A. Engage the Learner - W.7.2a (5 minutes)

• Repeated routine: students respond to questions on Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 9.

• Once students have completed their entrance tickets, allow time for them to review their responses with their partner for the pair informative essay.

• 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 with students the word context (background information necessary for understanding a topic). Record on the academic word wall with translations in home languages, where appropriate, and invite students to record the word in their vocabulary logs.

A. The Painted Essay®: Sort and Color-Code the Parts of an Introduction – W.7.2a (15 minutes)

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

• Distribute Organize the Model: Introduction strips. Tell students that each pair has been given only one part of the introduction and that later they will find the other parts to create a complete introduction. Explain that there are four parts to this introduction. Each pair needs to find pairs with the other three parts of the introduction. Then the whole group should work together to arrange all four parts of the introduction in an order that makes sense.

• Tell students that when they have finished, they can check their work against the Model Informative Essay: “Computer Programs and Animal Behavior” and color-code their strips.

• Invite students to begin, and circulate to support students in reading and sorting the strips of the introduction. When they have assembled the introduction, invite groups to use the Painted Essay® template and colored pencils to underline each part of the introduction in the correct color: red for the hook and context, yellow for Point 1, blue for Point 2, and green for the focus of the piece.

• Support students with the Organize the Model: Introduction strips (for teacher reference) as necessary.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS 

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

• Refocus whole group. Ask students to Think-Pair-Share:

“How does the author begin the introduction of the essay? What are the first two parts of the introduction?” (The introduction begins with some context and a hook—an example from daily life on how animals move and a hook in the form of a question.) 

“What is the next part of the introduction? What is the purpose of these next two sentences, the ones just before the last sentence of the introduction?” (They preview the two main points of the essay.)

“What is the last part of the introduction? What is the purpose of the last sentence of the introduction?” (It is the focus statement and states the central idea of the piece.)

• Ask if there were any groups that arranged their introductions differently from the model. Invite these groups to explain their thinking, noting that there isn’t only one correct way to assemble or write an introduction. Ask students to Turn and Talk:

“How is the introduction in the model similar to and different from the introduction to the last essay you wrote?” (The points are still there, but in this model, they come before the green part of the focus statement.) 

“Would it be all right to put the points after or as part of the focus statement instead?” (yes) 

“Why might the author have chosen to end the paragraph with the focus statement this time?” (Answers will vary, but may include: It’s a simple, clear statement of the main idea, and the writer wants the reader to remember it. The writer wants to avoid sounding too repetitive. The points help you understand what the focus statement means.)

• Invite students to choral read the introduction in the model together as a class, stopping after each sentence to review its function in the paragraph. Invite students to help record or check the parts of an introduction 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.

B. Language Dive: Model Essay, Focus Statement - W.7.2a, L.7.1a (10 minutes)

• Repeated routine: follow the same routine as with the previous lessons to facilitate a Language Dive with the following sentence from the model essay:

  • "It's fair to say that the study of animal behavior has been informed by ideas from computer programming."

• Use the accompanying materials to facilitate the Language Dive:

  • Language Dive Guide: Model Informative Essay, Paragraph 1 (for teacher reference)

  • Language Dive: Model Informative Essay, Paragraph 1 note-catcher (answers for teacher reference)

  • Language Dive: Model Informative Essay, Paragraph 1 note-catcher

  • Language Dive: Model Informative Essay, Paragraph 1 sentence chunk strips

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS 

During the Language Dive of Work Time B, students analyze the focus statement. Invite students to remind classmates what makes a focus statement effective (using key words from the prompt and expressing the point of the essay). Challenge students to remind classmates what clauses are (group of words with a subject and verb). Encourage students to provide more example sentences with the word that combining two clauses. Teaching others helps students confirm their knowledge of language structures.

During the Language Dive of Work Time B, some students may need additional support as they complete the sentence frame in the Practice section (It's fair to say that my habits of character have been informed by _____.). Provide a bank of options from which students can select answers to complete the frame. These may include: my mother's example; my teachers' goals; my hard work.

A. Pair Writing: Draft an Introduction – W.7.2a (15 minutes)

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

“I can write an introduction for my essay giving context on crime detection and epidemiology, clearly stating the focus of the piece.”

• Display and invite students to retrieve their Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer, Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer ▲ (as applicable), and Directions for Pair Informative Essay. Also, display and distribute copies of the Informative Writing checklist, and remind students that they used this same checklist in Module 1 when they wrote an informative essay. The specific characteristics may change slightly for this essay, but they will work as a class to determine these new specific characteristics. Point out the following characteristics on the checklist:

  • “W.7.2a: I introduce the topic clearly, giving readers a preview of the piece.”

• Ask:

“Are there any specific criteria you should be aware of and list in that column on the checklist?” (Responses will vary, but may include: I introduce methods or ideas crime detectives and epidemiologists use as well as important background information before stating my focus.) 

“What background information does the reader need to be able to understand your essay?” (what crime detection and epidemiology are; what crime detectives’ ideas/methods are that are similar to epidemiologists’ ideas/methods) 

“What are some ideas you have for providing context for this essay?” (defining crime detection and epidemiology; asking the reader to compare them; listing the similar methods/ideas)

• As students share out, capture their responses in the Characteristics of My Informative Essay column as needed.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS 

Challenge students to rephrase the W.7.2a 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 introductions 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.

• Allow time for students to retrieve their copies of Patient Zero and Homework: Read “Crime-Solving Strategies.” Distribute lined paper, and invite students to work in their pairs using the Model Informative Essay, the Criteria of an Effective Informative Essay anchor chart, and the Informative Writing checklist to write an introduction. Remind students to refer to the domain-specific word wall, the academic word wall, and online or print dictionaries as needed, especially for the definitions they provide while giving context in the introduction.

• Circulate to support students as they write. Provide students an opportunity to verbally recount the focus statement from their Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer and rehearse their sentence with their partner before writing. This may allow them additional time to organize their thinking. Remind students to write in complete sentences and to leave a blank line between each line of their writing. ▲

• 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 checklist have been achieved in their writing in this lesson.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS 

If students are literate in their home language, they can translate the W.7.2a 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.

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