1. What Should We Do About Homelessness?
Developed by Jean Wolph and Cindy Bradley
Inspired by NWP i3 College-Ready Writer Program processes and materials
blogs.commons.georgetown.edu

2. Mini-Unit Overview Writing Reading
Argument
MINI-UNIT
Emphasis
# of Lessons
ARGUMENT SKILLS
PRODUCT
ELEMENTS OF ARGUMENT
CLOSE READING STRATEGIES
RESPONSE TO READINGS
TOPICS
Draft, Feedback, Revise,
Reflect
Close reading strategies
Writing & talking to develop knowledge on topic or issue
Taking a Stand and Connecting with an Audience
5 Lessons
(6-7 days)
Entering Skills:
Partner Sharing
Contributing to Class Notes
Making a Claim Using a Sentence Frame
Foundational Skills:
Capturing notes from a text to use as evidence
Using a planning framework to write a short argument
Product: Letter, BlogPost, or Poster
Researching to make an informed opinion
Claim
Evidence
Studying texts to form an opinion
Making inferences from facts
Response to texts
Scaffolded claim writing
Audience analysis
What Should We Do About Homelessness?
4 shared
Readings
(photo, editorial cartoon, graph, video) and optional teacher-selected article

3. And connections to math and SS standards
Standards Emphasized in the Mini-Unit
READING STANDARDS FOR INFORMATIONAL TEXT
7. Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).
WRITING STANDARDS
1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.
b. Provide reasons that support the opinion.
c. Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) to connect opinion and reasons.
And connections to math and SS standards

4. Mini-Unit Instructional Sequence
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Days 5-7
Introduce research question (inquiry)
Respond to photo; gather questions about homelessness
Study text 1, editorial cartoon; chart new information (student note organizer)
Class charting of ideas—what should we do
Initiate “audience” discussion: who needs to act? What needs to be done?
Study text 2, chart of homelessness in Louisville
Do the Math (adapt for grade-appropriate processes)
Chart new information to student note organizer (what facts did we learn?)
Continue class charting of ideas—what should we do
Continue audience discussion
Study text 3, article
Chart new info on note organizer (what facts did we learn?)
Continue class charting of ideas—what should we do?
Study text 4, video
Partner Talk
Class discussion
Who will your audience be?
What big message do you want to deliver to your audience?
What evidence will prove the audience needs to act?
Paragraph or Poster Drafting
PQP Feedback and Revision

5. What does this photograph make us wonder?
blogs.commons.georgetown.edu

6. Next, we’ll write in our notebooks.
Homelessness
What are you thinking?

7. Share Your Ideas in Partner Talks

8. What we wonder about HOMELESSNESS:
Capturing our thinking
Let’s list our ideas on a class chart.

9. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT CARTOONS?
The little girl says, “Thanks, but my homework is a little beyond your skill set, Mom.”
What is the Mom’s reaction?
Why is this a funny idea?
Ask the question first and get response. Then show the sample and discuss.
Cartoon by Jeff Stahler (jsh120420)

10. Text #1
What do we notice about EDITORIAL cartoons? How are they different from other cartoons we know about? What can we learn from this cartoon?
Pursue the difference between cartoons that tell stories vs. cartoons that tell about issues. Maybe play a few bars of our state song, to help students see the play on words that is typical of editorial cartoons.

11. What are you thinking now? What should we do about homelessness?
Text #1
What are you thinking now? What should we do about homelessness?

12. Next, we’ll write in our notebooks.
Homelessness
What are you thinking?

13. Share Your Ideas in Partner Talks

14. Let’s capture our new learning.
What Do We Know About Homelessness?
Source
FACT

15. Who is Homeless in Louisville?
Text #2
From

16. Who is Homeless in Louisville?
Text #2
Who is Homeless in Louisville?
From

17. Let’s Do the Math There are 5582 homeless people in Louisville.
There are 30,000 homeless people in Kentucky.
What portion of the homeless Kentuckians live in Louisville?

18. Let’s Do the Math There are 5582 homeless people in Louisville.
There are 30,000 homeless people in Kentucky.
What portion of the homeless Kentuckians live in Louisville?
5582_ = ?
30,000

19. Let’s Do the Math There are 5582 homeless people in Louisville.
There are 30,000 homeless people in Kentucky.
What portion of the homeless Kentuckians live in Louisville?
5582_ = 18.6%
30,000

20. What does 18.6% look like?
There are 5582 homeless people in Louisville.
There are 30,000 homeless people in Kentucky.
5582_ = 18.6%
30,000
Of all the cities and towns and counties in Kentucky, Louisville has a big number of the homeless living right here.

