Lesson 1: Review of Reading Synthesis: Claims

Subject: English Language Arts (EES Section 1 - F Block)

Topic: Examining Claims
Grade/Level: 9-12
Learning Context: This lesson is the second lesson within a six-week unit
where students will investigate a topic of interest such as objectification of
the body, the role of mythology in modern media, and sex trafficking.
Students will have access to a variety of texts within different genres and
modes that they can investigate their topic and bring into conversation
about what they know about their topic. Students are encouraged to also
take advantage of collaborative inquiry and speak to each other in order to
resolve confusion and create new meaning of the text within their the
overarching theme of their topic. Students will be building upon previously
acquired skills such as unison reading and breaching, or making a
breakthrough using cooperative comprehension skills, to explore a variety of
texts related to their unit topic. The focus of this unit is to teach students
about informational literacy and how to apply the skills and knowledge they
acquire during the unit to discover new perspectives and concepts relating to
their topic. Knowing how to successfully research and acquire new
knowledge on a topic can empower students to take ownership of their
learning and explore topics that are relevant to their success as students
within the world of academia, citizens of their community, and individuals in
an ever-evolving world.
The rationale for teaching this lesson within this unit is that students
need to be able to recognize claims and how they can contribute to the
larger concepts in a text. Observing examples of strong claims can also help
students develop their own ability to write precise and accurate claims within
their writing. This lesson specifically will focus on the evaluation and
construction of claims, a specific aspect of informational literacy, that
students will need to master in order to comprehend the complexities of
texts and their topics. During guided practice, students will look at claims
that I have collected from their Reading Synthesis Exams. I want students to
see examples of writing that was created by their peers and themselves I
order to relate to the level of writing presented. Students will recognize the
characteristics of a strong claim and provide suggestions on how to improve
a weaker claim. When students work in their Unison Reading (UR) Groups,
they will observe claims within their group texts and discuss what strategies
the writer uses to create a precise and an accurate claim. This lesson will
serve as an opportunity to address previous work that students have done as
well as help them to apply new strategies of how to identify claims to the
texts that they have chosen to read and construct claims about inferences
they have made while reading. Students will be able to draw upon their

previous knowledge of claims and rhetorical strategies that a writer can

implement in developing their claims. All the examples of claims in the mini
lesson are taken directly from student work and it will provide students with
feedback on their own claims.

Objectives:
Short-range Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to identify multiple claims within a text and
identify how they support the larger meaning of the text.
Students will be able to recognize various effective strategies and
techniques that are used to create precise and accurate claims.
Students will be able to differentiate whether a writers claim is precise
and clear.
Long Term Objectives:
Students will be able to examine the features of a text such as
language and genre to understand the purpose of the text and to put
the text into conversation with the larger discourse of the topic.
Students will be able to implement collaborative inquiry to interrogate
the texts features, such as language and genre, to construct new
meaning from the text within their topic.
Students will be able to examine how writers use various
strategies and techniques to present claims that effectively
support the overall purpose in the text.
Students will be able to construct meaning through the implementation of
concept maps, such as a concept wheel, vocabulary chart, Venn diagram,
and a quotation chart, to determine the connections between language,
ideas, and concepts and how they contribute to their understanding of their
texts and topic.
Students will be able to identify and implement a series of strategies to
improve the flow of conversation such as posing open-ended questions
related to the discussion, offering insight of personal views, responding
to diverse perspectives, and/or summarizing points of agreement and
disagreement on the topic.
Students will be able to promote discussion as a collaborative group by
engaging through encouraging language and behavior, positive body
language, and constructive feedback and responses.
Students will be able to apply a variety of strategies to determine the
definition and/or the importance of language used by the writer to
determine the larger meaning of the text.

Students will be able to support their analysis of a text by adding

important information and practicing explicit language to convey their
ideas in a clear and efficient manner.
Students will be able to support their audience by considering what
information is necessary for their audience to know about their topic or
text.
Students will be able to examine how writers effectively present their
ideas through the implementation of rhetorical strategies and literary
devices.
Students will be able to discuss how rhetorical strategies and literary
devices enhance texts by displaying the central idea in a variety of
innovative ways through the use of specific language and rhetorical
moves.

