UNIT TITLE: Citing Evidence

Grade Level/ Course: 7th grade RELA

Approximate length: 450 minutes

Stage 1 – Desired Results

ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS:
(Transferable big ideas, concepts, and themes)
 For a piece of informative, argumentative, or analytical writing to mean
something, it has to be backed by textual evidence.
 Things you say and claims you make also have to be backed by textual evidence.
 Word choice and context alter the way we think about writing, and it can
influence the way textual evidence is presented.
KEY ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
 If someone told you something and said it was a fact, would you automatically believe
them, or would you want more proof?
 If you were reading an article, what would it need to have for you to trust it?
 Can you use textual evidence to prove and defend your point of view to your peers?
 How does word choice affect the way something is presented?
 How does context influence the way something is presented?

CENTRAL FOCUS STATEMENT:

(The central focus of this unit is that students will [use main language function verb here]…
It will center around… [content], The purpose of this unit is to…, This is important
because…)
 The central focus for this learning segment is for students to substantiate their claims
using textual evidence both verbally and in writing. It will center around a short
informative paper and the novel The Giver. The purpose of this unit is to show students
that they have to use evidence to make their claims valid, and the way they present
those claims influences their impact. This is important because it is both an essential
writing and speaking skill. Students have to know how to take information and present
it in a way that makes their opinion or stance supported and valid.

STATE STANDARDS/Established goals:

 ELAGSE7RL1-6: Elements of a story
 ELAGSE7SL6: Adapt speech to a variety of texts
 ELACC7W1: Informational writing
 ELACC7W2a-f: Informational texts
 ELACC7L5c: Connotation and denotation

OBJECTIVES:
Students will be able to…
 SWBAT use textual evidence in informational writing.
 SWBAT identify textual evidence in a verbal or written claim.
 SWBAT use textual evidence to make a supported verbal claim
 SWBAT recognize the effects of connotation and denotation.
 SWBAT recognize the effect of context in a piece of writing.
BACKGROUND
 Likely prior knowledge/funds of knowledge/student interests:
o They have written argumentative essays before.
o They know what paraphrasing and plagiarism mean.
o These students are very into talking about movies. They can make claims
about movies and TV easier than books.
o They have used evidence before but somewhat inconsistently.
 Common misconceptions:
o They don’t know anything about MLA citations.
o Most of them know that citing evidence is important but not essential.
o Several of them do not know the basic elements of an informative essay.
o They are not totally confident in their writing.
o They do not know utopia/dystopia or connotation/denotation.

SPECIALIZED LANGUAGE DEMANDS

 key academic vocabulary: Cite, evidence, paraphrase, connotation, denotation,
context clues
 discourse and/or syntax elements: Students will learn how to incorporate
source names into their writing. They will learn what words like plagiarism,
source, and credibility mean. They will also re-write sentences to make the
words have a more positive/negative connotation.

Stage 2 – Primary Assessment Evidence

EVIDENCE

Some key formative assessments (formal or informal)

 Informative essay pre-writing
 Paideia seminar
 Utopia/dystopia writing assignment
 Connotation/denotation manipulatives
 Connotation/denotation ad rewrite
 Context clues activity
 The Giver notes
Summative Assessments beyond the PT (if needed)
 Informational essay
Post-Assessment (if needed)
 Post-assessment quiz
 Objective* Day(s) How Assessed
SWBAT use textual evidence in informational 1, 2 Informational essay
writing. pre-writing,
Informational essay
SWBAT identify textual evidence in a verbal or 1, 2, 3 Informational essay
written claim. pre-writing,
Informational essay,
Paideia seminar,
Utopia/dystopia writing
assignment
SWBAT use textual evidence to make a supported 3 Paideia seminar
verbal claim.

SWBAT recognize the effects of connotation and 4 Connotation/denotation

denotation. manipulatives,
Connotation/denotation
ad rewrite
SWBAT recognize the effect of context in a piece of 5 Context clues game
writing.

*List every objective, then the day or days you will explicitly teach that objective, and then
how exactly you will assess each student on each objective. By the end of the unit, you
should be able to answer the question, “Who learned what, and how do you know?”

