A. Engage the Learner - RI.8.8 (5 minutes)

• Repeated routine: As they arrive, students complete Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 5.

• Prompt students to Turn and Talk about their answers to the entrance ticket. Clarify any misconceptions about the relevant evidence they identified, and explain to students that today's lesson will help them examine evidence that is unrelated, or irrelevant, to claims an author presents.

• Using a preferred classroom routine, collect or review the answers to Homework: Delineate Arguments: The Omnivore's Dilemma, Section 3. Refer to Homework: Delineate Arguments: The Omnivore's Dilemma, Section 3 (answers for teacher reference) as needed.

A. Sort Relevant and Irrelevant Evidence - RI.8.8 (10 minutes)

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

"I can distinguish between relevant and irrelevant evidence."

• Ask students to find a partner and Turn and Talk to review their understanding of the word relevant:

"Remind your partner, what does relevant mean?" (Relevant means something that is connected or applicable.)

"What is relevant evidence? Why is it important to include relevant evidence when making an argument?" (Relevant evidence is connected to the claim and helps illuminate the point being made to the reader.)

• Explain to students that in addition to looking at evidence that is connected to the claim, it is also important to be able to identify irrelevant evidence. Ask partners to Think-Pair-Share:

"What does the word irrelevant mean?" (Irrelevant means something that does not apply or is not connected.)

"What is irrelevant evidence?" (Irrelevant evidence is not connected to the claim and does not help the reader understand the point being made.)

• With students' support, record the meaning of the term irrelevant on the academic word wall. Invite students to record the term in their vocabulary logs.

• Display and distribute the Sort Relevant and Irrelevant Evidence note-catcher, and prompt students to capture the definitions of relevant and irrelevant in the spaces provided.

• Read the directions aloud while students follow along. Distribute a sheet of Relevant and Irrelevant Evidence sorting strips to each pair. Direct partners to cut out the strips and sort the given evidence, naming each piece as relevant or irrelevant and sorting them into piles as indicated on the note-catcher. Use the Sort Relevant and Irrelevant Evidence note-catcher (answers for teacher reference) as needed, and answer any questions that students have about sorting the evidence.

• Once partners have completed their sorting, prompt them to join another partner group, forming quads. Direct quads to Think-Pair-Share, and discuss:

"Was there any evidence that was hard to categorize? Why?" (Responses will vary.)

"Identify one more piece of relevant evidence and one more piece of irrelevant evidence for the argument being made." (Responses will vary.)

"Can you think of other examples, in real life, where you will need to analyze and sort relevant and irrelevant evidence?" (Responses will vary, but may include: when analyzing political candidates and the policies they support, or when investigating a topic of interest to them, etc.)

• Explain to students that they will now analyze relevant and irrelevant evidence from section 3 of The Omnivore's Dilemma.

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

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS 

To help students better understand conflicting evidence, invite them to make claims about everyday topics (e.g., school, television, food) for their classmates to provide conflicting evidence to.

To help students better understand conflicting evidence, invite them to provide conflicting evidence to claims about everyday topics. For example:

Television is a waste of time.

Students should be able to use cell phones in class.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Students should have four hours of homework every night.

B. Irrelevant Evidence and Conflicting Viewpoints - RI.8.8 (20 minutes)

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

"I can evaluate an argument, assessing whether Michael Pollan's evidence presented on the topic of industrial farming is relevant."

"I can evaluate an argument, analyzing how Michael Pollan responds to conflicting viewpoints."

• Explain to students that they will continue using the Delineate an Argument: The Omnivore's Dilemma, Section 3 graphic organizer that they started in the previous lesson. Display the graphic organizer, and direct students to retrieve their copies.

• Focus students on the first question at the end of the graphic organizer on irrelevant evidence. Explain that in The Omnivore's Dilemma there is not much irrelevant evidence because Pollan has done careful research and is presenting information and evidence that align to his beliefs. It is important, however, to be able to recognize information that may be irrelevant to an author's claim. Because of that, this question will help them practice identifying what irrelevant information might look like.

• Ask students to Think-Pair-Share:

"Why is it important to identify irrelevant information when you are delineating an argument?" (Responses will vary, but may include the idea that knowing an argument well also means you can distinguish between evidence that does and does not support the argument.)

• Prompt partners to read through the options given for potential pieces of irrelevant evidence, discussing each option and determining the best response. Use equity sticks to call on a student to share his or her answer and the reasoning behind it. (Students should identify that answer A is irrelevant because, although it is a true statement, it does not connect to the main claim Pollan is making about industrial farming in this section of the text.).

• Ask students to Turn and Talk:

"Can you think of another piece of evidence that would be irrelevant to his claim?" (Responses will vary but should reference evidence from the section that does not connect to the claim.)

• Prompt students to think about how they know if evidence is relevant or irrelevant, and then invite them to Turn and Talk:

"What are some strategies you can use to identify irrelevant evidence in the future?" (Responses will vary, but may include that irrelevant evidence will be off topic, it could be distracting, it might be interesting but not in support of the main claim, etc.)

