Teacher Candidate: Kathleen Cho Date of Lesson: March 2020

Grade/Course: 8th ELA Lesson duration: ~45 minutes

Unit: Writing Topic of Lessons: Finding evidence to support an argument

Lesson Plan 1

Essential Question(s):

Why is it important to make a good argument?

How can we use our words to effectively convince our audience on a particular stance
we choose to take?

How should we choose good evidence to support our arguments?

What is the purpose of argumentative writing?

State/CCSS/Disciplinary Standards Addressed in this Lesson:

8SL1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners;

express ideas clearly and persuasively, and build on those of others.
8SL1c: Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to
others’ questions and comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas.

Daily Performance Objectives: Measurable, Meaningful, Made First, and Most

Important, listed in terms of Knowledge and Skills

During this lesson, students will review what they already know about argumentative
writing. This lesson will mostly consist of a discussion around the different purposes and
aspects of what makes up a good argument.
 Understand what an argument is in writing.
Collaborate with classmates and brainstorm ideas about argumentative writing.

Materials and Preparation:

Argument Article- https://vwcceng111.pressbooks.com/chapter/chapter-3-argument/

Assessment/Evaluation—note: all lessons must include checks for understanding

Students will be handed an exit slip to determine whether or not they have a good
understanding of what an argument is based on the class discussion.

Lesson Progression (add rows as necessary): Instructional strategies and learning tasks
(including what you and the students will be doing) that support diverse student needs. Please
note all assessments that were described in the previous section.

Duration: The teacher will… The student(s) will…

3 minutes The teacher will make sure students Students will be given a Do-Now
are settled and working on their at the beginning of class with the
Do-Nows. question “What is argumentative
writing?”

5 minutes The teacher will write these ideas
on the board and the students will
take notes/say suggestions out
loud. Writing ideas on the board will
provide a good visual for students to
process information being shared in
class and ensure that all students’
ideas are being accounted for.
Students will share the answers
from their Do-Nows and begin to
brainstorm ideas together as a
class, thinking about different
elements that make up a good
argument.
10 minutes The teacher will review the article
and pick out key points of the article
she may want to discuss with the
students.
5 minutes The teacher will facilitate students’
conversations and mention
important points from the article that
were not brought up.
15 minutes The teacher will facilitate the activity. Students will be asked a series of
Questions that might be asked are:
-Should there be homework?
-Should students be graded in
school?
-Can money buy you happiness?
-Cats or Dogs?
These are all debatable topics that
can be easily supported by students
with strong arguments. Doing this
exercise will help students practice
choosing a stance and providing
reasons for their choice.
2 minutes The teacher will answer any last
questions that students might have.
Students will be given sections of
an article to read that will help
them think deeper about
arguments. Giving an
informational source to
reference/read about will allow
students to reinforce what they
already know about argumentative
writing or give them new ideas
about it.
Students will discuss the article
and report anything interesting or
new they have read about.
questions where they will choose
a side. The classroom will be split
into two sections. Students will
move to the side of the room
according to their choice. They will
be asked for reasons that support
their answers.
Students will be given an exit slip.
“Do you have a good
understanding of what an
argument is?”
Homework: Students will be handed “A Problem” Short Story by Anton Chekhov to read
for homework.

Lesson Plan 2

Essential Question(s):

How do we begin to develop ideas for choosing a side in an argument?

Why is it important to understand all parts of an argument before choosing a side?

State/CCSS/Disciplinary Standards Addressed in this Lesson:

8R6: In literary texts, analyze how the differences between the point of view,
perspectives of the characters, the audience, or reader create effects such as mood and
tone. In informational texts, analyze how the author addresses conflicting evidence or
viewpoints.

Daily Performance Objectives: Measurable, Meaningful, Made First, and Most

Important, listed in terms of Knowledge and Skills

Students will read and understand the short story.

Students will answer questions about the short story.

Students will discuss the short story in small and large groups.
 Materials and Preparation:

“A Problem” Short Story by Anton Chekhov

Assessment/Evaluation—note: all lessons must include checks for understanding

The teacher will check in with students during independent and group work.

Students will hand in their answers for the guided questions. This sheet will be checked

and returned back to them during the next class.

Lesson Progression (add rows as necessary): Instructional strategies and learning tasks
(including what you and the students will be doing) that support diverse student needs. Please
note all assessments that were described in the previous section.

Duration: The teacher will… The student(s) will…

5 minutes The teacher will read the short story
with the students/facilitate the
reading process.
Students will have read the short
story “A Problem” for homework.
They will read key moments of this
story aloud in class in order to
refresh their memory.

