A. Analyze a Model – W.7.1 (25 minutes)

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

“I can identify the parts of a model argument essay and explain the purpose of each.”

• Distribute and display the Model Argument Essay: “Reduce Plastic Pollution in the Beginning of Its Life Cycle.” Explain that students will read and reread the model throughout this unit. In this lesson, they will read for a general understanding of content and structure. Read the model aloud as students follow along, reading silently.
• Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

“What is this essay about?” (This essay is about the need to reduce plastic pollution, and the idea that the beginning of its life cycle is the best place to reduce it.)

“What sentence in the piece best expresses this main idea? (“These efforts are helpful, but the most effective place to reduce plastic pollution is at the beginning of its life cycle.”)

• Point out that the writer uses evidence to support his claim, which helps the reader trust the writer and understand his claim. Emphasize that the essays they write, like the model, will be grounded in evidence from the text. Refocus students on the Model Argument Essay.
• Reread aloud the first paragraph as students follow along, reading silently.
• Turn and Talk:

“What is the gist of this paragraph?” (Plastic pollution is a major problem, we should target it at the beginning.)

• Cold-call students to share out. As students share, capture their response next to the first paragraph on the displayed model. Refer to Model Argument Essay: “Reduce Plastic Pollution in the Beginning of Its Life Cycle" (example for teacher reference) as necessary.
• Invite students to work in pairs to determine the gist for each of the remaining paragraphs, supporting and clarifying as needed.
• Gists:
• Paragraph 1: plastic pollution is a major problem, we should target it at the beginning
• Paragraph 2: can use replacement materials
• Paragraph 3: can ban plastic
• Paragraph 4: other ideas are okay, but the beginning is best
• After several minutes, refocus the whole group and use total participation techniques to select students to share the gist of each paragraph with the whole group.
• Display a Painted Essay® template, and direct students to retrieve this resource from Module 2. Have students Turn and Talk to a predesignated partner that they will consult for the remainder of the lesson:

"Describe how this template is organized, and explain the name and purpose of each part of the template." (Students share the purpose of each section, naming the colors and their correspondence to each part of the essay.)

• Display the Model Argument Essay: “Reduce Plastic Pollution in the Beginning of Its Life Cycle." Distribute colored pencils, and guide students in using these and their Painted Essay® template with their partners to color-code their Model Essay: “Reduce Plastic Pollution in the Beginning of Its Life Cycle" using the following directions:
• Read the first paragraph aloud as students follow along, pausing to color-code each part of the paragraph.
• Read the context in the first paragraph, stopping at “People have suggested buying less plastic at the middle of the plastic life cycle or inventing new ways to clean up plastic at the end of the life cycle.”
• Ask students to Turn and Talk:

“What is the purpose of the sentences I just read? What color should they be?" (The purpose of the sentences is to provide background information on the problem of plastic pollution and different solutions people have proposed, and they should be red.)

• Read the main claim of the first paragraph: “These efforts are helpful, but the most effective place to reduce plastic pollution is at the beginning of its life cycle. By inventing and using new materials and banning plastic as much as possible, we can help ensure a future that is free of plastic pollution.”

“What is the purpose of these sentences, and what colors should they be?” (The purpose of these sentences is to state the opinion that we should target the beginning of the plastic life cycle in order to reduce plastic pollution. They provide the main idea that the reader should take away. They should be colored green, yellow, and blue.) Explain that the focus statement of this piece is a bit tricky, as it is two sentences, so the class will color-code it together.

• Clarify the language students will use to name the parts of an argument essay. Remind students that in an argument essay the focus statement is referred to as the main claim. Like a focus statement in an informative essay, the main claim tells what the piece will be about.
• Guide students in understanding the main claim by asking the following questions:

“What is the opinion the writer is supporting?” (We should target the beginning of the plastic life cycle in order to reduce plastic pollution.) “Which single sentence best expresses this idea?” (“These efforts are helpful, but the most effective place to reduce plastic pollution is at the beginning of its life cycle.”)

• Direct students to color this sentence green.

“Think back to the gist statements you wrote for each paragraph. What are the two points the author is making?” (Point 1: “We can invent and use new materials besides plastic.” Point 2: “We can ban plastic.”)

“Which sentence in the essay previews these two points?” (“By inventing and using new materials and banning plastic as much as possible, we can help ensure a future that is free of plastic pollution.”)

• Guide students in color-coding the first point yellow and the second point blue. Refer to the Model Argument Essay (for reference) as necessary.
• Read Proof Paragraph 1.
• Ask students to Turn and Talk:

“What is the function of this paragraph in the essay?” (To show how plastic pollution can be reduced by inventing and using new materials.) “What color should it be?” (Yellow.) “Why?” (Because it supports the yellow point that inventing and using new materials is an effective way to target plastic pollution.)

• Read Proof Paragraph 2.
• Ask students to Turn and Talk:

“What is the function of this paragraph in the essay?” (To show how plastic pollution can be reduced by banning plastic.) “What color should it be?” (Blue.) “Why?” (Because it supports the blue point that banning plastic is a good way to address the problem of plastic pollution.)

• Read the conclusion of the model essay.
• Ask students:

“What is the role of the conclusion in an argument essay?” (Students should mention that the conclusion should wrap up the piece by restating the main claim and adding some additional thinking about why it is important. For example, in the model, this paragraph restates the claim and reflects on how the beginning of plastic’s life cycle is the most logical place to target in order to reduce pollution.)

“What color should you code it? Why?” (It should be green because it synthesizes the claim, point 1, and point 2. Students might also mention that the shade of green differs from that used in the main claim in the introduction. This shows that when they run the ideas in the yellow paragraph and the ideas in the blue paragraph through their own mind they come together to make something new—their own thinking on the topic—but still connected to the claim.) If students are ready, consider deepening this analysis by working together to color-code the sentences that refer to each point blue and yellow. Refer to the Model Argument Essay (for reference) as necessary.

• When students finish analyzing the model, display the Criteria of an Effective Argument anchor chart, and ask students to share out additional criteria generated during the above exploration of the model. Note that, at this point, students may only identify the general structure and some of the key criteria (main claim, points, evidence, and elaboration.) The class will add to the anchor chart details about the criteria of each paragraph in the following lessons.
• Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.