Bergonio 1

Just Mercy Unit Lesson Plans—Tristan Bergonio

Lesson Plan 1 (Pre-Literacy)
Central Focus
Define journalism, its powers, its conflicting interests, and its responsibilities to the public in the
context of Just Mercy and a journal article.
Time
50 minutes
Setting
This lesson will be taking place in an 11th grade honors English course at a suburban public high
school. See the unit website for a classroom demographic breakdown.
Conceptual/Theoretical Framework
“We are always teaching new students in a world rich with evolving stories and ideas”
(Gallagher & Kittle, 2018, 4).
Here, Gallagher and Kittle emphasize the importance of keeping one’s classroom relevant
with “evolving stories and ideas.” Today, with the growing prevalence of digital journalism,
clickbait articles, and fake news, the need to inform students of journalism’s positive and
negative influences in the public sphere grows direr. This three-lesson set addresses the effects of
journalism upon court cases in Just Mercy’s later chapters and requires that students think
critically about journalism.
Prior Knowledge
This lesson is located nearest to the end of the unit, the week prior to the final project’s
introduction. Up until this point, students have been assigned to read up to Ch. 11 of Bryan
Stevenson’s Just Mercy and have been familiarized with the many ways that systemic injustices
in the justice system fail women and people of color in the United States.
Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Identify commonalities between Stevenson’s experience with the media in Just Mercy with
two articles on journalism and journalistic integrity
2. Analyze the psychological perspective on empathy in journalism
3. Discuss how empathy may have the power to affect change
Materials
1. Class set of Chromebooks
2. Handout
3. Document projector
 Bergonio 2

4. Smartboard
Preparation
Prior to the implementation of this lesson, 24 handouts must be prepared in advance for
all students. These handouts must be on the students’ desks before they enter class. Further, the
Chromebook cart must be checked out and ready for class use. Links to the Spanish translations
of the site via Google Translate are as follows:
- https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=es&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww
.cjr.org%2Fanalysis%2Fjournalism_and_the_power_of_emotions.php
Here is the handout to be used for the lesson:
Name:______________
Date:_______________
The Importance of Journalism and Journalistic Integrity
Empathy in Journalism (Source:
https://www.cjr.org/analysis/journalism_and_the_power_of_emotions.php)
Empathy, the ability to connect with other human beings, is critical to moral behavior. But it takes time.

So what are the implications for an industry in which more and more of the work of journalists is
being consumed digitally, a form that lends itself to speed? Online, we skim stories and dart from link to
link, all while we are bombarded by alerts, emails, chat windows. In essence, according to a 2005
review by Ziming Liu of San Jose State University, the way we read online is fundamentally different from
the way we read on paper.
A 2006 study by Karin Foerde and colleagues, for instance, shows that multitasking can alter the
way we learn and remember things, both on a behavioral and neural level. In fact, people who frequently
multitask online don’t get better at it. According to a 2009 study by Eyal Ophir et al, published in
the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, people who spend more time buzzing
back and forth on the internet are worse at filtering out irrelevant information and avoiding distraction.
This matters for online reading because humans are known to be bad at “parallel processing”:
receiving bits and pieces of unrelated information at the same time. Picture the quintessential hyper-
networked teenager, who listens to music on Spotify, browses Tumblr, chats on Facebook, and does
homework simultaneously—hardly an exaggeration when Time Inc. commissioned a study, albeit not
peer-reviewed, showing that “digital natives” (those who grew up with digital media) switch media
platforms on average 27 times per hour.
Similarly, a 2005 study by Lori Bergen and colleagues corroborated this, presented 60 Kansas
State University students with CNN broadcasts. Half were shown stories with distractions like tickers,
headline crawls, and icons that appeared in the original newscasts, while the other half saw edited
excerpts with only the anchor visible. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the group with the extra distractions
remembered 10 percent less of the stories.
Online, not only are we constantly multitasking, but the drain of constantly adjusting to different
website designs makes focusing even harder, Swedish and British researchers Erik Wästlund et al
showed in 2004. Research is still divided over whether multimedia, which is used frequently online in
video, audio, GIFS, and infographics, encodes information more powerfully than a single medium—
see Steven C. Rockwell & Loy A. Singleton from 2007 or the work of Allan Paivio. On the other hand,
researchers like Anne Mangen et al in 2013 say better comprehension when reading print versus digital
media may be related to the way you can conceptualize the text in a book or magazine in physical space.
Studies show that what you expect to get out of a piece of writing affects what you actually get
out of it. Put in more effort, and you will process more information, Gavriel Salomon and Tamar
Leigh found in 1984, long before the internet. Today, print is still seen as a more serious medium in the
 Bergonio 3