20 minutes The teacher will hand out guided
questions about the text which will
allow them to think critically about
different parts of the text.
Possible guided questions can be:
-What is happening in the
story?
Students will think about these
questions and write their answers
silently. This activity ensures that
students understand the story. In
addition, they are provided with a
guideline to begin formulating
 -What is the issue being which side of the argument they
presented? agree with.
-Who are the people
involved?
-What are their stances?
-Why do you think Sasha did
that?
The teacher will walk around the
classroom to make sure students
are on task and help those who
have any questions.

10 minutes Teacher will walk around and join
each small group’s conversations.
Students will discuss their
answers in small groups. This is to
provide students with the
opportunity to share their answers
and ask any clarifying questions/
organize their thoughts with each
other before entering into a larger
group discussion.

10 minutes The teacher will facilitate the Students will discuss the answers
conversation. as a whole class. This will ensure
that the entire class has a good
understanding of the short story; If
they were having trouble
understanding it before, the
teacher will help to clarify any
misunderstandings.This will also
help them prepare for their tasks
during the next lesson.

Homework:

Students will be asked to think about whose side they would take in the short story.

Lesson Plan 3
Essential Question(s):

How do we begin to develop ideas for choosing a side in an argument?

How should we gather evidence to support our argument?

Why is it important to support your claims with good evidence?

State/CCSS/Disciplinary Standards Addressed in this Lesson:

8R1: Cite textual evidence to strongly support an analysis of what the text says
explicitly/implicitly and make logical inferences.
8R8: Trace and evaluate an argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether
the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient and recognizing when
irrelevant evidence is introduced.
8W1: Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
8SL1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners;
express ideas clearly and persuasively, and build on those of others.

Daily Performance Objectives: Measurable, Meaningful, Made First, and Most

Important, listed in terms of Knowledge and Skills

Students will be able to choose their stance in an argument.

Students will be able to listen and take notes while the teacher is modeling an activity for

them.

Students will be able to pull evidence from the text to support their argument.
 Materials and Preparation:

T-Chart

“A Problem” Short Story by Anton Chekhov

Assessment/Evaluation—note: all lessons must include checks for understanding

The teacher will check in with students during their independent work.

Students will turn in their argument proposal at the end of class.

Lesson Progression (add rows as necessary): Instructional strategies and learning tasks
(including what you and the students will be doing) that support diverse student needs. Please
note all assessments that were described in the previous section.

Duration: The teacher will… The student(s) will…

10 minutes The teacher will walk around to Students will be given the topic:
make sure students are on task. “Should Sasha be given
punishment or leniency?”

Students will choose one side.

They will go through the text and
highlight reasons that support their
choice. Highlighting key
information can be a skill that
students can apply, even for future
assignments, in order to easily
organize their thoughts to help
facilitate their writing process.
20 minutes The teacher will have a T-Chart on
the board and collect answers for
arguments from both sides. Using a
graphic organizer can be a good
visual to help students collect and
organize their ideas.
10 minutes The teacher will model for students
how she expects argument to be
supported by evidence from text (for
both sides). She will use T-Chart
from the previous lesson to piece
together an example of how to write
one. She will do this in order to
prepare for a gradual release of
responsibility to students.
5 minutes The teacher will walk around and
answer any questions that the
students might have about this task.
Homework:
Students will be asked to think about what a thesis is in preparation for the next class.
Lesson Plan 4
Students will share which side
they chose and give evidence that
they gathered from the text.
Because both sides of the
argument are being presented and
written down on the T-Chart for the
entire class to see, students will
be able to build off of their original
argument or use this as an
opportunity to change their stance
based on arguments presented by
other classmates.
Students will take notes while the
teacher is modeling the example
of constructing an argument.
Students will each write on a piece
of paper what side they chose and
3 sentences that they highlighted
from the text that can be used for
evidence. (Argument Proposal)
Essential Question(s):

Why is it important to present our arguments well?

How does the introduction impact the rest of the essay?

State/CCSS/Disciplinary Standards Addressed in this Lesson:

8W1: Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
8W1a: Introduce precise claim(s), acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from a
counterclaim, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
8W1b: Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using credible
sources while demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
8W1c: Use precise language and content-specific vocabulary to argue a claim.
8W1d: Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the
relationships among ideas and concepts.
8W1e: Provide a concluding statement or section that explains the significance of the
argument presented.
8W1f: Maintain a style and tone appropriate to the writing task.

Daily Performance Objectives: Measurable, Meaningful, Made First, and Most

Important, listed in terms of Knowledge and Skills

Students will understand what a thesis is.

Students will develop a clear thesis for their arguments.

Materials and Preparation:

Thesis Statement Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKXkemYldmw

“A Problem” Short Story by Anton Chekhov

 Assessment/Evaluation—note: all lessons must include checks for understanding

Students will hand in their thesis statements at the end of class.

