Write a Compare and Contrast Essay: Plan Proof Paragraphs 1 and 2 | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA 2019 G7:M1:U2:L10

Write a Compare and Contrast Essay: Plan Proof Paragraphs 1 and 2

In this Lesson

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • RL.7.9, W.7.2b, W.7.5, W.7.9a, W.7.9b

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.

  • RL.7.1, RI.7.1, W.7.2a, W.7.4, W.7.6, W.7.10, SL.7.1, L.7.6
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can plan the Proof Paragraphs of a compare and contrast essay. (W.7.2b, W.7.5)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 10 (W.7.2b)
  • Work Time A: Proof Paragraph parts of the Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer (RL.7.1, RL.7.9, RI.7.1, W.7.2b, W.7.5, W.7.9a, W.7.9b)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner – W.7.2b (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. The Painted Essay®: Sort and Color-Code Proof Paragraphs 1 and 2 – W.7.2b (10 minutes)

B. Plan Proof Paragraphs 1 and 2 – W.7.2b (20 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Pair Share – W.7.5 (10 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

  • Repeated routines occur in the following:
    • W.7.2b – Opening A: In the entrance ticket activity, students consider what kind of evidence they might see to support a different focus.
    • Opening A: Students review the learning target.
  • New skills are introduced in the following:
    • W.7.2b – Work Time A: Students use the framework of the Painted Essay® to engage in an activity where they reconstruct the Proof Paragraphs of the model essay in pairs to gain a better understanding of how these paragraphs develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
    • Work Time A: The class adds Proof Paragraph criteria to the Criteria of an Effective Informative Essay anchor chart.
    • RL.7.9 – Work Time B: Students compare and contrast the fictional portrayal of A Long Walk to Water with the historical nonfiction account of “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan.”
    • W.7.2b – Work Time B: Students use graphic organizers to identify their main points, gather and organize evidence to support these points, and explain how the evidence supports their points.
    • W.7.9 – Work Time B: Students determine what evidence from the informational text and novel to include in their Proof Paragraphs.
    • W.7.5 – Closing and Assessment A: Students share with a partner to receive peer support on their plans for their Proof Paragraphs of their compare and contrast essays.
    • Closing and Assessment A: Students engage in collaborative discussions to share their proof plans and their experience with habits of character.
  • The Think-Pair-Share protocol is used in this lesson. Protocols are an important feature of our curriculum because they are one of the best ways we know to engage students in discussion, inquiry, critical thinking, and sophisticated communication. A protocol consists of agreed-upon, detailed guidelines for reading, recording, discussing, or reporting that ensure equal participation and accountability in learning.
  • In this lesson, students focus on working to become effective learners, focusing on a characteristic of their choice as they draft their paragraphs.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • If students are identifying the parts of the Proof Paragraphs and planning them with ease, draw their attention to specific sentences within the paragraphs and ask what the roles of the sentences are and what effect there would be in removing those sentences, as is shown in Work Time A.

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • In the previous lessons, students analyzed the structure of the model essay using the Painted Essay® template and planned their introductory paragraph. They build on those foundations to plan their Proof Paragraphs in this lesson.

Support All Students

  • Students may need additional support while planning their Proof Paragraphs. Group those students for a teacher-led discussion that will guide them in finding evidence to support their points. ▲
  • Continue to monitor students to determine if there are issues surfacing as a result of the content of this lesson that need to be discussed as a whole group, in smaller groups, or individually.
  • Note there is a differentiated version of Organize the Model: Proof Paragraphs 1 and 2 Strips used in Work Time A in the supporting materials download. ▲

Assessment Guidance

  • Circulate to monitor students’ planning skills on the Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer. If necessary, collect this organizer to provide feedback to students who may need it before the following lesson.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students plan the conclusions of their compare and contrast essays, completing the planning work they began in the previous lesson in preparation for their end of unit assessments.

In Advance

  • Ensure there is a copy of Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 10 at each student's workspace.
  • Provide differentiated mentors by strategically pairing students for work in Work Times A and B with one strong writer per pair.
  • Post the learning target and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Continue to use the technology tools recommended throughout previous modules to create anchor charts to share with families; to record students as they participate in discussions and protocols to review with students later and to share with families; and for students to listen to and annotate text, record ideas on note-catchers, and word-process writing.
  • Students may need online or print dictionaries (including ELL and home language dictionaries) as they plan their Proof Paragraphs.

Supporting English Language Learners

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

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson provides a hands-on activity that models ways to construct Proof Paragraphs. Hands-on activities that use movement and realia to introduce complex academic tasks provide ELLs with additional nonverbal ways to begin constructing an understanding of a concept.
  • ELLs new to writing in English may find writing plans for their Proof Paragraphs challenging because composing the plans entails academic, abstract language they may not be familiar with in English. Therefore, additional supports such as the ones listed below may be useful.

