A. Engage the Learner - L.7.4 (5 minutes)

• Repeated routine: students respond to questions on Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 5.

• Once students have completed their entrance tickets, use a total participation technique to review their responses. Add epidemiology (the branch of medicine that deals with how diseases spread through populations), rigorous (thoroughly accurate, precise), social contagion (the spread of ideas, attitudes, or behavior patterns in a group through imitation and conformity), piggybacking (using existing work as a basis or support), analogy (the likening of one thing to another based on similarity of features), and behemoth (any enormous or powerful creature or thing) to the academic word wall or domain-specific word wall, with translations in home languages where appropriate, and invite students to add the word to their vocabulary logs.

• 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.

A. Read Aloud "Conflicting Ideas" (10 minutes)

• Explain that they will hear the article "Conflicting Ideas" read aloud and find the gists. Although they closely read the article in the previous lesson, it is important to reread and reconsider our understanding of complex texts. Ask students to retrieve their copies of the article and their Close Read: "Conflicting Ideas" note-catcher. Ask students to follow along as you read aloud "Conflicting Ideas." Pause after each paragraph to have students Turn and Talk about the gist of the paragraph and important vocabulary. Invite students to refer to their Close Read: "Conflicting Ideas" note-catcher for support with comprehending the article.

• Gists:

  • Paragraph 1: Some think ideas spread like flu.

  • Paragraph 2: okay to use that comparison (ideas spread like flu) if it works

  • Paragraph 3: studied Facebook sign-up

  • Paragraph 4: theory: more friends on Facebook, more likely sign-up

  • Paragraph 5: result: more groups on Facebook, more likely sign-up

  • Paragraph 6: Epidemiology model does not work for social contagion.

• Once students have finished reading and reflecting on the article, ask them to Think-Pair-Share:

"What habits of character did you see in this excerpt? Who demonstrated them? What did they look and/or sound like?" (Responses will vary, but may include: the author shows integrity as he or she argues that social scientists should come up with their own models instead of borrowing from epidemiologists.

B. Identify Main Claim, Points, Evidence, and Reasoning: “Conflicting Ideas” – RI.7.8 (15 minutes)

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

“I can identify the main claim, points, evidence, and reasoning in a text.”

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

In Work Time B, challenge students to work with classmates who need heavier support to coach them on writing the main claim on a strip of paper and cutting it into the two points. Classmates who need heavier support should complete all of the writing in this activity. Students can then coach their classmates to write the evidence and reasoning on strips of paper or cards and arrange them below the point they support. Assisting their classmates with creating and arranging manipulatives will cement their understanding of the argument components as well as give them an opportunity to practice oral language skills.

• Display and distribute the Argument: “Conflicting Ideas” note-catcher and the Argument: “Conflicting Ideas” note-catcher ▲ as necessary. The differentiated note-catcher supports students’ writing and comprehension with sentence frames. ▲ Note that this note-catcher is similar to the one used in Lesson 3 in which students analyzed the argument in the article “Kindness Contagion.” Invite students to reread the article “Conflicting Ideas” and fill in the Argument: “Conflicting Ideas” note-catcher independently. As necessary, remind students that the main claim is the author’s overall statement, which is broken down into points supported by evidence and reasoning. As necessary, define evidence as information, examples, and quotes, and reasoning as explanations about how the evidence supports the points. Invite students to use the Close Read: “Conflicting Ideas” note-catcher from Lesson 4 to support them with this work. Remind students to also jot down questions about the text on the Argument: “Conflicting Ideas” note-catcher.

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

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

In Work Time B, have students work with classmates who need lighter support to write the main claim on a strip of paper and cut it into the two points. Students who need heavier support should complete all of the writing in this activity. With guidance, students then write the evidence and reasoning on strips of paper or cards and arrange them below the point they support. Creating and arranging manipulatives will increase their understanding of the argument components.

During Work Time B, invite students to use the Argument: “Conflicting Ideas” note-catcher ▲. This resource supports students’ writing and analysis with sentence frames.

A. Evaluate the Argument: "Conflicting Ideas" - SL.7.1d (15 minutes)

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

"I can acknowledge new information expressed by others and, when warranted, modify my own views."

• Invite students to form triads to evaluate the argument in the article "Conflicting Ideas." Remind students to refer to their Argument: "Conflicting Ideas" note-catcher during this work. Refer to the Discussion Norms anchor chart so that students use these in their discussions. Highlight the following Conversation Cues, and invite students to use these in their discussion:

"Why do you think that?"

"Because _____."

"What, in the (sentence/text), makes you think so?"

"If you look at _____, it says _____, which means _____."

• Invite students to build upon one another's ideas and have a growth mindset during discussions. One way to do this is for students to acknowledge new information expressed by others and, when warranted, to modify their own views. The most powerful discussions occur when people change their thinking, based on others' insights.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

Before the discussion, display the Discussion Norms anchor chart and challenge students to choose one norm on which to focus. Also, encourage students to use the Conversation Cues to propel discussion. Setting goals and using Conversation Cues focuses and raises the level of students' discussions.

• To increase participation, consider having students form small groups. If necessary, review the steps for a text-based discussion:

1. 1. Begin with a question. How does the article "Conflicting Ideas" argue that social epidemics compare to disease epidemics? Follow up with another question: "Is his/her evidence sufficient and reasoning sound?"

   2. Ask additional questions to guide the discussion.

   3. Involve all members and make sure others in the group are drawn into the discussion.

   4. Move to a different question if the group agrees, or, if there is a facilitator, have that student ask another question when the conversation requires it.

• After the discussion, ask students to debrief their process, asking as many of these questions as time permits:

"What worked well with your discussion?"

"How did you build upon one another's ideas?"

"Did anyone change their ideas as a result of new information presented by a member of the group?"

"Were all voices heard?"

"What might you do differently next time?"

• Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets and the habits of character focus in this lesson, discussing what went well and what could be improved next time.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

Before the discussion, display the prompts listed in the lesson and provide students with sentence starters to answer each one. For example:

The article argues that social epidemics compare to disease epidemics . . .

The evidence is/is not sufficient because . . .

The reasoning is/is not sound because . . .

Allow time for students to complete the sentence starters in writing and orally rehearse their statements with a partner. Writing down and practicing sentences they can use in a discussion gives students confidence to increase their successful participation.