B. Analyze Argument: “Kindness Contagion” – RI.7.8 (20 minutes)

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

“I can identify the main claim, points, evidence, and reasoning in a text.”

• Ask students to recall what the text was about, specifically the central ideas they identified in the previous lesson and how they relate to one another. (The article is about how conformity can be good or bad, but positive conformity can spread both through specific actions and in broader ways.)
• Tell students that over the next two lessons they will further examine how the author constructs the text as an argument. Remind students that the word argument has two meanings. Explain that rather than the common use of the word argument or fight, this article is a “thinking argument” in which the author is not actually fighting with anyone but sharing his views with the reader about a topic he has learned and thought about a lot, enough to decide his own viewpoint. When he writes an argument about that topic, the writer is sharing his thinking with readers in a logical way. Explain that to do this, the author uses certain tools in his writing, and those tools are what they are going to examine in these next two lessons.
• Ask students to take out their copies of the “Kindness Contagion” article. Display and distribute the Argument: “Kindness Contagion” note-catcher and the Argument: “Kindness Contagion” note-catcher ▲ as necessary. The differentiated note-catcher supports students’ writing and analysis with sentence frames. ▲
• Explain the design of the note-catcher and how each of the boxes will help students understand and gather evidence about the tools that authors use for arguments. The box for “Main Claim” allows students to capture the overall claim or statement the author makes about how kindness spreads. The spaces for “Points” are for recording the points he makes to support his main claim. The boxes for “Evidence” are for collecting the facts, quotes, or other information the author uses to support his points. “Reasoning” allows students to describe how the author makes connections among the pieces of evidence as well as to explain how they apply to the point and the main claim. In the following lesson, once students have listed all the evidence for a point, they can assess whether it’s sufficient and relevant, underlining yes or no in the right-hand column. Then students can assess if the reasoning is sound, or makes sense, by underlining yes or no in the right-hand column.
• Tell students that in this lesson, they will identify the main claim, two points, and the evidence and reasoning that support the points. Students will have the opportunity to discuss these points and the supporting evidence with their peers. In the following lesson, students will learn to evaluate the evidence and reasoning and make a judgment about the argument overall.
• Check students’ comprehension of argument terms and the note-catcher by asking them to Think-Pair-Share:

“What is an argument? How do the main claim, points, evidence, and reasoning relate to create an argument?” (An argument is made up of a main claim or statement about a topic that an author proves with points he supports with evidence and reasoning.)

• Confirm that an argument has a main claim, like a central idea, with points that support or explain the claim, and evidence and reasoning that support the points.
• Ask:

“What is the main claim the author makes in this article?” (The main claim is that kindness is contagious and takes on new forms as it spreads.) If students struggle to identify the main claim, encourage them to retrieve their Close Read: “Kindness Contagion” note-catcher and consider the central ideas they identified in the previous lesson. ▲

• See the Argument: “Kindness Contagion” note-catcher (example for teacher reference) to guide students in adding this claim to their note-catcher.
• Ask:

“What are the different points this claim is broken down into? What does the author need to prove in order to support the main claim?” (Kindness is contagious. Kindness can take on new forms as it spreads.)

• Invite students to record these points in the appropriate boxes on their note-catcher.
• Ask:

“What is one piece of evidence the author uses to support the first point?” (Answers will vary, but may include: People “boost” their own giving when told about others’ donations. The researchers found that “participants who believed others were generous became more generous themselves.” People value “being on the same page with others.”)

• Invite students to note this evidence in the appropriate box on their note-catcher. Explain that sometimes the evidence and reasoning for one point can be found in another paragraph.
• Explain that it is not enough for the writer of an argument to provide the evidence for a point. For an argument to be convincing, it must be clear how the evidence supports the point. Authors show this support through reasoning, either by stating exactly how a piece of evidence relates to a point, or by implying it in their writing.
• Have students Turn and Talk with a partner about what reasoning the author uses to tie the evidence together and support the first point.
• Ask for volunteers to share out their responses to these questions: 

“What is the relationship between the evidence the author presents to support this first point that kindness is contagious? How does it relate to the point and the main claim?” (The evidence gives examples where people imitated generous actions of others and explains why this might happen. This provides proof that kindness is contagious, and supports the first half of the main claim.)

• Encourage students to record this reasoning in the correct box. See the Argument: “Kindness Contagion” note-catcher (for teacher reference) for model answers.
• Tell students that they will spend the next lesson delving into the questions of whether the evidence is relevant and sufficient and the reasoning is sound. Today, after identifying evidence and reasoning with their peers, they will practice a whole-class discussion based on their learning.
• Invite students to work in small groups or pairs to identify evidence and reasoning that support the other point in the argument. Circulate and support as necessary.
• After several minutes, ask for volunteers to share out their ideas about the evidence and reasoning. See the Argument: “Kindness Contagion” note-catcher (for teacher reference) as necessary for model answers.
• Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.