Opinion Mini-Unit Cyndi Wiles & Kristi Britt / NTES Lessons adapted from materials developed by Jean Wolph, Louisville Writing Project and the National Writing Project i3 College Ready Writers Program, funded by the Department of Education. Do you feel bullying is a problem in our school?

2 WritingReading Argument MINI-UNIT Emphasis # of Lessons ARGUMENT SKILLS PRODUCTELEMENTS OF ARGUMENTCLOSE READING STRATEGIES RESPONSE TO READINGSTOPICS Draft, Feedback, Revise, Reflect Close reading strategies Writing & talking to develop knowledge on topic or issue Making a strong claim 5 Lessons Entering Skills: Foundational Skills: Writing a claim that is debatable, defensible, and compelling. Use specific evidence from a text to support it, providing attribution. Making a comment about evidence. Digging Deeper: Developing the context (introductory material to provide background to the reader) Product: Multi- paragraph guided draft Kernel Essay Revision Claim Evidence Studying models to improve our writing Highlighting key words and definitions Highlighting sources of information Writing in response to texts Turn and Talk It Says/I Say notes SHOULD WE _____________? 3 shared texts (chart, video, article) Mini-Unit Overview

Writing Standards Emphasized in the Mini-Unit Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using valid reasoning. Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources …. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources…and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism …. Draw evidence from …informational texts …. Write routinely over longer and…shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline- specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4-5Days 6Days 7-8Day 9 Brain Pop Video—take notes with graphic organizer. Think/Write/ Pair/Share on what has been learned so far and add to organizers. Independen tly analyze the bullying issue in the book “Thank You Mr. Faulker.” Create table of examples and ways it was addressed or not addressed in comp books. Share examples of bullying with partner using Think/Write /Pair/Share Read article on bullying. Complete It says/I say organizer in comp notebook. Carousel activity on school areas where bullying may exist (classroom, lunch, recess, specials) with note-taking in comp notebook. Reread writings and notes. Write what you are thinking now. Make a claim. Write a seed essay. Peer review writing seed with partner to gather future ideas (add notes/ideas). Mini-Unit Sequence

In this unit, we will read about an issue, examine the facts, and make a claim. Claim: A statement of opinion that others can either agree with or disagree with.

Writer’s Notebook (Day 1): Brain Pop Video Brain Pop Video

Writer’s Notebook (Day 2): Analyze the issue of bullying in this book and create a list of examples in your composition notebook. Thank You Mr. Falker

Day 4: Read “Bullies: What is Bullying?” Read “Bullies: What is Bullying?”

While reading the article, jot down facts you read in Column 1. Afterward, we’ll take time to add our reactions in Column 2. It SaysI Say

Read the following articles…….. Take notes

THINK-WRITE-PAIR-SHARE After reading the two articles on bullying, write down the important points you learned from the articles in your writing composition notebooks. Share what you wrote and learned with your partner. Time to share with the entire class

Add to your notebook entry...use your “They Say / I Say” chart to add a paragraph or more to your writing about bullying. Use sentence starters like these: “As [fill in name of someone from the video] says, “ “The video [fill in title] explains …” “ According to …” “Supporting my example, …” “Just as [expert’s name] says in [his/her] [interview, speech, or whatever]…” “Although the video [fill in title] says …” “While [expert’s name] explains …”

School Environment Carousel—What about bullying in these areas of the school?

Is bullying a problem in our school? Review bullying notes Complete the “Prewriting” sheet Create a “seed” paragraph(s) using your sentence starters.

Peer Feedback: Review your partner’s new paragraph(s). Did he/she use sentence starters that show where the evidence came from? Did he/she make a comment about the evidence? “As [expert’s name] says, “ “The video [title] explains …” 1. Underline the starters you find. 2. Make a * anywhere you see an opportunity for your partner to add one of these phrases. 3. Circle the comments your partner wrote about the evidence (the facts). 4. Draw an arrow to show where your partner COULD make comments about the facts. 5. Switch papers and talk about your suggestions. 6. REVISE your own writing based on these suggestions. “ According to …” “Although the video [title] says …”