US: It’s where magazines like The Atlantic and The New Yorker put their premium content, and where
they pay writers premium rates. On the internet, meanwhile, there is always the sense that something
better lies a few clicks away.

Empathy is critical to moral behavior. But it takes time.

On the other hand, there are ways that we adapt to regular reading on the internet. Call it the
Google Effect. Psychologists Betsy Sparrow et al from Columbia, Harvard, and the University of
Wisconsin-Madison showed in 2011 that their Harvard undergrad subjects were worse at remembering
information but better at remembering how to search for it. Tools like Google have become “an external
memory source,” they write, meaning we make less effort to retain information since we know we can
summon it with a few clicks.
Despite this wealth of research, the jury is still out on the critical issue of whether we learn more
from print or digital media. A review of studies on print versus digital media mostly from the 1980s and
early 1990s by the University of Texas at Austin’s Andrew Dillon showed that while findings are mixed,
people often read more slowly on a screen and paid less attention to detail, especially for demanding
tasks. But the relevance of those studies in today’s media environment is questionable. Computers and
smartphones are ubiquitous, and thus the skills needed to read on them may have improved in the last
two decades—both in digital “natives” and “immigrants.” Some studies released since have suggested
that digital textbooks are just as effective as print for college students. Even as far back as 2008,
a study by James A. Shepperd et al that showed students got the same grades regardless of textbook
medium. And last year, Guang Chen et al—researchers in Beijing—demonstrated what might have
seemed obvious to everyone but techno-skeptics: The more familiar readers were with how to use
tablets, the better their comprehension when reading on them.
Understanding how readers comprehend and retain stories is paramount for journalism, as many
researchers consider those factors directly related to readers’ ability to empathize. But some of the
processes used to digest information in print don’t necessarily apply to today’s readers. Digital reading, it
seems, requires a different reading strategy. It requires knowing how to navigate a more dynamic
landscape of information.

Stories have powerful effects on us. We feel empathy for characters just as we do for flesh-and-blood
people, and the act of reading about them might even make us more empathetic in real life, change our
opinions, and push us to action.

But both Ickes, who tested empathic cognition in human encounters, and Immordino-Yang, who used
brain scans and a nonfiction narrative, suggest that time and experience are factors that influence
empathy. We need a certain amount of information about another person, accumulated over time, before
we start sensing that crucial similarity between us.

Once engaged and transported by a story, readers are more likely to change their beliefs about the world
to match that narrative. In magazine journalism, this makes perfect, intuitive sense. We know that longer
narratives with complex characters and strong storylines can have a deep impact on readers who take
the time to read from start to finish.

That group of readers may be diminishing, according to recent studies that suggest skimming and
distraction are part of the digital reading experience. If true, digital reading seems to lend itself poorly to
everything we now know about how time, focus, and information support feelings of empathy. As a result,
perhaps our empathic responses to narratives have already become shallower, without our even noticing.

The research on digital reading offers a clear hypothesis to our experiment: It seems possible that digital
readers would be less transported by a magazine story because of the increased speed and level of
distraction that screens encourage. If readers don’t spend the time and acquire enough information about
characters in a story, their level of transportation will probably be minimal.
 Bergonio 4

The story may be less likely to have an impact on their beliefs, or to draw them into action. In other words,
if screens are decreasing readers’ ability to be transported by stories, journalism will have less impact.
Readers may even be more selective about the stories they want to read, and they may deliberately avoid
stories about the misunderstood and underrepresented in favor of groups and narratives with which they
are already comfortable.

