Unit Plan

Grade(s): 7 Unit Focus: Argumentative Essay Unit Dates: Sept. 4 - Oct. 1 Teacher: Mr.Kim
Overview:
In order to get students writing effective and persuasive argumentative essays, students will learn the foundational skills of forming
arguments and providing proper evidence in support of those arguments. The Unit will begin with students expressing their opinions
and supporting it with simple justifications in order to avoid the research phase. The Unit will then move onto teaching the basic
anatomy of the argumentative essay in order to frame the argument/evidence skills into rudimentary essay forms. The Unit will end
with the students finally writing a full essay on a topic of their choice.

Rationale:
Argumentative essays and forming arguments can be a very logical and simple process. The incremental steps, isolated from
research will ensure that students can focus on the skills and processes in order to get a firm grasp on what makes an effective
argumentative essay.

Objectives / Learner Outcomes:

1.2.1 - Listen and respond constructively to alternative ideas or opinions.
2.1.3 - Identify, connect, and summarize the main ideas from different sources on a topic.
2.2.2 - Justify a point of view using evidence from texts.
2.4.1 - Choose appropriate strategies for generating ideas and focusing topics.
2.4.2 - Use suspense, exaggeration, foreshadowing, dialogue and description to show rising action and develop conflict.
2.4.3 - Create texts that are unified by point of view, plot, and endings that are consistent throughout.
2.4.4 - Create texts to explore ideas connected to topics and themes.
3.1.1 - Consider audience, purpose, point of view and form when focusing topics for investigation.
3.1.3 - Discuss the types and sources of information appropriate for topic, audience, form, purpose and point of view.
3.1.4 - Plan and organize information based on instructions
3.3.2 - Produce oral, print and other media texts with well-developed and well-linked ideas and sections
3.3.4 - Reflect in order to form own opinions based on evidence.
 - Students will be able to form an argument and provide simple evidence verbally
- Students will be able to form an argument and provide simple evidence in short written responses
- Students will learn the various stages of writing an argumentative essay
- Students will learn what is and what is not effective at each stage of writing an argumentative essay
- Students will write an argumentative essay

Key Teaching and Learning Activities:

The basics of arguments
https://www.education.com/lesson-plan/argument-writing-claim-reasons-evidence/

Research??
https://www.delawareohionews.com/in-brief/delaware-cemetery-begins-exhuming-bodies-of-confederate-soldiers/

The burden of Proof

Superheros? building up an argument

Anatomy of an Essay

workshopping topics

Free Writing Exercises

Begin Essay

Resources: Assessment and Evaluation:

A bibliography for a few nonfiction text sets to support
argument essay writing in middle school
http://readingandwritingproject.com/public/resources/booklists/nonficti
on%20sets/Middle_School_Nonfiction_Text_Sets.pdf
Students will be formatively assessed throughout the unit in order to
ensure that students are correctly following the incremental steps of
essay writing. Students will be assessed summatively on their final
essay of the unit, however, the students will have an opportunity to
edit with the teacher’s assistance prior to handing in their final work.
A Step-by-Step Plan for Teaching Argumentative Writing
https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/persuasive-writing/ - Arguments and evidence Exit slips (Formative)

Steps of Argumentative Essays - Take a stance and map out your argument (formative)
https://d3upxwx9bggvi1.cloudfront.net/ela/supplemental-resources/AR_
6_All_Lessons.pdf
- Essay structure - fill in the blanks (formative)

- Editing & Peer-feedback (Formative)

- Final Essay (Summative)

September
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

3 ​Labour Day 4 5 ​Basics of Arguments 6 7

1.2.1, 2.1.3
10 ​Superheroes? 11 12 ​Anatomy of an Essay 13 14
1.2.1, 2.2.2 4.1.1, 4.1.3, 4.1.4, 4.1.5, 4.1.7

17 ​Workshopping topics 18 19​ ​ F​ reewriting exercises 20 21​ Begin Essay

4.3.1, 4.3.2, 4.3.3, 4.3.4 2.4.1, 2.4.4 2.4.1, 2.4.2, 2.4.3, 2.4.4, 3.1.1,
3.1.3, 3.1.4, 3.3.2, 3.3.4,

24 25​ Editing and Revising 26 27 ​Peer Edits and 28

with ARMS and CAPS feedback
4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.1.3, 4.1.4, 4.1.5, 4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.1.3, 4.1.4, 4.1.5,
4.1.7 4.1.7

1 ​Essay Due 2 3 4 5