Unit 2 Assessment, Part II: Drafting an Introduction and Opinion | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G2:M4:U2:L8

Unit 2 Assessment, Part II: Drafting an Introduction and Opinion

In this Lesson

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RI 2.2: Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text.
  • RI.2.8: Describe how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text.
  • W.2.1: Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section
  • W.2.7: Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).
  • W.2.8: Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
  • L.2.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
  • L.2.1b: Form and use frequently occurring irregular plural nouns (e.g., feet, children, teeth, mice, fish)
  • L.2.5: Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings
  • L.2.5b: Distinguish shades of meaning among closely related verbs (e.g., toss, throw, hurl) and closely related adjectives (e.g., thin, slender, skinny, scrawny).

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can write an introduction for my opinion piece that describes the dangers that butterflies face. (W.2.1, W.2.7, W.2.8)
  • I can write a focus statement for my opinion piece that states an opinion about why people should protect butterflies. (W.2.1, W.2.7, W.2.8)

Ongoing Assessment

  • During Work Times A and B, use the Opinion Writing Checklist to track students' progress toward W.2.1,  W.2.7, and W.2.8 (see Assessment Overview and Resources).

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Shades of Meaning: "The Butterfly Garden" (10 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Unit 2 Assessment, Part II, Session 1: Drafting an Introduction (20 minutes)

B. Unit 2 Assessment, Part II, Session 2: Drafting an Opinion (20 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Musical Mingle Protocol: Working to Contribute to a Better World (10 minutes)

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • In this lesson, students complete Sessions 1-2 of the Unit 2 Assessment, Part II to write their introduction and focus statement for their opinion piece about why people should protect butterflies. The remainder of the assessment takes place in Lessons 9-10. This writing task asks all students to support the same opinion (rather than choosing one) as a scaffold for opinion writing. In future opinion writing, they will more often choose their own stances. Students use their notes about A Place for Butterflies in their Protecting Pollinators research notebook to find the reasons to support their opinion (RI.2.8, W.2.1, W.2.7, W.2.8).
  • In the Opening, students continue to develop their vocabulary by replacing adjectives and verbs in the poem "The Butterfly Garden" to distinguish shades of meaning. Recall that this encourages students to use more precise and descriptive language in speaking and writing. It also prepares them to distinguish more abstract shades of meaning in Grade 3 (such as different states of being and degrees of certainty) (L.2.5b).

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • Students built knowledge of shades of meaning of adjectives and verbs in Lessons 6-7. They continue to practice applying these language skills in the Opening of today's lesson.
  • Students examine Shared Opinion Writing: "People Should Protect Bats" (from Lesson 5) as a model for the content and structure of their independent opinion writing piece about butterflies.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • For students who need additional support with using their research about butterflies from Lesson 7 to write their introduction, consider directing them to underline or circle the notes they will use from the Dangers That Butterflies Face and Reasons Butterflies Are Important: Student Notes before writing.  
  • As students craft their opinion pieces in Work Times A and B, consider pulling a small group and providing sentence starters for them to begin their writing and link their opinions with their reasons.
  • For students who frequently misspell the same words, during Work Times A and B, consider providing a personal High-Frequency Word Wall of words to be used in their writing.

Down the road:

  • Students will continue the Unit 2 Assessment, Part II in Lesson 9 (drafting supporting reasons) and Lesson 10 (drafting a conclusion and editing).
  • In Lesson 10, students will apply their understanding of closely related adjectives and verbs in the editing session of the Unit 2 Assessment, Part II. As a result, students will become stronger writers by choosing more specific words to communicate their ideas.

In Advance

  • Review the adjectives and verbs in "The Butterfly Garden" and the words listed on the Shades of Meaning anchor chart.
  • Prepare the music and technology necessary for the Musical Mingle protocol in the Closing.
  • Pre-distribute Protecting Pollinators research notebooks and My Opinion writing booklets at workspaces for Work Times A and B.
  • Post: Learning targets and all applicable anchor charts (see materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

Consider using an interactive white board or document camera to display lesson materials.

  • Continue to use the technology tools recommended throughout Modules 1-3 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.
  • During Work Times A and B, consider providing computers or tablets for students to type their opinion pieces instead of writing them in their My Opinion writing booklet.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided by in part by CA ELD Standards 2.I.B.6, 2.I.B.7, 2.I.B.8, 2.I.C.10, and 2.II.A.1