Vocabulary

  • elaborated, evidence (A)
  • Proof Paragraph (DS)

Key

(A): Academic Vocabulary

(DS): Domain-Specific Vocabulary

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart (one for display; from Unit 1, Lesson 4, Opening A)
  • Academic word wall (one for display; from Unit 1, Lesson 1, Opening A)
  • Domain-specific word wall (one for display; from Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time B)
  • Criteria of an Effective Informative Essay anchor chart (one for display; from Unit 2, Lesson 7, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Criteria of an Effective Informative Essay anchor chart (example for teacher reference) (from Unit 2, Lesson 7, Work Time A)
  • Work to Become Ethical People anchor chart (one for display; from Unit 1, Lesson 2, Opening B)
  • Work to Become Ethical People anchor chart (example for teacher reference) (from Unit 1, Lesson 2, Opening B)
  • Vocabulary log (one per student; from Unit 1, Lesson 2, Opening A)
  • Compare and Contrast Model Essay (one per student and one for display; from Unit 2, Lesson 7, Work Time A)
  • Informative Writing checklist (one per student and one for display; from Unit 2, Lesson 9, Work Time C)
  • A Long Walk to Water (text; one per student; from Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time C)
  • “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan” article (one per student; from Unit 2, Lesson 1, Work Time A)
  • Similarities and Differences: A Long Walk to Water and “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan” note-catcher (one per student; from Unit 2, Lesson 8, Work Time B)
  • Painted Essay® template (one per student; from Unit 2, Lesson 7, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer (one per student; from Unit 2, Lesson 9, Work Time C)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 10 (answers for teacher reference)
  • Organize the Model: Proof Paragraphs 1 and 2 strips (example for teacher reference)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 10 (one per student)
  • Online or print dictionaries (including ELL and home language dictionaries; one per small group of students)
  • Organize the Model: Proof Paragraphs 1 and 2 strips (one set per pair)
  • Organize the Model: Proof Paragraphs 1 and 2 strips ▲
  • Construction paper (blue, yellow; one sheet of each color per pair)

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.7.2b (5 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: students respond to questions on Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 10. Students will review their responses to the entrance ticket in Work Time B.
  • Repeated routine: follow the same routine as with the previous lessons to review the learning target and the purpose of the lesson, reminding students if the learning target is similar or the same as in previous lessons.
  • With students, use the vocabulary strategies on the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart to deconstruct the term proof paragraph (section of an essay that explains and gives evidence for a main point that supports the focus of the piece) in the learning target. Record on the domain-specific word wall with translations in home languages, where appropriate, and invite students to record words in their vocabulary logs.

Work Time

Work TimeLevels of Support

A. The Painted Essay®: Sort and Color-Code Proof Paragraphs 1 and 2 – W.7.2b (10 minutes)

  • Move students into predetermined pairs from the previous lesson, or make changes to the pairs as necessary. ▲
  • Distribute construction paper, Organize the Model: Proof Paragraphs 1 and 2 strips, and Organize the Model: Proof Paragraphs 1 and 2 strips ▲ as necessary for students who need extra support. The differentiated handout supports students’ analysis with color-coding on the first paragraph. ▲
  • Invite students to refer to their Painted Essay® template to remember where Proof Paragraphs 1 and 2 fit in the structure of an informational piece. Remind students that the yellow paragraph is about similarities and the blue paragraph is about differences. Post and review the following directions:
    1. Read and organize the strips, putting the strips for Proof Paragraph 1 on the yellow construction paper, and the strips for Proof Paragraph 2 on the blue construction paper.
    2. Organize each set of strips in the correct order.
    3. Check your work against the displayed Compare and Contrast Model Essay.
  • Answer clarifying questions about what students will be doing in this activity.
  • Invite students to begin working, and circulate to support them in reading and sorting the strips.
  • Refocus whole group.
  • Have students chorally read Proof Paragraphs 1 and 2, and explain the function of the sentences in the paragraphs. ▲ Invite students to help record the criteria of Proof Paragraphs 1 and 2 on the Criteria of an Effective Informative Essay anchor chart. Refer to Criteria of an Effective Informative Essay anchor chart (example for teacher reference) as necessary. Point out that within each Proof Paragraph, the author has provided evidence from the text and elaborated by explaining how the evidence he or she has chosen supports the focus statement. If necessary, make a short statement and ask volunteers to help elaborate on it (e.g., “The children had to leave Sudan because of a war.” “The children had to flee Sudan on foot because of a war between the North and South.”) Ask volunteers to review the meaning of the word evidence. Record these words on the academic word wall, and ask students to put them in their vocabulary logs.
  • If productive, cue students with a challenge.

