Create a Podcast: Introduce Research | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA 2019 G7:M2:U3:L2

Create a Podcast: Introduce Research

In this Lesson

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • RI.7.1, W.7.4, W.7.7

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.7.3, RI.7.4, W.7.8, L.7.4
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can determine the purpose and content of an effective podcast script about an epidemic. (W.7.4)
  • I can research to answer questions about epidemics. (RI.7.1, W.7.7)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 2 (W.7.7)
  • Work Time B: Research on the Epidemic Research note-catcher (RI.7.1, W.7.4, W.7.7)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner - W.7.7 (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Analyze a Model Podcast Script - W.7.4 (15 minutes)

B. Generate and Refine Research Questions - W.7.7 (10 minutes)

C. Create a Research Note-Catcher - W.7.7 (10 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Partner Share - W.7.7 (5 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Record and Refine Research Questions: Students record additional research questions and refine the questions as necessary.

B. Analyze Interactions of Individuals, Events, and Ideas: In preparation for the mid-unit assessment, students reread the first section of the model podcast script and complete Homework: Analyze Interactions: Model Podcast Script, Part I to answer selected and constructed response questions about how the individuals, events, and ideas interact in the script. 

Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

  • W.7.7 – Opening A: On an entrance ticket, students generate additional related, focused questions for further research.
  • W.7.4 – Work Time A: Students analyze the content of a successful podcast script, identifying the purpose and kind of information in each section of the script and considering implications for the content of their own script.
  • W.7.7 – Work Time B: Students refine their research questions to be ready to begin researching their epidemic. 
  • W.7.7 – Work Time C: Students create a note-catcher to gather relevant information.
  • W.7.7 – Closing and Assessment A: Students work together to create a research note-catcher.
  • The Think-Write-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 the podcast script read in this lesson, the Indian government officials take initiative, persevere, and collaborate to learn from and correct the mistakes made in the plague outbreak of 1994 when they address the outbreak of 2002.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • Students who are comfortable creating their own research questions and note-catchers should be released to work immediately on research rather than being guided through the steps in a discussion.
  • An optional Mini Language Dive, intended for use after students analyze a model podcast script in Work Time A, is available in the supporting materials download. ▲

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • Before this lesson, students have been reading about epidemics in Patient Zero and various articles. In Lesson 1, they chose an epidemic and collected questions they have about their topic. Here, they draw on these skills as they refine their research questions on a note-catcher.

Support All Students

  • In Work Time A, students may be overwhelmed by too much print on a page. Reduce anxiety and support sustained effort by offering a copy of the model podcast script with one paragraph per page. ▲
  • In Work Time B, students may need sentence frames and modeling to support them in writing and refining research questions. Partner students who might benefit from modeling and support with a student who is skilled at writing and refining research questions. ▲
  • In Work Time C, some students may not be able to write as quickly as other members of their podcast triad to create the same note-catcher. Consider photocopying the note-catcher for students who need this support. ▲
  • Note there is a differentiated version of the Epidemic Research note-catcher used in Work Time C in the supporting materials download. ▲

Assessment Guidance

  • Circulate to monitor students’ ability to refine their questions, evaluate sources, identify important information, and take notes (including quoting, paraphrasing, and citing sources). Monitor common issues to use to identify research mini-lessons in the next lesson.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students will continue researching and will gather evidence about the interactions among individuals, events, and ideas in their epidemic and start to find answers to their research questions.

In Advance

  • Ensure there is a copy of Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 2 at each student's workspace.
  • Post the 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, and 7.I.B.6.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson provides students with the opportunity to collaborate throughout the lesson on all activities, which supports students with comprehension and in oral language practice.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to understand the Model Podcast script. Reading it aloud with expression will help students understand the purpose and content of each section, as tone of voice will cue narrative and informational passages. Also, employ the suggestions below to support students in comprehending the script. 