Stage 3 - Learning Experiences

Authenticity: I establish authenticity in my lesson, overall, in the types of
assessments I give my students. I rarely ask students to complete tasks that they
could not conceivably be asked to complete in the real world. Their summative and
formative assessments are, for the most part, derivative of authentic situations and
circumstances. Their summative assessment, writing an informative essay, could be
rather school-y, but it is given to them as if they are being asked to write a piece for
the newspaper informing people about the issues surrounding the Burmese python
in Florida. In addition to the lesson itself, students are asked to participate in
activities that have a level of authenticity to them. One of the main objectives of this
unit is for students to learn to substantiate their claims using textual evidence. I
tried to have them do this in a non-contrived way and have them do it in a casual
class discussion. This kind of thing is an example of authenticity because it requires
them to practice skills that they will be asked to use in the workplace, and it asks
them to do it in a way that mimics authentic situations.
Human diversity content: The students are reading the novel The Giver by Lois
Lowry. This novel has themes that overtly deal with diversity and question the value
of sameness in society. This is an obvious way to incorporate diversity my lesson,
and it opens up discussions for students to consider how the setting of the book
mimics our world. I incorporate the book throughout most of my unit, taking
opportunities to talk about the issues with diversity the book presents. I also
incorporate diverse content in the sources students use to write their informative
essays. These sources are written by people from different regions and of different
nationalities. They get to see several different sides of one issue, and they can
hypothesize how diversity and nationality play into the way these particular
writers’ opinions are formed.
Human diversity pedagogy: I try to present the information surrounding diversity
to my students in a way that makes them think about issues not only in the
literature, but also in our own world. Students are given writing topics, readings,
and open-ended questions that challenge or deepen their knowledge and
understanding of discrimination both in literature and in the real world. I try to
have students think about their own privilege as well as their unique challenges. I
give assignments and class discussion topics that open up this kind of discussion
and ask students to examine their own views about diversity and sameness. I also
employ heterogeneous grouping in class so that students can hear different
perspectives and learn from each other.
Autonomy: I give my students a good deal of autonomy throughout almost every
lesson. Students have deadlines, but they have several loosely-structured class
periods to work toward them. Students are also given autonomy in class
discussions. They are given opportunities to speak freely in class and with their
peers, and they have some unstructured reading and writing time in class. My
students are still somewhat young, so they cannot be given a ton of autonomy at this
point. However, they are given choice in how to structure their time, and they are
given freedom to form, speak about, and write about their own opinions.
Mastery: Students work to achieve mastery mostly in their writing. Students
receive feedback and are asked to re-write their work until it is the best it can be.
Students are asked to think about writing that they consider great and evaluate it
through a critical lens. This helps them understand and evaluate ways that they can
improve their own writing.
Purpose: Students are given purpose in their lessons through the lesson’s authentic
nature. Because students are completing tasks that do not seem arbitrary, they are
more likely to feel a sense of purpose in what they are doing. They are also instilled
with purpose because it is clear that I think that what they say is valuable, and I
expect their peers to see the value in it as well. I ensure a respectful environment by
having students speak one at a time and listen to what others are saying. We also
rarely talk about grades and instead focus on feedback. This gives students a desire
to improve and grow in that particular skill set.

Day 1
Resources Needed: Performance Task writing books, slips of fate

Standard(s)/Objective(s):
 ELACC7W1: Informational writing
 ELACC7W2a-f: Informational texts
 SWBAT use textual evidence in informational writing.
 SWBAT identify textual evidence in a verbal or written claim.

EQ(s):
 If someone told you something and said it was a fact, would you automatically believe
them, or would you want more proof?
 o The essential question in this unit is meant to add some authenticity to this
lesson because it uses real-world problems in the context of what we are
studying. It takes something like textual evidence, or proof for something, and
gives an example of when it is relevant in the real world.

By the end of the period you will be able to… Gather evidence and complete the pre-
writing stage of an informative essay.

