In this 1-2 day lesson with 5 activities, students will develop the ability to express global evidence-based claims in writing through a close reading of the text.
In this introductory lesson, students engage in a hands-on, collaborative investigation of the definition of reading by participating in small group brainstorming sessions and an analysis of a variety of texts and the strategies they need to read them. Students also create individual Reader’s Profiles with an online tool modeled on social networking sites. Sharing these profiles and reflecting on their own learning, students ultimately develop a working definition of reading which they refine during the year.
Students will be taught the "drill skill and kill" method to be used on grammar concepts within an argumentative paper.
In this lesson, students will choose examples from life today to enhance and support their claim.
Students will build on their existing knowledge of the solar system as they research one of the planets in order to determine whether a manned mission to that planet would be feasible. Students will collect information about the geology, composition, and orbit of their assigned planet. They will then work collaboratively to create a proposal for or against planning a trip to the planet to be presented to the rest of the class.
In this lesson the students will be using a variety of skills to analyze fiction and expository texts. This combines the reading of detective fiction with written expository analysis in the form of a Detective’s Handbook. Each student reads a detective mystery, and the class watches and analyzes Murder She Purred to establish a collective example.
This is a PBL meant for grade levels 4-8. In this project, students will explore areas in their school that need “fixing.” It could be anything from an area that needs sprucing up to clubs that could be added to social problems such as bullying. Students will choose one area that they can affect change. The final product will be a persuasive essay to the person/people in charge that could make the change happen.
This project can work for individuals, pairs, or small groups. In younger grades, the class can choose one project and work as a whole group. If you choose this route, each student should be given a specific task to ensure engagement of everyone.
This activity is designed for 4-5 class periods. It can be shortened or lengthened as needed.
The standards given are for 6th grade, but the same number standards work for any of the other grade levels. Adjust accordingly.
Suggestions on how to guide students through the writing process when writing editorials "” from brainstorming a topic to publishing their work "” and all the steps in between.
In this lesson students draft an analytical mini-essay using partner talk and graphic organizers to guide their thinking.
In this lesson students learn to write an introduction and conclusion for their literary analysis.
In this lesson students begin their end of unit assessment by drafting their literary analysis of The Lightning Thief.
This lesson introduces students to a model mini-essay with two body paragraphs: one in which the author describes elements of mythology in the myth of Cronus, and a second in which the author describes a significant theme in that same myth.
In this lesson students determine the theme of the myth of Prometheus and connect details from the text to allusions and themes in The Lightning Thief.
In this lesson, students are introduced to and discuss the question about which they will be writing their essay: How does Bud use his rules: to survive or to thrive?
This lesson builds on the Forming Evidence-Based Claims graphic organizer from Lesson 10. In this lesson, students refine and revise their supporting evidence.
In Lessons 12–14, students draft their essays. Each lesson will have a similar structure of direct instruction with the Steve Jobs model essay followed by students’ work on their own essays.
This lesson asks students to draft their three body paragraphs based on the model essay, their planning documents, and the instruction provided in Lessons 11 and 12.
In this lesson, students draft the introductory and concluding paragraphs of their End of Unit 2 Assessment: "How Does Bud Use His Rules—to Survive or to Thrive?” literary argument essay.
This lesson launches the end of unit assessment, in which students will write a literary argument essay about Bud, Not Buddy. Students closely examine the prompt and a model essay so they have a clear understanding and purpose for the work ahead.
In this lesson, students make a claim about two adversities faced by people in the Middle Ages that they want to focus on in their essay.