Vocabulary

  • narrative nonfiction, script (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, Work Time A)
  • Domain-specific word wall (one for display; from Unit 1, Lesson 1, Opening A)
  • Questions about Epidemics anchor chart (one for display; from Module 2, Unit 1 Lesson 2, Work Time A)
  • Researchers Do These Things anchor chart (example for teacher reference) (from Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson 3, Work Time A)
  • Researchers Do These Things anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson 3, Work Time A)
  • Vocabulary log (one per student; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Work Time A)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 2 (example for teacher reference)
  • Model Podcast Script: "Story of the Epidemic of 1994" (for teacher reference)
  • Research Mini Lessons (for teacher reference)
  • Epidemic Research note-catcher (example for teacher reference)
  • Homework: Analyze Interactions: Model Podcast Script, Part I (answers for teacher reference) (see Homework Resources)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 2 (one per student)
  • Online or print dictionaries (including ELL and home language dictionaries; one per small group of students)
  • Model Podcast Script: “Story of the Epidemic of 1994” (one per student)
  • Epidemic Research note-catcher (one per student and one for display)
  • Epidemic Research note-catcher ▲
  • Homework: Analyze Interactions: Model Podcast Script, Part I (one per student; see Homework Resources)

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.7.7 (5 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: students respond to questions on Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 2.
  • Once students have completed their entrance tickets, use a total participation technique to review their responses.
  • 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 review the following word: script (the written text of a play, movie, television show, or podcast). Record on the domain-specific word wall with translations in home languages, where appropriate, and invite students to record in their vocabulary logs.

For Lighter Support

  • As necessary, encourage students to work in their triads on the entrance ticket to ensure comprehension and allow for oral language practice.

For Heavier Support

  • As necessary, explain that students are copying their topic and research questions from their exit tickets in Lesson 1 onto the entrance ticket, then they are refining their research questions, which they can do in their triads to ensure comprehension.

Work Time

Work TimeLevels of Support

A. Analyze a Model Podcast Script - W.7.4 (15 minutes)

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

"I can determine the purpose and content of an effective podcast script about an epidemic."

  • Display and distribute the Model Podcast Script: "Story of the Epidemic of 1994." Read the model aloud as students follow along.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What is this script about?" (It is the story of two epidemics in India and how government officials changed their responses to manage the outbreaks better.)

  • Ask students to join with their podcast triads to discuss the purpose of each section of the script and the type of information included in each section. Note the spaces where students can record notes on their copies of the Model Podcast Script.
  • As a class, reread the narrative lead and determine the purpose, recording responses on the board, so that students have a model for determining the purpose of the other three sections of the podcast script. Consult the Model Podcast Script: "Story of the Epidemic of 1994" (for teacher reference) for sample answers as necessary. Then release triads to reread the rest of the script and determine the purpose of the other three sections.
  • Use a total participation technique to ask students to share their answers. To support visual learners, record student responses in the notes of the displayed Model Podcast Script. Consult the Model Podcast Script (for teacher reference) for sample answers as necessary.
  • If mindset and habits of character are not mentioned, ask students to Think-Triad-Share:

"What habits of character did you see in this script? Who demonstrated them? What did they look/sound like?" (Responses will vary, but may include: the Indian government officials take initiative, persevere, and collaborate to learn from and correct the mistakes made in the plague outbreak of 1994.)

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

For Lighter Support

  • During Work Time A, encourage students to record the gist of each section in the margins of the Model Podcast script. They can share these gists with classmates who need heavier support and together they can highlight the key individuals, events, and ideas in the script. This partner work ensures comprehension and recall of the key details of the script. 
  • Also, during Work Time A, challenge students as they read the Model Podcast script to identify and explain language structures from Language Dives throughout the module, such as: use of the word that to join clauses, the empty subject it, and passive voice.
  • After Work Time A, invite students to participate in a Mini Language Dive in small groups to explore a sentence that conveys a key takeaway from the content of a podcast script. The sentence also helps students to address L.7.1a and L.7.2a by providing an opportunity to explain the function of a phrase that contains coordinate adjectives.

For Heavier Support

  • During Work Time A, encourage students to record illustrations in the margins of the Model Podcast script. They can share these illustrations with classmates who need lighter support and together they can highlight the key individuals, events, and ideas in the script. This partner work ensures comprehension and recall of the key details of the script.

B. Generate and Refine Research Questions - W.7.7 (10 minutes)

  • Redirect students' attention to the learning target:

"I can research to answer questions about epidemics."