NYS Common Core Learning Standards for Language Arts and

Literacy
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.5: Analyze in detail how an author's ideas or
claims are developed and refined by particular sentences, paragraphs, or
larger portions of a text (e.g., a section or chapter).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.5: Analyze and evaluate the
effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or
argument, including whether the structure makes points clear,
convincing, and engaging.

Summary:
Establish a share circle and welcoming students into the circle with
their writing materials.
Show examples of claims with student writing samples

Pose essential questions about claims

Students transition to Unison Reading (UR) Groups
Students read texts in unison and breach and take notes on what they
are reading and learning.
Students transition back to the share circle and we debrief about what
claims were identified as students read.
Pose essential questions to assess their comprehension of claims.

End lesson with final statement on claims and its importance to

informational literacy.

Procedures:
Anticipatory set: I will welcome students to class and ask them to join
the share circle. I will ask them to take out their breach logs and other
materials that they will use during the lesson.
Guided Practice (Mini Lesson) 10min.
Show Examples of Claims: I will show students example of claims that I
have taken from their Reading Synthesises. As a class, we will identify what
strategies the student-writers used to create their claim. I will have a
selection of strong and weak claims so that students can see a spectrum of
examples.
Possible Guided Questions: What strategies did this writer use that
makes their claim strong? What could this writer do to make their claim
stronger/clearer? What are some other strategies a writer could use to
create a clear, precise claim?
I want to get students thinking about what rhetorical strategies could be
used to create a strong claim so that when they transition into their Unison
Reading (UR) groups, they can think about what their reading and how that
author presents their claims.
Instruction/Independent Practice (UR Groups) 40min.
As students work in their Unison Reading (UR) groups, I will encourage
students to locate the claims in the text that they are collectively reading.
Students can discuss as a group the strategies the writer uses to present a
precise and accurate claim. Students will highlight or underline the claims
and make observations of the claims individually as well as collectively to
draw attention to strategy patterns the writer implements throughout the
text.
Closure (Share) 10min.
Debrief: During the debrief, I will encourage students to share examples of
how writers use different strategies to create strong and clear claims.
Possible Guided Questions: What makes the writers claim strong? What
strategies did you notice the writer using when presenting their claim? How
were their strategies effective or ineffective?
Closing Statement: Not every claim is going to be an easily identifiable
statement. Different genres of texts will display claims in a variety of ways
to best serve their purpose.

Extension: I will support students with special needs or struggling students

by providing repetition of important information such as key concepts,
directions, and student responses. During Unison Reading (UR) Groups, I will
encourage students to breach or pause for clarification of language and
ideas presented in the text. I have also provided each group with a dry erase
board that they can use to record important ideas, vocabulary, and
questions.

Lesson 2: Organizing Information using Concept Maps

Subject: English Language Arts (EES Section 1 - F Block)
Topic: Organizing Information using Concept Maps
Grade/Level: 9-12
Learning Context: This lesson is positioned within a unit designed to teach
students about informational literacy in terms of reading and examining
texts, and how these texts contribute to the larger conversion of a specific
topic. Students have already chosen and started reading texts in the
previous lesson and are now examining and interrogating texts for important
information as well as main concepts that help students better understand
their topic. In this lesson, students will utilize a variety of concept maps to
examine specific language and vocabulary, compare and contrast ideas, and
relate multiple ideas to a major concept in their topics. The goal of this
lesson is to help students organize information from texts so that
connections between language, ideas, and major concepts are clear and
students able to comprehend the larger conversation of their topic.

Objectives:
Short-range Learning Objective:
Students will be able to identify challenging vocabulary and domain specific
language and develop their own meaning of the words and their significance
to the text and their topic.
Students will be able to organize information in a visual format to create
connections between concepts and ideas.
Students will be able to compare and contrast ideas to understand how their
commonalities and differences contribute to their understanding of the text
and their topic.

