A. Engage the Learner (5 minutes)

• Repeated routine: Students respond to questions on Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lessons 14-15.

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

"Which academic mindsets are required to provide feedback, and why?" (To provide feedback, you must feel that the work has value for you; otherwise, your feedback won't be very strong.)

"Which academic mindsets are required to receive feedback, and why?" (To receive feedback, you must feel that your ability and competence grow with effort, so that you're able to take the feedback and use it to improve your work.)

"Which character traits are required to provide feedback, and why?" (To provide feedback, you must be able to work well with others and have empathy, compassion, and an awareness and consideration of others' feelings.)

"Which character traits are required to receive feedback, and why?" (To receive feedback, you must be able to persevere so that you keep working to improve your writing.)

• Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as in 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.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS 

During Opening A, students may find the amount of text on Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lessons 14-15 overwhelming. Allow students extra time to complete the reading and writing. Remind them that they have read these habits of character throughout the year, so they should be familiar to them. 

During Opening A, students may find the amount of text on Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lessons 14-15 overwhelming. Allow students to work in pairs to complete the task. Doing so will lighten the cognitive load and also allow students to practice their discussion skills.

A. Analyze a Model - L.7.1c (10 minutes)

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

"I can offer kind, helpful, and specific feedback to my peers, focusing on the effective use of modifying phrases and commas in their essays."

• Display the Model Argument Essay: "Reduce Plastic Pollution in the Beginning of Its Life Cycle." Remind students that in this lesson they will analyze this model for modifying phrases and commas between coordinate adjectives.

• Tell students to look in the essay for modifying phrases that give more information about nouns and commas between coordinate adjectives. Guide students in using the model to briefly review what they have learned. Ask:

"How do writers correct misplaced and dangling modifiers?" (They move phrases that modify nouns close to those nouns.)

"Where should writers place commas?" (They should place commas between coordinate adjectives, after transition phrases, and in lists of items.)

• If productive, ask:

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

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

B. Tuning Protocol - W.7.5 (30 minutes)

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

"I can offer kind, helpful, and specific feedback to my peers, focusing on the effective use of modifying phrases and commas."

• Display and invite students to take out their copy of the Argument Essay Writing checklist.

• Focus students on these criteria:

  • L.7.1c: My words and sentences follow the rules of writing.

  • L.7.2a: The spelling, capitalization, and punctuation are correct.

• Invite students to mark or highlight these criteria, as they will be the focus of the critique, and to turn to an elbow partner to say what they mean in their own words. Responses will vary, but encourage students to specifically reference the grammar and punctuation focuses in the learning targets:

  • I edit my essay to make sure I follow the rules of writing and do not have any dangling modifiers.

  • I edit my essay to make sure my capitalization, punctuation, and spelling are correct; I use a comma to separate coordinate adjectives.

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

• Distribute sticky notes.

• Focus students on the Work to Contribute to a Better World anchor chart, specifically: "I use my strengths." Remind students that as they work to critique their partner's work, they will need to use their strengths.

• Direct students to provide their partner with kind, specific, and helpful feedback against the criteria.

• Focus students' attention on the Peer Critique anchor chart, and remind them of what peer critique looks and sounds like.

• Display, distribute, and read aloud Directions for a Tuning Protocol and End of Unit 2 Assessment, Part II: Revise an Argument Essay. Invite students to ask questions to ensure that they understand what to do. Explain that for this Tuning protocol, they will offer kind, helpful, and specific feedback for peers' essays, focusing on the correct use of modifying phrases and commas.

• Invite students to retrieve their End of Unit 2 Assessment, Part I argument essay drafts, and ask them to provide feedback to their partner based on the Argument Writing checklist.

• Circulate to support students as they give and take feedback. Direct them to hold off on making revisions until later in the lesson.

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

C. End of Unit 2 Assessment, Part II: Revise an Argument Essay (30 minutes)

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

"I can revise my essay, focusing on effectively expressing my ideas using modifying phrases and commas."

• Tell students they will begin revising their drafts for modifying phrases and commas. Remind them to refer to the criteria just reviewed on the Argument Essay Writing checklist, their peer feedback, and their analysis of the Model Argument Essay. Students should use a different colored pen or pencil from the one they used to draft their essays, to make their revisions easy to identify.

• Focus students on the Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart, specifically: "I take responsibility." Remind students that since they will be self-assessing and revising their work, they will need to take ownership of their writing and think about how to change or improve it.

• Emphasize that they should revise only where it is necessary (e.g., adding stronger phrases, clauses, and sentences, and correcting any errors.)

• Invite students to begin making revisions.

• Circulate to support students as they work. Ask questions to guide their thinking:

"Are the modifying phrases in your sentences placed correctly?"

"Did you use commas to separate coordinate adjectives?"

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

• Use the End of Unit 2 Assessment, Part II: Revise an Argument Essay (for teacher reference) to assess students' ability to strengthen their writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

• As necessary, display and distribute the End of Unit 2 Assessment, Part III: Modifying Phrases and Coordinate Adjectives. Review the directions, and ask students to complete this assessment independently.

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

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS 

In Work Time C, before students begin their revisions, remind them that they should focus on the placement of modifying phrases and commas between coordinate adjectives. If students are ready for more comprehensive revisions, ask them to review the Argument Essay Writing checklist and choose one or two criteria to use for revisions. If students don't have a sense of which criteria to focus on, recommend they consider their peer's feedback or spend a few minutes skimming their essay and make recommendations. Focusing on a limited number of criteria will ensure students don't feel overwhelmed and can fully address one or two areas in need of revision.

In Work Time C, before students begin their revisions, remind them that they should focus on the placement of modifying phrases and commas between coordinate adjectives. If necessary, review with students the definitions, function, and placement of modifying phrases and commas between coordinate adjectives. Focusing on a limited number of criteria will ensure students don't feel overwhelmed and can fully address one or two areas in need of revision. 

A. Independent Research Reading Share - RI.7.10 (15 minutes)

• Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as with the previous lessons to guide students to share their independent research reading, reminding students that the purpose of research reading is to build their content knowledge, domain-specific vocabulary, and achievement on reading complex texts.

• Refer to the Independent Reading Sample Plans to guide students through a research reading share, or use another routine.

• Before students leave class, ensure that each student has a copy of their conclusion paragraph from their pair argument essay.

• 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 

At the end of the lesson, encourage students to take a few moments to reflect on their learning. Use the following questions to prompt reflection: 

What have you learned about plastic pollution? about different solutions and points of the plastic life cycle? About writing argument essays?

What new vocabulary or language structures did you learn in this unit? 

Encourage students to share the most important or exciting thing they learned in this unit. Reflecting on learning allows students to more firmly grasp abstract concepts and gives them confidence and ownership over their own learning.

During Closing and Assessment A, students share with a partner their independent research reading book. Sharing about their book will ensure that students are engaged with the book and give them an opportunity to find a different one if they are no longer interested in their choice. As necessary, review the purpose of independent research reading. Emphasize the benefits of reading multiple texts on the same topic (e.g., repeated exposure to relevant vocabulary).