• Focus students on the second question on the Delineate an Argument: The Omnivore's Dilemma, Section 3 graphic organizer, which asks students to think about conflicting viewpoints that are presented in the text. Remind students that an important aspect of delineating arguments is looking for places where conflicting points of view are presented or implied and noting how the author acknowledges or responds to those viewpoints. Thoughtful authors think about what other points of view on a topic might look like. They make sure they address these conflicting points of view in their own arguments.

• Display and ask students to retrieve their copies of the Author's Purpose and Point of View: The Omnivore's Dilemma note-catcher. Prompt students to also retrieve their copy of The Omnivore's Dilemma and open to page 63. Direct students to read aloud with their partners, starting at "Only certain animals . . ." and ending on page 65 at ". . . fast food indeed."

• Ask:

"What is Michael Pollan's viewpoint on how cattle should be fed?" (He believes that cattle have evolved to eat grass.)

"What is the conflicting viewpoint that is implied in this section?" (Cattle should be raised on corn.)

"How does the author respond to the conflicting viewpoint?" (by pointing out that cattle raised on corn mature more quickly and can be sold for beef earlier, which benefits the industrial farmer, yet cattle have stomachs that evolved to eat grass, and eating a diet of grass takes them more time to mature.)

• As students share, record their responses at the bottom section of the displayed Purpose and Point of View: The Omnivore's Dilemma note-catcher, under "Conflicting Viewpoint." Note the page number and topic, the viewpoint the author addresses, and the author's conflicting viewpoint. Instruct students to follow along and record responses on their own note-catchers. Refer to Author's Purpose and Point of View: The Omnivore's Dilemma note-catcher (example for teacher reference).

• Focus students back on their Delineate an Argument: The Omnivore's Dilemma, Section 3 graphic organizer, and explain to students that they will look for ways that Pollan responds to the conflicting viewpoints presented about how cattle are fed. Direct partners to reread the last question on the graphic organizer and select the appropriate response. As necessary, refer to Delineate an Argument: The Omnivore's Dilemma, Section 3 graphic organizer (example for teacher reference).

• Use a total participation technique to review responses and discuss as a group, addressing any questions that arise about conflicting viewpoints.

• Ask students to Think-Pair-Share:

"How does Michael Pollan make his argument stronger by presenting this alternate viewpoint?" (Pollan acknowledges the claim that feeding cattle corn is healthy, and then counters it with the details of various illnesses cattle may experience. By providing evidence against the conflicting viewpoint, he strengthens his own claim.)

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

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS 

To help students better understand conflicting evidence, invite them to make claims about everyday topics (e.g., school, television, food) for their classmates to provide conflicting evidence to.

To help students better understand conflicting evidence, invite them to provide conflicting evidence to claims about everyday topics. For example:

Television is a waste of time.

Students should be able to use cell phones in class.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Students should have four hours of homework every night.

A. Conflicting Viewpoints - RI.8.6 (10 minutes)

• Remind students that in this lesson, they learned to delineate arguments by recognizing irrelevant information and analyze conflicting viewpoints. Explain that they will practice using these new skills in familiar contexts.

• Prompt students to find a partner, and lead them through the following series of questions using the Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face protocol. Each situation presents a real-world scenario where varying viewpoints may exist. Prompt students to find a new partner in between each question.

  • Situation 1: Getting a new cell phone. Should you be allowed to get a new cell phone since yours is a hand-me-down?

"What is the viewpoint you may have?" (Responses will vary, but may include: I think I should have a new cell phone.)

"What reason supports this viewpoint?" (Responses will vary, but may include: the phone I have is my brother's old one, and it's out of date.)

"What is a conflicting viewpoint your parents may have?" (You do not need a new cell phone.)

"What reason supports this viewpoint?" (Responses will vary, but may include: a phone being out of date doesn't affect how well it works.)

• • Situation 2: Increasing the driving age. The state you live in wants to increase the driving age from 16 to 18 in order to help reduce traffic accidents.

"What is the viewpoint you may have?" (Sixteen-year-olds should be able to get their driver's license.)

"What reason supports this viewpoint?" (Responses will vary, but may include that most accidents happen from distracted drivers, regardless of their age.)

"What is a conflicting viewpoint the state may have?" (Citizens need to be eighteen years old before applying for a driver's license.)

"What reason supports this viewpoint?" (Responses will vary, but may include that older drivers have fewer accidents than younger drivers.)

• • Situation 3: Getting a summer job. Your parents want you to get a summer job at the local ice-cream shop.

"What is the viewpoint you may have?" (Responses will vary, but may include that teenagers should have time off in the summer after working hard in school all year.)

"What reason supports this viewpoint?" (Responses will vary, but may include that teenagers require many hours of sleep each night, and working long hours would get in the way of sufficient sleep.)

"What is a conflicting viewpoint your parents may have?" (You should have a summer job.)

"What reason supports this viewpoint?" (Responses will vary, but may include that jobs help teenagers learn valuable life skills like time and money management.)

• As time permits, invite two students to brainstorm additional situations and share them with their peers. Continue to present the situations and ask students to respond using the Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face protocol.

• 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 

To help students navigate the Back-to-Back Face-to-Face protocol, strategically use Goal 1 Conversation Cues:

"Can you say more about that?"

"Can you give an example?"

"So, do you mean _____?"