Students will be able to locate and analyze evidence from their texts to
support analysis, reflection, and research.
Students will be able to discuss collectively, with their group partners, the
connections of language, ideas and concepts, and how they contribute to a
greater understanding of the topic, while building on others' ideas and
expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Long Term Objectives:
Students will be able to examine the features of a text such as
language and genre to understand the purpose of the text and to put
the text into conversation with the larger discourse of the topic.
Students will be able to implement collaborative inquiry to interrogate
the texts features, such as language and genre, to construct new
meaning from the text within their topic.
Students will be able to examine how writers use various strategies
and techniques to present claims that effectively support the overall
purpose in the text.
Students will be able to construct meaning through the
implementation of concept maps, such as a concept wheel,
vocabulary chart, Venn diagram, and a quotation chart, to
determine the connections between language, ideas, and
concepts and how they contribute to their understanding of
their texts and topic.
Students will be able to identify and implement a series of strategies to
improve the flow of conversation such as posing open-ended questions
related to the discussion, offering insight of personal views, responding
to diverse perspectives, and/or summarizing points of agreement and
disagreement on the topic.
Students will be able to promote discussion as a collaborative group by
engaging through encouraging language and behavior, positive body
language, and constructive feedback and responses.
Students will be able to apply a variety of strategies to determine the
definition and/or the importance of language used by the writer to
determine the larger meaning of the text.
Students will be able to support their analysis of a text by adding
important information and practicing explicit language to convey their
ideas in a clear and efficient manner.
Students will be able to support their audience by considering what
information is necessary for their audience to know about their topic or
text.
Students will be able to examine how writers effectively present their
ideas through the implementation of rhetorical strategies and literary
devices.
Students will be able to discuss how rhetorical strategies and literary
devices enhance texts by displaying the central idea in a variety of

innovative ways through the use of specific language and rhetorical

moves.
NYS Common Core Learning Standards for Language Arts and
Literacy:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.2: Determine a central idea of a text
and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how
it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an
objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.2: Determine two or more central
ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the
text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a
complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.4: Determine the meaning of words
and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative,
connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of
specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of
a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.4: Determine the meaning of words
and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative,
connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author uses and
refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text
(e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.9: Draw evidence from literary or
informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.9: Draw evidence from literary or
informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1: Initiate and participate effectively in
a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and
issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and
persuasively.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1: Initiate and participate effectively
in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and
issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and
persuasively.
Summary:

 Establish a share circle and welcoming students into the circle with

their writing materials.

Introduce each concept map individually and ask students essential
questions related to how they could use each concept map.
Show where the concept maps are physically located in the classroom.

Students transition to Unison Reading (UR) Groups

Students read texts in unison and breach and take notes on what
they are reading and learning.
Students write in concept maps independently or as a group.

Students debrief or reflect in their breach logs about language or

major concepts they encounter as they read.

Students transition back to the share circle and we debrief or share
how they used any of the concept maps.
End lesson with final statement on how concept maps can be used to
approach a variety of texts for a variety of purposes.
Procedures:
Anticipatory Set: Students come to the share circle with their Breach
Logs.
Guided Practice (Mini-lesson) 10min.
Introducing Concept Maps: For the mini-lesson, I will introduce a
series of concept maps that students can use while they are reading
texts to better organize their thinking. I will ask guided questions to get
students thinking about the various ways they can use these concept
maps as they examine texts.
Guided Questions: How did you organize your thinking and evidence
when writing the synthesis? How could you have organized your
information? How can you record what you are learning about your
topic? What are some ways you can use concept maps to organize your
thinking? How do you think these concept maps be helpful?
Instruction/Independent Practice (UR Groups) 40min.
Unison Reading: Students will continue to read their texts in unison.
They will have the option to choose from different concept maps to fill
in as they read. They can create them collectively as a group or they
can write independently as long as they are all recording information
that they are reading together.
Unison Reading Debrief: Before returning to a class group, students
will debrief in their Unison Reading groups on what they read by

answering the following questions: What was the most meaningful

breach today? Tell the story of the breach. What did you learn and
how did you learn it? Make a commitment. The next time your group
meets, how will you build on todays learning?
Closure (Share) 10min.
Share Out: Students will share as a class their challenges and/or
successes in unison reading and organizing information using concept
maps.
Possible Guided Questions: What challenges did you have with
unison reading? What successes did you have in unison reading? How
did the concept maps help you or your group organize your thinking
about your topic? What did you find interesting about your topic? What
do you think you need to do to further explore your topic?

Extension: Students will use their breach logs to write down information
during the mini-lesson. Having students write during the discussion can help
them focus as well as help them remember the information presented at a
later time. I will display each concept map on the Smartboard so that
students can visually see their appearance as I explain their function. I will
also provide students with copies of each concept map and work with
struggling students that have trouble organizing large amounts and guide
them towards the most appropriate concept map. I will provide each group
with dry erase boards for students to write down important vocabulary or
concepts to refer back to at a later time.

