Lesson Plan 12/8

Context: Students have been working diligently on a variety of skills all connected to the writing they will be expected to do in college and to the various standardized tests they face this year. We've read multiple exemplars of the synthesis essay (aka the researched argument/research paper/term paper) and we are now in the middle of writing one. Students have worked to create a checklist/rubric against which their finished essays will be compared for assessment. https://docs.google.com/document/d/131AVqd0KZvd6_fO7cF2yKKqD1Kz4cKPt9UGgNvwP898/edit   They've learned about organizing multiple perspectives from a variety of sources with the use of a  "Source Grid " which they've already turned in.   With a resource from a little gem of a book called They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, they've learned about the methods writers use to effectively blend quoted material into their essays.  We are now focusing on writing the lead for the essay.

 Of course, this is AP.  So, when I say "lead," I am not talking about one sentence, but rather about the development of an entire narrative or analogy or idea that will draw their readers into the bulk of the essay.  This lead will be referenced multiple times throughout the body of the "copy" and then will be returned to at the paper's conclusion to draw the reader back full circle to the beginning of the essay.

The exemplars we've read (five total) have demonstrated a variety of lead techniques.  Now students simply need to choose one and emulate it. We've also discussed the importance of the first sentence referencing this handout https://nwscholasticpress.org/2012/10/09/write-great-leads-that-will-grab-your-readers-attention-by-knowing-these-9-effective-strategies-2/.

Common Core Standards:

W11-12.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

11-12.2A
Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

11/12.3A
Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

11-12.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)

AND SO MANY MORE 11-12.5, 11-12.6, 

Process:Students will spend three class periods writing this lead with the understanding that the draft they turn in on Friday may change as they develop the body of the paper.  Because writing is like that, a frustratingly beautiful recursive process. Writing in class gives them the advantage of being able to as education guru, Penny Kittle, "write (right) beside" a teacher meaning any questions or difficulties that arise can be dealt with immediately.

What You Will See:

The first 15 minutes will be devoted to taking a Membean vocabulary assessment.

For the rest of the hour you will see the teacher as facilitator helping students navigate lead writing through informal peer conferencing. Because the leads are only drafts at this point, students will be looking for feedback from their peers on content, organization and level of engagement.

Each student will read his or her lead aloud to one or two other students.  Students will listen without interrupting and then offer feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of the draft answering the following two questions:

• Is the lead clear and coherent?
• Does it provoke interest in the subject matter to follow?

Students will take turns sharing their feedback and then it's "back to the drawing board" for revisions.