A. Engage the Learner – RI.7.1 (5 minutes)

• Repeated routine: Students respond to questions on Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 10 and the Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 10 ▲ as necessary. The differentiated entrance ticket supports students’ comprehension with a gist. ▲

• Once students have completed their entrance tickets, use a total participation technique to review their responses.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS 

On Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 10, challenge students to work in pairs to first reread the paragraph and identify the gist. Then they can work together to find and explain the evidence. Collaboration ensures comprehension and increases opportunities for oral language.

• 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.

• As necessary, use the vocabulary strategies on the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart to review the words evidence (facts and details from sources that support people’s points) and Proof Paragraphs (middle paragraphs of an essay that state a main point and provide evidence to explain or support that point). Record on the academic word wall with translations in home languages, where appropriate, and invite students to record the words in their vocabulary logs.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS 

Invite students to use the Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 10 ▲. The gist supports students in comprehending and determining central idea. 

A. The Painted Essay®: Sort and Color-Code the Evidence from the Proof Paragraphs – W.7.2b (10 minutes)

• Move students into predetermined pairs, and have them label themselves A and B.

• Distribute Organize the Model: Proof Paragraph strips, yellow and blue construction paper, and scissors.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS 

During Work Time A, students may note the author's use of the word that to join clauses throughout the proof paragraphs. For further practice with that from the Language Dive in Lessons 6-7 and 9, ask students to work with their classmates who need heavier support. Their classmates can reread each sentence, and students who need lighter support can determine whether the word that is joining clauses or serving another purpose. Or, if students are already working confidently with the word that to combine clauses, ask them to review and explain the "empty subject it" and find examples of it in the model essay. Reviewing the language structure from the Language Dive helps ensure students' acquisition of it.

After Work Time A, invite students to participate in a Mini Language Dive in small groups to explore how a sentence within a proof paragraph develops the topic of a model essay with an example. The sentence also helps students to address L.7.1a by providing an opportunity for students consider the function of a that clause in a sentence, which builds upon work within the Language Dive in Lessons 6-7. 

• Invite students to refer to their Painted Essay® template to remember where Proof Paragraphs 1 and 2 fit in the structure of an informative essay. Review the focus from the introduction of the Model Informative Essay: “It’s fair to say that the study of animal behavior has been informed by ideas from computer programming.” Then review Point 1: “Researchers have started using computer programs to understand how animals move.” and Point 2: “They use what they know about how computer models work to understand both the movement and choices of animals.”

• Post and review the following directions:

1. 1. Cut apart the evidence strips.

   2. Read and organize the strips, putting the strips of evidence that support Point 1: “Researchers have started using computer programs to understand how animals move.” on the yellow construction paper, and the strips of evidence that support Point 2: “They use what they know about how computer models work to understand both the movement and choices of animals.” on the blue construction paper.

   3. Check your work against the displayed Model Informative Essay.

• Answer clarifying questions.

• Invite students to begin working, and circulate to support them in reading and sorting the strips, encouraging students to explain their placement to their partners. Support students with the Organize the Model: Proof Paragraph strips (for teacher reference) as necessary.

• Refocus whole group.

• Have students choral read the Proof Paragraphs and explain the main idea of each paragraph as well as the function of the sentences in the paragraphs. Invite students to help record the parts of the Proof Paragraphs on the Criteria of an Effective Informative Essay anchor chart. Refer to Criteria of an Effective Informative Essay anchor chart (example for teacher reference) as necessary.

• Point out that within each Proof Paragraph, the author chose the best evidence to support the points and then elaborated on the evidence presented. This elaboration explains how the evidence chosen supports the focus of the piece.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS 

In Work Time A, provide students with already color-coded parts of each paragraph, so that they can focus on arranging the sentences in the order that makes the most sense.

During Work Time A, students may note the author's use of the word that to join clauses throughout the proof paragraphs. For further practice with that from the Language Dive in Lessons 6-7, ask students to work with their classmates who need lighter support. Students who need heavier support can reread each sentence, and their classmates can determine whether the word that is joining clauses or serving another purpose. Reviewing the language structure from the Language Dive helps ensure students' acquisition of it.

• If productive, cue students with a challenge:

“What if the writer had not included the information on the strips that begins with ‘This means that even if a few fish out of a thousand see a predator coming, that is enough.’ and ‘The principles of computer modelling helped Radakov prove his theory about how fish move.’? I’ll give you time to think and discuss with a partner.” (These explain how the evidence supports the points. Without them, we might have to guess how the evidence relates to the points.)

B. Pairs: Draft Proof Paragraph 1 - W.7.2b (25 minutes)

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

"I can write Proof Paragraph 1 of my essay using evidence from the text to support my ideas."

• Tell students they are now ready to draft Proof Paragraph 1. Explain that in this lesson, they are only drafting Proof Paragraph 1, and they will draft Proof Paragraph 2 in the next lesson. Remind students that as they draft this Proof Paragraph, they should elaborate on the focus of their essay by explaining how the evidence they have chosen supports their thinking.

• Distribute lined paper. Invite students to retrieve the following Materials:

  • Informative Writing checklist

  • Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer

  • Model Pair Informative Essay

  • Texts: Patient Zero and "Crime-Solving Strategies"

• As necessary, guide students through writing their Proof Paragraph 1:

1. Discuss the following characteristics on the Informative Writing checklist, adding to the Characteristics of My Informative Essay column as needed:

• • • "W.7.2b: I use relevant facts, definitions, details, quotations, and examples to explain my thinking."

2. Invite students to read their Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer and the introduction started in the previous lesson to remind them of their focus and their ideas.

3. Invite students to refer to the Model Informative Essay, the Criteria of an Effective Informative Essay anchor chart, the Informative Writing checklist, as well as the domain-specific word wall and academic word wall, to write Proof Paragraph 1.

4. Remind students that they need to verbally rehearse the words they will use to explain the point and supporting evidence before writing. Invite students to begin rehearsing and composing Proof Paragraph 1 with their partner. Circulate to support students as they write and to identify common issues to use as whole group teaching points.

• Invite students to record "Y" for Yes and the date in the final column of their Informative Writing checklist if they feel the criteria marked on their checklists have been achieved in their writing in this lesson.

• Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.

A. Share Best Evidence - RI.7.1 (5 minutes)

• Ask student pairs to join with another writing pair to form groups of four. Invite all students to Think-Pair-Share with their small group:

"What is one piece of best evidence you found and included in your Proof Paragraph 1? Why is it strong evidence? How did you elaborate on or explain the connection between the evidence and your main point?" (Responses will vary.)

• As time allows, ask volunteers to share their responses with the class.

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

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS 

Challenge students to rephrase the W.7.2b criteria on the Informative Writing Checklist into simpler language that their peers who need heavier support can understand. Rephrasing the criteria gives students comprehension and confidence with the writing expectations.

Encourage students to model orally rehearsing their proof paragraph for classmates who need heavier support. Also, challenge students to use the word that to combine two clauses at least once. Oral rehearsal will strengthen their writing, as will using new language structures learned in the Language Dive from Lessons 6-7.

If students are literate in their home language, they can translate the W.7.2b criteria on the Informative Writing Checklist that their peers who need lighter support rephrased. Translating or rephrasing the criteria gives students comprehension and confidence with the writing expectations.