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

• Repeated routine: Students respond to questions on Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 12.

• Once students have completed their entrance tickets, encourage them to share their self-assessment of their plans with a partner.

• 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 continue to focus on collaboration as they begin drafting their practice essays today.

• 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.

A. Analyze a Model: Introduction Paragraph – W.8.1a (10 minutes)

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

“I can identify the purpose of each component of an introduction paragraph in a model argument essay.”

• Display the Model Argument Essay: “How Farewell to Manzanar Conveys Jeanne’s Youth,” and instruct students to retrieve their copies. Explain to students that they will look closely at this model again and focus on the introduction paragraph to consider how the content can guide the work they will do on their own essay about the way Papa’s conflicted loyalties are conveyed in the text and film.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

In Work Time A, after students have analysed the model introduction, host a think-aloud. Display the introduction of the model essay. Invite a student or group of students to lead this activity, annotating aloud, in real-time, the writer's thinking process. Invite students to note this thinking and recall the questions asked aloud.

After Work Time A, invite students to participate in a Mini Language Dive in small groups to explore how the focus statement in Model Argument Essay: "How Farewell to Manzanar Conveys Jeanne's Youth" introduces a claim (W.8.1a). This Mini Language Dive also gives students the opportunity to explain the function of a gerund in a particular sentence (L.8.1a). In the practice portion of this Mini Language Dive, students will have the opportunity to apply their learning to draft a focus statement for the Partner Argument Essay.

• Invite a volunteer to reread the introduction paragraph of the Model Argument Essay: “How Farewell to Manzanar Conveys Jeanne’s Youth” aloud.

• 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 states the main claim of the essay.

• Think-Pair-Share:

“How does the author capture the reader’s attention?” (The author states the topic of the text and film.)

“How does the author provide context and background information?” (The author provides information about how the story is narrated from Jeanne’s perspective and tells the significant idea.)

“What is the main claim of the essay?” (The author claims that by looking at key moments of the text and the film, we can see that the film Farewell to Manzanar effectively conveys this significant idea of Jeanne’s youth impacting her understanding of events.)

• Invite students to retrieve the following materials:

  • Painted Essay® template

  • Argument Writing checklist

  • Practice Argument Essay Writing Plan graphic organizer

  • Farewell to Manzanar

  • Connections and Distinctions: Farewell to Manzanar note-catcher

  • Compare Text to Film: Farewell to Manzanar note-catcher

  • Close Read: Farewell to Manzanar, Chapter 7 note-catcher

  • Significant Ideas anchor chart

• Focus students’ attention on the displayed Argument Writing checklist. Point out the following characteristics on the checklist:

  • “W.8.1a: I state my claim clearly, and my writing stays focused.”

  • “W.8.1a: I have an introduction that gives readers the context they need to understand the topic or text.”

• Ask:

“How will you apply these characteristics to the practice essay?” (Responses will vary, but may include: When I draft my introduction, I will introduce my idea, and give important background information about the war and the US government’s treatment of people of Japanese descent. I need to group information in a way that makes sense.)

• As students share out, capture their responses in the “Characteristics of This Argument Essay” column.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

In Work Time A, after students have analysed the model introduction, host a think-aloud. Display the introduction of the model essay, annotating aloud, in real-time, the writer's thinking process. Invite students to note this thinking and recall the questions asked aloud. An example is provided below:

"First, I am starting with a brief summary of the text I will write about. I include information about the text that connects directly to the significant idea I will discuss. Then, I introduce the significant idea and explain which methods the authors use to convey this idea. After this, I present my focus statement, which includes the main claim of my essay and directly addresses the prompt."

• Invite students to add detail to their Practice Argument Essay Writing Plan graphic organizer.

• Tell students they are almost ready to draft the introductory paragraph of their practice essays. Explain that in this lesson, they are drafting their introduction, and they will draft their Proof Paragraphs in future lessons.

B. Practice Essay: Draft an Introduction – W.8.1a, W.8.4 (20 minutes)

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

“I can write the introduction of my practice essay, giving context on the issue and clearly stating my claim.”

• Remind students that in the previous lesson they developed the claim for their practice essay, and they will next write the context to draw the reader in and provide background information that the reader will need to understand the claim.

• Allow time for students to retrieve their copies of Farewell to Manzanar, their Compare Text to Film, Connections and Distinctions, and Close Read note-catchers, and their devices. Invite students to work in their pairs using the model essay, the Characteristics of Argument Writing anchor chart, and the Argument Writing checklist to write an introduction. Students will each be writing their own essays, but will work in pairs to support one another. Remind students to refer to the domain-specific word wall, academic word wall, and online or print dictionaries as needed, especially for the definitions they provide while giving context in the introduction.

• Provide students an opportunity to orally recount the main claim from their Argument Essay Writing Plan graphic organizer and rehearse their sentence with their partner before drafting. 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. ▲

• Circulate to support students as they write, addressing clarifying questions and needs. Refer to the Practice Argument Essay Writing Plan graphic organizer (example for teacher reference) and Annotated Practice Argument Essay (for teacher reference) as needed.

A. Peer Feedback: Practice Argument Essay Introduction - W.8.5 (10 minutes)

• Review the 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 and incorporate feedback in my essay plan."

• Invite students to pair up with a new partner to share the introductions of their practice essays written in Work Time B and to provide feedback against relevant criteria on the Characteristics of Argument Writing anchor chart. Ask for a volunteer pair to model this exchange, using prompts such as the following:

"What context do you include to help the reader's understanding of the topic?" (Responses will vary.)

"What is one strength of the introduction?" (Responses will vary.)

"What is one area for improvement?" (Responses will vary.)

• Invite students to record "Y" for Yes and the date in the final column of their Argument Writing checklist if they feel the criteria marked on their checklists have been achieved in their writing in this lesson. Invite students to apply feedback they received by making revisions to their introduction paragraphs.

• 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.