A. Engage the Learner - RI.6.2 (5 minutes)

• Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as previous lessons to distribute and review Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 1. Refer to the Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 1 (answers for teacher reference) for possible responses. Students will also need their anchor text, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.

• Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as with the previous lessons to review learning targets and the purpose of the lesson, reminding students of any learning targets that are similar or the same as in previous lessons.

• Focus students on the three Habits of Character anchor charts and invite them to read the chart to themselves. Direct students to choose a habit of character to focus on as they work today.

A. Analyze a Model – W.6.4 (25 minutes)

• Distribute and display the Model Problem-Solution Essay: “Bridges to Prosperity” or the Model Problem-Solution Essay: “Bridges to Prosperity.” ▲

• Invite students to follow along, reading silently in their heads as you read the model aloud.

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

“What is this text about?” (It is about a company that builds bridges in remote areas to allow people to safely get to school, reach medical services, and sell their goods at market.)

• Point out that the writer uses evidence to support her points, which helps the reader understand the problem being addressed and the solution that was employed. Emphasize that the essays they write, like the model, will be grounded in evidence from their research.

• Refocus students on the Model Problem-Solution Essay. Invite them to follow along, reading silently in their heads as you reread aloud the first paragraph.

• Turn and Talk:

“What is the gist of this paragraph?” (It provides brief background information on the problem that inspired innovators to get involved by designing a solution, then clearly states a focus for the rest of the essay.)

• Cold-call students to share out. As students share, capture their response next to the first paragraph on the displayed model.

• Invite students to work in pairs to do this for each of the remaining paragraphs.

• After 7 minutes, refocus whole group and use total participation techniques to select students to share the gist of each paragraph with the whole group.

• Distribute colored pencils and guide students through using these and their Painted Essay® template to color code their Model Problem-Solution Essay: “Bridges to Prosperity.” Refer to the Paint an Essay lesson plan and the Model Problem-Solution Essay: “Bridges to Prosperity” (example for teacher reference) as needed. As you read and discuss each part of the model, be sure to emphasize the following:

  • The introduction provides some background information about the innovators and what inspired them to try to solve the problem.

  • The first proof paragraph is focused solely on the problem being addressed.

  • The second proof paragraph is focused solely on the design solution.

  • The writer connects several of the steps in the design thinking process to what the innovators did to try to solve the problem.

  • The essay draws on evidence from multiple sources, one of which is the TED Talk.

  • The conclusion explains the impact this design had on creating a better world.

  • The conclusion illustrates how the innovators utilized habits of character.

• As productive, cue students to deepen their own thinking:

“What, in the paragraph, makes you think so?”

• When you finish guiding students through analyzing the model, invite them to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target, using a checking for understanding technique. Scan student responses and make a note of students who might need support. Check in with them moving forward.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS 

For further practice with L.6.3a and to build upon students’ understanding of the structures and strategies practiced during the Language Dive of Unit 2, Lesson 2, develop an additional sentence-variety task for students who need lighter support. After students analyze the model essay in Work Time A, challenge students to practice combining sentences in the essay that have the same subject. Remind them that their grammar, punctuation, or orthography may require adjusting if the sentence structure is altered. Encourage them to reflect, aloud or in writing, on the ways in which the meaning, emphasis, style, and/or function of the sentences change as their structure changes or as they are combined. For an added challenge, invite students to locate sentences on their own that could be reasonably combined; otherwise, provide them with specific examples. An example of this exercise can be found below:

Ken Frantz, who owned a construction company, saw that photo. He decided he could fix that bridge. So, he founded Bridges to Prosperity (B2P) to do just that. [Ken Frantz, who owned a construction company, saw that photo and decided he could fix that bridge, so he founded Bridges to Prosperity (B2P) to do just that.]

For further practice with the skimming and scanning skills addressed during Unit 2, invite students who need heavier support to skim and scan the Model Problem-Solution Essay: “Bridges to Prosperity” for specific purposes (e.g., to circle all mentions of the word “bridge” or the acronym “B2P”). Use a timer to prompt students to move quickly, rather than read every word. Remind students that practicing skimming and scanning is a great way to increase decoding speed, which is critical for overall reading fluency.

During Work Time A, invite students who need heavier support to use the Model Problem-Solution Essay: “Bridges to Prosperity” ▲. This resource features a glossary of key words from the model essay to support student comprehension.

During Work Time A, if it is feasible to do so, pair students into homogeneous language groups. As needed, allow students to use their home languages as a resource to help them interpret the essay and paint it appropriately.

After students paint the Model Problem-Solution Essay: “Bridges to Prosperity” in Work Time A, to make sure that students understand the purpose of each paragraph in the essay, develop an additional task for students who need heavier support. Transform the list of seven bullets from Work Time A (i.e., “As you read and discuss each part of the model, be sure to emphasize the following”) into a fill-in-the-blank exercise to assess student comprehension. For example:

The _____ provides some background information about the innovators and what inspired them to _____.

The first proof paragraph is focused solely on the problem being addressed.

The second proof paragraph is focused solely on the _____.

Develop an extension activity using the Model Problem-Solution Essay: “Bridges to Prosperity” that asks students who need heavier support to use their affix lists to deconstruct and interpret unfamiliar words in the model essay (e.g., connectivity; feasibility; standardized).

A. Debrief: Informative Writing Checklist - W.6.2 (15 minutes)

• Distribute and display the Informative Writing checklist. Invite students to read the checklist to themselves. Direct students' attention to the Criteria for an Effective Informative Essay anchor chart. Remind students that they used this same checklist and anchor chart when they wrote a compare and contrast essay of the novel and film version of The Lightning Thief in Module 1.

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

"How might the criteria for our Problem-Solution differ slightly from our Compare-Contrast essays?" (Answers will vary, but may include the following: instead of one paragraph for comparisons and one for contrasts, we will have one paragraph for the problem and one for the solution; the Compare-Contrast essay was based on the anchor text, but the Problem-Solution essay will be based on our research.)

• Give students a few minutes to reread the Model Problem-Solution Essay: "Bridges to Prosperity." Then, use a total participation technique to invite responses from the group:

"What characteristics on this checklist do you see done well in the model? What evidence from the model supports your thinking?" (Responses will vary.)

• If productive, cue students to listen carefully and seek to understand:

"Who can tell us what your classmate said in your own words?" (Responses will vary.)

• As students share out the characteristics, jot down, say aloud, sketch, and display each characteristic to provide visual reinforcement. Reassure students that they might not understand everything on this checklist right now, but they will learn more about it as they plan and write their essays.

• Invite students to reflect on the habits of character focus in this lesson, discussing what went well and what could be improved next time.