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs by inviting them to complete assessment tasks similar to the classroom tasks completed with more support in Lessons 2-3, and for a task they have prepared for in Lesson 7.
  • ELLs may find the assessment challenging. Encourage students to consult classroom resources. Give them specific, positive feedback on the progress they've made in learning English.
  • Ensure ELLs understand the assessment directions. Answer their questions, refraining from supplying content for the writing assignment itself.
  • After the assessment, ask students to discuss what was easiest and what was most difficult about writing the opinion paragraph, and why. In future lessons, focus on the language skills that will help students address these assessment challenges.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): To set themselves up for success for the unit assessment, students need to generalize the skills that they learned from previous lessons in this unit. Similar to Modules 1-3, before administering the assessment, activate prior knowledge by recalling the learning targets from the previous lessons. Also, present the directions for the assessment both visually and verbally and display a map of the assessment parts.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): Continue to support students in setting appropriate goals for their effort and the level of difficulty expected during the unit assessment.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Students who may need additional support with writing may have negative associations with the assessment based on previous experiences. Continue to help them feel successful with writing by allowing them to celebrate when their writing goals are met, whether it is length of text or sustained writing time.

Vocabulary

Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T); Vocabulary Used in Writing (W)

Review:

  • adjectives, verbs, specific, introduction, focus statement, opinion (L)

Materials

  • "The Butterfly Garden" (from Lesson 4; one to display)
  • Shades of Meaning anchor chart (begun in Lesson 7)
  • Marker (one; used by the teacher to write words for "The Butterfly Garden")
  • Index cards (six; used by the teacher to write words for "The Butterfly Garden")
  • Shared Opinion Writing: "People Should Protect Bats" (completed in Lesson 5; one to display)
  • Dangers That Butterflies Face and Reasons Butterflies Are Important: Class Notes (completed in Lesson 7; one to display)
  • Writing Model: "People Should Protect Butterflies" (example, for teacher reference)
  • My Opinion writing booklet (one per student)
  • My Opinion writing booklet (example, for teacher reference)
  • Protecting Pollinators research notebook (completed in Lesson 7; one per student)
    • Dangers That Butterflies Face and Reasons Butterflies Are Important: Student Notes (from Lesson 7; page 6 of the Protecting Pollinators research notebook)
  • Working to Contribute to a Better World anchor chart (begun in Lesson 2)
  • Musical Mingle Protocol anchor chart (begun in Module 2)

Assessment

Each unit in the K-2 Language Arts Curriculum has one standards-based assessment built in. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize their understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

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Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Shades of Meaning: "The Butterfly Garden" (10 minutes)

  • Gather students whole group. Invite them to sit next to their writing partners.
  • Display "The Butterfly Garden" and invite students to chorally read it aloud.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What do you picture when you imagine the butterfly garden?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What words are highlighted in the poem?" (brilliant, tiny, soared, bright, sipping, merry)

"What kinds of words are these?" (adjectives and verbs)

  • Confirm that the highlighted words are adjectives and verbs. Remind students that adjectives are words that describe a noun and verbs are words that express an action.
  • Tell students that now, they will change the highlighted words to a different word using the synonyms they brainstormed yesterday on the Shades of Meaning anchor chart.
  • Say:

"Remember, you want to choose words to be as specific as possible so your reader can visualize what you are writing about."

  • Define specific (certain and exact; particular).
  • Read the first line of poem again.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What is another word for pretty?" (beautiful, stunning)

  • Use a marker to write the new word on an index card and place it over the highlighted word on "The Butterfly Garden."
  • Say:

"A beautiful or stunning flower has a stronger meaning than a pretty flower. Many flowers are pretty, but not as many flowers are beautiful and even fewer are stunning."

  • Continue to manipulate the poem by replacing the highlighted word with another from the Shades of Meaning anchor chart. Confirm with students the change in meaning each time a word is replaced to ensure they have chosen a word with the appropriate strength.
  • When all words have been discussed, invite students to chorally read the poem again.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What do you picture now when you picture the butterfly garden?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Invite students to share their ideas. While students share out, confirm that it was easier to picture the garden the second time because the poem was revised to use more specific words with stronger meanings.
  • Give students specific, positive feedback on knowing so much about how language works. Tell them they will have a chance to show how much they know in Lesson 9's entrance ticket.
  • For ELLs: (Using Paint Chips) Use paint chips to support students' understanding of shades of meaning. See Levels of support in Lesson 7 for further details.
  • For students who may need additional support with comprehension: Invite students to sketch their visualizations of the butterfly garden and then compare the two. (MMR)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Unit 2 Assessment, Part II, Session 1: Drafting an Introduction (20 minutes)

  • Gather students whole group.
  • Remind them that they already did a wonderful job of completing a shared opinion writing piece about why people should protect bats.
  • Tell them that over the next three lessons, they will have the chance to write an opinion piece about why people should protect butterflies! First, they will introduce the problem and their opinion in the introduction.
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the first one aloud:

"I can write an introduction for my opinion piece that describes the dangers that butterflies face."

