Analyze How Authors Present Evidence Differently in Articles and Trash Vortex | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA 2019 G7:M4:U2:L4

Analyze How Authors Present Evidence Differently in Articles and Trash Vortex

In this Lesson

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • RI.7.9, W.7.1, SL.7.3, SL.7.4

Supporting Standards

  • N/A
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can compare how two authors emphasize different evidence when presenting information on plastic pollution. (RI.7.9)
  • I can delineate and evaluate a speaker's claims about plastic pollution. (SL.7.3)
  • I can present my claims about plastic pollution in a clear way, supported by evidence. (SL.7.4)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 4 (W.7.1)
  • Work Time A: Compare Text Evidence (RI.7.9)
  • Closing and Assessment A: End of Debate note-catcher (SL.7.3, SL.7.4)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner - W.7.1 (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Read and Compare Evidence - RI.7.9 (15 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Practice Debate - SL.7.3, SL.7.4 (25 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Prepare for Debate: Students use Homework: Prepare for Debate note-catcher to write an opening statement, draft cross-examination questions, consider counter-claims as a responder, or draft a summary to plan for their role in the final debate.

B. 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

  • W.7.1 – Opening A: On an entrance ticket, students draft a brief argument on where to best effect change in the plastic life cycle and support their argument with reasoning and evidence.
  • RI.7.9 – Work Time A: Students analyze how two or more authors writing about plastic pollution in articles and in Trash Vortex shape their presentations of key information by emphasizing different evidence or advancing different interpretations of facts.
  • SL.7.3 – Closing and Assessment A: Students delineate their peers’ claims, evidence, and reasoning to prepare to ask and answer cross-examination questions.
  • SL.7.4 – Closing and Assessment A: Students present claims and findings in a debate, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples.
  • In this lesson, students focus on working to become effective learners by persevering and collaborating on the note-catcher, and by taking initiative and responsibility in the debate. They also work to become ethical people by showing respect in the debate.
  • The Think-Pair-Share protocol is used in this lesson. Protocols are an important feature of the EL Education 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 excerpt of Trash Vortex read in this lesson, scientists are contributing to a better world by applying their learning about plastic pollution to improve the environment. Specifically, scientists are finding solutions to clean up the ocean and finding solutions to prevent plastic from slipping downstream.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • Allow those students who are skilled with debate to have a formal Lincoln-Douglas debate without knowing the prompt ahead of time. The prompt may be one of the claims made in Trash Vortex, A Plastic Ocean, or one of the articles. Include the following roles, or change them as necessary:
    • Moderator presents the debate and the prompt
    • Beginning position presents points
    • Middle position cross-examines beginning
    • Middle position presents points
    • Beginning position cross-examines middle
    • Beginning position offers rebuttal
    • Middle position offers rebuttal
    • Beginning position summarizes position
    • Middle position summarizes position
  • Invite students to watch a presidential debate or listen to a debate podcast, such as American Public Square and name the academic strengths as well as which habits of character and academic mindsets the debaters require to advance their argument.

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • In previous lessons, students have focused on analyzing how authors present arguments differently in articles and debating the beginning as the best place to impact change in the plastic life cycle. In this lesson, students will build on this work by comparing how authors present arguments differently in articles and the Trash Vortex and debating the end as the best place to impact change in the plastic life cycle.

Support All Students

  • Note there is a differentiated version of the Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 4 used in Opening A in the separate Teacher’s Guide for English Language Learners. ▲
  • At this point, students should be reading the text independently. However, if some or all students need more support, read several pages aloud and then release students to read independently, in pairs, or in small groups. ▲
  • The subject matter in this excerpt includes descriptions of plastic littering the Earth. Continue to monitor students to determine if there are issues surfacing as a result of the content of this chapter that need to be discussed as a whole group, in smaller groups, or individually. To support students in processing this content, ask: “What habit of character did you use as you read and discussed this excerpt?” Students may need to draw on perseverance, empathy, and compassion as they read and discuss this content, being sensitive to their own and others’ reactions to the information presented.
  • In Closing and Assessment A, consider playing a film clip, presidential debate clip, or courtroom clip of a powerful debate in a courtroom. Invite students to name the strengths of the clip. ▲

Assessment Guidance

  • Review students’ End of Debate note-catcher.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students will take the Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: Analyze How Authors Present Evidence Differently.

In Advance

  • Ensure there is a copy of Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 4 at each student’s workspace. 
  • Reread pages 44–46 of Trash Vortex, “Five Weird Materials That Could Replace Plastic,” and “Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution.”
  • Strategically group students—homogeneously or heterogeneously based on content or skills aptitude—into pairs for completing the note-catcher and for reading and into groups of four for the debate.
  • To prepare for the final debate in Lessons 5–6, use the sticky notes from the previous lesson to form the groups for the final debate. If possible, place each student in the group of their choice according to the sticky note. Then designate roles for each student, so that positions and roles can be announced at the end of class and students can prepare for the formal debate in the following lesson. It may be necessary for students to share roles (such as cross-examiner or responder) or to play roles or defend positions that were not their first choice in order to have even numbers for the formal debate. Use the Final Debate Planner to create debate groups.
  • Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Closing and Assessment A: Recording devices for the debates, if desired.

Supporting English Language Learners

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

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson provides students the same routine and types of questions they have used throughout the unit to independently analyze how authors present different evidence.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to gradually release from small group work to independent analysis of the authors' use of evidence. If so, draw these students together into a small group and guide them to grapple independently with each question. Review their responses before they move on to grapple independently with the next question. Doing so will allow students to check their responses and ensure their comprehension before they get too far off track. At the end of Work Time A, collect students' questions in order to review them as a formative assessment to ensure students are ready for the mid-unit assessment in the following lesson. If not, spend another lesson on analyzing the authors' use of evidence.

