Discover Our Topic: Food Choices | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA 2019 G8:M2:U1:L1

Discover Our Topic: Food Choices

In this Lesson

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • RI.8.1, RI.8.10

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.

  • RL.8.4, RI.8.2, SL.8.1, L.8.6
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can infer the topic of this module from the resources. (RI.8.1)
  • I can select a research reading text that I want to read. (RI.8.10)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 1 (RI.8.1)
  • Work Time A: Infer the Topic: I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher (RI.8.1)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner - RI.8.1 (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Infer the Topic - RI.8.1 (20 minutes)

B. Introduce the Performance Task and Module Guiding Questions (10 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Launch Independent Research Reading - RI.8.10 (10 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Read and Reflect: Students read and reflect on the guiding questions for the module and discuss them with their families. They should consider how the guiding questions make them feel. They can sketch or write about their ideas.

B. Preread Anchor Text: Students preread Section 1 of The Omnivore's Dilemma in preparation for reading the section in the next lesson.

C. 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

  • RI.8.1 – Opening A: Students complete an entrance ticket by generating a list of questions they can ask themselves to aid in drawing inferences from evidence.
  • RI.8.1 – Work Time A: Students participate in the Infer the Topic protocol, citing evidence from the resources posted around the room that most strongly support what they notice and wonder about the topic.
  • RI.8.10 – Closing and Assessment A: Students choose independent research reading texts on the topic of food choices. See Independent Reading Sample Plans (see the Tools page at http://eled.org/tools) for ideas on how to launch independent reading. If using already established routines for launching independent reading, in this lesson students will choose a research reading text. The research reading that students complete for homework helps build both their vocabulary and knowledge of the food choices. By participating in this volume of reading over time, students will develop a wide base of knowledge about the world and the words that help describe and make sense of this topic.
  • In this lesson, the directions for routines that are repeated from previous lessons have been pared down and noted with “Repeated routine.” For the detailed outline of how to facilitate this part of the lesson, please refer back to previous lessons.
  • At the end of the lesson, distribute the homework resources, and review the format of the document and this lesson’s specific assignment with students. (See full module or unit download for all homework materials.) The homework in this lesson includes three assignments, which is not typical for other lessons, but is required in this lesson only.
  • In this lesson, students do not collect new vocabulary independently. Instead, new vocabulary is collected as a class on the academic word wall and domain-specific word wall. Students determine and clarify the meanings of words and phrases as they are used in the module guiding questions as they are added to the word wall. Students record each vocabulary word and its definition in their vocabulary logs from Module 1.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • Invite students to research one or more of the topics they analyzed during the lesson (e.g., GMOs, pesticides, industrial farming) to further build their background knowledge before reading the anchor text. Students might share their findings in small groups or with the whole class.
  • Proficient readers could be asked to prepare a Book Talk or other presentation of their reading for this lesson to promote excitement among their peers for the independent reading book selection.

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • In Lesson 1 of Module 1, students participated in the Infer the Topic protocol to explore texts, images, maps, etc., and make inferences about the topic of Latino folklore. In this lesson, students use the same protocol to discover a new topic, Food Choices.

Support All Students

  • Integrated ELL supports are marked throughout lessons with a ▲. These teaching suggestions support student comprehension without disrupting lesson flow or requiring extensive class time or additional materials. Deeper, high-leverage supports, designed to accelerate ELLs’ language development, can be found in the Levels of Support columns in each lesson.
  • Note that there is a differentiated version of the I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher ▲ used in Work Time A in the supporting materials. Differentiated versions of some materials are available in many lessons as a way to provide additional support to ELLs.
  • The gallery walk consists of stations in which students will read texts, view images, and watch video clips. This activity is multimodal, providing visual, auditory, and kinesthetic access points to the Infer the Topic resources. Students will choose which resources to engage with in this activity.
  • Accompany the posted learning targets with symbols or images for visual learners. Check for understanding by giving students time to write, sketch, or orally paraphrase the learning target. ▲
  • Group students heterogeneously. Students will be able to choose the documents they would like to examine in order to infer the topic. This encompasses diversity of learning styles, reading levels, and grasp of the English language. Students are not grouped based on ability. This provides students with multiple access points to meet the learning target. Invite students to help each other by reading the excerpts aloud to each other. Use the English subtitle function on the videos to support ELLs. ▲

Assessment Guidance

  • Monitor students’ Infer the Topic: I Notice/I Wonder note-catchers to ensure they are on the right track for inferring what the module is about at the end of the Infer the Topic protocol.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students will begin reading and discussing The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan.

In Advance

  • Prepare:
    • Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 1
    • Infer the Topic text set of resources (see supporting materials). Post the Infer the Topic resources around the room, or print materials and provide multimedia access to each small group.
    • Display the cover of The Omnivore's Dilemma as an Infer the Topic resource in Work Time A.
    • Display the Pesticides 101 Infographic (http://eled.org/0219) as an Infer the Topic resource in Work Time A.
  • Gather enough copies of the anchor text, The Omnivore's Dilemma, to be distributed to students at the end of the lesson.
  • Ensure there is a copy of Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 1 at each student's workspace.
  • Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).
  • If this module has been taught previously, collect a model performance task from a former student and prepare to share this resource with students.