“What if the writer had not included the information on the strips that begins with ‘In chapters 1–11 of A Long Walk to Water, . . .’ and ‘Both texts also discuss . . .’? I’ll give you time to think and discuss with a partner.” (These provide evidence from the text, and if we did not have them, we might not understand the writer’s ideas.)
  • N/A

B. Plan Proof Paragraphs 1 and 2 - W.7.2b (20 minutes)

  • Review the learning target:

"I can plan the Proof Paragraphs of a compare and contrast essay."

  • Tell students they are now ready to organize Proof Paragraphs 1 and 2 of their own compare and contrast essays. Explain that in this lesson, they are only planning the proof paragraphs in their graphic organizer and will draft the essay for Part I of their end of unit assessment.
  • Remind students that as they organize their proof paragraphs, they should choose the evidence that best supports each point. They should also think about how the evidence supports their thinking. Ask students to refer to the entrance ticket activity they completed upon entering the class. Invite them to briefly discuss with a partner what the opposite of their focus statement would be and why they decided to choose the focus statement they did.
  • Invite students to retrieve the following materials:
    • Similarities and Differences: A Long Walk to Water and "The 'Lost Girls' of Sudan" note-catcher
    • Texts: A Long Walk to Water and "The 'Lost Girls' of Sudan"
    • Informative Writing checklist
    • Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer
  • Guide students through organizing their Proof Paragraph 1:
    1. Discuss the following characteristic on the Informative Writing checklist, adding to the "Characteristics of My Informative Essay" column as needed.

      W.7.2b: "I use evidence from both texts to develop the ideas in my proof paragraphs and to support my focus statement."

    2. Invite students to read their Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer and their introductory paragraphs planned in the previous lesson to remind them of their focus statement and their ideas.
    3. Invite students to refer to the criteria on the Criteria of an Informative Essay anchor chart or the Informative Writing checklist to organize Proof Paragraphs 1 and 2. As necessary, model completing the Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer with information from the first proof paragraph of the model essay.
  • Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on their progress toward the learning target.

For Lighter Support

  • During Work Time B, reduce the number of documents and steps reviewed for planning the Proof Paragraph, and then discuss in greater detail how to use the Compare and Contrast Writing Plan graphic organizer to help plan the Proof Paragraphs. In particular, show students how explaining their focus statement from the organizer and describing one or more of their main points from the organizer in depth can help them write strong Proof Paragraphs. Reducing the number of steps and documents and highlighting key steps and documents, makes complex directions more comprehensible to ELLs because it allows them to pay attention to the most essential language contained in intricate directions.

For Heavier Support

  • During Work Time B, let students with no experience writing in English write their plans for their Proof Paragraphs in their home language, and then have them Pair Share their work in English as best they can, facilitating their capacity to begin translating concepts between languages. Alternatively, students with little or no experience writing in English may benefit from using speech-to-text software, through which they can dictate their Proof Paragraph plans in their home language or in English and then read the digital transcription from which they can draft their plan.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingLevels of Support

A. Pair Share – W.7.5 (10 minutes)

  • Invite student pairs to pair up with another pair to share their plans for their Proof Paragraphs 1 and 2 and provide feedback against relevant criteria on the Informative Writing checklist. Ask for a volunteer pair to help model this exchange, using prompts such as the following:

“What evidence do you have to support your point?” ▲

  • Focus students on the Work to Become Ethical People anchor chart, and remind them of the habit of character recorded—respect—as students are sharing out their planning work and developing their understanding of the task.
  • Invite pairs to begin discussion with each other. Circle and monitor the discussions to ensure students each share their evidence.
  • Incorporate reflection on and awareness of the following academic mindset: “I belong in this community.”
  • Ask students to Think-Pair-Share:

“How does respect help you feel a sense of belonging in this classroom community?” (Responses will vary. Possible response: When my classmates listen to and support me, I feel like this classroom is a safe place for me.)

For Lighter Support

  • Instead of having students discuss both questions listed, have them discuss just one, and model what a partner discussion about that one question would sound like with a student volunteer or by doing both "voices." Focusing and more intensely modelling this task makes it more accessible to ELLs.

For Heavier Support

  • Provide sentence frames for the partner discussion of Proof Paragraphs. As always when using sentence frames, model how to use them with specific examples before expecting students to use them themselves independently.
    • How did you support your point?
    • I supported my point by . . .
    • What evidence did you use to support your point?
    • This evidence about _____ supports the point about . . .
  • Sentence frames help ELLs better participate in conversations by providing them with the language they need to initiate a comment or respond to a question, freeing them up to focus their attention on generating the language they need for articulating the comment itself or answering the question in depth.

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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