A. Engage the Learner - W.8.5 (5 minutes)

• Repeated routine: As students arrive, invite them to complete Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 11.

• Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as 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 previous lessons.

• Focus students on the Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart and invite them to read the habits of character on the chart to themselves. Tell students to choose a habit to focus on as they work today. Ask them to Turn and Talk, sharing with a neighbor the habit they will focus on today.

• Ask students to Think-Pair-Share their responses to the question they responded to on their entrance ticket:

"How did your Compare and Contrast Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer and your Informative Writing checklist help you prepare to write your essay about La Llorona?" (Responses may include the following: Planning my essay allowed me to organize my thoughts and make sure my focus statements was supported by clear points, my points were supported by well-chosen facts and evidence, and my evidence was elaborated upon. Doing this before I began to write made my writing clear and well-organized.)

• Explain that today, students will plan a new essay using the same tools that they used for their previous essay.

A. Guided Practice: Plan End of Unit 3 Assessment Essay – W.8.5 (15 minutes)

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

“I can plan an informative essay that has points that are supported by facts and details.”

• Distribute and display the fresh copies of Compare and Contrast Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer and tell students they will be using this graphic organizer to plan their writing, just as they did with their previous essay.

• Distribute and display fresh copies of the Informative Writing checklist and tell students they will use this checklist to ensure they have met all criteria for their essay, just as they did with their previous essay.

• Select a volunteer to read the focus question for the End of Unit 3 Assessment Essay aloud:

  • “What about your monster from folklore of Latin American have you kept the same and what have you modernized in the new scene you have written for Summer of the Mariposas? Why?”

• Display and distribute the Model Essay: “Peuchen.” Explain to students that they will quickly review the elements of a Painted Essay® to ensure that they are prepared to plan and draft their End of Unit 3 Assessment Essay. This activity will be brief as students have already spent a lot of time analyzing the Painted Essay® structure, planning, and writing their first essay.

• Focus students on the first paragraph. Ask them to read this paragraph with a partner and locate the sentence that most clearly states the focus of the essay.

• Focus students on the Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart, specifically collaboration. Remind students that as they will be working in pairs as they work, they will need to collaborate.

• Using equity sticks, invite responses from the group:

“Which sentence(s) in this paragraph most clearly states the author’s answer to the focus question?” (“In the new scene I have written for Summer of the Mariposas modernizing the Peuchen, I have maintained many characteristics of the original monster so that it is recognizable, but I have modernized the tale by writing in two Peuchens, a brother and sister, to illustrate the theme that things are not always as they appear.”)

• Invite students to underline and label this sentence with the word focus statement on their copy.

• Focus students on the displayed Compare and Contrast Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer (for teacher reference). Tell them the first paragraph is the introduction, and invite volunteers to share which sentences catch the reader’s attention and give context to the reader.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

If any extra time remains in Work Time A, encourage students to review their vocabulary logs and highlight any vocabulary words that they might want to include in their compare and contrast La Llorona essays.

Add a step before the peer critique in which students review the compare and contrast model essay for transition words and phrases. This can help guide their review of their peers' work, and foster focused, meaningful feedback about where students might insert transition words to connect ideas in their writing. Encourage students to add any new transitions from the model essay to the Transition Words handout distributed in Unit 2 Lesson 10.

In preparation for the assessment in the next lesson, provide students with a list of five to ten common errors that have been noted in previous student writing and examples of corrections to help guide their writing. This list might include grammar (i.e., verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, sentence structure), punctuation (e.g. use of commas and periods), spelling, source attribution, or word choice.

• Remind students of the meaning of point (states the similarities—in this case, between the monster in the folklore and the way the author modernized it).

• Focus students on the second paragraph of the essay. Ask students to reread this paragraph with a partner and locate the sentence that most clearly states a comparison between the original monster and the modernization.

• Using equity sticks, invite responses from the group:

“Which sentence in this paragraph most clearly states a comparison between the original monster and the modernization?” (“Like the original character, the modernized Peuchen in my new scene can also shapeshift instantly.”)

• Invite students to underline and label this sentence with the word point on their copy.

• Explain that authors support their points with evidence, or facts and details based on research or observations.

• Focus students on the second paragraph of the essay. Ask students to reread this paragraph with a partner and locate evidence the author gives to support her point, or facts and details explaining the point.

• Using equity sticks, invite responses from the group:

“What evidence does the author give to support her point?” (“It presents itself to Odilia as someone familiar in order to gain her trust, and then when necessary to fight her brother to save the sisters, she instantly transforms into the traditional flying snake of the original story. As with the original, the gaze of the Peuchen in the new scene also has an impact on the victim who looks at it; however, whether paralysis is the impact is unclear in my new scene as no one actually looks into the eyes of the Peuchen. The original character is described as being able to ‘drain them dry of their blood,’ so in my new scene, the first Peuchen Odilia encounters describes how she has already fed on the blood of a sheep, so the girls are not in danger. The Peuchen tells Odilia, ‘I already fed tonight on the blood of a ssssssheep just over the hill, so you are not at rissssssk from me, but you and your sissssssters are in danger.’”)

• Invite students to label this part of the paragraph with the word evidence on their copies.

• Focus students on the displayed Compare and Contrast Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer. Tell them that this paragraph is the first Proof Paragraph, which outlines point 1 and evidence supporting that point.

• Repeat this process with the third paragraph of the essay, asking students to reread the paragraph with a partner and find sentences the author gives for point 2 and evidence supporting her point.

• Using equity sticks, invite responses from the group:

“Which sentence in this paragraph most clearly states the difference—in this case, between the monster in the folklore and the way the author modernized it?” (“While I have kept many of the physical characteristics the same, I have modernized the monster by having two Peuchens, a brother and sister.”)