Tech and Multimedia

  • Opening A: Complete the modeling for the Infer the Topic: I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher with the class in a word-processing document such as http://eled.org/0158.
  • Work Time A: Create a multimedia station of video clips for the Infer the Topic protocol. Use video clips that contain information about topics such as pesticides, GMOs, and food deserts. Examples:
  • Work Time A: Students complete their I Notice/I Wonder note-catchers in an online word-processing document such as http://eled.org/0158.
  • Work Time A: Students complete their note-catchers in a word-processing document using speech-to-text facilities activated on devices or using an app or software such as http://eled.org/0103.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 8.I.A.1 and 8.I.A.2.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson establishes an environment of respect for diverse perspectives through the use of an I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher to record observations and questions about varied resources connected to the module topic: Food Choices. Students engage with images, texts, and videos that portray elements of the text they read throughout the module and are introduced to the module guiding questions and the performance task to help contextualize learning. The lesson also includes the launch of independent research reading and time for collaborative discussion and group work.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to navigate the text-based Infer the Topic resources because of the volume of potentially unfamiliar new language. Encourage students to focus on the gist of select resources and language that is familiar. Encourage them to take pride in what they do understand. Before the lesson, add translations in students' home languages to the Performance Task anchor chart to make the task accessible to all students and to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for those students whose home language is not English.

Vocabulary

  • access, dilemma, omnivore, prioritize (A)
  • infographic (DS)

Key

(A): Academic Vocabulary

(DS): Domain-Specific Vocabulary

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Directions for Infer the Topic (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time A)
  • Academic word wall (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Opening A)
  • Domain-specific word wall (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Opening A)
  • Model performance task from a former student (optional; one for display)
  • Independent Reading Sample Plans (optional; see the Tools page: http://eled.org/tools)
  • Directions for Infer the Topic (one per student; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time A)
  • Infer the Topic: I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher (one per student; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time A)
  • Vocabulary logs (one per student; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Opening A)
  • Independent reading journals (one per student; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 6, Work Time B)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 1 (example for teacher reference)
  • Infer the Topic resources (one for display; see In Advance)
  • Performance Task anchor chart (one for display; see Performance Task download on module landing page)
  • Module Guiding Questions anchor chart (one for display; see Teaching Notes)
  • Homework resources (for Families) (See full module or unit download for all homework materials.)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 1 (one per student)
  • Infer the Topic: I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher (one per student)
  • The Omnivore's Dilemma (text; one per student)
  • Homework resources (for Families) (one per student)  (See full module or unit download for all homework materials.)

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.

Download this Performance Task

Opening

OpeningLevels of Support

A. Engage the Learner - RI.8.1 (5 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: As students arrive, invite them to complete Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 1.
  • 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

  • N/A

For Heavier Support

  • After students complete the entrance ticket, allow time for students to compare the "I notice" and "I wonder" questions they generated. Students can support one another to add to and revise their questions as needed.

Work Time

Work TimeLevels of Support

A. Infer the Topic - RI.8.1 (20 minutes)

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

"I can infer the topic of this module from the resources."

  • Focus students on the Infer the Topic resources posted around the room.
  • Remind students that they used the Infer the Topic protocol in the previous module, and review as necessary using the Directions for Infer the Topic. (Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol [see the Tools page at http://eled.org/tools].)
  • Distribute the Infer the Topic: I Notice/I Wonder note-catchers. Focus students on the question at the top, and read it aloud:

"What do you think you will be learning about in this module?"

  • Remind students that the purpose of the note-catcher is to take notes to help them remember their thinking. It isn't something they will hand in for assessment, so they can record in pictures or words. They do not need to write in full sentences.
  • Be transparent about why students are noticing and wondering (because it is a helpful way to understand and explore a new topic or text).
  • Guide students through the protocol. Allow them to choose what resources to observe, so those who may not be able to read independently have the option to view an image. Mixed-proficiency pairs can choose the resources they want to observe and begin by discussing what the text means. Encourage students to agree or disagree with one another about what the text means using sentence frames. Examples: "I agree because _____." "I disagree because_____."
  • Refocus whole group. Think-Triad-Share:

"Now that you have looked at some resources, what do you think this module might be about?" (Responses will vary, but could include: farming, food, pesticides.)

"What does this topic mean to you at this point? Why might it be meaningful to study this topic?" (Responses will vary, but may include: to understand what is in our food, to understand where our food comes from.)

"From what you know so far, what are you looking forward to about this topic?" (Responses will vary, but may include: learning about where our food comes from, learning about healthy foods and what we can add or remove from our diets.)

