Write an Informative Essay: Plan Body Paragraphs and Conclusion | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA 2019 G8:M3:U2:L4

Write an Informative Essay: Plan Body Paragraphs and Conclusion

In this Lesson

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • RL.8.2, RL.8.5, W.8.2b, W.8.2f, W.8.4, W.8.5

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.8.1, RL.8.10, W.8.10, SL.8.1, L.8.5
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can identify the structure and purpose of each part of a Proof Paragraph and use this understanding to plan the Proof Paragraphs of my own literary analysis. (W.8.2b)
  • I can identify the purpose of each part of the conclusion of a model literary analysis and plan the conclusion of my own literary analysis. (W.8.2f)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Work Time A: Analyze a Model: Proof Paragraphs 2a and 2b (W.8.2)
  • Work Times A and B: Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer (W.8.2, W.8.2f, W.8.5)
  • Closing and Assessment A: Informative Writing Checklist (W.8.2)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Analyze a Model and Plan Proof Paragraphs 2a and 2b - W.8.2b (20 minutes)

B. Analyze a Model and Plan Conclusion - W.8.2f (10 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Pair Share: Introduction and Conclusion - W.8.2 (10 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Read a Poem and Answer Questions: Students complete Homework: Structure and Theme: "In Flanders Fields" to answer selected and constructed response questions about language, structure, and meaning.

Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

  • RL.8.2 – Work Time A: Students use the Painted Essay® structure to more closely analyze the theme of a text and understand its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot.
  • RL.8.5 – Work Time A: Students use the Painted Essay® structure to more closely analyze the compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and understand how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.
  • W.8.2b – Work Time A: Students use the Painted Essay® structure to more closely analyze the second set of Proof Paragraphs of a model to understand how they effectively develop the topic with well-chosen details and examples from the text.
  • W.8.4 – Work Time A: Students work to plan their second set of Proof Paragraphs, choosing the best evidence to support Point 2 and elaborating on or explaining how it does so.
  • W.8.2f – Work Time B: Students use the Painted Essay® structure to more closely analyze a model conclusion to note how it follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.
  • W.8.4 – Work Time B: Students work to plan clear and coherent conclusions for their assessment essays, showing a clear understanding of the task, determining the purpose of the piece, and anticipating the reflection needed by the reader.
  • RI.8.1 – Closing and Assessment A: Students join with partners and share the plan for their introduction and conclusion, identifying the clear focus statement, the context they provided, the restatement of the focus, and the further reflection of the topic.
  • W.8.5 – Closing and Assessment A: Students provide feedback to strengthen the introduction and conclusion of their literary analysis essay plan.
  • In this lesson, students analyze the Literary Analysis Model Essay: Relationship of Structure to Meaning and use the model to plan their own essays, where they analyze the similarities and differences in theme and structure in Maus I and “Often a Minute,” and how these contribute to meaning. (W.8.2, W.8.4, W.8.5).
  • In Closing and Assessment A, students give and receive peer feedback focused on students’ informative writing plan, concentrating on effective introduction and conclusion paragraphs. If time permits, allow more time for peer review focused on common issues students may struggle with.
  • In this lesson, students focus on working to become ethical people by showing integrity as they discuss ideas from the model and by showing respect and empathy as they plan their essays, reflecting on Magdalena Klein’s experience in “Often a Minute” and Art Spiegelman’s experience in Maus I. Students concentrate on working to become effective learners by collaborating as they work in pairs throughout the lesson.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • Invite students to research more about the Holocaust and to ask their family members what they know about this time period.
  • Release those students who are ready to read and analyze the model Proof Paragraphs and conclusion independently and then move on to planning Proof Paragraphs 2 and the conclusion independently rather than with modeling.
  • Have students who feel ready to move forward with writing an essay write an informative essay comparing the structures of two texts they have read independently. Students may also wish to compare Summer of the Mariposas with another fiction text they have read as part of their Independent Reading Research or with a poem they have read.
  • An optional Mini Language Dive, intended for use after students analyze the model essay in Work Time A, is available in the Teacher’s Guide for English Language Learners. ▲

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • In the previous lesson, students reviewed the introduction and first set of Proof Paragraphs in the model essay and used their understanding of the structure and meaning in “Often a Minute” and Maus I to plan these paragraphs of their own informative essay. Today, they will analyze the second set of Proof Paragraphs and the conclusion in order to create a plan for these two parts of their essay.