But it’s not that clear-cut and there are, of course, plenty of benefits to our newly wired lives; easy access
to information is just one of them.

Procedure
1. Go over agenda for the day
2. Begin class with a priming question: “What did media coverage of Walter’s case do for
him?” (5 minutes)
a. Students are allowed to review their books
3. Question students further on the topic (5 minutes):
a. “What responsibility do you think the media has to the public?”
b. “How influential does this make the media?”
4. Pass out handout and read in-class as it is projected on the Smartboard (students with
language accommodations will utilize the links discussed previously) (30 minutes)
a. Define difficult vocabulary as you read
b. Underline and emphasize important points in the article
c. Write down relation to Just Mercy and conclusions
5. Require that the students annotate their handouts in a similar fashion
6. After reading, project the following prompt on the board (10 minutes):
a. For today’s journal, write a paragraph analyzing how Walter’s 60 Minutes
interview could have shifted the balance of the case in his favor. Remember to use
evidence from both Just Mercy and the article in your response. This will be
collected for points!
7. Remind the students that you are collecting this journal response 3 minutes before class
ends.
8. End class by reminding students to read Ch. 12 for homework.
Discussion Ideas
See discussion questions above for planned discussion questions.
Further questioning:
 Is the media trustworthy enough to affect change?
 How do new media types affect the public? (social networks like Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
 Would Walter’s case have ended differently if it were to occur in today’s media climate?
Planned Supports
 Language Accommodations
o The two Spanish dominant students will be provided instructions translated in
Spanish if requested. They have also been provided a link to a translation of the
article in Spanish. If they would prefer it, they may respond to their journal
articles in Spanish when necessary. The ELL coordinator in the school is
available for translations.
 Bergonio 5

o There are three students in the class who use the AAVE dialect. They may
respond to both their journals and discussion in AAVE as they please. Students
will be provided additional assistance regarding grammar and vocabulary if
needed.
 Special Ed Accommodations
o The students with GAD may remove themselves from the classroom as needed
They may be excused to the counselor’s or nurse’s office.
o The students with EDs may take their paragraphs home to finish as needed. They
may also be excused to the SPED or counselor’s office
Assessment
This lesson will be formatively assessed via student journal responses. Student journals
will be graded based on three criteria: use of evidence in the article, a linkage to Just Mercy
(with quotes), and proper paragraph structure (introduction, context, evidence, analysis, and so
on). This is a low-stakes assessment to review student comprehension of texts, writing skills, and
analytical/synthesis skills. Once these assessments are graded, they will be handed back to
students at the end of the week with meaningful, individualized feedback.
This assessment is appropriate to the lesson’s targets in that students must identify a
purpose for journalism and analyze its relation to Just Mercy. This journal is short and evidence-
based. Discussion will happen throughout the course of the lesson in the time before reading and
during. During this time, assessment will have taken the form of formative oral assessment.
Extension Ideas
Students could be required to read Just Mercy, chapter 12, independently, or I could read
to them if we finish the activities quickly. I could question them to predict what may happen in
the chapter considering events in the book thus far and gather those predictions for tomorrow’s
class.
Students could also work on tomorrow’s lesson by examining the article cited in today’s
handout further, as I have excerpted it for time-constraints. I could give them further reading to
prepare them for tomorrow’s activity.
Source of Activity
I have seen this method of in-class text analysis and annotation used in my cooperating
teacher’s classroom with success. Students in a regular-level sophomore English classroom were
able to comprehend an edited academic text with ease thanks to my teacher’s direct involvement.
Resources and References
Gallagher, K., & Kittle, P. (2018). 180 days: Two teachers and the quest to engage and empower
adolescents. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Sillesen, L. B., Ip, C., & Uberti, D. (2015). Journalism and the power of emotions. Retrieved
from https://www.cjr.org/analysis/journalism_and_the_power_of_emotions.php
CC Standards
 Bergonio 6

