A.

Demographics
Created By: Sarah Powell
Grade Level: 10
# of Lessons: 10
# of Students: 25
# of IEP Students: 4
# of GSSP Students: 3
# of ELL Students: 1
Unit Title: Reading and Writing for Information
Content Area: English
B. Learning Context and Implications for Lyon County High School
For the 2014-2015 school year, Lyon County was in the 96th percentile of schools in
Kentucky, which distinguishes it as a Distinguished school. Of the student population, a very
large majority (89.5%) are white, and 40.4% receive free lunches. This tells me that I need to be
careful not to keep minority students in mind when creating my lessons to make sure they feel
involved in the classroom community, and I also need to make a majority, if not all, of my
technology based assignments in-class activities since many of my students might not have the
necessary technology available to them at home. Out of 267 students, there were only 73 parents
who had at least one parent-teacher conference during the school year, showing that I might need
to encourage student/parent collaboration with my assignments.
In my classroom, I have four students with an IEP plan for learning disabilities, 3 GSSP
students, and 1 ELL student whose first language is Korean. This tells me that I might have to
modify my instruction or my summative assessments and increase the frequency of my formative
assessments to make sure that my IEP students get all that they can out of my lessons, and I will
keep Korean translations of our materials available should my ELL student need it.
C. Standards
RI.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence.
RI.2 Determine two or more themes and analyze their development throughout the text.
RI.3 Analyze a complex series of events or set of ideas and explain the development of
individuals, ideas, etc.
RI.4 Determine the meaning, cognitive or figurative, of words and phrases as used in the text.
RI.5 Analyze the effectiveness of an argument.
RI.6 Determine the authors point of view or purpose.
RI.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or
formats.
RI.8 Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in a seminal US text.
RI.9 Demonstrate knowledge of foundational works of historical US documents.

RI.10 By the end of grade 11, students will be able to read a text with scaffolding as needed at
the high end of the range.
W.1 Write arguments to support claims.
W.2 Write to inform or explain.
W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing.
W.5 Plan, revise, edit, rewrite
W.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts.
W.10 Write routinely.
D. Unit Planning
This unit is appropriate because reading for information is listed in the Common Core
Standards, as well as the writing and rewriting process that the students will undergo for their
final summative assessment. Prior to this unit, the students will have formed their own individual
writing processes through writing activities and assignments and will be familiar with
argumentative writing from analyzing short stories and poems.
Vocab:
Thesis A statement or theory that is put forward as a premise to be maintained or proved.
Argument A set of reasons given with the aim of persuading others.
Supporting Details Facts, statements, examples-specifics which guide us to a full
understanding of the main idea. They clarify, illuminate, explain, describe, expand and illustrate
the main idea.
Counterclaim A claim made to rebut a previous claim.
Analyze Examine methodically and in detail the constitution or structure of (something,
especially information), typically for purposes of explanation and interpretation.
RSQC2 In two minutes, students recall and list in rank order the most important ideas from
a previous days class. In two more minutes, they summarize those points in a single sentence,
then write one major question they want answer, then identify a thread or theme to connect this
material to the units major goal.
E. Unit Objectives
At the end of this unit, the students will identify the parts of an argument.
At the end of this unit, the students will analyze the effectiveness of an article.

At the end of this unit, the students will write an article about a lightly researched topic of
their own choosing (with teacher approval).
F. Designing Instructional Strategies
Day 1
Introduce and explains the 5 Ws (Who, What, When, Where, and Why) to the students.
Project the article Pop cultures K-wave sparks rise in Korean language college courses from
Newsela onto the screen and read the article aloud to the students. Pass out individual copies to
the students and read through it again, asking the students to mark on their papers where they
might see the 5 Ws. After reading, ask the class to help you identify the 5 Ws of the article.
Next, take a look at the articles headline and explain how a headline functions and why it
doesnt use articles. Challenge the students to write alternate headlines for the article. Give then
5 minutes to do so and afterwards, ask the students to share their headlines and write the shared
ones on the board, explaining how it is functioning as a headline and asking for suggestions as to
how it could be stronger. In the last 5-10 minutes of class, introduce the final summative
assessment for the two week unit. The students will either write an analytical essay of 3 pages
evaluating the effectiveness of the argument of a new article (probably received from Newsela),
or they may choose to write an article of their own. This article may be only two pages long, but
should have at least three researched sources included in it. The topic of the article is the
students choice, but should be proposed to the teacher by the end of the third lesson in order to
be approved.
Differentiation: Korean translation of article should be available should your ELL student
need it. Have a list of essay/article topics ready should students need suggestions. If needed,
students with an IEP plan may write 2 page essays or 1 page articles.
Day 2
Start the class off with RSQC2. Introduce the new article about Chauvet Cave from Newsela.
Project it onto the screen and read it aloud to the students. Then pass out individual copies and
read it again, asking the students to underline words they dont understand, that are new to them,
or that are scientific in context and topic-specific. Ask the students to offer their underlined
words. Circle them on the projected image, and model to the students how to understand these
words using context clues. Then read through the article once more slowly, modelling strategies
such as monitoring, summarizing, asking questions, and creating a gist. For the last 10 minutes
of class, students will do an independent close reading and write a brief paragraph answering the
questions So What? and How is this relevant to me? These will be exit slips. For homework,
students should come to class with a list of possible topics for their articles or topics of articles
they would like to write about.
Differentiation: Korean translation of the article should be available should your ELL
student need it. During readings, both shared and independent, scan the students to make sure
they are following along. If any students are not participating, ask guided questions to help them
form an idea about the article. If students are still having trouble picking a topic, assign an
appropriate topic to them.