Lesson 3: Providing Relevant Information for Audience

Subject: English Language Arts (EES Section 1 - F Block)
Topic: Providing Relevant Information for the Audience
Grade/Level: 9-12
Learning Context: This lesson is based within a unit where students are
examining texts on a specific topic. After examining student writing,
awareness of audience was a consistent trend that most students were
struggling to comprehend. This lesson is intended to encourage students to
think about their audience and what vital information they need to include in
their writing to help their readers understand their writing and overall

purpose. This lesson will also promote students to think as critical readers
and examine how the authors of the texts they read address them as the
audience and what strategies they utilize to help their audience understand
their purpose.
Students will value this lesson because knowing how to use concept
maps can help them better organize their thinking about their text and topic.
Students who struggle with understanding the language or concepts specific
to their topic can appreciate the way concept maps can help them make
connections between the language, concepts, and the topic as a whole.
Concept maps can also support students who are value visual aids and who
need to see how concepts and ideas relate to each other through a diagram
or concept web or wheel. Students will be able to bring their prior knowledge
of claims, arguments, and writers purpose to this lesson. Students will also
draw upon their experiences with reading selected articles from the previous
lesson. Students can also implement their skills of context clues for language
and vocabulary comprehension. All of these previously acquired skills and
knowledge can help students obtain new information presented in this
lesson.
Objectives:
Short Term Objectives:
Students will be able to identify important information such as author,
text title, central idea, genre, and stakeholders involved in the text to
understand the writers purpose for the text.
Students will be able to explain important information such as author,
text title, central idea, genre, and stakeholders involved in the text to
help their audience understand the purpose of their writing.
Students will be able to present information clearly in order to provide
detail to support their audiences comprehension of their topic.
Long Term Objectives:
Students will be able to examine the features of a text such as
language and genre to understand the purpose of the text and to put
the text into conversation with the larger discourse of the topic.
Students will be able to implement collaborative inquiry to interrogate
the texts features, such as language and genre, to construct new
meaning from the text within their topic.
Students will be able to examine how writers use various strategies
and techniques to present claims that effectively support the overall
purpose in the text.
Students will be able to construct meaning through the implementation
of concept maps, such as a concept wheel, vocabulary chart, Venn
diagram, and a quotation chart, to determine the connections between
language, ideas, and concepts and how they contribute to their
understanding of their texts and topic.

Students will be able to identify and implement a series of strategies to

improve the flow of conversation such as posing open-ended questions
related to the discussion, offering insight of personal views, responding
to diverse perspectives, and/or summarizing points of agreement and
disagreement on the topic.
Students will be able to promote discussion as a collaborative group by
engaging through encouraging language and behavior, positive body
language, and constructive feedback and responses.
Students will be able to apply a variety of strategies to determine the
definition and/or the importance of language used by the writer to
determine the larger meaning of the text.
Students will be able to support their analysis of a text by
adding important information and practicing explicit language
to convey their ideas in a clear and efficient manner.
Students will be able to support their audience by considering
what information is necessary for their audience to know about
their topic or text.
Students will be able to examine how writers effectively present their
ideas through the implementation of rhetorical strategies and literary
devices.
Students will be able to discuss how rhetorical strategies and literary
devices enhance texts by displaying the central idea in a variety of
innovative ways through the use of specific language and rhetorical
moves.

NYS Common Core Learning Standards for Language Arts and

Literacy:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.3: Analyze how the author unfolds an
analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the
points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the
connections that are drawn between them.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.3: Analyze a complex set of ideas or
sequence of events and explain how specific individuals, ideas, or
events interact and develop over the course of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.4: Present information, findings, and
supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners
can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development,
substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.4: Present information, findings, and
supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such
that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing

perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development,

substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a
range of formal and informal tasks.
Summary:
Introduce Movie example to get students thinking about details
Pose essential questions to students to get them to think about what
details are important in writing.
Students transition to Unison Reading (UR) Groups
Students read texts in unison and breach and take notes on what
they are reading and learning.
Students underline or highlight how important details are introduced or
presented by writers.
Students debrief or reflect in their breach logs about language or
major concepts they encounter as they read.
Students transition back to the share circle and we debrief or share
what strategies they found that shows how important details are
introduced or presented in the text.
End lesson with final statement on how it is important to consider the
audience by including vital details are to conveying purpose in writing.
Procedures:
Anticipatory Set - I will use an example about a movie review to get
students to think about why providing their audience with information
is so important.
Example: You are trying to get your friends to watch one of your
favorite movies. What information do you need to include to persuade
them to watch it? (title, plot, main actors/actresses, who directed it,
date of release, the point of the movie/why you enjoy it)
Guided Practice (Mini-lesson) 10min. I will ask students a series
of questions to get them thinking about their audience and what
information is important ton include in writing to help their audience
understand their topic and purpose. This guided practice will take the
form of a group discussion where I offer guided questions and
examples, and all students can share their responses. Students will be
expected to write down information shared as a class in their breach
logs.
Possible Guided Questions: Who is your audience? Put yourself in
their perspective, what do they need to know to understand your
purpose? What do they need to know about your text/topic? Is their

specific language that you know that your audience may not know?
Think about WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY
Instruction/Independent Practice (UR Groups) 40min. - Students
will be reading a new text related to their topic. They will be
responsible for reading in unison with their group members while I
record their discussions. I will be encouraging students to look at how
the author of the text addresses them as readers or how they offer
information for them as readers to understand the authors purpose.
Unison Daily Debrief - By the end of the unison reading, students
will be required to write a Unison Daily Debrief and explain how
breaching on language and words specific to their topic have helped
them better understand their topic.
Closure (Share) 10min. - Students return to the share circle where
they discuss as a group anything they learned during the lesson. They
can share about what they learned about how to speak to an audience,
how they noticed what the author of their text did to address them as
readers, and/or how the language and phrases they breached on
helped them better understand the text/topic.
Possible Guided Questions: What are some ways you can help your
audience better understand your topic and purpose? How did the
authors of your texts help you understand their message and/or
purpose?
How did specific words and phrases allow you to better understand
your text and topic?
Extension: During the mini lesson and the debrief discussion at the end, I
will offer opportunities for students to ask questions to resolve any confusion
about the content of the lesson. I will also encourage students to use the dry
erase board at their table to write down any important information or
breaches so that they can refer back to the board if they need to recall such
information. I will also be walking around the room to assist any students
that are struggling in their UR groups and encourage them to stay on task. I
also included the movie example activity to help students connect to the
content of the lesson through an example that they all can relate to.
Lesson 4: Examining Rhetorical Strategies
Subject: English Language Arts (EES Section 1 - F Block)
Topic: Examining Rhetorical Strategies

Grade/Level: 9-12
Learning Context: This lesson is situated within a unit focused on
examining how writers effectively present their topic purpose. Students will
examine how writers use a series of rhetorical strategies to convey their
ideas about their topic. The purpose for students to student rhetorical
strategies is for them to comprehend how they help the writer convey their
purpose and how students can convey their purpose as writers themselves.
There are multiple rhetorical strategies that can be used to enhance a
writers intentions. This lesson is designed to help students identify these
strategies and how they can be used in different ways to enhance the text.
The rational for teaching students about rhetorical strategies is that it helps
them identify and interrogate how writers convey complex ideas, and
ultimately their intentions, to their readers. This is a necessary skill students
need in order to effectively interrogate texts, as well as recognize the
relationship between them as the readers, the text, the author of the text,
and their world. Also, students are constantly manipulating language in order
to innovatively express their ideas. They make rhetorical moves in how they
speak and write consistently on a daily basis. By teaching students to
recognize and define them, students can be more intentional about the
rhetorical strategies they implement in their writing to become stronger,
more effective writers. Defining the moves they make can also allow them to
think critically about how writers make the same moves to successfully
deliver their message.
Learning about rhetorical strategies will provide students with an
opportunity to bring their prior knowledge of claims, arguments, and writers
purpose to this lesson. Students will also draw upon their experiences with
reading selected articles and the Genre Analysis Exam they recently
completed to think critically about what rhetorical strategies the authors of
their texts employ to enhance their purpose.
Objectives:
Short Term Objectives:
Students will be able to identify multiple rhetorical strategies such as
asking a rhetorical question, citing credible sources, displaying data,
facts, or illustrations, formatting the physical space of text, and
comparing and contrasting of the main idea that support the purpose
of the text.

