Analyze a Model Argument Essay | EL Education Curriculum

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • RI.6.1, RI.6.3, W.6.1, W.6.7, W.6.8, W.6.9b

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.6.10, W.6.10

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can analyze the structure of a model argument essay by applying my knowledge of the Painted Essay®. (W.6.1)
  • I can conduct a short research project, draw on several sources, and gather relevant information on my focus figure. (W.6.7, W.6.8)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 1 (RI.6.1, W.6.1, W.6.10)
  • Work Time B: Independent Argument Evidence note-catcher (RI.6.1, RI.6.3, W.6.1, W.6.7, W.6.8, W.6.9b, W.6.10)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner - W.6.1 (10 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Analyze a Model Argument Essay - W.6.1 (15 minutes)

B. Research Focus Figure - W.6.7, W.6.8 (15 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Debrief: Focus Figure Research - W.6.7 (5 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Research Focus Figure: Students continue to research their focus figure and document information on the Independent Argument Evidence note-catcher.

B. 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

  • RI.6.1 – Opening A: Students complete an entrance ticket in which they examine the Model Argument Evidence: Dorothy note-catcher and the Model Argument Essay: “Dorothy” and compare and contrast the content of the two resources, including the textual evidence presented to support a claim.
  • W.6.1 – Opening A: As part of the entrance ticket, students note the way in which the model essay has been written to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence, which were also captured on the note-catcher.
  • W.6.1 – Work Time A: Students analyze the Model Argument Essay: “Dorothy.” They note the reasons and evidence used to support the essay’s main claim.
  • RI.6.1 – Work Time B: Students continue to conduct research on their focus figure. They add textual evidence from their research to their Independent Argument Evidence note-catchers.
  • W.6.1 – Work Time B: Students collect evidence to support claims about their focus figures in their independent essays.
  • W.6.7 – Work Time B: Students conduct research about their focus figures, drawing on several sources and refocusing their inquiries as needed.
  • W.6.8 – Work Time B: Students gather relevant information about their focus figures from multiple sources.
  • W.6.9b – Work Time B: Students gather textual evidence to support the claims and reasons they will offer in their independent argument essays.
  • W.6.7 – Closing and Assessment A: Students participate in a debrief about their focus figure research.
  • In this lesson, students work to become ethical people, exhibiting integrity as they participate in the Meet My Match activity and as they research their focus figure.
  • The Meet My Match activity is designed to be a grapple for students. Students have participated in the activity in Module 3. The red, green, yellow, and blue index cards correspond to the painted sections of an introduction paragraph of an argument essay. In the lesson, the Painted Essay® template is displayed as a reference for students, but no direct instruction is given to students based on the Painted Essay®. Consider whether to further scaffold the activity or to allow students to independently make the connection to the Painted Essay®. The examples presented in the Meet My Match Instructions should also provide a strong hint to students that the activity is tied to the Painted Essay®.
  • Each student will receive an index card or a chunk of the introduction paragraph. There should be no student left without a manipulative. If the class has an odd number, designate one student to be a monitor for the activity. This monitor will ensure that students are following the habit of character of integrity during the activity.
  • The last part of the activity asks students to gather with other students to create a full paragraph if there is time. There should be no partial paragraphs, so be sure that the number of students in class corresponds with the number of index cards and introduction paragraph chunks created.
  • Consider using other manipulatives instead of index cards, such as flags or colored balls. Be sure to use the standard Painted Essay® colors if other manipulatives are used.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • An optional Mini Language Dive, intended for use after students analyze the Model Argument Essay in Work Time A, is available in the Teacher’s Guide for English Language Learners. ▲
  • Students may examine more samples of argument essays. Providing multiple sample essays for students to color-code and analyze will support their understanding of genre and the subtleties of using reasoning effectively.

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • Students have worked with the Painted Essay® structure in the previous modules. In this unit, they use the same structure but evaluate how it changes when applied to writing an argument, similar to their work in Module 3 with literary argument writing. Students began research on their focus figure at the end of Unit 2. In this lesson, students continue that research.