Day 3
Start the class off with RSQC2. Briefly go over a slideshow on writing theses. Return the
students so what responses to them and ask them to briefly summarize their responses in
bullet points. Ask the students to volunteer their bullet points and write all that they offer on the
board. Pause for a moment and to the right of this list, draw a chicken foot on the board and
explain to the class that you will be using the chicken foot method together as a class to construct
a very brief outline for a hypothetical essay about this article. Go back to the bullet points and, as
a class, identify the most important ones. Use these to help the students construct a thesis about
the article. In the last 1o minutes of class, go over the students proposed topics and either
approve them or offer alternative topics. This interaction will the students exit slips.
Differentiation: If any students are not participating, ask guided questions to help them
form an idea about the article. If students are still having trouble picking a topic or article, assign
an appropriate topic or article to them.
Day 4
When the students come in, have the picture from Crime and Puzzlement displayed on
the board so that they can study it until class starts. Use the three column method of Evidence,
What the Evidence Says, and What We Can Infer from the Evidence to help the students
analyze the details of the scene to come to a conclusion about who done it. After this activity,
briefly relate the events of the activity to the importance of supporting details in an essay/article.
Replace the projected crime scene with the article from the previous class, and write the class
thesis on the whiteboard. Ask the students to get out their copies of the article and any notes they
might have taken on it. Now that the class is warmed up, ask the students to look at their notes,
even discuss their notes with their neighbors, and use the same three column method to chart any
evidence the students offer from their notes or the text and how that evidence supports the class
thesis. Once you have 5-10 pieces of evidence from the students, have the class decide which
evidence is the strongest and use that to outline on the whiteboard the thesis and its supporting
details. The students will have the remaining class time to work on their thesis for the summative
assessment.
Differentiation: If any students are not participating, ask guided questions to help them
form an idea about the image or the article.
Day 5
Start the class off with an RSQC2 about everything you have gone over with the students
in the past four lessons. Have them share their responses and briefly go over them as a class,
answering any major questions that the students might have. Next, introduce the activity for the
day, which will be an Argumentative scavenger hunt. Start with a four corner activity. The
corners are divided into two topics (sports or video games in school) and subdivided into
responses (positive or negative). Have the students choose which topic they care about more and
then which response they relate to more about that topic. This will form the teams for the
scavenger hunt. Previous to class, you will have taken facts about each of these topics and hidden
them throughout the room. Each team will have a ziplock baggy to put their facts in. Each team

will search the room for facts that support their argument. When they feel they have enough, they
will return to the student desks as a group and use their stance and the facts they found to outline
an argumentative essay. These outlines will be the student exit slips. Remind the students that
their essay/article outlines will be due the next class.
Differentiation: Collaboration with other students should help IEP and ELL students.
Make sure that collaboration is happening.
Day 6
At the beginning of class, ask the students to get into groups of three to four based on
whether they are writing an essay or an article (essays with essays and articles with articles). The
teacher will assign these groups. The students will share their outlines with each other and offer
suggestions to each other on how they might strengthen their essay/article or further develop an
idea. Allow the students fifteen minutes to do this. Then pass out copies of the Declaration of
Independence to the students. Read through it once aloud, and then read through it again.
During the second read aloud, ask the students to raise their hand whenever they see a word that
needs clarifying, when they have a question to write about the text, when they see a change to a
previously presented idea of the text, or stop after each paragraph or small section to have the
students create a gist of what was just read. Discuss with the class the effectiveness of the piece.
What is the argument? Where are the supporting details? Does it ever reach a counterclaim? Are
the 5 Ws present, and if so, what are they? Write the answers to these questions on the board.
Then show the students the Declaration of Independence reading from the HBO show John
Adams (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNOTozVp_i4). Go back to the points the class
had made about the piece and ask if their opinions had changed at all and why that might have
happened.
Differentiation: While the students are discussing their outlines, walk around the room
and listen in on their discussions while making sure everyone has an outline and a good idea of
what they are going to write. If there is a student who is struggling, offer assistance and guidance
as needed. Make sure that each IEP student is in a group with at least one or two of the stronger
writers in the class so that this writer can help the IEP student with his/her outline.
Day 7
Introduce citations to the class and how they function in an essay or article. Ask the class to
brainstorm and offer ideas about why citations are important. Offer two examples of writing
about the same topic. Both will be argumentative. The first example will not have textual
citations, but the second one will. Display the two passages side by side if possible and ask the
class to evaluate their effectiveness as an argument and how they think citations affect that. The
students will have the rest of class to complete their rough drafts for next class.
Differentiation: During writing time, ask the students how their essays/articles are going and
if anyone needs help.
Day 8