Students will be able to recognize multiple literary devices such as

allusion, simile, metaphor, repetition, irony, tone, oxymoron, humor,
hyperbole, understatement, sarcasm, and contradiction that support
the purpose or the effect of the text.
Students will be able to interrogate how literary devices and rhetorical
strategies are used within a text to show the authors purpose.
Students will be able to implement rhetorical strategies and literary
devices within their writing to enhance their readers understanding of
their intentions as writers.
Long Term Objectives:
Students will be able to examine the features of a text such as
language and genre to understand the purpose of the text and to put
the text into conversation with the larger discourse of the topic.
Students will be able to implement collaborative inquiry to interrogate
the texts features, such as language and genre, to construct new
meaning from the text within their topic.
Students will be able to examine how writers use various strategies
and techniques to present claims that effectively support the overall
purpose in the text.
Students will be able to construct meaning through the implementation
of concept maps, such as a concept wheel, vocabulary chart, Venn
diagram, and a quotation chart, to determine the connections between
language, ideas, and concepts and how they contribute to their
understanding of their texts and topic.
Students will be able to identify and implement a series of strategies to
improve the flow of conversation such as posing open-ended questions
related to the discussion, offering insight of personal views, responding
to diverse perspectives, and/or summarizing points of agreement and
disagreement on the topic.
Students will be able to promote discussion as a collaborative group by
engaging through encouraging language and behavior, positive body
language, and constructive feedback and responses.
Students will be able to apply a variety of strategies to determine the
definition and/or the importance of language used by the writer to
determine the larger meaning of the text.
Students will be able to support their analysis of a text by adding
important information and practicing explicit language to convey their
ideas in a clear and efficient manner.
Students will be able to support their audience by considering what
information is necessary for their audience to know about their topic or
text.

Students will be able to examine how writers effectively

present their ideas through the implementation of rhetorical
strategies and literary devices.
Students will be able to discuss how rhetorical strategies and
literary devices enhance texts by displaying the central idea in
a variety of innovative ways through the use of specific
language and rhetorical moves.

NYS Common Core Learning Standards for Language Arts and

Literacy:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2: Determine a theme or central idea
of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the
text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific
details; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2: Determine two or more themes or
central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course
of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to
produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.3: Analyze how the author unfolds an
analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the
points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the
connections that are drawn between them.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.3: Analyze a complex set of ideas or
sequence of events and explain how specific individuals, ideas, or
events interact and develop over the course of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.6: Determine an author's point of view
or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to
advance that point of view or purpose.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.6: Determine an author's point of view
or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective,
analyzing how style and content contribute to the power,
persuasiveness or beauty of the text.
Summary:
Students meet in the share circle with writing materials.
Students brainstorm of rhetorical strategies to create a reference list
I introduce YouTube video about rhetorical strategies in music.

Students transition to Unison Reading (UR) Groups

Students read texts in unison and breach and take notes on what

they are reading and learning.

Students label, highlight, or underline rhetorical strategies they locate
in their texts.
Students debrief or reflect in their breach logs about language or
major concepts they encounter as they read. Students also write down
what rhetorical strategies they found while reading.
Students transition back to the share circle and we debrief or share
what rhetorical strategies they identified as they read in unison and
how they enhance the writers purpose.
End lesson with final statement on how rhetorical strategies enhance
the function or meaning of the text. I remind students about where we
are in the unit and what assignments are due.
Procedures:
Anticipatory Set: Students will meet in the share circle with their
breach logs and be ready to write.
Guided Practice (Mini-lesson) 10min.: I will introduce the topic and
define what a rhetorical strategy is. Students will brainstorm as many
rhetorical strategies as possible to make a sufficient list that they can
use as a reference. If there is ample time, I will show a three-minute
clip that shows how rhetorical strategies are used in songs.
Instruction/Independent Practice (UR Groups) 40min.: Students
will read together in their Unison Reading groups. As they read in
unison, they will be responsible for identifying and labeling the different
rhetorical strategies they observe in the text they are reading. I will
encourage students to discuss how the writer is implementing the
rhetorical strategy and how it affects the purpose of the writer and the
text.
Unison Daily Debrief - By the end of the unison reading, students
will be required to write a Unison Daily Debrief and explain how
breaching on language and words specific to their topic have helped
them better understand their topic.
Closure (Share) 10min.: Students will share what they learned
during Unison Reading about Rhetorical Strategies. They can also share
about their topic as well as the Unison Daily Debrief. The Closure is an
opportunity for students to share out about their learning experiences
throughout the lesson.
Guiding Questions: What rhetorical strategies did you notice while