Support All Students

  • Presenting learning targets and directions in writing, orally, and if possible, accompanied by symbols will help students to understand the language within them. ▲
  • Much of this lesson is discussion based, so consider how to best support students who need additional support with oral language and/or auditory processing. ▲
  • Students may need additional support while planning their conclusion paragraphs. Group those students for a guided discussion to find the best evidence to support their point and elaborate on that evidence, showing how it supports the point. ▲
  • For ELLs especially, understanding the construction of a strong conclusion paragraph may be difficult if isolated language is unknown. Provide annotations of a glossary of new terms to help students navigate their work with the model. ▲
  • Use large print strips for sentences in conclusion paragraphs that students can manipulate and reorganize. Use different colors for text or highlights to draw students’ attention to key features. ▲
  • Give students time to talk through their Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer with a partner before writing or to use a voice recorder to talk through what they will include in paragraphs. ▲
  • Some students may feel awkward providing feedback to their peers or may not know how to formulate constructive suggestions. Use criteria lists and sentence starters to help guide the discussion during the peer feedback portion of lesson. ▲

Assessment Guidance

  • Use the Grade 8 Writing Process checklist to assess students’ writing abilities in Work Time A and B (located on the Tools Page).

Down the Road

  • In the next lessons, students will use their plans created in Lessons 3 and 4 to draft and revise their essays.

In Advance

  • Prepare 
    • Analyze a Model: Proof Paragraphs 2a and 2b
  • Strategically pair students for the peer critique in Closing and Assessment A with at least one strong reader per pair.
  • Review the Informative Writing checklist (see the Tools page).
  • Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Work Time A and B: Convert Informative Writing Plan graphic organizers and invite students to complete them in an online format—for example, http://eled.org/0158.
  • 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 8.I.B.6 and 8.I.B.8.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson follows a structure similar to the previous lesson. Students continue to analyze a model essay and then apply their learning to the planning of their own informative essays on the similarities and differences in theme and structure in Maus I and "Often a Minute" and the way in which these contribute to meaning. The lesson also includes time for peer feedback and collaborative discussion to help students improve their writing while also practicing oral skills. 
  • ELLs may find it challenging to understand portions of the model essay. While Summer of the Mariposas will be quite familiar to students, the poem that this text is compared to in the model is not something students will have a deep understanding of. Encourage students to focus on the structure of the essay and the way in which the author crafts points about similarities and differences. Remind students that for their own essays, they are working with texts that they know well.

Vocabulary

  • N/A

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Homework: Structure and Meaning: "The Owl" (example for teacher reference) (from Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 3, Homework A)
  • Model Literary Analysis Essay: Relationship of Structure to Meaning (example for teacher reference) (from Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Work Time A)
  • Structure anchor chart (example for teacher reference) (from Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Structure anchor chart (one for display; from Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Literary Analysis Informative Essay: Sample Student Response (example for teacher reference) (from Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 3, Work Time B)
  • Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer (example for teacher reference) (from Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 3, Work Time B)
  • Characteristics of a Literary Analysis Essay anchor chart (one for display; from Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Work Time A)
  • Homework: Structure and Meaning: "The Owl" (one per student; from Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 3, Homework A)
  • Model Literary Analysis Essay: Relationship of Structure to Meaning (one per student; from Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Work Time A)
  • Maus I (text; one per student; from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Opening A)
  • Close Read: "Often a Minute" note-catcher (text; one per student; from Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 2, Work Time A)
  • Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer (one per student and one for display; from Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 3, Work Time B)
  • Informative Writing checklist (one per student; from Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Work Time B)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Analyze a Model: Proof Paragraphs 2a and 2b (for teacher reference)
  • Homework: Structure and Theme: "In Flanders Fields" (answers for teacher reference) (see Homework Resources)
  • Analyze a Model: Proof Paragraphs 2a and 2b (one per student and one for display)
  • Homework: Structure and Theme: "In Flanders Fields" (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

Opening

A. Engage the Learner - L.8.1a (5 minutes)

  • Using a preferred classroom routine, collect or review the answers to Homework: Structure and Meaning: "The Owl" from Lesson 3. Refer to the Homework: Structure and Meaning: "The Owl" (example for teacher reference).
  • Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as 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.