Means of collecting data/checking for individual understanding: Pre-writing has to

outline all basic parts of an informational essay (introduction, body, conclusion) and include
the evidence used to support all body paragraphs.

Means of providing tailored feedback to individuals: I will check every student’s pre-
writing before they can begin writing their rough draft.
o This is an example of mastery because students are pushed to complete
one stage to the best of their ability before they can move on to the next
step. Instead of simply allowing the student to move on with an
incomplete or ineffective outline, they are required to come as close to
mastery in the skill of outlining as possible. They have to prove that they
are performing their best at one skill before they can move on to another
skill.

Lesson plan with labels and time stamps

Common labels:
 Hook (5 mins.)
o Discuss EQ and have students complete a quick-write about it in their
interactive notebooks
 Here I am trying to connect to students’ prior knowledge and give
them some hint as to why citing sources is important.
 Discovery/instruction (40 mins.)
o We will go through the first section of the book that outlines the process
of gathering information for an informative essay and completing pre-
writing for an informative essay.
o Students will read the provided sources about Burmese pythons
 These are four articles from people of different races and genders.
Students will compare the perspectives across these differences.
o We will answer all questions in the book together, and I will call on
students using slips of fate to answer.
o We will then move on to the second part of the book that has them
complete pre-writing for an essay about Burmese pythons.
o Students will answer questions individually, and we will go over them
together before they begin pre-writing.
 Practice/application (40 mins)
o Students will complete full outlines for the essay about Burmese pythons.
o I will check their outlines for an introduction, body, and conclusion, and I
will make sure they have at least three main points in their body
paragraphs.
 While this may seem like it is the opposite of autonomy, this
structure actually does grant students some autonomy while also
making sure that they are ready to move on to the next stage.
Students can complete their outline in their own timeline and
using their own methods. They know the elements it is supposed
to have, but they can go about that at whatever pace they want.
o Students will decide which pieces of textual evidence they need and
include that in their outline.
o After I check their outline, students can move on to their rough drafts.
 Review/closure (5 min)
o Show an example of an excellent outline and have students talk about
what makes it good and what he or she could work on.
 This is an attempt at mastery because it enforces the idea that
mastery is an asymptote. Although this person’s outline is very
good, and there is a lot to be learned from it, there is still room for
improvement.

Day 2
Resources Needed: Performance Task books, students’ pre-writing/ rough drafts

Standard(s)/Objective(s):
 ELACC7W1: Informational writing
 ELACC7W2a-f: Informational texts
 SWBAT use textual evidence in informational writing.
 SWBAT identify textual evidence in a verbal or written claim.

EQ(s):
 If you were reading an article, what would it need to have for you to trust it?
o This essential question is again authentic in that it gives students a
real-world example against which to compare the material being
learned in class.

By the end of the period you will be able to… write a complete and well-supported final
draft of an informative essay.

Means of collecting data/checking for individual understanding: Students will

complete a rough and final draft of an informational essay.
Means of providing tailored feedback to individuals: I will read over their rough drafts
if they want me to and write individual feedback on their final drafts.
o This places an emphasis on feedback and improvement and helps
students write the best paper they can.

Lesson plan with labels and time stamps

Common labels:
 ”Do Now” (10 min.)
o Review pre-writing from the previous class.
 Discovery/instruction (10 min.)
 o We will briefly go over how to write a rough draft of an essay
o We will go over how to include a source in formal writing (According to/
In ____ source it says…)
o We will go over formal tone (no 1st person)
 Practice/application (60 min.)
o Students will work on their rough and final drafts of their Burmese
python informative essays. They will be told to imagine that they are
going to use their pre-writing from the previous day to write an article for
a magazine about the Burmese python problem.
 This is an authentic assessment because it mimics a real-life
situation. Instead of simply asking students to write a paper, I
made a point to give them a scenario in which someone would see
and learn from their paper. This adds to the authenticity of the
assignment and hopefully motivates students to write an accurate,
well-supported essay.
 This also gives the assignment purpose. Showing students
scenarios in which this kind of writing would be used in the real
world shows them how their writing could be influential. It makes
writing a skill that can help them in the future.
o I will walk around to workshop their essays, respond to feedback, give
feedback, help them edit and answer any questions.
 Here, I allow the students autonomy by giving them free time to
work on what they need to complete and seek feedback when
needed.
 This also promotes mastery by putting an emphasis on feedback
and revision.
 Review/closure (5 min.)
o Assign final draft for homework and make sure students know that they
need to revise based on the feedback they received.
 This promotes mastery by asking students to revise and improve
their work.