The students will use this class time as writers workshops. The students should have
several copies of their rough draft prepared for shared group reading. The students will separate
into the same groups from the sixth lesson and one by one each student will read their essay or
their article for the group as the group follows along and annotates their own copy. The students
should be annotating for theses, supporting details, counterclaims, strengths of the piece, and any
way in which the writer may strengthen the piece. At the end of discussion, each student will
receive his/her copies back with his/her peers reviews.
Differentiation: IEP students and your ELL students should be in groups with at least one
or two of the stronger writers in the class. Walk around the room and listen to the group
discussions to make sure everyone is on track. During class, the teacher will start one-on-one
conferences with the students to discuss where theyre at with their essay or article and where
they should go from there.
Day 9
The students will have this day to take their peers comments from the previous class and
use them to rewrite their rough drafts.
Differentiation: Every twenty minutes, ask the class how their writing time is going. If a
student needs help, offer assistance. Finish one-on-one conferences with the students.
Day 10
During this class, the students will briefly present their essays or articles to the rest of the
class. They will identify their own thesis, their supporting details, and their counterclaim and
citations for the class. This will be formatted similar to a Socratic seminar in which the students
are arranged in a circle in their desks. The students will be asked to respond a presentation at
least twice during the class. Students receive bonus participation points if they comment on how
the writer improved from the rough draft to this final draft. At the end of class, students will turn
their articles/essays in to the teacher.
G. Use of Technology for Instruction
Projector used to project images, articles, and essays. Most activities will be hands on or
will take place at the students desks.
H. Attached items

Received from rubistar.4teachers.org

Deeper into the cave: Scientists share

new details on prehistoric artworks

By Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff on 04.14.16

Word Count 656

Full-scale reproductions of frescos found at the cave of Pont-D'Arc, also known as the Chauvet cave,
on display in Vallon
Pont D'Arc, France, April 10, 2015. Photo: Thierry Orban/Abaca Press/TNS

Slowly but surely, the mysterious Chauvet cave in France is giving up its
secrets.
The cave was discovered in the south of France at the end of 1994 by three
amateur spelunkers. Before the explorers found it, scientists believe that
no human had stepped foot inside it for more than 27,000 years.
Studies have shown that many of the ancient and beautifully preserved
prehistoric paintings of horses, cave lions and rhinoceros on the caves
walls were made more than 30,000 years ago. They are some of the oldest
known artworks on the planet.
Now, scientists have dated more than 250 rock art samples, animal bones
and the remains of charcoal used by humans scattered on the ground.
They have created the most accurate timeline yet of who used the cave
and when.

Article I.

A Place To Create Art

The new research finds that humans used the cave during two distinct
periods, which were separated by several thousands of years. The study
was published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences.
Two years ago, the cave was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The data suggest the first period of human occupation lasted from 37,000
to 33,500 years ago. The second period began 31,000 to 28,000 years ago
and lasted for 2,000 to 3,000 years, the researchers wrote.
People never lived in the cave, explained Anita Quiles and Jean-Michel
Geneste, two of the authors on the paper. It appears the early humans
went there mostly to create their symbolic art. Quiles is with the French
Institute of Oriental Archeology, and Geneste is with of the Ministry of
Culture and Communication in Paris,

Article II.

Two Groups Of Human Visitors

A human group (band or tribe) visited the Chauvet cave during the first
period around 36,000 years ago for cultural purposes, they wrote in an
email. They produced black drawings of huge mammals. Then, several
thousands of years after, another group from another place with another
culture visited the cave.
The two groups, separated by thousands of years, had no connection with
each other, they said.
The first round of visits by humans likely lasted longer than the second, and
was also when most of the drawings were done. Samples of 23 charcoal
drawings were taken from different parts of the cave. Included are the
panel of the horses, the alcove of the lions, the panel of the reindeer and
the panel of the bison.
Almost all of the dates of these drawings correspond to the oldest phase,
the authors found. Only two of them corresponded with the second phase,
and this latter group of cave users were responsible for many of the torch
marks on the wall.

Article III.

Bears Add To The Picture

Bears, also left their mark on the cave walls, through scratches over and
under the art. They appear to have used the cave from 48,500 to 33,300
years ago.
Although their occupation of the cave overlapped with humans, Quiles and
Geneste said it is unlikely that both groups were there at the same time.
They believe the bears used the cave to hibernate but spent spring and
summer out of the cave. Perhaps it was only after the bears left that
humans decided to use it.
Humans would have to have avoided encountering the bears, as you can
image, Quiles and Geneste said. After all, a cave bear is an 880-pound
carnivore!

The authors were also able to determine that humans stopped using the
cave around the time of rockfalls. The rockfalls may have sealed off the
entrance to the cave.
The authors said the chronology of who used the cave and when will
continue to become more precise as more dates are added to their model.
Many questions remain. For example: Are the red paintings as old as the
black paintings?
Only the black paintings have been dated, Quiles and Geneste wrote.
The dating technique for the red paintings has yet to be developed.

Thesis Powerpoint: http://www.slideshare.net/dldixon/thesis-statementpresentation-2982330