the Model Problem-Solution Essay: "Bridges to Prosperity," invite students to participate in a Mini Language Dive in small groups to explore ways to use a verb written in the imperative mood (Imagine) to evoke empathy and capture the reader's attention in an introduction (W.6.2a, L.6.3a). Strongly encourage students to manipulate the structure of the Practice section to use as a "hook" in their own problem-solution essays.

For Heavier Support

  • For further practice with the paraphrasing skills targeted during Unit 2, provide students who need heavier support with simple paraphrases of sentences from the introduction of the Model Problem-Solution Essay: "Bridges to Prosperity" and give them time to locate the original sentences in the essay. Examples can be found below:
    • Paraphrase: Many remote communities have rivers that isolate them and limit their ability to attend school, get a job, or get medical attention. (Original sentence: The problem for many isolated communities is that rivers separate them from schools, jobs, and health services.)
    • Paraphrase: The connectivity and access provided by these bridges help reduce rural poverty. (Original sentence: These bridges tackle poverty in rural areas by connecting communities to services they could not access before.)

B. Collaborative Writing: Draft an Introduction - W.6.2a (20 minutes)

  • Invite students to retrieve their Problem-Solution Writing Planner: William and their copy of the Informative Writing checklist. Point out the following characteristic on the checklist:

"W.6.2a: I have an introduction that gives readers the context they need to understand the topic or text."

  • Ask:

"Are there any specific criteria you should be aware of and list in the second column on the checklist?" (The introduction gives context information about the problem, the innovator, and how he/she became inspired to address this critical problem.)

  • As students share out, capture their responses in the Characteristics of This Informative Essay column as needed. Refer to the Informative Writing checklist (example for teacher reference) as needed.
  • Explain that, in this lesson, students will work with their writing partner to draft their introduction to the problem-solution essay focused on William Kamkwamba. Students should base their draft on the information they gathered and organized on their Design Solution: William note-catcher and Problem-Solution Writing Planner: William.
  • Distribute lined paper or devices, and invite writing partners to begin.
  • Circulate and monitor, referencing the following resources as necessary:
    • Design-Solution: William note-catcher (example for teacher reference)
    • Problem Solution Writing Planner: William (example for teacher reference)
    • Problem-Solution Essay: William (example for teacher reference)
  • With two minutes remaining, refocus students and allow time for them to log off devices or put away materials.
  • Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target, using a checking for understanding technique. Scan student responses, and make a note of students who might need support. Check in with them moving forward.
  • N/A

Closing & Assessments

ClosingLevels of Support

A. Reflect on Learning - SL.6.1 (5 minutes)

  • Move students into groups of three or four, and have them reread each of the Habits of Character anchor charts.
  • Invite students to reflect on how habits of character were demonstrated in this lesson, discussing what went well and what could be improved next time.

For Lighter Support

  • In the following lesson, students will participate in a Language Dive using a key sentence from Proof Paragraph 1 of the Model Problem-Solution Essay: "Bridges to Prosperity." Provide ELLs with the Language Dive sentence ahead of time. Challenge students who need lighter support to rewrite the sentence using different sentence-starters without changing the meaning and without trimming any information from the sentence. These sentence-starters should require manipulating and/or moving around different elements of the sentence:
    • One in seven people _____. [e.g., One in seven people cannot safely access the services and products they need to survive, which is a critical problem (Bang).]
    • This is a critical problem because the services and products _____. [e.g., This is a critical problem because the services and products that people need to survive cannot be safely accessed by one in seven people (Bang).]

For Heavier Support

  • In the following lesson, students will participate in a Language Dive using a key sentence from Proof Paragraph 1 of the Model Problem-Solution Essay: "Bridges to Prosperity." Provide ELLs with the Language Dive sentence ahead of time. Invite students who need heavier support to underline words in the sentence using different colors according to their parts of speech (nouns, blue; verbs, red; adjectives, yellow; pronouns, purple). Challenge them not to use a dictionary to help them. Check students' answers later and, as needed, incorporate additional part-of-speech work into future lessons.

Homework

Homework

A. Independent Research Reading

  • Students read for at least 20 minutes in their independent research reading text. Then they select a prompt and write a response in their independent reading journal.

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