Day 3
Resources Needed: “Turn to talk” cards, Utopia source, dystopia source, The Giver
 The Giver deals with themes of diversity in a way that students can
understand and intelligently discuss.

Standard(s)/Objective(s):
 ELAGSE7RL1-6: Elements of a story
 ELAGSE7SL6: Adapt speech to a variety of texts
EQ(s):
 Can you use textual evidence to prove and defend your point of view to your peers?

By the end of the period you will be able to… Identify the meaning of utopia and dystopia
and make and defend a verbal claim using textual evidence.
Means of collecting data/checking for individual understanding: Students will take
part in a Paideia seminar about utopias and dystopias. They will also complete a writing
assignment where they say how their life is like a utopia and how it is like a dystopia.

Means of providing tailored feedback to individuals: I will respond to them verbally

during our seminar and in writing on their writing assignment.

Lesson plan with labels and time stamps

Common labels:
 Introduction (10 min.)
o Ask students to write on an index card a short description of the setting of
either The Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner, or Harrison Bergeron.
 This creates purpose by connecting to students’ interests. One of
the best ways to give students purpose in their work is to connect
it to something they already know and enjoy. These students love
talking about movies and TV, so asking them to write about it will
immediately hook them and give them a reason to further commit
to the learning process in the lesson.
o Pass out “turn to talk” cards
o Pass out two sources
 Discovery/instruction (20 min.)
o Let students read the two sources provided.
o Go over Paideia seminar rules (on the board)
 Every student has 2 “turn to talk” cards. They have to turn in a
card every time they speak. Each student can speak a minimum of
one and a maximum of two times.
 You don’t have to raise your hand to speak, but you cannot talk
over someone else.
 You have to be respectful and attentive when others are speaking.
 Everything you say must be backed with textual evidence.
 These rules serve to create purpose in students because it
makes every student’s voice valuable, and it insists that
students respect each other.
 Practice/application (45 min.)
o Facilitate the seminar using the sheet provided.
 Review/ closure (15 min.)
o Students will complete and turn in a paragraph response to the prompt,
“How is your life like a utopia and how is it like a dystopia?”
 This question asks students to be very honest and candid about
themselves. This is an example of diverse pedagogy because it uses
the material learned in class to have students write about their
lives, feelings, and possibly cultures. Students are not required to
share what they write, but this, along with the themes of The Giver,
makes students think about the concept of diversity and how they
exhibit diversity in their school and community.
Day 4
Resources Needed: Manipulatives, house picture (SB), worksheet (SB), manipulatives
chart (SB)

Standard(s)/Objective(s):
 ELACC7L5c: Connotation and denotation
 SWBAT recognize the effects of connotation and denotation.

EQ(s):
 How does word choice affect the way something is presented?

By the end of the period you will be able to… recognize the effects of connotation and
denotation.

Means of collecting data/checking for individual understanding: Students will turn in

their warm-up where they re-write an ad for a house using more positive connotation. This
will show me how well they got the concept of words meaning the same thing but having
different connotations.
o This is an example of authentic assessment because it asks students to
mimic a simplified version of something people do in everyday life.
Students can engage with the material in this way because it gives them a
concrete example of how people use this skill in everyday life and how
connotation and denotation can affect the way things are described.

Means of providing tailored feedback to individuals: I will respond to them verbally

during our practice activity, and I will write comments on their re-writes to hand back to
them the next day.

