Objectives: Students will be able to
- 1)Summarize an author’s argument in a text
- 2) Identify specific and accurate evidence an author uses to support his/her argument
- 3) Identify an opposing view
- 4) Explain the logic of refutation
- 5) Make an EBC ( evidence-based claim)
CC Standards
- RI.9-10.1 RI.9-10.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- RI.9-10.3 RI.9-10.6 SL.9-10.9 SL.9-10.1 RI.9-10.3: Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.
- RI.9-10.6: Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.
- RI.9-10.9: Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance
- SL.9-10.1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Procedures
Day 1 Activity: What’s a claim?
- States a conclusion you have come to… and that you want others to think about.” For example, the claim “It is cold outside” is supported by evidence like “The outside thermometer reads 13 degrees F” but is not supported with statements like “It feels that way to me”.
- Not a claim: a “claim” such as “Smoking has been shown to be hazardous to your health” was once considered to be an opinion, until a weight of scientific evidence over time led us to accept this claim as fact.
- All parts of the claim are supported by specific evidence you can point to and distinguish claims that can be supported by evidence from those that are unsupported opinions
- “Demonstrates knowledge of and sound thinking about a topic” and with it the idea that a claim becomes stronger as we expand our knowledge about a subject and find more and better evidence to support the claim.
- Making a text-based claim or textual claims can start as statements about what a text tells us directly (literal comprehension) such as “Tom Sawyer gets the other boys to paint the fence” and then move to simple conclusions we draw from thinking about the text, like: “Tom Sawyer is a clever boy” because (evidence) “He tricks the other boys into doing his work and painting the fence.” T
- Text-based claims can also be more complex and require more evidence (e.g., “Mark Twain presents Tom Sawyer as a ‘good bad boy’ who tricks others and gets into trouble but also stands up for his friend Jim.”), sometimes – as in this example – requiring evidence from more than one text or sections of text.
Your Task:
1)Based on your understanding of a subject, make a claim and provide a supporting evidence.
2) Read paragraphs 1-5 of King’s Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech (video) and answer a text-dependent question:
1- How does King describe the current state of the civil rights movement?
2- What is nonviolence according to King?
3- To what societal (moral and political) debate is King responding?
Day 2
Objective: Students will be ale to develop an EBC through a close reading of the text.
Activities:
Model Forming EBC- “Q1: How does King describe the current state of the civil rights movement? ” Here is an example- King states that he is receiving the prize not for himself but for a “movement,” which he then briefly describes. Students can look through the opening paragraph for the descriptive details King uses to describe the civil rights movement at that point in 1964. The images King gives are ones of violence and deep struggle between two sides: those for equal rights and those for segregation. The fact that the movement is ongoing causes King to ask the rhetorical question: if the movement has not yet achieved peace, why then has it been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize? Discuss with the students why King begins with such a negative and violent picture of the movement and how it helps him introduce the idea of nonviolence.
Your Task:
A. Respond to the following text-dependent questions:
1- What does King mean by the “’isness’ of humanity’s present nature?”
2- Where does King use a religious tone in his speech?
3- What is the “genuine civilization” King has the audacity to believe in?
4- How does King use rhetoric to evoke emotion in his speech?
Here is an exemplary response-Halfway through his speech, King changes the rhythm of his language. He repeats the phrases “I refuse” and “I believe” numerous times in the two middle paragraphs using a rhetorical device called anaphora; he repeats a phrase to gather emotional momentum in his speech. Ask the students for examples of King’s repetitive style and how it changes the tone of the speech. Viewing the speech will largely help them grasp the difference. (Note: You might also show an excerpt of the “I have a dream” speech where the same tool is used.) Guide students through the beginning of the speech where King focuses on a seemingly dismal outlook of the movement, to his use of the phrases “I refuse” and “I believe” to develop an emotionally charged climax. Where else in his speech does he use this device? (“I am mindful…”).