“What evidence does the author give to support her point?” (“The monsters are different from each other. Even though they look the same, each one has different ideas about what they want from Odilia and her sisters. The female Peuchen wants to help the girls. She presents herself as a familiar woman rather than a flying snake in order to gain their trust so that they will follow her out of danger. In contrast, her brother wants to feed on the blood of the girls. He says to his sister, ‘Stay away from my prize, Sister. I haven’t fed on human blood for weeks and I won’t let you stand in my way.’ Odilia is surprised and puzzled that they are different from each other. They look the same, but they do not act the same.”)

• Focus students on the displayed Compare and Contrast Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer. Tell them that this paragraph is Proof Paragraph 2, which, like the Proof Paragraph 1, outlines another point and evidence supporting that reason.

• Focus students on the last paragraph of the essay and tell them this is the conclusion.

• Ask students to reread this paragraph with a partner, and then invite volunteers to share which sentences restate the focus and reflect on the topic.

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

B. Independent Practice: Plan End of Unit 3 Assessment Essay – W.8.5 (10 minutes)

• Using equity sticks, invite responses from the group:

“What is the topic of your essay?” (What about my monster from folklore of Latin America have I kept the same and what have I modernized in my new scene and why?)

• Focus students on the Informative Writing checklist. Point out the following characteristics:

  • W.8.2a

  • W.8.2b

  • W.8.2.f

• Tell students that as they plan, they should remember to support their ideas with information from Summer of the Mariposas and the narrative piece they wrote in Unit 2.

• Focus students on the empty column of their checklist. Remind them that while every piece of informative writing should include the criteria listed, each piece will have specific criteria according to the content.

• Have students write a focus statement in the focus statement spot on their note-catchers. For students who need additional support in organizing their ideas, provide sentence frames modeled after the focus statement structure introduced in Model Essay: “Peuchen.” ▲

  • In the new scene I have written for Summer of the Mariposas modernizing the ____, I have maintained many characteristics of the original monster, such as ____, so that it is recognizable, but I have modernized the tale by . . .

  • In the new scene I have written for Summer of the Mariposas reimagining the ____, I have preserved certain aspects of the original monster, such as ____, so that it is recognizable; but I have modernized the tale by . . .

• Offer students options for writing utensils. Also, offer partial dictation of student responses. Distribute colored pencils and invite students to use them to underline the parts in their focus statement with the correct color: green for the focus, yellow for point 1, and blue for point 2. ▲

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

In Work Time B, have students apply the Painted Essay® color-coding to their Compare and Contrast Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer. This will reinforce how the planning they are doing connects to the actual essay they will write on the end of unit assessment.

• Encourage students to refer to the following materials as necessary:

  • Domain-specific word wall

  • Academic word wall

  • Compare and Contrast Painted Essay® anchor chart

  • Informative Writing Checklist

  • End of Unit 2 Assessment: Write a Narrative

  • Articles and texts about each monster

• Circulate to support students as they plan. Refer to Compare and Contrast Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer (example for teacher reference) as needed. If necessary, prompt by asking questions such as the following:

“What about the monster in your narrative is the same as the original monster from folklore of Latin America?” (Responses will vary.)

“What about the monster in your narrative is the different from the original monster from folklore of Latin America?” (Responses will vary.)

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

C. Peer Critique: End of Unit 3 Assessment Writing Plan - W.8.5 (10 minutes)

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

"I can give kind, helpful, and specific feedback to my partner."

• Display and again focus students on their Informative Writing checklist.

• Focus students on the criteria:

  • W.8.2a: I introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow.

  • W.8.2b: I develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.

  • W.8.2f: I have a conclusion that supports the information presented.

• Invite students to mark or highlight this criteria, since they will be the focus of the critique.

• Turn and Talk:

"What do each of these criteria mean in your own words?"

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

• Distribute sticky notes.

• Focus students on the Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart, specifically "I collaborate." Remind students that because they will be Work to give a critique to their partner, they will need to use their listening and speaking skills to collaborate.

• Focus students on the Work to Become Ethical People anchor chart and remind them specifically of respect and compassion. Remind students that the purpose of peer feedback is to help the other student improve his or her work, so when we provide feedback, we have to be careful to ensure we are respectful and compassionate.

• Tell students they will use Peer Critique to provide their partner with kind, specific, and helpful feedback using the criteria on the checklist.

• Display the Directions for Peer Critique, and read the directions aloud.

• Display the Peer Critique Protocol anchor chart, and ask for volunteers to share what each criteria means, looks like, and sounds like. Record responses on the anchor chart. See Peer Critique anchor chart (for teacher reference).

• Invite students to provide feedback to their partner based on the Informative Writing checklist.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

In Work Time C, at the end of the peer critique, invite a strong student to share his planning with the class, pointing out what went well, as well as places where improvements will be made as a result of feedback received during the peer critique. This example will help ELLs as they work on improving their own writing and may spark ideas for how to revise their own essays.

• Circulate to support students as they work together to give feedback to one another.

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

• If productive, cue students to think about their thinking:

"How does our peer critique add to your understanding of planning for informative writing? I'll give you time to think and discuss with a partner." (Responses will vary.)

• Ask students to Turn and Talk:

"In what ways did you see classmates collaborating during today's work time?" (Responses will vary.)

"In what ways did you see classmates showing respect and compassion during today's work time?" (Responses will vary.)

A. Reflect on Learning Targets (5 minutes)

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

• Incorporate reflection on and awareness of the following academic mindsets: "I belong in this academic community," and "This work has value for me."

• Ask students to Turn and Talk:

"How did you contribute to this learning community today? How were the tasks you completed valuable to you?" (Possible responses: I gave helpful feedback during the Peer Critique. I received support from my classmate during the Peer Critique, and this will help me to improve my essay.)