In my course EDDN 634 this weeks assignment is a Unit plan with ELA standard alignment. It is always a pleasure to highlight my teacher candidates work. You will find the complete unit with all the hand-outs in this article.
Luis Colón is an 8th and 9th grade English teacher on Long Island as well as a graduate student working on obtaining his MS in TESOL from Touro College. This year marks his second and final year in the program as he anticipates finishing before the end of 2018.
Luis Colón “Many of my ENL students are on the school soccer team which just won the State Championship or play outside of school on travel teams. They show passion for sports and many have played competitively since they were very young. Their passion for sports caused me to reflect and reconsider which argumentative topic to use with my group this year and I was excited to put it into action.”
Next Generation ELA Standards
Reading Standards
9-10R1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly/implicitly and make logical inferences; develop questions for deeper understanding and for further exploration.
● RH1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the time and place of publication, origin, authorship, etc.
● RST1: Cite specific evidence to support analysis of scientific and technical texts, charts, diagrams, etc. attending to the precise details of the source. Understand and follow a detailed set of directions.
9-10R2: Determine one or more themes or central ideas in a text and analyze its development, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; objectively and accurately summarize a text.
● RH2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop within a text.
● RST2: Determine the key ideas or conclusions of a source; trace the source’s explanation or depiction of a complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurate summary of the source.
9-10R8: Delineate and evaluate an argument and specific claims in a text, assessing the validity or fallacy of key statements by examining whether the supporting evidence is relevant and sufficient
● RH8: Analyze the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
● RST8: Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a source support the author’s claim or a recommendation for solving a scientific or technical problem.
Writing Standards
9-10W1: Write arguments to support claims that analyze substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
● 9-10W1a: Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from counterclaims, establish and organize clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaim(s), reasons, and evidence.
● 9-10W1b: Develop claim(s) and counterclaims in a balanced manner, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both, anticipating the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.
● 9-10W1c: Use precise language and content-specific vocabulary to express the appropriate complexity of the topic.
● 9-10W1d: Use appropriate and varied transitions to make critical connections and distinctions, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
● 9-10W1e: Provide a concluding statement or section that explains the significance of the argument presented.
● 9-10W1f: Maintain a style and tone appropriate to the writing task.
9-10W7: Gather relevant information from multiple sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas;
avoid plagiarism and follow a standard format for citation.
● WHST7: Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and Research
ESL Learning Standards
Standard 1: Students will listen, speak, read, and write in English for information and understanding.
Standard 3: Students will listen, speak, read, and write in English for critical analysis and evaluation.
Unit Introduction
As high school students in my district, there is a shift in curricular focus from how students are taught English / Language Arts in the lower grades (which follow the Teachers College Reading and Writing Workshop Curriculum) to one that is designed to prepare students for
the demands of the New York State Regents Exam. I specifically chose these articles and designed these activities for my groups of students since I have classes with many athletes who play competitively and many of which have hopes of playing sports in college. The argumentative question “Should college athletes be paid as professional athletes are?” asks students to consider where and if a line should be drawn between what is considered
professional sports and what is not since a lot of money is made from college sports through admission to games, merchandising and even airtime on television and radio.
Many of my ENL students are on the school soccer team which just won the State Championship or play outside of school on travel teams. They show passion for sports and many have played competitively since they were very young. Their passion for sports caused me to reflect and reconsider which argumentative topic to use with my group this year and I was excited to put it into action.
Essential Questions
● What is an argument?
● What makes a good argument?
● Where do we see arguments in our day to day lives?
● What is the intended audience of argumentative writing?
● What literary techniques do good writers use to convince their audience?
● How do I select effective evidence to support the claims I am making?
● How is argumentative writing similar and/or different to other styles of writing?
● What are the different mediums of argumentative writing in the modern day?
End of Unit Assessment (Performance Task)
Argumentative Essay
Main Objectives
By the end of the unit, students will be able to…
● Define the academic language of argument writing: Claim, Counterclaim, Argument,
etc.)
● Become familiar with and utilize argumentative conventions in their writing
● Cite textual evidence from multiple texts that supports and refutes the argument that the writer is intending to deliver to their audience
● Analyze how writers use the elements of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos when supporting their claims in their writing
● Analyze how writers explain evidence that they have gathered through research to support their claims
● Revise and edit their written work to create a final draft that includes the
conventions of argumentative writing as well as the structure and organization of a final draft
Critical Thinking Questions (Bloom’s)
● Interpret texts from different authors on the same subject matter by analyzing textual evidence, identifying who the intended audience is, and analyzing how the author uses rhetorical devices to support their claims
● Evaluate how effective an argument is based on source material, the validity of sources, and voice of the author of the text
● Analyze the typical language of argumentative writing and determine what the intended purpose behind the author’s use of specific diction in their writing
● Discuss in either pairs or groups how the evidence found in argumentative articles supports the claims that the author is attempting to make in their writing
● Appraise argumentative evidence based on the credibility of the source material, quality of textual evidence cited, and validity of that textual evidence
● Compile evidence from various sources that reflect both evidence that supports our claim and evidence that refutes our claims.
● Compile and organize evidence for an in-class debate that effectively and strongly supports the claims that student groups are defending.
CENTRAL TEXTS
Central Texts Paired Texts Paired Film
“Students Who Lose Recess are the Ones Who Need It Most”
“School Suspensions Don’t Work. It’s Time for Something Better”
“The Surprising Truth About Discipline in Schools”
“How One Middle School Cut Discipline Referrals By 98 Percent in Just One Year”
“Should Athletes Be Paid to Play?”
“College Athletes are Being Educated, Not Exploited”
“How the N.C.A.A Cheats College Athletes”
“It’s time to pay the tab for America’s college athletes”
SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL
Texts Film
“21 Reasons Why Student-Athletes Are Employees And Should Be Allowed To Unionize”
“A Day in the Life of a Student Athlete”
“Why Shouldn’t We Pay Student-Athletes?”
A Day In The Life of NFL Running Back
Latavius Murray
ENL ACCOMMODATIONS / MODIFICATIONS
● Graphic organizer for organizing evidence and in-class debate
● Sentence frames on chart paper to assist with writing
● Verbal as well as visual modeling on the SMART Board
● Incorporation of various media including diverse articles, video clips, etc.
● Seating in a manner where students have a speaker of their native language in the area
● Explain directions at a slower pace and simplify them for all students
Dr. J's Education Blog 