CC.11-12.R.I.3 Key Ideas and Details: 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.
 Students must consider the full length of Walter’s trial to understand the media circus
associated with it. They must also consider how media and Walter’s trial interact in light
of new evidence. Their journal entry is built to reflect upon this.
CC.11-12.W.7 Research to Build and Present Knowledge: Conduct short as well as more
sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a
problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the
subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
 Students, in the course of reading this article in-class, are conducting research that will
prepare them for an in-class essay on the power of journalism and public perception on
trial cases. This journal requires them to synthesize one piece of evidence from an article
and another piece of evidence from Just Mercy.
Lesson Plan 2 (During-Literacy)
Central Focus
Students will analyze different perspectives on the current state of journalistic integrity and
collect/organize evidence from multiple sources to prepare for an evidence-based opinion essay.
Time
50 minutes
Setting
This lesson will be taking place in an 11th grade honors English course at a suburban public high
school. See the unit website for a classroom demographic breakdown.
Conceptual/Theoretical Framework
“We are always teaching new students in a world rich with evolving stories and ideas”
(Gallagher & Kittle, 2018, 4).
Here, Gallagher and Kittle emphasize the importance of keeping one’s classroom relevant
with “evolving stories and ideas.” Today, with the growing prevalence of digital journalism,
clickbait articles, and fake news, the need to inform students of journalism’s positive and
negative influences in the public sphere grows direr. This three-lesson set addresses the effects of
journalism upon court cases in Just Mercy’s later chapters and requires that students think
critically about journalism.
Prior Knowledge
This lesson is located nearest to the end of the unit, the week prior to the final project’s
introduction. Up until this point, students have been assigned to read up to Ch. 12 of Bryan
Stevenson’s Just Mercy and have been familiarized with the many ways that systemic injustices
in the justice system fail women and people of color in the United States. Just in this week,
students will have read about different perspectives on the Third Estate, its responsibilities to the
 Bergonio 7

public, and the many ways in which it, too, has failed impartiality and become beholden to the
very same systemic injustices found in the U.S. justice system.
Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Organize their thoughts and evidence on legal and journalistic injustices
2. Analyze different perspectives on journalistic integrity
Materials
 Chromebooks
 Trello boards
 Links to Spanish-translations of websites
Preparation
 Have predetermined groups of 3
 Prepare the desks for 8 groups of 3 individuals
 Have Chromebooks ready for students
 Have resources prepared for students to peruse
 Create Trello boards for each group in a similar format:

 Need essay prompt/rubric handout:

Name:_____________
Date:______________
Timed Write: Journalism and Journalistic Integrity
Prompt
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Using the evidence you have gathered yesterday, respond to the following prompt:
Consider the different effects journalism has had on deciding some of the court cases Stevenson has
seen (ex: Walter’s case and Marsha’s case). Create a four-paragraph essay that a) describes the role of
journalism, b) makes a case for and against the involvement of journalists in court cases, c) concludes
with your individual opinion, and d) makes use of evidence from both Just Mercy and at least two
separate articles.

Rubric
Score: 1 2 3 4
Thesis The student’s The student The student The student
thesis is either has created a has created a has created a
not present or thesis for the thesis that thesis that
cannot be paper that describes both describes both
answered with must be made positions and positions and
evidence from more complex possible possible
the text. without implications. implications
summary. and has also
demonstrated
an exceptional
grasp of the
English
language.
Evidence Evidence is The evidence The student The student
Usage and not present. may not be uses evidence uses evidence
The student relevant to the that is specific that is specific
Citation may rely upon thesis or, to issues to issues
summary. The again, relies raised in the raised in the
evidence is not upon plot thesis. These thesis. The
cited. summary. The pieces of quote is
evidence may evidence may contextualized
be cited, but it include literary naturally.
is done devices that These pieces
incorrectly. are elaborated of evidence
upon. The include literary
evidence is devices that
cited in MLA are elaborated
format. upon. The
evidence is
cited in MLA
format.
Analysis The student The student The student The student
either does not may be analyzes engages with
engage with generally specific literary the text and
the quote referring to devices in the specific literary
directly or specific literary text and devices. They
does not devices in the engages with clearly link the
analyze the text with some the evidence. evidence to
quote at all. quote or The analysis the thesis such
character includes quote that a reader
analysis. This or character can
analysis may analysis and a understand the
not be linked link to the implications of
 Bergonio 9

