Close Read: Determine Central Ideas: “Kindness Contagion" | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA 2019 G7:M2:U2:L1

Close Read: Determine Central Ideas: “Kindness Contagion"

In this Lesson

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • RI.7.2, L.7.6

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.7.1, RI.7.8, RI.7.10, W.7.5, L.7.4
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can determine two or more central ideas of a text. (RI.7.2)
  • I can trace the development of central ideas over the course of a text. (RI.7.2)
  • I can write an objective summary of a text. (RI.7.2)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 1 (L.7.6)
  • Work Time A: Close Read: "Kindness Contagion" note-catcher (RI.7.2)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner - L.7.6 (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Close Read: Determine Central Ideas: "Kindness Contagion" - RI.7.2 (35 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Write a Summary: "Kindness Contagion" - RI.7.2 (5 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Complete Summary: Students finish their summaries of "Kindness Contagion," tracing the development of central ideas across the article.

B. Determine Meaning of Unfamiliar Vocabulary: Students use context and, if necessary, a dictionary to determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary in "Kindness Contagion." Then they record the words and their definitions in the correct section of their vocabulary log.

Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

  • L.7.6 - Opening A: Students consider the use of the phrase ‘social contagion.’
  • RI.7.2 – Work Time A: Students engage in a close reading of the article “Kindness Contagion,” focused on analyzing central ideas in the article.
  • RI.7.2 – Closing and Assessment A: Students begin writing summaries of the article “Kindness Contagion,” tracing the development of central ideas across the text.
  • In Work Time A, students participate in a close reading of “Kindness Contagion.” During this close read, students focus on analyzing the development of central ideas. The Close Reading Guide lists the text excerpts, key questions to ask students, and instructional moves required. Continue to use discussion protocols (e.g., Think-Pair-Share, Conversation Cues, and total participation techniques) to engage all students in a collaborative discussion about the text.
  • In this lesson, students focus on working to become ethical people by showing respect as they reflect on how emotions and behaviors can spread between people, and on working to become effective learners by collaborating as they work in triads throughout the lesson.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • Students who finish their summaries early can begin to list the argument claims that they see the author making in the article, in order to prepare for continued analysis in the next lesson.

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • In the previous lesson, students completed their end of unit assessment on the interactions of individuals, events, and ideas in Patient Zero. In this unit, students relate ideas about contagion learned in their reading of Patient Zero to social epidemics. In this lesson, students establish background knowledge about researchers’ views on social contagion and epidemics as they analyze the development of central ideas in an article.

Support All Students

  • Note there are differentiated versions of Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 1 used in Opening A, the “Kindness Contagion” article, and Close Read: “Kindness Contagion” note-catcher used in Work Time A in the supporting materials download. ▲
  • The subject matter in this article includes mentions of homelessness and ungenerous behavior. Continue to monitor students to determine if there are issues surfacing as a result of the content of this article that need to be discussed as a whole group, in smaller groups, or individually.
  • Students may need additional support with recording their answers on their note-catchers. Consider grouping those students together for additional support when necessary. ▲

Assessment Guidance

  • Review students’ Close Reading note-catchers to ensure they understand the development of central ideas.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students will build on the knowledge from this lesson as they examine the argument of the article “Kindness Contagion” by analyzing the author’s claims, evidence, and reasoning.

In Advance

  • Ensure there is a copy of Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 1 at each student's workspace.
  • Strategically group students into triads for the work in this lesson, with at least one strong reader per triad.
  • Preview the Close Reading Guide: "Kindness Contagion" and Close Read: "Kindness Contagion" note-catcher to become familiar with what will be required of students.
  • Post the learning targets 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.

Supporting English Language Learners

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

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson provides students with the opportunity to participate in a teacher-led close read of a complex nonfiction article.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to answer the questions during the close read. Ensure students who need heavier support are paired with students who need lighter support. Also, repeat and rephrase questions and allow longer think time for students to comprehend and respond to questions.

Vocabulary

  • bad rap, cascade, inhibit, largesse, transcend (DS)

Key

(A): Academic Vocabulary

(DS): Domain-Specific Vocabulary

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Domain-specific word wall (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Opening A)
  • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 5, Work Time A)
  • Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 5, Work Time A)
  • Criteria of an Effective Summary anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 9, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Vocabulary log (one per student; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Work Time A)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 1 (answers for teacher reference)
  • Close Reading Guide: "Kindness Contagion" (for teacher reference)
  • Close Read: "Kindness Contagion" note-catcher (example for teacher reference)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 1 (one per student)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 1 ▲
  • “Kindness Contagion” (one per student and one for display)
  • “Kindness Contagion” ▲
  • Close Read: “Kindness Contagion” note-catcher (one per student and one for display)
  • Close Read: “Kindness Contagion” note-catcher ▲

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 – L.7.6 (5 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: Students respond to questions on Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 1 and Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 1 ▲ as necessary. The differentiated entrance ticket supports students’ language acquisition and use with sketches, hints, and examples. ▲
  • Once students have completed their entrance tickets, use a total participation technique to review their responses. Then add social contagion (ideas, behaviors, or emotions that spread rapidly through groups) to the domain-specific word wall with translations in home languages where appropriate, and invite students to add the words to their vocabulary logs.
  • 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.

For Lighter Support

  • Pair students with a native speaker so that students can assist them with completing the entrance ticket, cementing their own language acquisition in the process.