Work Time

Work TimeLevels of Support

A. Analyze a Model and Plan Proof Paragraphs 2a and 2b – W.8.2b (20 minutes)

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

“I can identify the structure and purpose of each part of a Proof Paragraph and use this understanding to plan the Proof Paragraphs of my own literary analysis.”

  • Direct students to retrieve their Model Literary Analysis Essay: Relationship of Structure to Meaning, and prompt students to reread the focus statement they underlined in green, yellow, and blue. Remind students that the yellow part of the focus, “[e]ach comes to a different theme about the topic,” is the point they explained with evidence in the first two Proof Paragraphs, and the blue part of the focus, “each uses a different structure to make that theme clear to the reader,” is the point they will explain in the second two Proof Paragraphs they plan today. Direct students to note this on their model essays.
  • Tell students they will now analyze the second two Proof Paragraphs. Read aloud Proof Paragraph 2a of the model essay as students follow along silently. Ask students to underline evidence with a wavy line and elaboration with a straight line. Refer to the Analyze a Model: Proof Paragraphs 2a and 2b (for teacher reference) as a guide.
  • Prompt students to Turn and Talk, comparing the annotations they made in Proof Paragraph 2a. Tell students that, like in the previous lesson, they might have noticed a lot of wavy lines in their annotations, as much of the paragraph is evidence, and only a small part of it is elaboration.
  • Remind students that because of the specific prompt of this essay, the evidence and elaboration look different than previous essays. The evidence given in the second two Proof Paragraphs offers examples of how each text uses a different literary structure, and the elaboration explains how the structures impact the meaning in each text. Inform students that they will look more closely at Proof Paragraph 2a to examine this in detail.
  • Display and distribute the Analyze a Model: Proof Paragraphs 2a and 2b and tell student that this handout is similar to the one they used in the previous lesson.
  • Guide students through the handout, first looking at the chunks of Proof Paragraph 2a, and then releasing students to review the chunks of Proof Paragraph 2b sections with a partner. Circulate, using any questions or misconceptions as common teaching points and referring to the Analyze a Model: Proof Paragraphs 2a and 2b (for teacher reference) as needed.
  • Direct students to the Structure anchor chart, and have them review different literary structures. Remind students that a structure is how a text is built.
  • Ask:

“What structures are used by the texts analyzed in this essay?” (Summer of the Mariposas uses a chronological plot structure, and “The Blind Men and the Elephant” uses stanzas.)

  • Prompt students to return to the handout. Make sure students notice that the next sentence states that the two texts use different structures.
  • Circulate, using any questions or misconceptions as common teaching points and using the Analyze a Model: Proof Paragraphs 2a and 2b (for teacher reference) as needed to support students in their work.
  • Explain that students will now continue to plan their own essays that explain similarities and differences in the structure and meaning of Maus I and “Often a Minute.” Allow time for students to retrieve their copies of Maus I and Close Read: “Often a Minute” note-catcher and gather their Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer.
  • Direct students to the section of their graphic organizer for Proof Paragraph 2 (“Details/Evidence for Text 1” and “Details/Evidence for Text 2”). Remind students that these are the spaces they will use to create the plan for each paragraph, writing the details and evidence from each text that they will use in their essays, and noting the elaboration that will explain the details and evidence. Each paragraph will discuss a different text, just like in the model. Make sure students know that both of these paragraphs will be about the similarities and differences in structures of each text and how they impact meaning. As needed, point students back to the model to further discuss the use of the Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer for these two paragraphs.
  • Tell students they will roughly sketch out what will go into the second set of two Proof Paragraphs of their essay. Remind students that they should consider the texts Maus I and the “Often a Minute” for evidence to explain their points.
  • If students are ready to begin planning their essay independently, release them to do so. Remind students they don’t need to write complete sentences in their graphic organizer. They can just take notes.
  • Circulate to support students as they plan. Refer to Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer (example for teacher reference) and the Literary Analysis Informative Essay: Sample Student Response (example for teacher reference) as needed. If necessary, prompt by asking questions like the ones below or providing sentence starters: ▲

“What structures are used in each text to convey the meaning?” (Chronological structure, flashbacks, questions and answers, and stanzas are used.)

“How do these structures affect the meaning of each text?” (Answers will vary.)

“How are these structures similar and different?” (Answers will vary.)