B. Make a claim based on King’s speech. Find supporting evidence to back up your claim.
Day 3
Objective: RI.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Activities:
Citing Evidence:
Use quotation marks when recording direct quotes and include the line numbers of the evidence.
The pieces of evidence should be as focused as possible.
4- How does King use rhetoric to evoke emotion in his speech?
Here is an exemplary response-Halfway through his speech, King changes the rhythm of his language. He repeats the phrases “I refuse” and “I believe” numerous times in the two middle paragraphs using a rhetorical device called anaphora; he repeats a phrase to gather emotional momentum in his speech. Ask the students for examples of King’s repetitive style and how it changes the tone of the speech. Viewing the speech will largely help them grasp the difference. (Note: You might also show an excerpt of the “I have a dream” speech where the same tool is used.) Guide students through the beginning of the speech where King focuses on a seemingly dismal outlook of the movement, to his use of the phrases “I refuse” and “I believe” to develop an emotionally charged climax. Where else in his speech does he use this device? (“I am mindful…”).
In a small group, discuss how to form an EBC by following the Discussion Checklist
Your Task: Make an evidence-based claim baed on Dr. King’s speech and present it to the class. Use the EBC Checklist to evaluate your claim.
Day 4
Objectives: Students will be able to organize evidence to develop and explain claims through a close reading of the text.
Activities:
INDEPENDENT READING AND FORMING EBCs Students independently read part of the text and use the Forming EBC Tool to make an evidence-based claim.
1)- READ ALOUD Students follow along as they listen to part of the text being read aloud. Read paragraphs 1-17 of President Obama’s Nobel Lecture with the Video.
2) -How to form an EBC based on your reading?
- What do I mean when I state this claim? What am I trying to communicate?
- How did I arrive at this claim? Can I “tell the story” of how I moved as a reader from the literal details of the text to a supported claim about the text?
- Can I point to the specific words and sentences in the text from which the claim arises?
- What do I need to explain so that an audience can understand what I mean and where my claim comes from?
- What evidence (quotations) might I use to illustrate my claim? In what order?
- If my claim contains several parts (or premises), how can I break it down, organize the parts, and organize the evidence that goes with them?
- If my claim involves a comparison or a relationship, how might I present, clarify, and organize my discussion of the relationship between parts or texts?
Your Task: Form an EBC based on Obama’s speech. Provide evidence to support your claim. Explain why how you derive at the claim from the provided evidence.
Day 5
1- MODEL ORGANIZING EBCs The teacher models organizing evidence to develop and explain claims using student evidence- based claims and the Organizing EBC Tool.
2- ORGANIZING EBCs IN PAIRS In pairs, students develop a claim with multiple points using the Organizing EBC Tool.
Day 6
CLASS DISCUSSION OF STUDENT EBCs The class discusses the evidence-based claims developed by student pairs.
Day 7
1- INDEPENDENT READING AND MAKING EBCs Students independently review the text and use the Forming EBC Tool to develop an evidence-based claim.
Objectives: Students will be able to express EBCs in writing through a close reading of the text.
Day 8
1– MODEL WRITING EBCs The teacher introduces and models writing evidence-based claims.
The simplest structure for writing evidence-based claims is beginning with a paragraph stating the claim and its context and then using subsequent paragraphs logically linked together to develop the necessary points of the claim with appropriate evidence. (More advanced writers can organize the expression differently, like establishing a context, building points with evidence, and stating the claim at the end for a more dramatic effect. I).
Incorporating textual evidence into writing is difficult and takes practice. You need to decide on what precise evidence to use, how to order it, and when to paraphrase or to quote. You will also need to structure sentence syntax and grammar to smoothly and effectively incorporate textual details, while maintaining your own voice and style.
2- WRITING EBCs IN PAIRS In pairs, students write evidence-based claims .
Day 9
1– CLASS DISCUSSION OF WRITTEN EBCs The class discusses the written evidence-based claims of volunteer student pairs.
2- READ ALOUD AND CLASS DISCUSSION The class discusses their new evidence-based claims and students read aloud portions of the text.