  • Ask:

"What are some research questions you could ask in order to create a script like the Model Podcast Script? What do you need to know about your epidemic?" (Responses will vary, but may include: Where and when did the epidemic take place? Who was affected? What was it like to be in the epidemic? How might the epidemic have started? What were the medical effects of the epidemic? What were the social effects of the epidemic? What tools did epidemiologists use to solve the problem? What character traits and mindsets did individuals involved in the epidemic exhibit? What lessons were learned from this epidemic?)

  • Add these to the Questions about Epidemics anchor chart. Remind students that research questions should be
    • not too narrow nor too broad;
    • specific to this topic;
    • significant: important not only to you, but to others; and
    • answerable using sources (i.e., not philosophical questions).
  • Note these criteria for research questions on the Researchers Do These Things anchor chart. See the Researchers Do These Things anchor chart (example for teacher reference).
  • Ask students to work in their podcast triad to generate research questions for each section of the podcast and record them in the Purpose and Research Questions box on their scripts. Circulate and support students using the suggestions in the Research Mini-Lessons (for teacher reference) on Refining Research Questions, drawing them into a small group as necessary.
  • Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on their progress toward the learning target.
  • N/A

C. Create a Research Note-Catcher – W.7.7 (10 minutes)

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

“I can research to answer questions about epidemics.”

  • Display and distribute the Epidemic Research note-catcher, and the Epidemic Research note-catcher ▲ as necessary. The differentiated note-catcher supports students by listing the discrete steps of the research process and supporting students’ processing of information in those steps. Students who use this note-catcher will not need to design their own note-catcher. ▲ Release podcast triads to design a note-catcher together using the notes on their scripts as a starting point. Circulate and support students in creating a note-catcher. Consult the Epidemic Research note-catcher (example for teacher reference) as necessary, and ask questions such as:

“What are the different sections of the podcast script?” (the story or narrative opening section, the social and scientific effects or ideas section, the tools/mindset/habits of character section, and the message section)

  • If necessary, record these four sections on the board for students who need more visual support. ▲ Also, as necessary, explain that although the Model Podcast Script includes two different outbreaks of the plague, their epidemic is unlikely to have two outbreaks in the same place. Therefore, their podcast scripts should follow the structure of the four sections but not necessarily include a jump in time.

“How might you include the different sections of the podcast script on the note-catcher?” (The story section includes characters, setting, problem, response, and resolution. The scientific and social ideas section is its own part on the note-catcher. The tools/mindset/character is its own section on the note-catcher. The deeper message is its own section on the note-catcher.)

“Do your research questions have a space to get answered on the note-catcher? Where on the note-catcher do the research questions belong?” (Yes, the research questions get answered in the story section, the social and scientific ideas section, the tools/mindset/character section, and the deeper message section.)

  • Remind students that the focus of their research is to answer their questions about epidemics. If necessary, use one group’s work as a model note-catcher to improve others’ note-catchers.
  • Ensure that each student has created their own version of the same note-catcher as the rest of their triad. Invite students to record their additional related research questions above the note-catcher.
  • Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on their progress toward the learning target.

For Lighter Support

  • N/A

For Heavier Support

  • During Work Time C, encourage students to use the Epidemic Research note-catcher ▲. This resource supports students by listing the discrete steps of the research process and supporting students’ processing of information in those steps.

Closing & Assessments

Closing

A. Partner Share - W.7.7 (5 minutes)

  • Ask students to join with a classmate not in their triad and share their note-catcher. They can then use ideas from their partner's note-catcher to improve their own. Students can share their improvements with their triads before researching in the next lesson.

Homework

HomeworkLevels of Support

A. Record and Refine Research Questions

  • Students record additional research questions and refine the questions as necessary.

B. Analyze Interactions of Individuals, Events, and Ideas

  • In preparation for the mid-unit assessment, students reread the first section of the model podcast script and complete Homework: Analyze Interactions: Model Podcast Script, Part I to answer selected and constructed response questions about how the individuals, events, and ideas interact in the script.

For Lighter Support

  • Before the end of class, encourage students to work with a partner to review the homework questions and orally rehearse their answers. Doing so will ensure their comprehension and achievement.

For Heavier Support

  • Before the end of class, review the homework questions and model finding answers in the Model Podcast script. Doing so will ensure students' comprehension and achievement.

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