A. Engage the Learner - SL.8.4 (5 minutes)

• Repeated routine: As students arrive, invite them to complete Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 8.

• Explain to students that today they will read a second model essay for gist, analyze it, and work on creating strong introductions, including clear focus statements. Much of this work will be done in partners, and it will be important to practice working toward the presentation of knowledge and ideas criteria listed in their Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 8. Prompt students to Turn and Talk:

"What indicators did you identify for each criterion listed on your entrance ticket?" (Students share out their answers.)

"Why is it important to use appropriate eye contact or volume when we work with partners?" (Responses will vary, but should express the idea that giving partners appropriate attention, whether on the speaking end or the listening end, improves their communication and overall understanding of the content.)

• 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.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS 

To help students understand effective presentation skills, invite them to find and share examples of videos that provide examples of effective and ineffective volume, eye contact, and pacing. Students can share what they would like to model and avoid in their own presentations.

To help students understand effective presentation skills, show short videos of both effective and ineffective eye contact, volume, and pacing. Students can identify what they would like to model and what they would like to avoid as they develop their own presentation skills.

A. Language Dive: Model Essay: "GMOs," Paragraph 1 - W.8.2a (10 minutes)

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

"I can plan an introduction to an informative essay that includes a strong focus statement."

• Tell students they will now participate in a Language Dive to explore how a sentence from the focus statement in a model essay introduces the topic clearly, previewing what is to follow, and how the passive voice is used to emphasize the recipient of an action.

• Display Model Essay: "GMOs," and read aloud the introduction paragraph.

• Focus students on the sentence:

  • In other ways, the safety and benefit of GMOs are still being questioned.

• Use the Language Dive Guide: Model Essay: "GMOs," Paragraph 1 (for teacher reference) to guide students through a Language Dive conversation about the sentence. Distribute and display the Language Dive: Model Essay: "GMOs," Paragraph 1 note-catcher, and the Language Dive: Model Essay: "GMOs," Paragraph 1 sentence chunk strips. Reference Language Dive: Model Essay: "GMOs," Paragraph 1 note-catcher (answers for teacher reference) as needed.

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

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS 

For Work Time A, provide ELLs with the Language Dive sentence ahead of time. Provide guiding questions that students can consider on their own before breaking the sentence down with the class.

B. Read and Analyze: Model Essay: “CSAs” – W.8.4 (15 minutes)

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

“I can analyze a model to generate criteria of an effective informative essay on my selected research case study.”

• Display and distribute the Model Essay: “CSAs,” which students preread for homework. Remind students that this second model is very similar in focusing question and structure to the Model Essay: “GMOs,” which they read and analyzed in detail in the previous lesson. Ask students to review the Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart, citing the ways in which they hope to show perseverance in today’s partner work.

• Prompt students to join with a partner and read the Model Essay: “CSAs” aloud together for gist. Prior to reading, explain that the content of this essay is different because the essay topic is different, but they should find that the structure is very similar. Invite them to look for the small ways in which the structure of this essay differs from that of the GMOs essay.

• Ask students to Think-Pair-Share:

“In your own words, describe what this essay is about.” (Students should explain that this essay describes the ways in which CSAs increase access to healthy food by supplying high-quality food, and by positively impacting fossil fuel usage.)

• Distribute colored pencils, and invite students to color-code their Model Essay: “CSAs” independently. Prompt partners to compare annotations, and review each part of the essay, encouraging students to refer to the Painted Essay® template as they work. Refer to the Paint an Essay lesson plan for further detail, as needed. Additionally, see the Model Essay: “CSAs” (example for teacher reference) for support.

• Invite students to compare their annotations on both model essays, and then Think-Pair-Share.

• Ask students to refer to their Model Essay: “CSAs” in answering the following questions:

“How is this model essay similar to the Model Essay: ‘GMOs’?” (Students should recognize that the CSA model is extremely similar to the GMOs model they analyzed. It is an informative essay on a research topic that addresses access to healthy food. Both essays contain introductions, Proof Paragraphs, and conclusions.)

“How is this model different?” (Students should recognize that the focus statement of the Model Essay: “CSAs” presents two ways that CSAs increase access to healthy food, and the Proof Paragraphs align to this, whereas the Model Essay: “GMOs” presents one way that GMOs increase access to healthy food, and one way that they decrease access to healthy food.)

• Distribute and display the Informative Writing: “CSAs” checklist, and remind students that they used a similar checklist to analyze the characteristics of the Model Essay: “GMOs” in the previous lesson. Ask students to Think-Pair-Share:

“Knowing what you now know about the similarities and differences of the two models, what criteria on the Informative Writing: ‘CSAs’ checklist will be different?” (Responses will vary, but should include the criteria for W.8.2a because the focus will contain two points that both refer to increases in access to healthy food.)

• Explain to students that most of the variances in the two models are related to the criteria for W.8.2a. Read the criteria aloud:

“W.8.2a: I provide a clear focus and maintain the focus consistently throughout the piece.”

• Ask pairs to circle where they are seeing the focus mentioning two points, both regarding how CSAs increase access to healthy food. Direct pairs to the Proof Paragraphs of the Model Essay: “CSAs,” and remind them that each Proof Paragraph is based on one of these points.