  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

For Lighter Support

  • After Work Time A, invite students to participate in a Mini Language Dive in small groups to explore a sentence within a concluding section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented. The sentence also helps students address L.8.1a and L.8.5b by presenting an opportunity to explain the function of a gerund phrase and to use the relationships between words and phrases in the sentence to better understand the meaning and function of words and phrases. In the practice portion of this Mini Language Dive, students will have the opportunity to apply their learning to discuss how citations are used in an essay.
  • To extend practice with the structure "way + of + gerund phrase," provide students with a list of things they do while writing essays and invite them to discuss how they do each one using the sentence frame _________ is a way of _________. This type of discussion serves a dual purpose of reinforcing grammatical concepts while also building continued understanding of writing strategies. The list might include the following:
    • Capture a reader's attention
    • Introduce a topic
    • Indicate contrast
    • Conclude an essay

For Heavier Support

  • As in Lesson 3, for students who need heavier support, distribute a copy of the Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer with information from the conclusion paragraph of Model Literary Analysis Essay: Relationship of Structure to Meaning filled in. Students can use this a model to guide their own work as they plan their essays.

B. Analyze a Model and Plan Conclusion – W.8.2f (10 minutes)

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

“I can identify the purpose of each part of the conclusion of a model literary analysis and plan the conclusion of my own literary analysis.”

  • Tell students they will now analyze the conclusion paragraph of the model essay. Prompt students to locate the conclusion and read it once to themselves. Inform students there are three main parts to the conclusion of this model essay: a transitional sentence, a restatement of the focus, and further reflection on the topic.
  • Direct students to join a partner, labelling one person partner A and the other person partner B. Prompt partners to follow these steps to analyze the conclusion paragraph:
    • Partner A reads the conclusion aloud while partner B annotates the paragraph, labelling the three parts of the conclusion. 
    • Partner B shares the three parts of the conclusions they labelled, while partner A listens carefully, either agreeing with the annotations or helping their partner revise them.
  • Using a total participation technique, prompt students to share out how they annotated the conclusion.
  • Refer students to the Characteristics of a Literary Analysis Essay anchor chart and review the sections related to the conclusion. Field any questions students have about the role of the conclusion in this essay.
  • Direct students to their Informative Writing checklist, and prompt them to add specific characteristics of this essay related to the conclusion in the “Characteristics of This Informative Writing Piece” column.
  • Review the section of the graphic organizer pertaining to the conclusion, and explain to students that they will now use their Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer independently to plan the conclusion of their literary analysis essay.
  • Remind students that in their conclusion they should reflect on how the structure contributes to meaning in the texts. Give partners a chance to brainstorm and rehearse possible sentences for the reflection in their conclusions.
  • If students are ready to begin planning the conclusion of their essay independently, release them to do so.
  • Circulate to support students as they plan. If necessary, prompt by asking questions or providing sentence starters as necessary: ▲

“How could you refer back to your focus statement?” (Answers will vary)

“What important ideas related to your focus do you want to leave your reader thinking about?” (Answers will vary)

“How did the writer of the model essay further reflect on their topic?” (The writer reflects by commenting on the importance of structure contributing to meaning.)

  • Direct students to the Characteristics of a Literary Analysis Essay anchor chart. Read aloud each bullet related to the conclusion, and ask students to point to that characteristic in their conclusion plan.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.
  • N/A

Closing & Assessments

Closing

A. Pair Share: Introduction and Conclusion - W.8.2 (10 minutes)

  • Ask students to join a partner and have their Informative Writing checklist in front of them. 
  • Remind students of the important criteria for planning and writing effective introductions and conclusions:
    • "W.8.2a: I introduce the topic clearly, giving readers a preview of the piece."
    • "W.8.2f: I have a conclusion that supports the information presented."
  • Invite students to Think-Pair-Share:

"How did you give context to your reader?" (Responses will vary.)

"What is your clear focus statement?" (Responses will vary.)

"How is your restatement in your conclusion aligned to the focus statement of your introduction?" (Responses will vary.)

"What kind of further reflection did you include in your conclusion?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Invite students to give each other feedback on the introduction and conclusion paragraphs planned.
  • As time allows, ask volunteers to share their responses with the class.
  • Invite students to reflect on the habits of character focus in this lesson, discussing what went well and what could be improved next time.

Homework

Homework

A. Read a Poem and Answer Questions

  • Students complete Homework: Structure and Theme: "In Flanders Fields" to answer selected and constructed response questions about language, structure, and meaning.

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