Arguing for the Sake of WINNING!

Lesson Content

• Lesson Plan Template:

  General Lesson Plan

• Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?

  
  
  1. The student will be able to use information in text, both stated and inferred, to support or refute an argument.
  2. Given a relevant text to an issue with two clear sides, the student will be able to determine a position and provide written arguments to support it.
  3. The student will produce a piece of writing that includes an introduction to a position, organized reasons and a conclusion.
  4. The student will be able to present claims orally, using appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.

• Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?

  
  
  1. The student should be able to distinguish personal point of view from the authors point of view from the text.
  2. The student should be able to identify differences in points of view.
  3. The student should be able to write an opinion piece on a topic, supporting a point of view.
  4. The student should be able to report on a topic or text, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.

• Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?

  
  
  1. What is the purpose of persuasive or argumentative writing?
  2. What is an argument?
  3. What is a claim?
  4. When is it important to use this type of writing?
  5. How is it different from expository or narrative writing?
  6. What is the value of looking at "pros" and "cons"?
  7. What kind of evidence should be part of an argument writing activity?
  8. Why is it sometimes most effective to put argument writing in a letter format?

• Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?

  
  

  DAY 1:

  1. The teacher will introduce the lesson on argumentative writing and discuss when it is important to make a claim about a topic or issue and present arguments with evidence.
  2. A writing pre-test will be given to all students on writing a persuasive letter in the Teaching Phase. This will be given with no support from the teacher and will give some valuable baseline data, in terms student writing. It will be assessed by a ArgumentativeWritingRubric.docx

     HOOK: The teacher will walk around the classroom with a trash can and ask all students to put their cell phones in the trash can. (Of course, this is only for effect!) The teacher will then tell the students that they will be completing the following writing assignment and that she will be unable to help them because she wants to see how well they do with argumentative writing.

     The prompt is:

     "The attached parent letter was sent home yesterday to the parents of all students in your school and you feel it necessary to respond in writing to your principal. You want to present your position on the subject and you feel very strongly about it. In your letter, be sure to state your position/claim and provide arguments with reasons or evidence to support them."

  3. Student writing samples will be graded using the Argumentative Writing Rubric. It is very important for the teacher to write comments on the writing sample and/or rubric so that the student gets sufficient feedback.

  DAY 2:

  1. The teacher will explain the process of argumentative writing to the students. The following guided questions will be asked:
     • What is the purpose of argumentative writing?
     • When is it important to use this type of writing?
     • How is it different from expository and/or narrative writing?
  2. The teacher will review with the students the Steps to Argumentative Writing Handout. Have the students take turns reading the steps. Reinforce each step with discussion about why it is important.
  3. The teacher will model the process for the students by going through the process with the topic: Cell Phones Should be Banned from Schools.
  4. The teacher will walk the students through the Steps to Effective Argumentative Writing.

     STEP 1 : Our topic has been identified for us: Cell Phones Should be Banned from Schools.

     STEP 2: Identify the PROS and CONS of the topic using the PROS_andCONSGraphicOrganizer.docx. The teacher can do this on the Smart Board, or chart paper if that is what is available. She will demonstrate how to list the PROS, or arguments for the topic on the left side of the organizer. Suggestions:

     PROS for banning cell phones in schools:

     • Cell phones constantly disrupt student learning in class
     • Students use them to send notes in class - another distraction
     • In a crisis situation, overuse can overload communication systems
     • Cell phones with internet access can promote cyberbullying
     • Students can use cell phones to cheat during tests
     • Cell phones can add to the spread of rumors and misinformation
     • Cell phone cameras can be used to take pictures of students without their permission

     CONS for banning cell phones in schools:

     • Parents need to be able to stay in touch with their children
     • Students can reach their parents in case of an emergency
     • Cell phones can be silenced during class so not a distraction
     • When in danger, students can reach the authorities or medical provider
     • Create convenient forms of communication
     • Have helpful tools, such as calendars, calculators, etc.

     STEP 3: Create your claim, based on the pros and cons

     Based on the PROS and CONS, my claim is going to be that cell phones should be banned from schools.

     STEP 4: Choose the 3 best PROS or CONS. I will highlight them. (See the 3 that are bolded above.)

     STEP 5: Complete the Argumentative Writing Planner. For each of the arguments, 3 details or evidence must be added.

     STEP 6: This is where you do research, if necessary, to get facts, details and/or evidence. The teacher can let the students know that she did research on the internet to get her information. There are a lot of articles that deal with this subject.