  • Turn and Talk:

"What are important words in this target?" (introduction, dangers)

  • Confirm with students that the introduction of an opinion piece introduces the problem and states an opinion about how to solve the problem.
  • Tell students they will take a moment to look back at their Shared Opinion Writing: "People Should Protect Bats." Read aloud the introduction written in red.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What does the introduction say?" (The introduction tells that people are scared of bats and the bats are in danger.)

  • Confirm with students that the introduction explains the issue that bats are in danger. The introduction introduces the problem.
  • Display the Dangers That Butterflies Face and Reasons Butterflies Are Important: Class Notes. Remind students that they know the dangers butterflies face.
  • Follow the same routine from Work Time C of Lesson 4 to guide students through orally "writing" with their partners using their "pencil" (finger) and "paper" (hand):
    • Turn and Talk:

"What sentences will you write for your introduction to introduce the dangers that butterflies face?" (Responses will vary, but may include: Butterflies are beautiful, helpful pollinators.)

    • Circulate and listen in for examples to share with the whole group. Refer to Writing Model: "People Should Protect Butterflies" (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Tell students that they will have the chance to write their introduction about why people should protect butterflies in their My Opinion writing booklets. Remind students they can reference the Dangers That Butterflies Face and Reasons Butterflies Are Important: Student Notes on page 6 their Protecting Pollinators research notebooks.
  • Transition students to their workspaces and point out the My Opinion writing booklets and Protecting Pollinators research notebooks already there. Invite students to make their arms flutter like a butterfly as they move to their seats.
  • Instruct students to complete the introduction section of their My Opinion writing booklet on page 2.
  • Circulate and support students by directing them to read over their notes before writing. Encourage them to rehearse their sentences using a whisper voice before writing them down. Refer to My Opinion writing booklet (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • After 15 minutes, refocus whole group.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: (Annotating the Model) While discussing key parts of the model paragraph, annotate the margins, naming the relevant part of the paragraph and its function using its respective color in the color-coding system. (Example: Next to the introduction, use a red marker to write, "Introduction: Tell the reader about the topic.") (MMR)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with visual processing: (Reading Aloud and Monitoring Assessment) Read aloud any instructions for the written opinion piece and students' own notes if necessary. Rephrase directions. Monitor to ensure students correctly complete the assessment. (MMR)
  • For students who may need additional support with monitoring progress: As students write notes, ask questions to guide reflection on their progress. Examples:
    • "When you read the sentence you wrote, does it adequately communicate what you said in your notes?"
    • "Are your sentences explaining more details about what your notes say?" (MMAE)

B. Unit 2 Assessment, Part II, Session 2: Drafting an Opinion (20 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the second one aloud:

"I can write a focus statement for my opinion piece that states an opinion about why people should protect butterflies."

  • Turn and Talk:

"What are important words in this target?" (focus statement, opinion)

  • Confirm with students that the focus statement tells what their opinion is. Briefly remind them that they can write to support an opinion even if they disagree with the opinion because they have researched reasons to support their opinion.
  • Direct students' attention to the Shared Opinion Writing: "People Should Protect Bats" and read aloud the focus statement in green.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What does the focus statement say?" (People should work to protect bats.)

  • Follow the same routine from Work Time C of Lesson 4 to guide students through orally "writing" with their partners using their "pencil" (finger) and "paper" (hand):
    • Turn and Talk:

"What sentence will you write for your focus statement to state your opinion?" (Responses will vary, but may include: We should work to protect butterflies because they are important to plants and animals.)

  • Transition students to flutter like butterflies back to their workspaces to write their focus statement on page 2 of their My Opinion writing booklet.
  • Circulate and support students by directing them to read over their notes before writing. Continue to refer to My Opinion writing booklet (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • For students who may need additional support in building writing stamina: Consider offering built-in breaks, where students can choose an activity such as getting water or stretching. (MME)

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Musical Mingle Protocol: Working to Contribute to a Better World (10 minutes)

  • With enthusiasm, tell students they did a great job as writers today and now they will have a chance to reflect on what they learned about themselves.
  • Direct students' attention to the Working to Contribute to a Better World anchor chart and briefly review it. Tell students they will continue to discuss their strengths as learners.
  • Explain that they will now participate in the Musical Mingle protocol to share how they used their strengths to help their research partner today. Remind students that they used this protocol in Module 2 and review as necessary using the Musical Mingle Protocol anchor chart. (Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.)
  • Guide students through the protocol using the following prompts:

"What writing skills did you strengthen today?"

"How will you continue to strengthen that skill?"

  • Refocus whole group and select volunteers to share a few responses with the class.
  • Tell students that in the next lesson, they will use their notes to write the details supporting the reasons people should protect butterflies.
  • For students who may need additional support with organizing ideas for verbal expression: Before the Musical Mingle protocol, invite students to prepare their answers on an index card. (MMAE, MME)

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