Lesson plan with labels and time stamps

 Introduction (10 min.)
o Project a picture of a house on the board.
o Ask students to pretend they are a realtor and they have to write an ad
for the house projected on the board.
 Authentic assessment (above)
o Ask a few students to read their ad and take note of the words they use to
describe the house
o Ask students to hold onto their ads to use at the end of class
 Discovery/instruction (20 min.)
o Give a mini-lesson over what connotation and denotation is using the
definitions at the top of the first worksheet
o As a class, determine whether the words on the worksheet have a
positive, negative, or neutral connotation
 Complete five together and then use slips of fate to call on students
randomly to come to the board and give their answer
 Practice/application (45 min.)
 o Give the students color-coded manipulatives that have words with the
same or similar denotation and a positive, negative, and neutral
connotation.
 Although students are working in a group, this still gives them
autonomy. Even though we will have gone over the definitions
already, this allows students experiment with and discover these
concepts with their peers instead of having a teacher stand over
them the entire time.
o In their groups, students will categorize each word as positive, negative,
or neutral
o Afterward, we will use slips of fate to call random students to write their
group’s answer on the board. The whole class will then do a thumbs
up/down vote to see if they agree/disagree with the student’s answer.
 Review/ closure (15 min.)
o Students will re-write their ad from the beginning of class to have a more
positive connotation.
 This is a small example, but this can also apply to mastery. It
places an emphasis on rewrites, and it also shows how simple
word changes can drastically affect a writer’s statement and
increase or decrease its validity.

Day 5
Resources Needed: Word list, The Giver, The Giver note template

Standard(s)/Objective(s):
 SWBAT recognize the effect of context in a piece of writing.
 ELAGSE7RL1-6: Elements of a story
EQ(s):
 How important is context to understanding a situation?
o This is authentic in nature because it calls into question how context affects
situations and how the meaning of something changes when the context
changes. I am specifically referring to using context to determine the meaning of
words, but they can connect it to the real life by thinking about how everything
has to be considered in context.

By the end of the period you will be able to… recognize the effect of context in a piece of
writing.

Means of collecting data/checking for individual understanding: Students will play a

game where they look up a given word in The Giver and guess what the word means based
on context clues.

Means of providing tailored feedback to individuals: I will cold call students and ask
them to give their answer to the what the word means as well as a rationale for why they
think that. I will give them feedback orally.
o Asking students to give rationales for their thinking applies to mastery
because it makes them think deeper about the problem and explain why
they think something is true.
Lesson plan with labels and time stamps
Common labels:
 ”Do Now” (5 min.)
o Students will write a 2-3 sentence definition of context clues
 discovery/instruction (15 min.)
o We have a mini-lesson over context clues where we review what they are
and how we can use them to figure out meanings of words
 practice/application (45 min.)
o Students will fold a sheet of paper in half long-ways and write “word” on
one side and “definition on the other
o I will have a list of words from The Giver with page numbers where
students can find it, and I will give them each word and have them write it
and what they think the word means based on context clues on the side of
their paper that says “word.”
o After 2 minutes, I will let them discuss what they think the word means in
their small groups for 1 minute. Then, I will use slips of fate to call on a
student to give what they think the definition is and why.
o After three students share, I will give them the actual definition and have
them write it on the “definition” side of their paper. We will discuss what
kind of context clues could give away the definition. Repeat these steps
for the rest of the words.
 The above steps give students autonomy by having them
formulate their own answer before sharing what they think. It is
only after they consider the problem alone that they collaborate
with others to form a final answer.
o After we go over all of the words, students will read The Giver using their
note-taking template, adding a section for unknown words. Next to their
unknown words, they will write their guesses based on context clues.
 This is diverse content in itself because The Giver deals with so
much diversity. I know I keep saying that, but it really does cover a
lot about living in a non-diverse world.
 This way of covering the book shows diverse pedagogy because it
basically just gives students the opportunity to journal about how
the book makes them feel. On the template, it asks questions about
how the sameness displayed in the book affects its overall feel in
that chapter. Students have to write about diversity, even though
they are not aware they are writing about diversity.
 Closing
o Students will share their unknown words and guesses
 This relates to mastery because it enforces the idea that being
wrong is okay, and unknowns are learning opportunities.