Lesson Progression (add rows as necessary): Instructional strategies and learning tasks
(including what you and the students will be doing) that support diverse student needs. Please
note all assessments that were described in the previous section.

Duration: The teacher will… The student(s) will…

5 minutes The teacher will write students’
answers on the whiteboard so they
can compare their answers with
their classmates’.
Students will be asked “What is a
thesis?” Asking students the
question before giving them the
answer gives them an opportunity
to develop their own thoughts and
in addition gives the teacher an
opportunity to assess what they
already know about it.

5 minutes Teacher will watch the thesis
statement video with students.
Students will watch the thesis
statement video and take notes.
This will give students a purpose
while watching the video and
ensure that they are paying
attention.

5 minutes The teacher will take additional
notes on the whiteboard to compare
answers that students had given
previously. These answers will be
more precise because they will be
based off of the video. Writing
information on the whiteboard can
Students will be asked if their
knowledge of a thesis statement
has changed according to the
video they watched. Asking the
question again after they have
watched the video can also be an
assessment of whether or not
 give students a visual to better
process information instead of only
listening.
10 minutes The teacher will model a thesis
statement based on the short story.
The example thesis will be written
on the whiteboard. The teacher will
gather ideas from students and
compile them into an example
thesis.
5 minutes The teacher will walk around to
make sure students are on task and
help them with any questions they
might have.
10 minutes The teacher will check in with
groups and listen to what students
are sharing with each other.
5 minutes The teacher will facilitate the
conversation and workshop any
thesis statements that need
improvement.
Homework:
Students will review notes they have written about argumentative writing so far.
students have understood the
information being presented to
them.
Students will work as a class to
formulate a thesis statement
based on one side of the short
story. Working with the teacher will
provide for an interactive activity,
rather than being passive listeners
while the teacher is talking.
Students will write their thesis
based on the ideas that they came
up with during the last lesson with
what they learned from watching
the video.
Students will share and revise
their thesis statements in small
groups. This will ensure that all
students have an opportunity to
share and get feedback on their
thesis statements.
Students will share their thesis
statements out loud.
 Lesson Plan 5

Essential Question(s):

How can we create a strong, persuasive argument?

State/CCSS/Disciplinary Standards Addressed in this Lesson:

8R1: Cite textual evidence to strongly support an analysis of what the text says
explicitly/implicitly and make logical inferences.
8W1: Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
8W1a: Introduce precise claim(s), acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from a
counterclaim, and organize the reasons and evidence logically. 8W1b: Support claim(s)
with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using credible sources while demonstrating
an understanding of the topic or text.
8W1b: Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using credible
sources while demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.

Daily Performance Objectives: Measurable, Meaningful, Made First, and Most

Important, listed in terms of Knowledge and Skills

Students will put together the evidence for their arguments based on their thesis
statement and begin to weave them into paragraphs.

Materials and Preparation:

“A Problem” Short Story by Anton Chekhov

 Assessment/Evaluation—note: all lessons must include checks for understanding

The teacher will check in with students during independent and small group work.

The students will hand in the final drafts of their argumentative essay.

Lesson Progression (add rows as necessary): Instructional strategies and learning tasks
(including what you and the students will be doing) that support diverse student needs. Please
note all assessments that were described in the previous section.

Duration: The teacher will… The student(s) will…

20 minutes The teacher will make sure students
are settled down and on task with
the assignment. She will walk
around and answer any questions
that the students might have.
Students will refer back to their
thesis, which should tell them
about their claims and what they
are arguing for. Students will start
to piece together evidence that will
strongly support their sides from
sentences that they highlighted.
Students will begin to write the first
draft of their papers.

15 minutes The teacher will check in with
groups to make sure all students
are on task and help out with giving
feedback.
Students will share in small groups
about what they have written and
get peer feedback silently.
Things students might consider
while giving/getting feedback:

-Is their argument strong

enough?
-Does all the evidence work
together to convince readers
about their side?
-What can they do to improve their
argument?

5 minutes The teacher will continue to check in
with students and answer any
questions that might be asked.
10 minutes The teacher will facilitate the
conversation and provide feedback
for students.
Homework:
Students will complete a final draft of their argumentative essay.
Providing questions can help
students guide their writing and
ensure they have all the points
necessary in their argument. In
addition, getting feedback from
others can help confirm the
persuasiveness of the argument.
Students can revise their papers
based on suggestions that they
received.
Students who feel their paragraph
is good can share with the class
what they have written. Students
will be able to hear classmates'
examples and use that to build on
their own arguments/get a good
idea of what a good argument
should be like.