Support All Students

  • Note that there is a differentiated version of the entrance ticket used in Opening A in the Teacher’s Guide for English Language Learners.
  • Be very deliberate with the introduction chunks given to ELL students. The background information chunk or main claim chunk have more context available that would be easier to understand and match. ▲
  • Analyzing the model may be more challenging for students with limited language proficiency. Scaffold and support student learning through strategic grouping, ensuring that ELLs with lower language ability work with stronger readers and writers. To maintain equity in participation within groups, and to give students the opportunity to specialize with specific components of the task, use a jigsaw approach to adapt the model analysis exercise. In this adaptation, students are assigned specific roles (e.g., write the gist, determine the purpose and/or audience, show connections to prompt), given a chance to work first with other students who have the same role, and then placed in other groups to present their findings. ▲
  • Before students can be expected to produce an essay that imitates the structure of a model, it is critical that they understand the content of the model as deeply as possible. Although the Argument Essay model has been written with careful attention to students’ expected reading levels, do not assume that all students comprehend it after one read. Use a protocol to support students’ idea development during Work Time A. ▲
  • Annotating the model essay with small pictures or glossed keywords may support student understanding of content and structure. ▲

Assessment Guidance

  • Throughout Work Time A, frequently review student work to ensure they are color-coding accurately. Use common issues as whole group teaching points. Throughout Work Time B, monitor student documentation on the Independent Argument Evidence note-catcher. Keep notes on any students whose notes seem to be off base for the purpose of their research. Plan to confer with those students and possibly further scaffold the research process for them.

Down the Road

  • In Lessons 2–4, students continue to deconstruct the model and complete a collaborative practice argument essay. In each lesson, students look at a discrete aspect of the argument essay model and practice using it in their own writing. In Lesson 5, students participate in a peer review of their collaborative essays in which they will trace the argument of a peer pair’s essay.

In Advance

  • Prepare the Model Argument Essay: Introduction Chunks. Make copies, and cut the model essay introduction into the four chunks indicated. Ensure that there are enough chunks to make several complete introductions. Depending on the number of students in class, some students may need to pair up to ensure there are no extra introduction chunks that do not make a complete introduction. For longevity of the materials, laminate the chunks.
  • Reread the Paint an Essay lesson plan to refresh on the color-coding and the purpose of each choice of color.
  • Review the directions for the Meet the Match activity.
  • Gather red, blue, yellow, and green index cards.
  • Gather red, blue, yellow, and green colored pencils.
  • 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 entrance ticket (see Materials list).
  • Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Work Time A: Use a device to display the Painted Model Argument Essay.
  • Work Time B: Use a device for extended display to model best practices for researching online, and provide students with devices to conduct online research.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 6.I.B.6, 6.I.B.7, 6.I.B.8, 6.I.C.10, 6.I.C.11, 6.I.C.12, 6.II.A.1, 6.II.A.2, and 6.II.C.6.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson is the first in a series of lessons that follows a pattern with which students are already familiar after their work in Modules 1–3. This lesson invites students to revisit the Painted Essay® structure, in which paragraphs and/or sentences are color-coded according to the function they serve in an essay. Representing text structure visually is especially supportive for ELLs, as it allows them to more clearly identify relationships across an essay’s ideas without the pressure of interpreting detailed verbal descriptions. In this lesson, students use the familiar Painted Essay® structure to break down and orient themselves to the conventions of the argument essay. In Module 3, students developed literary arguments based on a fiction text; although Module 4 arguments will be derived from nonfiction texts and independent research, and thus pose an added challenge, students’ familiarity with argument-related terms (e.g., claim, evidence, reasoning) from Module 3 makes this challenge a manageable one. An optional Mini Language Dive, which invites students to analyze the main claim in the model essay, further supports students’ understanding of argument-essay structure.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to analyze the model argument essay in the allotted time. Remind students that much of the content of this essay should be familiar to them: the essay is about the remarkable accomplishments of Dorothy Vaughan, whom students read about in detail during Unit 2. Clarify that the goal of analyzing the model is not necessarily to understand every word, but instead to recognize the purpose of sentences and paragraphs and how they relate to one another. Also, students will have opportunities to examine different parts of the essay in more detail later in the unit.

Vocabulary

  • N/A

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Meet My Match Instructions (one for display; from Module 3, Unit 3, Lesson 3, Work Time A)
  • Work to Become Ethical People anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time C)
  • Painted Essay® template (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson 6, Work Time A)
  • Independent Argument Evidence note-catcher (example for teacher reference) (from Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 14, Work Time B)
  • Independent Argument Evidence note-catcher (one per student; from Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 14, Work Time B)
  • Independent reading journal (one per student; begun in Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 6, Work Time B)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 1 (example for teacher reference)
  • Painted Model Argument Essay (one for display)
  • Annotated Model Argument Essay (example for teacher reference)
  • Device to model online research (one for display)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 1 (one per student)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 1 ▲
  • Model Argument Essay: “Dorothy” (one per student)
  • Model Argument Evidence: Dorothy note-catcher (one per student)
  • Red, green, yellow, and blue index cards (see Teaching Notes)
  • Model Argument Essay: Introduction Chunks (see Teaching Notes)
  • Red, green, yellow, and blue colored pencils (one of each per student)
  • Device to conduct online research (one per student)
  • Homework Resources (for families) (one per student)

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

OpeningLevels of Support

A. Engage the Learner – W.6.1 (10 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as in previous lessons to distribute and review the Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 1 or the optional Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 1 ▲. Distribute the Model Argument Essay: “Dorothy” and the Model Argument Evidence: Dorothy note-catcher as students enter class; they will need these to complete the entrance ticket.
  • Remind students that this writing process should be familiar to them by now. Encourage them to persevere with the task by reminding them that even professional writers start with notes, drafts, and rounds of edits before polishing a final copy of their work.
  • Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as in 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 previous lessons.