to the thesis at thesis is the evidence

all. presented. readily.
Organization Body Body The student The student
paragraphs do paragraphs demonstrates demonstrates
not adhere to include topic a knowledge an ability to
any structure sentences with and usage of expand upon
and are weak claims the MELL-con the MELL-con
essentially plot and/or mere format and format as
summary. plot summary; follows it needed,
transitions exactly. creating
between additional
evidence are linkage or
not well- transition
integrated; and sentences as
there may be a needed.
conclusion that
is not
reflective.
Tone and The student’s The student’s The student The student
Grammar writing is in a writing is in an creates a creates a
casual, non- academic paper in paper that is in
academic tone, but the academic tone academic tone
tone. The writing mostly free of without
writing may includes many grammatical grammatical
include grammar errors. errors.
enough errors.
grammar or
syntax errors
such that the
paper is
difficult to
read.

Procedure
1. Handout timed write prompts/rubrics
2. Give agenda for the day
3. Ask that students move into predetermined groups of 3 (unless specifically indicated)
a. These groups will be projected onto the board
4. Go over timed write prompt (10 minutes)
a. Answer questions
b. Remind students that the standards for grading are on the rubric
5. Transition into group work and evidence gathering phase (35-40 minutes)
a. Links will be presented on the board as well as through a digital class portal such
as Google Classroom (students with language accommodations will be given
another portal with links to Spanish-language Google translations as needed)
i. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-34213693
ii. https://www.cjr.org/analysis/journalism_and_the_power_of_emotions.php
iii. https://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp
iv. https://www.thoughtco.com/is-sensationalism-in-the-news-media-bad-
2074048
 Bergonio 10

6. Two minutes before class ends, remind students of the following:

a. I will be reviewing evidence gathering progress for the day online through Trello
i. They may continue to gather evidence at home
ii. Tomorrow will be an in-class writing day. They will be using this
evidence for the essay.
b. Chapter 13 for Just Mercy must still be read by Friday
Discussion Ideas
 Which articles discuss the issue of journalistic integrity most directly?
 Is clickbaiting necessary? Certain topics, such as Marsha’s case which revolved around
accusations of child murder, are hot topics for the mainstream media. Could that be
considered another form of clickbaiting?
 How involved should the media really be in court cases?
Planned Supports
 Language Accommodations
o Spanish-dominant students will be given links to Spanish language translations of
the suggested websites as needed
 Special Ed Accommodations
o The students with GAD may remove themselves from the classroom as needed
They may be excused to the counselor’s or nurse’s office.
o The students with EDs may take their paragraphs home to finish as needed. They
may also be excused to the SPED or counselor’s office
o Students with ADD may elect to work with a group they feel most productive in.
They may also choose to work independently if needed.
Assessment
Work from today will be assessed formatively via observations on Trello. As an
administrator of each group’s Trello board, I can see which students are coming up with
productive, relevant quotes and those who are not. From these observations, I can guide groups
who are having more trouble with researching evidence and let more proficient groups work
independently.
Extension Ideas
As this class will mostly include research from bell to bell (aside from me explaining the
rubric and prompt for tomorrow’s timed write), I expect students to be working solely on this
research activity during and after class. I could provide additional resources which explore the
effect of corporate and political influence upon the media for the students to peruse.
Source of Activity
I am the main source for this activity. I would like to thank my cooperating teacher at my local
field placement for introducing me to the concept of a collaborative evidence search.
Resources and References
 Bergonio 11