• Invite students to work in pairs, using the Informative Writing: “CSAs” checklist to determine any other ways in which the Model Essay: “CSAs” aligns to the checklist differently from how the Model Essay: “GMOs” met the criteria. Help students notice that most of the other criteria are met in a similar way. Circulate and support students as needed, prompting students to notice specific words and phrases from the text. See Informative Writing: “CSAs” checklist (example for teacher reference) for support.

• Using total participation techniques such as equity sticks or cold-calling, call on students, inviting them to choose a question from the list to respond to, and to share their responses with the class. Highlight any important aspects of purpose, audience, prompt, or topic, and answer questions as needed.

• Ask students to Turn and Talk:

“How will using this model essay and the informative writing checklist support the upcoming writing tasks?” (Responses will vary.)

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

• Inform students that owing to the nature of their particular research case study, their essay may look like the GMO model or the CSA model. This will depend on the evidence they find. Students may find it makes sense to write about how the topic they researched both increases and decreases access to healthy food, like the GMO model. Or they may need to write about two increases in access to healthy food, or, if applicable, about two decreases in access to healthy food, like the CSA model.

• Direct students to refer to their Access to Healthy Food: Independent Research note-catcher, and ask them to Think-Pair-Share:

“Look at the evidence noted in your Access to Healthy Food: Independent Research note-catcher, and determine what format your informative essay will take. Will your essay be similar to the GMO model, with one point explaining how the topic increases access to healthy food and another point describing how it decreases access to healthy food? Or, will your essay be similar to the CSA model and have two points that both describe an increase in access? Or perhaps it will be structured with two points that both describe a decrease?” (Responses will vary.)

• Take time to field any questions that arise as students determine the best fit for the points of their essays, and address any misconceptions with the group. Have students mark the model that will best support them as they write.

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

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS 

In Work Time B, invite a highly proficient student to lead a think-aloud. Display the introduction of the model essay. Have the student annotate aloud, in real-time, the writer's thinking process. Invite students to note this thinking and recall the questions asked aloud.

In Work Time B, host a think-aloud. In a small group of students who need the heaviest support, display the introduction of the model essay. Annotate aloud, in real-time, the writer's thinking process. Invite students to note this thinking and recall the questions that were asked aloud. 

A. Analyze Model and Plan Introduction – W.8.4 (15 minutes)

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

“I can plan an introduction to an informative essay that includes a strong focus statement.”

• Distribute and display the Informative Writing: Independent Research Essay directions. Select a volunteer to read the prompt for this writing task aloud:

  • “How do(es) _________ influence our access to healthy food?”

• Prompt students to join with a partner so that both members are working with the same model essay. As partners review the essay prompt, answer any clarifying questions about this task.

• Display and invite students to retrieve the model essay that aligns to their research. Explain to students that they will first analyze the introductory paragraph of their model essay to help them plan the introductory paragraph of their own independent research essay. Distribute the Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer, and tell students they will be using this graphic organizer to plan their writing.

• Direct partners to focus on the first paragraph of their model essay, either the Model Essay: “GMOs” or the Model Essay: “CSAs.”

• Focus students on the Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart, specifically on collaboration. Remind students that they will be working in pairs, and that, as they work, they will need to collaborate. Prompt partners to share the goal they set in Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 8 with one another.

• Using the Painted Essay® template, invite students to work in pairs to discuss how the author catches the reader’s attention, provides context or background information about the topic, and introduces the focus and two points he/she will support in the rest of the essay.

• Think-Pair-Share:

“How does the author capture the reader’s attention in your model essay?” (In both essays, the author acknowledges that access to healthy food is challenging for many people.)

“How does the author provide context and background information in your model essay? (For the GMOs essay: the author provides information about GMOs—how they are created, why they are useful—and explains frost-resistant strawberries as a way to give a specific example of a GMO contributing to creating healthy food. For the CSAs essay: the author provides information on CSAs—what they are, who uses them, and why—and provides a statistic on the number of CSAs used in the United States as a way to help the reader understand CSAs and their importance.)

• As needed, refer to Informative Writing Plan: “CSAs” graphic organizer (example for teacher reference) and Informative Writing Plan: “GMOs” graphic organizer (example for teacher reference) to support students.

• Tell students that they will now plan the introductory paragraphs of their own independent research essays. Remind students that when they plan their introductory paragraphs, they should capture the reader’s attention and provide relevant and concise context in order for the reader to understand their topic. They should also plan their focus statement. Remind students that they have already reviewed the elements of a strong focus statement in their Language Dive.

• Invite students to retrieve the following materials:

  • Informative Writing: Independent Research Essay directions

  • Access to Healthy Food: Independent Research note-catcher

  • Researcher’s Toolbox

  • Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer

  • Informative Writing: “CSAs” checklist

  • Painted Essay® template

• Recommend that students orally recount their focus statement, context, and main points with a partner before adding these to their Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer. ▲

• As appropriate, guide students to refer back to the practice portion of the Language Dive while planning their focus statements, and remind students that not all focus statements will be aligned to the Language Dive. ▲

• Circulate to support students as they plan and to identify common issues to use as whole group teaching points.

• After students have finished planning their introduction, ask students to Turn and Talk to their partner, naming the specific aspects of their introduction:

“What will your focus statement be?” (Students identify and read the focus statement from their Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer.)

“What context will you give your reader?” (Students identify and read the context they planned.)

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