Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

• SL.7.1d – Opening A: Students assess their previous experiences in acknowledging new information expressed by others and modifying their own views in text-based discussions.
• RI.7.8 – Work Time A: Students read a new article, identifying and evaluating the claims, evidence, and reasoning of the argument.
• RI.7.8 – Work Time B: Students participate in a Language Dive in which they analyze the richness of the language used to express a claim in the article “Are Social Epidemics Real?”
• SL.7.1 – Work Time C: Students engage in a text-based discussion, having come prepared with their note-catchers, following the rules for a collegial discussion, posing and responding to questions with relevant observations and ideas, and acknowledging when others express new ideas.
• SL.7.1 – Closing and Assessment A: Students track their progress on collaborative, text-based discussions.
• In this lesson, students participate in the mid-unit assessment, in which they complete a note-catcher identifying claims, evidence, and reasoning, and then analyze whether the evidence is sufficient and the reasoning is relevant. They then use this note-catcher in their text-based discussion on analyzing and evaluating the argument of the article.
• Two lessons have been allocated for this assessment to ensure sufficient time for students to analyze Argument: “Are Social Epidemics Real?” If these are taught in two separate lessons rather than together as one block, revisit the learning targets and the task at the beginning of the second 45-minute lesson to remind students of the task and purpose.
• In this lesson, the habit of character focus is on working to become effective learners and ethical people. The characteristics that students practice are respect, empathy, compassion, and taking initiative as they participate in a text-based discussion.
• After the mid-unit assessment, students reflect on their learning using the Track Progress: Collaborative Discussion recording form. This exercise is meant to provide them with time to formally keep track of and reflect on their own learning. This self-reflection supports metacognition and pride in work and learning.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

• Release more responsibility more quickly to students as they comprehend the tasks or concepts. For example: 
• Encourage students to develop their own follow-up discussion questions during Work Time A to use during their discussions.
• If using the fishbowl format for discussion, consider allowing these students to be in the inner discussion circle first, so that they can model discussion norms and analysis for other students.
• Consider video-recording exemplary discussions so that future students may learn how to achieve mastery with text-based discussions.

How It Builds on Previous Work

• In the lessons leading up to this one, students have practiced determining central ideas; writing objective summaries; tracing the development of ideas; identifying claims, evidence, and reasoning; determining the soundness of reasoning and the sufficiency and relevancy of evidence; and analyzing the strength of arguments.

Support All Students

• If students receive accommodations for assessments, communicate with the cooperating service providers regarding the practices of instruction in use during this study as well as the goals of the assessment.
• Some students may require longer than the time allocated to complete the assessment.
• Also, if using the fishbowl format for discussion, consider placing students who need more support in the outer circle for the first round of discussion, so they can observe their peers and have more time to gather their thoughts. ▲

Assessment Guidance

• Assessment materials (student copy, answer key, student exemplar) are included in the Assessment download.
• To hear all students discuss, choose one of the following two options:
• Fishbowl Discussion: Divide the class in half, and arrange one group in an outer circle and one group in an inner circle. The group in the inner circle discusses the prompt for 7 minutes, then the outer group moves to the middle to discuss the prompt for 7 minutes. (Allow time for switching groups.) While in the outer circle, students must listen and take notes, so that they can use the information from both discussions to help them with their analysis in Part II of the end of unit assessment in Lesson 14.
• Small Group Recorded Discussions: Create groups of about five students, and provide each group with a video-recording device (a phone is sufficient). Help each group place the camera in such a way to capture all students in the discussion. (Allow time for this set-up.) Provide groups with 7 minutes for their discussion. Circulate to help with technical issues and to prompt with the follow-up discussion questions. 
• When assessing and providing feedback on this assessment, use the Collaborative Discussion checklist (see Assessment download) to complete the Track Progress recording form. Consider making notes in the appropriate column for each criterion in a different color from student responses. Space is provided to respond to student comments. Since it can be challenging to assess all students’ conversation and analysis skills during a fast-paced discussion, have the checklist prepared and easy to use. Consider video-recording the discussions (even if using the whole-class fishbowl format) to enable multiple viewings and providing targeted feedback.
• In this assessment, students are tracking progress toward anchor standard SL.1: Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing my own clearly and persuasively.

Down the Road

• In the next lesson, students will explore a prompt and a model of an informative essay on how the ideas from one discipline can inform the ideas of another.