  • Direct students' attention to The Omnivore's Dilemma front cover, displayed in the Infer the Topic protocol. Explain to students that this book is the anchor text that they will read in this unit to analyze Food Choices.
  • With students' support, record the meanings of omnivore (an animal or person that eats plants and animals) and dilemma (a difficult situation or problem) on the academic word wall, with translations in students' home languages. Write synonyms or sketch a visual above each word to scaffold students' understanding. Invite students to record these words in their vocabulary logs.
  • Explain that this module will trace the sources of our food from the farm to our plate. This module will explore what is in our food, our access to healthy food, how food production affects the earth, and the choices we can make about the food we eat.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

For Lighter Support

  • In the next lesson, students will participate in a Language Dive using a sentence from The Omnivore's Dilemma to explore the author's purpose. Consider providing ELLs with the Language Dive sentence ahead of time. Invite students who need lighter support 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. Students may also choose to carry out one of the following:
    • Paraphrase the sentence using your own words.
    • Underline all noun phrases, circle all verb phrases, and star all adjective and adverb phrases. What words do you have left? What are the functions of these phrases?

For Heavier Support

  • To support ELLs' independent notices and wonders when launching the text, provide students with scaffolded instructions for locating important information within the text. These instructions could include
    • "Scan the text for terms that you see repeated many times. What do you think are important concepts in this book?"
    • "Read the chapter titles on the Contents page. Do the titles seem serious? Silly? Strange?"
    • "Look for photos and infographics within the text. What do you see? What does this make you think this text will be about?"
  • In the next lesson, students will participate in a Language Dive using a sentence from The Omnivore's Dilemma to explore the author's purpose. Consider providing ELLs with the Language Dive sentence ahead of time. Encourage students who need heavier support to independently reflect on this sentence and its meaning before the next lesson. Students may also choose to carry out one of the following:
    • Make a guess about what the "chunks" of the sentence might be.
    • Use a dictionary to look up the word detective, and select the best definition for the word as it is used in this sentence.

B. Introduce the Performance Task and Module Guiding Questions (10 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the Performance Task anchor chart, and read the task aloud.
  • As students may be overwhelmed by the Performance Task anchor chart, assure them that they will continue to explore the meaning of the chart in subsequent lessons and units.
  • With students' support, record the meaning of infographic (a visual image such as a chart or diagram used to represent information or data) on the domain-specific word wall, with a translation in students' home languages. Write synonyms or sketch a visual above the word to scaffold students' understanding. Invite students to record this word in their vocabulary logs.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What do you notice about the task?" (Responses will vary, but may include: we create an infographic, we encourage our community, we present in front of an audience.)

"What do you wonder about the task?" (Responses will vary, but may include: Can we work in groups? What does an infographic look like? How do we create the infographic?)

"Now that you have analyzed the performance task, has your inference of what this module might be about changed? How?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Clarify anything pertinent to this specific performance task. Consider displaying a model performance task from a former student. Ask students to make connections between the model and the performance task.
  • Direct students' attention to the Module Guiding Questions anchor chart, and read the questions aloud.
  • Turn and Talk:

"Why do we have guiding questions for each module?" (Responses will vary, but may include: to help focus our learning, to help us think about the performance task.)

  • Tell students that these are the questions that will guide their thinking and learning throughout the module. Turn and Talk:

"What do you notice?" (Responses will vary, but may include: the focus is on food.)

"What do you wonder?" (Responses will vary, but may include: Is there something wrong with the source of our food? How do you know what is healthy?)

  • With students' support, record the meanings of access (the right or privilege to use something) and prioritize (to treat something as more important than something else) on the academic word wall, with translations in students' home languages. Write synonyms or sketch a visual above each word to scaffold students' understanding. Invite students to record these words in their vocabulary logs.
  • Acknowledge that some students may already know something about this topic. Explain that for homework, they will reflect on the guiding questions and how they feel about them based on their own experiences and knowledge and that this will be further discussed at the beginning of the next lesson. And note that some students may know nothing about the topic--it will be interesting to dig in together.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.
  • N/A

Closing & Assessments

ClosingLevels of Support

A. Launch Independent Research Reading – RI.8.10 (10 minutes)

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

“I can select a research reading text that I want to read.”

  • Launch independent reading for this module. There is a suggested independent reading launch in the Independent Reading Sample Plans.
  • At the end of 5 minutes, invite students to retrieve their independent reading journals.
  • Remind students they will use this journal to log their independent reading, both choice and research reading, and to answer reading prompts.
  • Remind students to respond to a prompt for homework in the front of their journals.
  • Distribute one copy of The Omnivore’s Dilemma to each student. Instruct students to preread pages 10–13 to prepare for the next lesson.

For Lighter Support

  • Preselect texts for independent research reading that are appropriate for the students' current levels of reading proficiency.

For Heavier Support

  • Provide an audiobook, if available, for students to follow along with as they read their independent research reading texts to help facilitate comprehension.

Homework

Homework

A. Read and Reflect

  • Students read and reflect on the guiding questions for the module and discuss them with their families. They should consider how the guiding questions make them feel. They can sketch or write about their ideas.

B. Preread Anchor Text

  • Students preread Section 1 of The Omnivore's Dilemma in preparation for reading the section in the next lesson.

C. 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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