21. Share Your Ideas in Partner Talks
Text #2
Share Your Ideas in Partner Talks
From

22. Let’s capture our new learning.
What Do We Know About Homelessness?
Source
FACT

23. Next, we’ll write in our notebooks.
Homelessness
What are you thinking?

24. Let’s capture new ideas we have.
What Should We Do About Homelessness?
At School
In Our Communities
In the World

25. Let’s read more about homelessness.
Text #3
Let’s read more about homelessness.
Insert current article that is appropriate for your grade level and community
Directions
Plan a way that students will process the reading, perhaps using annotations.

26. Let’s capture our new learning.
What Do We Know About Homelessness?
Source
FACT

27. Next, we’ll write in our notebooks.
Homelessness
What are you thinking?

28. Let’s capture new ideas we have.
What Should We Do About Homelessness?
At School
In Our Communities
In the World

29. Now let’s watch this video.
Text #4
Who is homeless in Louisville? (
What does it mean to take a stand?

30. Let’s capture our new learning.
What Do We Know About Homelessness?
Source
FACT

31. From the people who made this video, “Take a Stand”:
Our awareness event to launch this campaign was Thursday, November 13. From 3:30-6 p.m. that day, nearly 200 volunteers held up signs across the city that said things like, “I’ve never served in the military, but I’m here to take a stand for the 916 homeless Louisvillians who have. #TakeAStandLou.”
What do we think this means? What is an “awareness event”? A “campaign”? A “volunteer”? What is “#TakeAStandLou”?

32. Let’s watch this video again.
Who is homeless in Louisville? (
What COULD we do??

33. Excerpt from “How Can You Take a Stand?” By louhomeless.org
MAKE A SIGN that says how YOU will take a stand and post it on social media with the hashtag #TakeAStandLou. If on Twitter, tag if on Facebook, tag us at “Coalition for the Homeless” (here’s our page). Here are some sign ideas:
I will take a stand by donating $5/month to get one homeless Louisvillian off the streets for one night during extreme weather
I will take a stand by volunteering at a local shelter
I will take a stand by contacting Metro Council about the importance of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund
I will take a stand by telling someone about Louisville’s 900 homeless veterans and 1,200 homeless children
SUPPORT our Rx: Housing Veterans initiative to end homelessness for veterans in Louisville by 2016.
CONTACT Metro Council about the importance of the Louisville Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
JOIN our $5 a month club to get one homeless person off the streets and into shelter during extreme weather. 
Thank you for giving your time to take a stand and help our neighbors who are experiencing homelessness!

34. Next, we’ll write in our notebooks.
Homelessness
What are you thinking?

35. Now let’s get specific. Choose one sentence starter
Now let’s get specific. Choose one sentence starter. Explain what you think should be done about homelessness. Add more sentences, using facts from our sources to show WHY we should act.
I (or my family) should _________________ because ________.
Our class should_________________ because ________.
Our school should_________________ because ________.
Our community should_________________ because ________.
Our country should_________________ because ________.

36. Take a Stand: What Should We Do About Homelessness
Take a Stand: What Should We Do About Homelessness? Write a letter, write a blogpost, make a sign, or design a poster to deliver your message!

37. What Should We Do About Homelessness?
YOUR TURN!
What Should We Do About Homelessness?
We should ___________ because ____________.
Because ______, we should ______.
This is your CLAIM. It’s your opinion, backed by EVIDENCE.

38. Sharing and Peer Review
Read your draft of writing, poster, or sign to your partner.
Partners: Use a sticky note to put a star by the writer’s claim. (Write “oops! CLAIM” if you can’t find one.)
Partners: Use a sticky note to put an arrow pointing to one fact the writer used to explain why we must do something about homelessness. (Write “oops! EVIDENCE” if you can’t find one.)
Everyone: Make any changes and improvements to your work.

39. Class Thinking and Talking Time
How can we turn our words into actions?

40. References ARTICLE (TBA) Silhouette (face/palm). Wikipedia.com.
Jeff Stahler cartoon retrieved on from
Homeless child photo retrieved on from blogs.commons. georgetown.edu
Homeless man photo retrieved on from
ARTICLE (TBA)
Silhouette (face/palm). Wikipedia.com.
Take a Stand. Coalition for the Homeless.