For Lighter Support

  • N/A

For Heavier Support

  • During Opening A, invite students who need heavier support to use the Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 1 ▲. This resource features partially completed answers, as well as suggestions for students to think about as they address the questions.

Work Time

Work TimeLevels of Support

A. Analyze a Model Argument Essay – W.6.1 (15 minutes)

  • Review the learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

“I can analyze the structure of a model argument essay by applying my knowledge of the Painted Essay®.”

  • Set the purpose for the activity by explaining that students will prepare to write their own argument essays by carefully analyzing an exemplar argument essay.
  • Divide the class in half. Distribute the red, green, yellow, and blue index cards to one half of the class. Give each student only one colored index card. Remind students that these are the colors used to indicate the key components in the Painted Essay® structure.
  • Distribute the Model Argument Essay: Introduction Chunks to the other half of the class. Give each student only one chunk of the introduction paragraph.
  • Explain that students are about to participate in the Meet My Match activity that focuses on more deeply understanding the introduction of an argument essay. Remind students that they have previously participated in the activity when analyzing the model literary argument essay in Module 3.
  • Explain or display the Meet My Match Instructions. Answer clarifying questions.
  • Direct students’ attention to the Work to Become Ethical People anchor chart.
  • Ask:

“What would it look like to behave with integrity during this activity?” (only asking yes or no questions; only responding by saying yes or no; trying my best even if the task is challenging)

  • Invite students to begin the activity. Display the Painted Essay® template as a reference for students. Refer to the Painted Model Argument Essay (example for teacher reference) for correct matches.
  • After 4 minutes have passed, instruct students to remain standing with their partners.
  • Display only the introduction paragraph of the Painted Model Argument Essay (example for teacher reference). Be sure to hide the rest of the painted essay.
  • Read the first paragraph, stopping at “. . . space travel possible.”
  • Turn and Talk:

“This red section of the introduction paragraph contains background information. Why is background information important to an argument essay?” (The background information is the context the reader needs to know in order to understand the foundation of the argument.)

  • Think-Pair-Share:

“In your own words, explain the context provided in the introduction paragraph.” (The introduction sets the historical time period by referencing the Space Race, World War II, and rampant segregation. The introduction also provides some key background information about Dorothy Vaughan.)

  • Focus students on the next sentence: “As a brilliant mathematician and one of the first black women to work for NASA as a ‘computer,’ Dorothy’s accomplishments deserve to be remembered.” Turn and Talk:

“This green section of the introduction paragraph is the main claim. Why is the main claim important to an argument essay?” (The main claim provides the main idea that the writer wants the reader to take away. The main claim expresses the writer’s position in the argument.)

  • Think-Pair-Share:

“What is the writer’s position in the argument?” (Dorothy Vaughan’s accomplishments are remarkable and worthy of recognition.)

  • Focus students on the final sentence of the introduction: “Her accomplishments were remarkable because they led to major advancements in air travel and because they took place despite tremendous obstacles.”
  • Turn and Talk:

“The yellow and blue sections of the introduction paragraph preview point 1 and point 2. Why are these points important to an argument essay?” (Point 1 and point 2 are reasons that support the main claim. Reasons are important because they help writers prove their position in the argument.)

  • Think-Pair-Share:

“How do point 1 and point 2 support the main claim?” (Point 1 and point 2 give reasons why Dorothy’s accomplishments are particularly remarkable.)

  • Direct students to return to their seats.
  • Direct students’ attention to their copy of the Model Argument Essay: “Dorothy.” Distribute red, green, yellow, and blue colored pencils. Ask students to color-code the introduction essay based on the activity and conversation they just finished. Refer to the Painted Model Argument Essay (example for teacher reference) and Annotated Model Argument Essay (example for teacher reference) as needed.
  • Regain student focus. Direct student attention to the second paragraph of the Model Argument Essay: “Dorothy.”
  • Read Proof Paragraph 1.
  • Ask:

“What is the job of this paragraph in the essay?” (to give a reason why Vaughan’s accomplishments are so remarkable)

“What color should it be? Why?” (yellow, because it supports the yellow point that Vaughan’s work led to advancements in air travel)

  • Read Proof Paragraph 2.
  • Ask:

“What is the job of this paragraph in the essay?” (to give a second reason why Vaughan’s accomplishments are so remarkable.)