reading? Why did the author use that strategy? How did the strategy
help the writer achieve their purpose?
Extension:
During the mini lesson and the debrief discussion at the end, I will offer
opportunities for students to ask questions to resolve any confusion about
the content of the lesson. I will also encourage students to use the dry erase
board at their table to write down any important information or breaches so
that they can refer back to the board if they need to recall such information. I
will also be walking around the room to assist any students that are
struggling in their UR groups and encourage them to stay on task. I have
posted the list of rhetorical strategies as a poster and posted it in the front of
the room for students to refer to during the lesson and the unit.
Lesson 5: Examining Types of Evidence
Subject: English Language Arts (EES Section 1 - F Block)
Topic: Examining Types of Evidence
Grade/Level: 9-12
Learning Context: This lesson is situated within a unit focused on
examining how writers effectively support their purpose. Students will
examine how writers use different types of evidence such as statistical,
testimonial, anecdotal, and analogical evidence to strengthen the central
idea of their text. It is essential for students to know how vital evidence is in
enhancing their ideas. Evidence is like a supporting beam in a structure,
there needs to be many of them and they all need to be powerful and wellmade to help hold up the main part: the central idea. Students also need to
consider how important analysis is in reinforcing their evidence that they
employ in their writing. Evidence is ineffective unless students express how it
contributes to their central idea. By the end of the lesson, students will write
what they learned about evidence and how they will use it to fortify their
understanding of their topic as well as inform their audience effectively.
Teaching students about different types of evidence is important to
students and how they support their ideas in their writing. Students use
different types of evidence often as they speak and write in different
domains of their lives. However, teaching students to recognize, define, and
employ different types of evidence can strengthen their ability to convey
their purpose. By distinguishing between different types of evidence such

anecdotal, analogical, statistical, and testimonial evidence can allow

students to use the most effective type of evidence that will accurately
support their claim. In conveying a certain idea, one type of evidence may be
more valuable than another. Realizing this aspect of evidence can help
students become more effective writers and can ultimately help them create
change through their writing.
During this lesson, Students will be able to draw upon knowledge and skills
recently acquired in previous lessons. They can build on their knowledge of
claims, arguments, and writers purpose to this lesson. Students will also
draw upon their experiences with reading selected articles and the Genre
Analysis Exam they recently completed to think critically about what types of
evidence the authors of their texts utilized and how it enhanced their
purpose.
Objectives:
Short Term Objectives:
Students will be able to identify specific types of evidence such as
statistical, testimonial,
anecdotal, and analogical evidence and how they support the authors
claims.
Students will be able to determine how evidence can enhance specific
points they want to make about their topic.
Students will be able to explain how the evidence supports the claim or
central idea of the text. Students will be able to implement different
types of evidence in their writing to support their claim, refute
opposing claims, and inform their reader on their topic.
Students will be able to analyze how authors use evidence to
contribute to the texts message.
Long Term Objectives:
Students will be able to examine the features of a text such as
language and genre to understand the purpose of the text and to put
the text into conversation with the larger discourse of the topic.
Students will be able to implement collaborative inquiry to interrogate
the texts features, such as language and genre, to construct new
meaning from the text within their topic.
Students will be able to recognize different types of evidence
and how they support an authors claims and overall purpose.
Students will be able to examine how writers use various strategies
and techniques to present claims that effectively support the overall
purpose in the text.

