Week 6 - Writing Lesson

Jose Santiago

Writing Lesson

Activity-Based Lesson Adjusted To The Common Core

Lesson Topic: Adding appropriate text evidence to the body paragraphs of comparative literary essay drafts.

Learning Objectives: 

• The students will be able to add appropriate text evidence to the body paragraphs of their comparative literary essay drafts.
• The current essays the students are working on are comparing two different characters and their traits.
• The students will also be able to use the appropriate transitional phrases in each body paragraph.

Common Core State Standards Addressed in this lesson:

• W.5.1 - Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
• W.5.1a - Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which ideas are logically grouped to support the writer’s purpose.
• W.5.1b - Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details.
• W.5.1c - Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., consequently, specifically).
• W.5.1d - Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.
• W.5.9 - Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
• SL.5.1a - Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.
• SL.5.1b - Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.
• SL.5.1c - Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others.
• SL.5.3  - Summarize the points a speaker makes and explain how each claim is supported by reasons and evidence.

Common Core Skills:

• Students will use two excerpts from larger texts to create several claims about the characters and support their claims with textual evidence.
• Students will use various tools to self assess their literary comparative essays.
• Students will discuss claims and textual evidence within a partnership.

Vocabulary: Comparative Literary Essay, Plan, Graphic Organizer Thesis/Claim, Character, Traits, Structure, Transitional Phrases, Text Evidence, Details, Quotations, Text, Passage

Materials: Thesis/Claim for your essay, Opinion Writing Checklist, Self/Teacher comparative literary assessment, Excerpt from Paper Bag Princess, Excerpt from Because of Winn Dixie.  

Motivation:  Ladies and Gentlemen, we have been doing some great, challenging work on our comparative literary essays. Today, we are going to add on to the work we have done yesterday.  We are going to use what we have already planned for as writers, by using our Literary Comparative essay organizers and our boxes and bullets plans. Yesterday, we moved our plans for our essays, into crafting introductions that stated our thesis/claims for our essays. We then wrote at least the first body paragraph, including text evidence to support our claims about the trait of characters.

                  
Last night, as I was reading through your drafts I noticed that some members of the class still need some additional practice and demonstration about how to add text evidence, to support a claim made about a character’s trait. So that is what I want us to try out right now.

Full Class Activity:  “I DO”

Ladies and Gentlemen, based on where we are in our unit and what I noticed last night as I was reading your writing.  I was thinking that I would practice writing a body paragraph with text evidence. Then, you can reread what you already have written for your body part paragraphs and if you did everything you needed to do to add the text evidence. This way you can see me add the text evidence that supports my claim about the character trait. Please pay careful attention because I am going to ask you to tell a partner what I did as a writer. (Teacher demonstrates writing a body paragraph using transitional phrases, stating the claim of the body paragraph, referring back to the text being used for text evidence that supports the claim about the character’s trait.)  

Individual/Partner Activity:  “WE DO”

Before we move on to the last body paragraph, I would like you to turn to someone close to you, and to name out across your fingers what I did as a writer. Now I want you to reread carefully to your partner your body paragraphs that you have so far and pay careful attention to the way you added your evidence to support your claim. OK I heard some of your have an “AH HA” moment. You are noticing that might not have added your text evidence, or you did not explain that evidence. Great!   Now, I need some help from you guys to write the final body paragraph of my essay where I am contrasting Elizabeth from Paper Bag Princess and India Opal from Because of Winn Dixie.  I have found some text evidence from the passage that will support my claims about how the two characters are different.  I am sort of struggling with which text evidence is the strongest evidence to use in my essay.  I will read each of the pieces of evidence to you and then I want you to turn and talk to a partner, try to help me decide which piece of evidence is the strongest. I am doing this because I want to make sure I am listing the strongest text evidence first. (Teacher will read the evidence and then the class will turn and talk about which is the strongest evidence.) Ok I was listening into your reasons and I want a few of you to share you ideas.  Thank you for your advice and I think I am ready. Lets try this out. (Teacher quickly writes the last body paragraph

Independent Activity: “YOU DO”

How do you think that went? I think it went well too. I hope that working together on adding text evidence to my body paragraphs will better help you to do the same in your writing.  So as you go back to your seats and work on your body paragraphs, please keep in mind that the text evidence that you are adding to your body paragraphs should be the strongest evidence that you can find to support your claim. Please don’t forget to use a quote sandwich to explain your text evidence. How many of you think you are going to be able to do something like this in your writing today.  When you feel you have completed your body paragraphs whisper read them to a person near you at your table and then use their comments and questions to revise on the go.  

Differentiated Instruction for Multiple Entry Points: Ladies and Gentlemen, on my table I have placed a few things you may need to help you along your way as a writer.  I have revise Literary/Comparative Essay organizers, Self-assessment final checklist to use to evaluate your writing when you have finished the entire essay and conclusion. Please remember you have a toolbox of resources to use to help you complete your essays, just try to pick the best tool that works for you.

The teacher will revisit a group that she worked with yesterday to help them build on their essays comparing and contrasting the characters. She will then move on to pull another group of students that also need assistance on their writing specifically adding the evidence that best supports their claim.

Modifications for ELL’s and SPED students:

• Graphic Organizer
• Literary Comparative Essay Organizer
• Leveled Questioning
• Small group instruction
• Peer Buddies for revisions and editing on the go

H.O.T. Questioning:

How can you use strong text evidence to support you claims about the characters in your comparative literary essay?

How do you determine which is the strongest piece of text evidence?

Assessment:

Literary Comparative essay checklist

Final published literary comparative essay

Closure:

The teacher will ask a student or two to read the original work they started with today and then read a revised version of the writing produced after work time. 

Ask Question: Who can tell me what we worked on in our writing?

Homework:

Complete the body paragraphs and conclusion if possible.

Lesson Reflection:

In order to address the needs of the different students in the class, which consist of students with IEP’s, students with various ESOL/ELL levels and general education students. The teacher will know if the students have achieved the instructional objectives successfully with this task when the teacher sees partnerships discussing their thinking, working to add stronger evidence to their writing.

Next topics:

Editing of essay-Peer Editing/independently/ Final edit completed by teacher.

Published essay with all necessary components

Evaluation of Lesson:

Strengths: Students are working collaboratively to decide on the strongest textual evidence to be used in their literary comparative essays.

The teacher makes the teaching point of the lesson explicit.

Weaknesses:

Lesson is used in the context of the unit being taught. May not being appropriate for all writing genres.

Tools for revision may not fit the needs of all learners.

Areas to work on/Things to change:

More varied tools for revision

I.e.: checklists, rubric