Page 12 - SpringBoard_ELA_CA_Smapler_Flipbook

Planning the unit
continued
Instructional Activities and Pacing
Total: 29 class periods
3.1–3.2
2 class periods
Description
Students begin the unit by previewing the big ideas and vocabulary for the unit. They unpack the Embedded Assessment 1 assignment so that they understand the reading, writing, speaking/listening, and language expectations for researching and debating a controversy. These first activities are meant to clarify expectations as well as spark students’ curiosity through generating initial opinions about controversial topics of interest to them.
3.3–3.4
4 class periods
In the next activities, students mark text to gain information while reading an editorial and news article. Using writing and collaborative strategies, they identify a writer’s claim and reasons for or against a topic. They practice presenting information and supporting evidence clearly and logically in a modified debate.
3.5–3.7
6 class periods
These activities are designed to address the research and speaking/listening skills necessary for Embedded Assessment 1. Students will learn the importance of assessing the credibility of sources and providing basic bibliographic information. They will analyze the purpose for using formal style and tone in an academic setting, in the Language and Writer’s Craft lesson, and by analyzing a mentor text. Students will evaluate the purpose of visual displays for communicating information and supporting a claim and will practice creating a visual based on analysis of an informational text. During these activities, students are asked to listen attentively and express ideas clearly in collaborative group discussions.
3.8
2 class periods
Prior to the Embedded Assessment, students will research to build knowledge
on the topic of social networking by applying close reading strategies to informational texts. They will practice planning a complete and coherent argument and present claims and findings to communicate a position in a debate. This activity prepares students to apply the same skills in smaller collaborative groups for the Embedded Assessment.
Embedded Assessment 1 2 class periods
By the time students encounter the Embedded Assessment, they will have practiced working effectively in a collaborative group. They will have engaged in research and planning in order to actively participate in and observe debates. The completion of this collaborative EA prepares students for independent work they will do in the second half of the unit.
3.9–3.10
3 class periods
Students begin the second half of the unit by unpacking the skills and knowledge needed to complete Embedded Assessment 2 successfully. These activities are designed to introduce students to rhetorical appeals used in argumentative writing as well as expose them to deconstructing an argumentative writing prompt and analyzing a corresponding mentor text. Using the sample argumentative letter as
a model, students generate ideas and apply an organizational pattern to write an argumentative paragraph. Students revisit and revise this paragraph multiple times, applying the skills and concepts presented in the next group of activities.
Unit 3 • Planning the Unit 159c
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