Students will be able to construct meaning through the implementation

of concept maps, such as a concept wheel, vocabulary chart, Venn
diagram, and a quotation chart, to determine the connections between
language, ideas, and concepts and how they contribute to their
understanding of their texts and topic.
Students will be able to identify and implement a series of strategies to
improve the flow of conversation such as posing open-ended questions
related to the discussion, offering insight of personal views, responding
to diverse perspectives, and/or summarizing points of agreement and
disagreement on the topic.
Students will be able to compose a writing piece using strong,
relevant evidence that supports their claim or purpose
concerning their topic of research.
Students will be able to promote discussion as a collaborative group by
engaging through encouraging language and behavior, positive body
language, and constructive feedback and responses.
Students will be able to apply a variety of strategies to determine the
definition and/or the importance of language used by the writer to
determine the larger meaning of the text.
Students will be able to draw connections between strong
evidence and a developed central idea and how providing
multiple pieces of evidence can contribute to an effective piece
of writing.
Students will be able to support their analysis of a text by adding
important information and practicing explicit language to convey their
ideas in a clear and efficient manner.
Students will be able to support their audience by considering what
information is necessary for their audience to know about their topic or
text.
Students will be able to examine how writers effectively present their
ideas through the implementation of rhetorical strategies and literary
devices.
Students will be able to discuss how rhetorical strategies and literary
devices enhance texts by displaying the central idea in a variety of
innovative ways through the use of specific language and rhetorical
moves.

NYS Common Core Learning Standards for Language Arts and

Literacy:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1: Cite strong and thorough textual
evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1: Cite strong and thorough textual

evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text
leaves matters uncertain.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.8: Delineate and evaluate the
argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the
reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify
false statements and fallacious reasoning.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.9: Draw evidence from literary or
informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.9: Draw evidence from literary or
informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.2: Integrate multiple sources of
information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually,
quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each
source.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.2: Integrate multiple sources of
information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually,
quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve
problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and
noting any discrepancies among the data.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.3: Evaluate a speaker's point of view,
reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious
reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.3: Evaluate a speaker's point of view,
reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance,
premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and
tone used.

Summary:
Establish a share circle and welcoming students into the circle with
their writing materials.
Students will collectively brainstorm about all the evidence they have
observed writers or themselves employ.
I will show and describe the four types of evidence (Statistical,
Testimonial, Anecdotal, Analogical)
I will show advertisements and ask students to identify which type of
evidence is shown.
Students transition to Unison Reading (UR) Groups
Students read texts in unison and breach and take notes on what

they are reading and learning. They highlight or underline any

evidence they find in the text.
Students debrief or reflect in their breach logs about language, major
concepts, or types of evidence they encounter as they read.
Students transition back to the share circle and we debrief or share
what evidence they observed in the writing and for what purpose the
writer used it.

End lesson with final statement on how evidence is important to

effectively convey a writers purpose and how it contributes to the

larger concept of informational literacy.

Procedures:
Anticipatory Set: All students will meet in the share circle ready to
write using their breach logs.
Guided Practice (Mini-lesson) 10min. - The mini lesson will consist
of students sharing different types of evidence they know about. As
students share, I will record a list of all the evidence students identify.
When we have gathered a sufficient list, I will share the four main types
of evidence (statistical, analogical, anecdotal, and testimonial) From
here, I will show students four advertisements and ask students to
identify what type of evidence is being used in each advertisement.
This will allow students to associate the evidence they mentioned
before with images to better remember these types of evidence.
Instruction/Independent Practice (UR Groups) 40min.
As students read in their Unison Reading groups, I will encourage
students to identify what evidence the author is presenting in the text
and examine why the author used that specific type of evidence. They
will be responsible for underlining evidence as they read or when they
breach.
Unison Daily Debrief - By the end of the unison reading, students
will be required to write a Unison Daily Debrief and explain how
breaching on language and words specific to their topic have helped
them better understand their topic.
Closure (Share) 10min.: For the end of the lesson, students will
come back to the share circle and share what they learned or observed
about evidence in their Unison Reading groups. They can also share
what they learned through the language of the text they were reading
as well.

Possible Guided Questions: What is some evidence you found in

your text and how did it persuade or make you think about the topic?
Was that type of evidence effective in that text? What are some words
or language that you breached on today and how did it better help you
understand your topic?
Extension: During the mini lesson, I made sure to include a visual mode
such as product advertisements because I know a few students may need a
visual example of evidence in order to understand how evidence functions in
writing. To observe evidence in a visual mode will allow students who are
visual learners to better understand the content of the lesson. Also, during
the mini lesson and the debrief discussion at the end, I will offer
opportunities for students to ask questions to resolve any confusion about
the content of the lesson. I will also encourage students to use the dry erase
board at their table to write down any important information or breaches so
that they can refer back to the board if they need to recall such information. I
will also be walking around the room to assist any students that are
struggling in their UR groups and encourage them to stay on task.