Frampton, B. (2015, September 14). Clickbait: The changing face of online journalism.
Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-34213693
Gallagher, K., & Kittle, P. (2018). 180 days: Two teachers and the quest to engage and empower
adolescents. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Rogers, T., Columbia University, Associated Press, & New York Daily News. (2017). Is
Sensationalism in the News and Media Bad? Retrieved from
https://www.thoughtco.com/is-sensationalism-in-the-news-media-bad-2074048
Sillesen, L. B., Ip, C., & Uberti, D. (2015). Journalism and the power of emotions. Retrieved
from https://www.cjr.org/analysis/journalism_and_the_power_of_emotions.php
SPJ Code of Ethics - Society of Professional Journalists. (2014). Retrieved from
https://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp
CC Standards
CC.11-12.R.I.3 Key Ideas and Details: 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.
 Students must understand the circumstances of different characters in Just Mercy who
have received media attention in some capacity. They must reconcile the effect of the
media on their trials with research they have done on journalism and journalistic
integrity.
CC.11-12.W.7 Research to Build and Present Knowledge: Conduct short as well as more
sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a
problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the
subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
 In this activity, students must conduct research over disparate sources to create a final
summative assessment product (an argumentative, evidence-based essay). Relevant
evidence, which synthesizes the articles with the experiences of Bryan Stevenson’s
clients with the media, must be found for the essay.
Lesson Plan 3 (Post-Literacy)
Central Focus
Students will synthesize contrasting arguments on the journalism’s power and influence
alongside Stevenson’s Just Mercy into an evidence-based opinion essay.
Time
50 minutes
Setting
This lesson will be taking place in an 11th grade honors English course at a suburban public high
school. See the unit website for a classroom demographic breakdown.
Conceptual/Theoretical Framework
 Bergonio 12

“In academic contexts, students and teachers have a right to express their views on any matter
relevant to the curriculum” (Academic Freedom).
Just as the NCTE states, “students and teachers have a right to express their views on any
matter relevant to the curriculum.” That includes this case, where the students may be expressing
their own personal views on journalism. They are free to make their case, so long as it is
supported by evidence, as required by the rubric.
“We see no place for neutrality and urge each member of NCTE to educate as many people as
possible about the ways that systemic racism affects all of us in negative ways” (There Is No
Apolitical Classroom).
In this paper, students may have to reconcile with the fact that media campaigns against
Marsha and Walter were racially motivated. In exploring that fact, it is important for both
students and teachers to be mindful of how systemic racism influenced such media campaigns.
Therefore, an analysis of systemic racism in journalism will absolutely be valid in this paper.
Prior Knowledge
This lesson is located nearest to the end of the unit, the week prior to the final project’s
introduction. Up until this point, students have been assigned to read up to Ch. 13 of Bryan
Stevenson’s Just Mercy and have been familiarized with the many ways that systemic injustices
in the justice system fail women and people of color in the United States. Just in this week,
students will have read about different perspectives on the Third Estate, its responsibilities to the
public, and the many ways in which it, too, has failed impartiality and become beholden to the
very same systemic injustices found in the U.S. justice system.
Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Synthesize differing points of view on the responsibility and impact of journalism
2. Analyze these points of view and contextualize them through events in Just Mercy
3. Create an evidence-based in-class essay based on the preceding criteria
Materials
 Chromebooks
 A prompt projected onto the board
 Trello boards
Preparation
 The internet must work and students must have access to Trello boards from the previous
day
 Students should have this handout from yesterday:
Name:_____________
Date:______________
 Bergonio 13

Timed Write: Journalism and Journalistic Integrity

Prompt
Using the evidence you have gathered yesterday, respond to the following prompt:
Consider the different effects journalism has had on deciding some of the court cases Stevenson has
seen (ex: Walter’s case and Marsha’s case). Create a four-paragraph essay that a) describes the role of
journalism, b) makes a case for and against the involvement of journalists in court cases, c) concludes
with your individual opinion, and d) makes use of evidence from both Just Mercy and at least two
separate articles.

Rubric
Score: 1 2 3 4
Thesis The student’s The student The student The student
thesis is either has created a has created a has created a
not present or thesis for the thesis that thesis that
cannot be paper that describes both describes both
answered with must be made positions and positions and
evidence from more complex possible possible
the text. without implications. implications
summary. and has also
demonstrated
an exceptional
grasp of the
English
language.
Evidence Evidence is The evidence The student The student
Usage and not present. may not be uses evidence uses evidence
The student relevant to the that is specific that is specific
Citation may rely upon thesis or, to issues to issues
summary. The again, relies raised in the raised in the
evidence is not upon plot thesis. These thesis. The
cited. summary. The pieces of quote is
evidence may evidence may contextualized
be cited, but it include literary naturally.
is done devices that These pieces
incorrectly. are elaborated of evidence
upon. The include literary
evidence is devices that
cited in MLA are elaborated
format. upon. The
evidence is
cited in MLA
format.
Analysis The student The student The student The student
either does not may be analyzes engages with
engage with generally specific literary the text and
the quote referring to devices in the specific literary
directly or specific literary text and devices. They
does not devices in the engages with clearly link the
analyze the text with some the evidence. evidence to
quote at all. quote or The analysis the thesis such
character includes quote that a reader
 Bergonio 14