Vocabulary

  • N/A

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Equity sticks (from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Debate Steps anchor chart (one for display; from Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Practice Debate Planner (for teacher reference) (from Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 2, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Texts from Module 4, Units 1 and 2: A Plastic Ocean, Trash Vortex, "Five Weird Materials That Could Replace Plastic," "Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution" (one of each per student)
  • Independent reading journal (one per student; begun in Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 6, Work Time B)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 4 (answers for teacher reference)
  • Compare Text Evidence (answers for teacher reference)
  • End of Debate note-catcher (example for teacher reference)
  • Final Debate Planner (for teacher reference)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 4 (one per student)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 4 ▲
  • Compare Text Evidence (one per student)
  • End of Debate note-catcher (one per student)
  • Homework: Prepare for Debate note-catcher (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.7.1 (5 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: Students respond to questions on Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 4 and the Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 4 ▲ as necessary.
  • Once students have completed their entrance tickets, use equity sticks to review their responses.
  • 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

  • In Opening A, ensure students understand that the purpose of the QuickWrite is to generate an argument with claim, evidence, and reasoning in preparation for the debate in the following lesson. They should focus on their ideas, not their spelling, punctuation, or grammar. However, students may need additional time to process and articulate their ideas.

For Heavier Support

  • In Opening A, allow students to respond to the prompt in the modality that best suits them. They may want to record their responses in writing or practice their oral responses with a partner before sharing them out. They may want to share their responses in their home language. Allowing students to respond in multiple ways increases their confidence and success in articulating their ideas.
  • Also, as necessary, provide the Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 4 ▲. This resource features sentence starters which support students with comprehension and writing. 

Work Time

Work TimeLevels of Support

A. Read and Compare Evidence - RI.7.9 (15 minutes)

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

"I can compare how two authors emphasize different evidence when presenting information on plastic pollution."

  • Distribute the Compare Text Evidence handout. Review the directions to ensure students understand the task. Explain that students will answer similar questions on their mid-unit assessment in the following lesson.
  • Ask students to answer the questions independently. When students are done, use a total participation technique to review their responses, recording them on a displayed copy of Compare Text Evidence questions. For answers, see Compare Text Evidence (answers for teacher reference).
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.

For Lighter Support

  • For Work Time A, explain to students that completing the analysis and note-catcher independently will prepare them for doing so on their assessment in the following lesson. Remind students that they have completed similar analysis and note-catchers throughout the unit and are prepared for this challenge.

For Heavier Support

  • At the end of Work Time A, collect students' questions in order to review them as a formative assessment to ensure students are ready for the mid-unit assessment in the following lesson. If not, spend another lesson on analyzing the authors' use of evidence.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingLevels of Support

A. Practice Debate - SL.7.3, SL.7.4 (25 minutes)

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

"I can delineate and evaluate a speaker's claims about plastic pollution."

"I can present my claims about plastic pollution in a clear way, supported by evidence."

  • Display the Debate Steps anchor chart and remind students of the steps the class has taken so far in this debate. In Lesson 1, students worked on cross-examining the beginning position. In Lesson 2, students worked on stating the middle position or cross-examining it. In Lesson 3, students worked on presenting rebuttals and summaries of the beginning and middle positions. Now, in Lesson 4, students will present the argument that the end of the plastic life cycle is the best place to impact change, working on all three steps of the debate as a small group.
  • Invite students to move into predetermined debate groups of four. Guide students to choose one of the four roles: position presenter, cross-examiner, responder, or summarizer. Support students with forming groups and assigning roles efficiently, in less than a minute. As necessary, use the Practice Debate Planner (for teacher reference) to help students form groups and determine roles.
  • Direct students to independently write notes for their specified role on the End of Debate note-catcher. Students should draw on the texts from Module 4, Units 1 and 2 for evidence. Then, direct students to practice their roles and statements within their group in this order:
    1. Position Presenter
    2. Cross-Examiner
    3. Responder
    4. Summarizer
  • Remind students to use formal presentation skills, sharing ideas with appropriate eye contact, appropriate volume, and clarity. Circulate to ensure students are on task and each make their part of the debate presentation. Consult the End of Debate note-catcher (example for teacher reference) for possible responses.
  • Once students have finished their debate practice, consult the Final Debate Planner (for teacher reference) to give students their assigned position and roles for the final debate. Remind students that it may be necessary to share roles (like cross-examiner or responder) or to assume roles or defend positions that were not their first choice in order to have even numbers for the formal debate.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.
  • Invite students to reflect on the habits of character focus in this lesson, discussing what went well and what could be improved next time.

For Lighter Support

  • In the next lesson, students will participate in a Language Dive using a sentence from the article "Boyan Slat: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Kid." Provide ELLs with the Language Dive sentence ahead of time. Invite students to predict some of the questions that the Language Dive may ask. This will improve students' metacognition and challenge their awareness of the most interesting or meaningful elements of the sentence.

For Heavier Support

  • In the next lesson, students will participate in a Language Dive using a sentence from the article "Boyan Slat: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Kid." Provide ELLs with the Language Dive sentence ahead of time. Encourage students to independently reflect on this sentence and its meaning before the next lesson. Students may also wish to use dictionaries to add any unknown vocabulary and meanings to their vocabulary logs.

Homework

Homework

A. Prepare for Debate

  • Students use Homework: Prepare for Debate note-catcher to write an opening statement, draft cross-examination questions, consider counter-claims as a responder, or draft a summary to plan for their role in the final debate.

B. 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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