     STEPS 7 and 8 will be done in the Guided Practice.

• Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher guidance?

  
  

  DAY 3

  1. The teacher will let the students know that she will be guiding them through the actual writing process.
  2. The teacher will put the students into Argumentative Writing Pairs. Students with reading and/or writing difficulties need to be paired with students who are strong readers/writers and can help model the process and assist as necessary. Although students are working in pairs, they each need to complete their own:

      

     • PROS and CONS Graphic Organizer
     • Argumentative Writing Planner
     • Rough draft of Argumentative Letter
  3. The teacher will instruct the students to read the article "Cell Phones in Schools: Tools or Toys" They are to read in pairs, or depending on the reading skills of the class, it may be more effective to read the article as a class. With 2 different colored highlighters, they will highlight all PROS in one color and all CONS in another color. They will then be instructed to enter this information on the PROS and CONS Graphic Organizer.
  4. They will identify their CLAIM and highlight the best PROS or CONS, depending on arguments they choose for their claim.
  5. They will complete the Argumentative Writing Planner with their information, listing as many details as possible.
  6. For research, they can use the article "Cell Phone in Schools: Tools or Toys" and their own ideas to get their details and evidence for each of the 3 arguments they are using. If time permits, they may be allowed to do additional online research.
  7. They are now ready to begin writing their rough draft, which will take place the next day.

• Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce the concepts and skills developed in the lesson?

  
  

  DAY 4:

  1. Students are instructed to use their argumentative writing skills and the Argumentative Writing Planner to write a well-organized letter to the principal stating their claim on the topic Should Cell Phones be Banned from Schools.
  2. Their writing should include:
     • Organization (introduction, body, conclusion)
     • Complete sentences
     • Vivid, descriptive vocabulary
     • Transition Words
     • Correct use of grammar
     • Correct spelling
  3. Students will peer edit, in pairs, giving each other feedback about their writing, based on the 6 items listed above.
  4. Revisions and editing will take place.
  5. Final draft will be written and turned in to be graded by the teacher with the ArgumentativeWritingRubric.docx.
  6. Students will be able to see the progress they made from the first letter they completed in the Teaching Phase.

• Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in the lesson?

  
  

  CULMINATING ACTIVITY:

  In student pairs (the pairs that worked on peer editing in Individual Practice), the students will plan a presentation on their argumentative writing that they could present to the principal. Between the two of them, they will decide to do one of the following:

  • Use the letter that received the highest rubric score for the arguments and supporting details to present (in the Independent Practice)

  -OR-

  • Use a combination of the information presented in BOTH of their letters as the content for their presentation

  This is to present their claim and arguments with supporting details, in the form of an oral presentation. They are to have a visual aid of some kind to use in their presentation. It can be a power point, a poster, brochure or other creative presentation that summarizes and presents the key points of their claim and arguments.

  The presentation will be assessed on their ability to :

  Content:

  • Present their claim
  • Sequence their ideas logically
  • Use relevant details, facts and evidence

  Presentation:

  • Maintain eye contact
  • Use proper volume and speed
  • Demonstrate clear pronunciation

• Summative Assessment

  
  

  Summative Assessment will take place in the form of an Opinion/Argument Writing and Oral Presentation. Both of these will be assessed with Rubrics This should show growth in writing skills since the baseline rubric that assessed how they did on the original writing sample.

• Formative Assessment

  
  

  A writing pre-test will be given to all students on writing a persuasive letter in the Teaching Phase. This will be given with no support from the teacher and will give some valuable baseline data, in terms of what the students are able to do. It will be assessed using a Persuasive Writing Rubric.

  The prompt is:

  The attached letter was sent home yesterday to the parents of all students in your school and you feel it necessary to respond in writing to your principal. You want to present your position on the subject and you feel very strongly about it. In your letter, be sure to state your position/side and provide reasons or evidence to support it.

  In the guided practice and independent practice, formative assessment will be done by student responses to guided questions and the completion of graphic organizers (Pros / Cons and Pre-Writing Planning).

• Feedback to Students

  
  

  In the Teaching Phase, students will receive valuable teacher input through the use of the Opinion/Argument Writing Rubric and the teacher comments that will accompany it. This will give the students an idea of what they need to focus on in the writing process.

  In the guided practice and independent practice activities, the teacher will give constructive feedback as guided questions are answered and graphic organizers are completed as both a result of text response and pre-writing activities. Students will be able to use the feedback to revise their graphic organizers, which should result in better quality writing.