analysis. This or character can

analysis may analysis and a understand the
not be linked link to the implications of
to the thesis at thesis is the evidence
all. presented. readily.
Organization Body Body The student The student
paragraphs do paragraphs demonstrates demonstrates
not adhere to include topic a knowledge an ability to
any structure sentences with and usage of expand upon
and are weak claims the MELL-con the MELL-con
essentially plot and/or mere format and format as
summary. plot summary; follows it needed,
transitions exactly. creating
between additional
evidence are linkage or
not well- transition
integrated; and sentences as
there may be a needed.
conclusion that
is not
reflective.
Tone and The student’s The student’s The student The student
Grammar writing is in a writing is in an creates a creates a
casual, non- academic paper in paper that is in
academic tone, but the academic tone academic tone
tone. The writing mostly free of without
writing may includes many grammatical grammatical
include grammar errors. errors.
enough errors.
grammar or
syntax errors
such that the
paper is
difficult to
read.

Procedure
1. Students will walk in and pick up a Chromebook
2. We will review the prompt and expectations for the paper again (5 minutes)
3. Students will write until the end of class (45-50 minutes)
Discussion Ideas
N/A
Planned Supports
 Language Accommodations
o Though this essay must be written in standard and academic English, Spanish-
dominant students may elect to work with an ELL coordinator if necessary.
o Students who regularly use AAVE will be required to write in standard and
academic English, though they may ask for help with vocabulary or grammar as
needed.
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 Special Ed Accommodations
o The students with GAD may remove themselves from the classroom as needed
They may be excused to the counselor’s or nurse’s office.
o The students with EDs may be given extra time to complete their in-class essays
at the SPED office as needed. They may also be excused to the SPED or
counselor’s office. Should they so choose to be excused, they will be given extra
time to complete their essays at a later time.
o Students with ADD may elect to work with a group they feel most productive in.
They may also choose to work independently if needed.
Assessment
This timed write is a summative assessment on the past three days of research for the
students. A rubric is attached to the handout above describing the different standards being
assessed. This assessment is appropriate for the objectives as it requires them to analyze quotes,
synthesize the evidence with a core text, and create polished essay product.
Extension Ideas
If, by the time class is over and a large portion has not finished the essay, the papers will
still be collected. Extra time will be allotted during the next class period to finish the paper. The
students will be surveyed for the most troubling, time-consuming parts of the essay after it is
finally completed, and adjustments to future lessons will be made to accommodate these issues.
Source of Activity
The idea of a timed write was provided to me by my cooperating teacher at a local public
high school.
Resources and References
NCTE Blog. (2017). There is no apolitical classroom.
(http://blogs.ncte.org/index.php/2017/08/there-is-no-apolitical-classroom-resources-for-
teaching-in-these-times/)
NCTE Position Statement on Academic Freedom. (2014). Retrieved from
http://www2.ncte.org/statement/academic-freedom/
CC Standards
CC.11-12.R.I.7 Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of
information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in
words in order to address a question or solve a problem.
 Students must collate information from disparate sources in response to a prompt given
one day prior. This information must be delivered clearly and concisely in essay form
with specific evidence from the text.
CC.11-12.SL.4 Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas: 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,
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development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range or formal
and informal tasks.
 As with the integration of knowledge and ideas standard, this standard requires that
information be presented clearly regarding a specific theme. This information should be
presented clearly, with evidence, and in a logical fashion. Opposing perspectives are
considered with an ear towards tone and audience. As this is an evidence-based
argumentative essay, students are required to present both sides of journalism following
each of the standards in the Common Core.