For Heavier Support

  • Invite students to use the Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 1 ▲. This resource supports students’ language acquisition and use with sketches, hints, and examples.

Work Time

Work TimeLevels of Support

A. Close Read: Determine Central Ideas: “Kindness Contagion” – RI.7.2 (35 minutes)

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

“I can determine two or more central ideas of a text.”

“I can trace the development of central ideas over the course of a text.”

  • Focus students on the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart and remind them that digging into the text deeper can help them understand it better, so they are going to dig deeper into an excerpt from the text through close reading.
  • Move students into predetermined triads.
  • Direct students’ attention to the Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart, and review what collaboration looks and sounds like.
  • Use Close Reading Guide: Determine Central Ideas in “Kindness Contagion” to set the purpose of the close read and to guide students through a close read of this excerpt. Refer to the guide for how to integrate the following:
    • “Kindness Contagion” 
    • “Kindness Contagion” ▲ as necessary. The differentiated article supports students’ comprehension with gist statements at the end of each paragraph. ▲
    • Close Read: “Kindness Contagion” note-catcher
    • Close Read: “Kindness Contagion” note-catcher ▲ as necessary. The differentiated note-catcher supports students’ writing and comprehension with sentence frames. ▲
  • Refer to Close Read: “Kindness Contagion” note-catcher (example for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

For Lighter Support

  • Before Work Time A, encourage students to share with their classmates who need heavier support their annotations and notes on the “Kindness Contagion” article that they preread for Unit 1, Lesson 14 homework. Sharing their annotations and notes will help students recall the work they did and cement their comprehension of the article before they delve deeper into analysis during the close read.
  • If time allows, extend students’ practice with adjective phrases from the Language Dive in Unit 1, Lesson 12. Pair or group students with classmates who need heavier support. Challenge students to review the purpose of adjective phrases (to describe or tell more about words or other phrases in a sentence). Then ask students to identify a sentence with an adjective phrase from the “Kindness Contagion” article. Their classmates who need heavier support can then identify the adjective phrase within the sentence and work with these students to identify what the phrase is describing or telling more about. The following are some sentences with adjective phrases in the “Kindness Contagion” article (with adjective phrases in italics and word or phrase modified in bold):
    • This implies that kindness itself is contagious, and that it can cascade across people, taking on new forms along the way. (paragraph 1)
    • This suggests that kindness evolves as it diffuses, “infecting” behaviors through which new individuals can express it. (paragraph 5)

For Heavier Support

  • Before Work Time A, encourage students to partner with their classmates who need lighter support to review their annotations and notes on the “Kindness Contagion” article ▲ that they preread for Unit 1, Lesson 14 homework. At this time, students can ask any lingering questions of their classmates. Sharing their annotations and notes will help students recall the work they did and increase their comprehension of the article before they delve deeper into analysis during the close read.
  • During Work Time A, invite students to use the Close Read: “Kindness Contagion” note-catcher ▲. This resource supports students’ writing and comprehension with sentence frames.
  • If time allows, extend students’ practice with adjective phrases from the Language Dive in Unit 1, Lesson 12. Pair or group students with classmates who need lighter support who will review the purpose of adjective phrases (to describe or tell more about words or other phrases in a sentence). Then these students who need lighter support will identify a sentence with an adjective phrase from the “Kindness Contagion” article. Students who need heavier support can then identify the adjective phrase within the sentence and work with their classmates to identify what the phrase is describing or telling more about. The following are some sentences with adjective phrases in the “Kindness Contagion” article (with adjective phrases in italics and word or phrase modified in bold):
    • This implies that kindness itself is contagious, and that it can cascade across people, taking on new forms along the way. (paragraph 1)
    • This suggests that kindness evolves as it diffuses, “infecting” behaviors through which new individuals can express it. (paragraph 5)

Closing & Assessments

ClosingLevels of Support

A. Write a Summary: “Kindness Contagion” – RI.7.2 (5 minutes)

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

“I can write an objective summary of a text.” (RI.7.2)

  • Instruct students to write a summary of the article “Kindness Contagion,” referring to the Criteria of an Effective Summary anchor chart and their peer feedback on the entrance ticket as they do so. For students who need additional support, consider beginning the summary together, modeling and asking for student modeling in writing a topic sentence and several body sentences. ▲
  • Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target and the habits of character focus in this lesson, discussing what went well and what could be improved next time.

For Lighter Support

  • Before summary writing, ask students to orally rehearse with a partner what they will write for their summary. Rehearsal allows for both oral and written language development.

For Heavier Support

  • Provide the following frames to support students in writing a summary of the complex article:
    • The article "Kindness Contagion" is about . . . 
    • For example, . . . 
    • Also, . . . 
    • These examples show that . . . 

Homework

HomeworkLevels of Support

A. Complete Summary

  • Students finish their summaries of "Kindness Contagion," tracing the development of central ideas across the article.

B. Determine Meaning of Unfamiliar Vocabulary

  • Students use context and, if necessary, a dictionary to determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary in "Kindness Contagion." Students then record the words and their definitions in the correct section of their vocabulary log.

For Lighter Support

  • Before summary writing, ask students to orally rehearse with a partner what they will write for their summary. Rehearsal allows for both oral and written language development.

For Heavier Support

  • Provide the following frames to support students in writing a summary of the complex article:
    • The article "Kindness Contagion" is about . . . 
    • For example, . . . 
    • Also, . . . 
    • These examples show that . . . 

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