“What color should it be? Why?” (blue, because it supports the blue point that Vaughan’s accomplishments are particularly remarkable because she persevered through discrimination that was common and legal at the time)

  • Turn and Talk:

“What is the role of the conclusion in an argument essay?” (Students should mention that the purpose is to wrap up the piece by restating the main claim and adding some additional thinking about why it is important. For example, in the model, this paragraph restates the claim that Dorothy Vaughan’s achievements are worthy of recognition and reflects that the study of history is most accurate when we celebrate the contributions of all involved.)

“What color should you code it? Why?” (Green, because it is a mix of the claim, reason 1, and reason 2. Students might also mention that the shade of green differs from that used in the main claim in the introduction. This shows that when they run the ideas in the yellow paragraph and the ideas in the blue paragraph through their own mind, they come together to make something new—their own thinking on the topic, but still connected back to the claim.)

  • Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

For Lighter Support

  • In Work Time A, after students analyze the Model Argument Essay: "Dorothy," invite students to participate in a Mini Language Dive in small groups to analyze the reasons presented to support the essay's main claim (W.6.1a). This Mini Language Dive also helps students address W.6.1c by featuring conjunctions (because) to clarify the relationship between the model essay's main claim and its reasons.
  • As an extension to the Mini Language Dive of Work Time A, display an alternative version of the Language Dive sentence, in which the second use of the subject they has been removed: Her accomplishments were remarkable because they led to major advancements in air travel and took place despite tremendous obstacles. Invite students who need lighter support to examine these two sentences. Help them note that both sentences are grammatically correct and mean the same thing. Encourage students to discuss why the writer of the model essay might have chosen to repeat the subject rather than eliminate it (i.e., to make sure that the two reasons were as clear and distinct as possible).
  • During Work Time A, as students analyze the Model Argument Essay, use strategic combinations of Conversation Cues to help students deepen their thinking and expand the conversation:
    • "Can you figure out why the writer did it this way?" (Goal 3)
    • "Why do you think that?" (Goal 3)
    • "Who can add on to what your classmate said?" (Goal 4)
    • "How does our discussion add to your understanding of argument essay structure?" (Goal 3)

For Heavier Support

  • Underline or star key phrases in individual copies of the Model Argument Essay: "Dorothy" in advance of the in-class reading of Work Time A. Use a black pen or a pencil, so that these markings do not conflict with the Painted Essay(r) colors. As an example, some phrases to highlight in paragraph 1 are listed below:
    • "made airplanes faster"
    • "promoted to supervisor"
    • "tremendous obstacles"
  • During Work Time A, as students analyze the Model Argument Essay: "Dorothy," use strategic combinations of Conversation Cues to help students listen carefully to one another and be understood:
    • "I'll give you time to discuss this with a partner." (Goal 1)
    • "Who can tell us what your classmate said in your own words?" (Goal 2)
    • "Can you say more about that?" (Goal 1)

B. Research Focus Figure - W.6.7, W.6.8 (15 minutes)

  • Review the learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

"I can conduct a short research project, draw on several sources, and gather relevant information on my focus figure."

  • Explain to students that they will now have the opportunity to continue research on their focus figure.
  • Distribute devices for online research, and set up a device to model best practices for online research. Remind students that when working on technology, it is important to uplift the habit of integrity by only accessing the relevant information needed for their research.
  • Invite students to begin individually researching their focus figure, gathering information on the Independent Argument Evidence note-catcher. Circulate and monitor student activity. Refer to Independent Argument Evidence note-catcher (example for teacher reference) as needed.
  • Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.
  • N/A

Closing & Assessments

Closing

A. Debrief: Focus Figure Research - W.6.7 (5 minutes)

  • Move students back together with their crewmates. Invite them to share what they learned during their research time. Crewmates should update their Independent Argument Evidence note-catcher accordingly. Remind students that they will write their essays independently, but they will work together to research and to create their children's book pages.
  • Remind students to indicate the sources they used and indicate which pieces of evidence come from which sources.
  • Invite students to conduct a gap analysis of their research. This means identifying where they are missing information and what steps they will take in subsequent lessons to fill in those gaps on their note-catcher.
  • Facilitate a quick Go Around protocol. Each group should summarize in one sentence their gap analysis and state it aloud. Crews should complete the following sentence frames:
    • "We still need to collect information about . . ."
    • "We will find this information by . . ."
  • Direct students to jot down their gaps on their note-catchers as a starting point for the next lesson. Note students' progress and any groups that are in need of extra support.
  • Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

Homework

Homework

A. Research Focus Figure

  • Students continue to research their focus figure and document information on the Independent Argument Evidence note-catcher.

B. 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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