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Lesson Plans: Week 1 of “Writing with the Urgency of the Pen” Unit

Essential question: Summative Assessment:

What role do young people have in
bringing about social, political, and
economic change?
Corollary questions:
Why do we write?
What does a just world look like?
How can we get there?
What demands the urgency of your
pen?
Part 1: “The Urgency of Your Pen” Editorial
Students will write a 450-500 word evidence-based editorial, like the editorial pieces published
in the New York Times, about an issue that they believe is urgent that more people should
know more about that is need of change to create a more just world.
Part 2: A Multimodal Piece to Accompany the Essay
A zine, podcast, poem, video, painting, drawing, collage, political poster, t-shirt design, TikTok,
Instagram post, digital story or other creative project that you can use to help others
visualize your writing piece.

Monday/Tuesday, January 4th/5th Wednesday, January 6th Thursday/Friday, January 7th/8th

I can… Asynchronous Work: I can..

● Discuss what role young people
have in bringing about change
in my community and world.
● I can research a youth activist
using credible sources and
share my research with my
classmates.
Activities
● Connection-Making: What was
the best thing you did over
● Read for 20 minutes.
● Look through the Youth
Change-Maker’s Slideshow we
made yesterday (linked here***)
which youth change-maker’s
work resonates with you most?
Why? What might the youth in
this slideshow have in common?
(at least 100-150 words).
● Comment on at least two of
● Understand the importance of
writing with “The Urgency of Your
Pen”.
● Develop a list of topics that are
most urgent of my pen.
● Conduct research on a topic that is
of importance to me.
Activities
● Connection-Making: What is one
goal/resolution you have for 2021?

break?
● Reading Time
● New Unit Explanation!
● Changemaker of the Week:
Audre Lorde
● Opinion Question of the Week:
What role might young people
have in bringing about change
in their communities and world?
● Activity: Youth Changemakers
Investigation!
Independent Work:
● Read for 20 minutes.
your peers’ posts (at least 50
words). In this comment you
may connect with what
someone wrote, ask questions,
etc.
Independent Work
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● Reading Time
● Pre-Test
● Changemaker of the Week: Audre
Lorde & Quote Analysis: “When we
speak we are afraid our words will
not be welcomed or heard. But
when we are silent we are still
afraid, so it is better to speak.”
● Writing with the Urgency of the Pen
(Cultivating Genius by Gholdy
Muhammad Chapter 4 on the
Urgency of Your Pen)
○ What might this mean?
○ What issues are most urgent
of your pen? Why? Idea
sharing.
● Read for 20 minutes.
● Hogwash
● Respond to the discussion post in
Schoology in a 100-150 word
response.
○ Which topic from our padlet
stands out to you the most?
Why? What do you already
know about it? What else do
you want to know about it?
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Lesson Plan 1
Date: Day 1 (of 2 days)
Jan I can...
04/05 Day 01 of Lesson (synchronous):
● I can discuss what role young people have in bringing about change in my community and world (identity).
(time) ● I can conduct research on a youth activist using credible sources and share my research with my classmates
90 mins (skills).
● I can learn about different youth changemakers and their work in improving various issues that they are
passionate about (intellect).
● I can explain how and why various youth are fighting for change in our country and around the world (criticality).
Day 02 of Lesson (asynchronous) - this will be set up in a discussion post on Schoology:
● I can reflect on which youth changemaker’s work resonates with me most (identity)
Day 03 of Lesson (synchronous)
● I can understand the importance of writing with “The Urgency of Your Pen” (criticality).
● I can develop a list of topics that are most urgent of my pen (identity).
● I can identify the claim, evidence, and reasoning in a text (skills).
● I can learn about why authors write for social change (intellect).

Materials:
● Lesson Presentation
● Youth Changemakers Investigation
● Schoology
● ELA notebook
● Pencil/pen

Standards

(~10 mins) Hellos & Welcome! (identity)

● (~6 mins) Welcome everyone! Happy 2021! We made it through 2020! It is so nice to have you back! How are you?
How do you feel about being back? How was the break? Casual chat as students enter the classroom and while Ms.
Daniel is taking attendance.
● (~2 mins) Connection-Making: say hello and share the best part of your break in the chat! I will read through these
and ask students to expand on something they wrote if I see something particularly interesting.
● (~2 mins) I will read through the learning targets of the day.
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(~20 mins) Opener (intellect)

● (~5 mins) Welcome slide, weekly schedule, today’s agenda, and reviewing our social contract
○ Have a student read the welcome slide.
○ Read through our weekly schedule!
○ Go over today’s agenda.
○ Reviewing our social contract (ask students if this still looks good for the new semester?, always good to
double check we are still good with it after time has passed!).
● (~10 mins) Reading time
○ I will ask students to write the book name they are reading in the chat!
○ Students will read for 10 minutes!
● (~5 mins) Writing with “The Urgency of the Pen” research writing unit
○ Everyone, we are starting a new unit!!! Hurray!!
○ This unit is called Writing with “The Urgency of the Pen”. We will get more into that name later.
○ Have a student read through the essential questions!
○ Explain what the summative assessment will be (editorial and multimodal piece). Mention the NYT contest as
well!
○ Explain rationale for the unit. Why are we doing what we are doing? (I will read the rationale I wrote for this
unit plan).
○ I will explain new things coming this unit!
■ Changemaker of the week and quote analysis!
■ Student opinion question of the week
■ Writing groups (based on survey from last semester)
■ Hogwash
○ Briefly go over unit calendar

(~3 mins) Break

(~16 mins) Middle (criticality/skills/intellect)

● (~4 mins) Vocabulary & changemaker brainstorming
○ Explain the definition of a changemaker.
○ Brainstorm some changemakers in our world as a class (can be from the community, personal lives, history,
etc.)
● (~2 mins) Changemaker of the week: Audre Lorde
○ Hey everyone! Does anyone know who Greta Thunberg is?
○ Have a student read about THE Greta Thunberg.
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● (~7 mins) Opinion question of the week

○ Have a student read the question of the week:
■ What role might young people have in bringing about change in their communities and world?
○ Instruct students to write about their response to this question for three minutes in their ELA journal.
■ Share sentence stems to help.
● The role young people might have in bringing about change is…
● A young person who brought about change was….
● They…. (explain what they did)
● A way in which young people can make change is....
○ Share out responses! Get those creative juices flowing and share those opinions!!! Amplify that we want to
hear what you all have to say!!! Encourage unmuting <3
○ (~3 mins) Explanation of Youth Changemaker Investigation
■ Explain how we will be investigating different youth who have made change!
■ Students will work in groups and fill out biographical information for their person.
■ Remind students on tips for finding credible sources (who published the article? What is the domain?
What author/organization is responsible for the content? Is this person qualified to write about this
topic? When was this article written?
■ Show the graphic organizer that they will be filling out along with model with Greta Thunberg.

(~3 mins) Break

(~22 mins) Wrap Up (skills/intellect)

● (~ 10 sec) Review Agenda, where are we?
● (~10 mins) Youth Changemakers Investigation in Breakout Rooms
○ Give reminders for expectations and ask if students have any questions.
● (~10 mins) Youth Changemakers Investigation Presenting
● (~2 mins) Checking out agenda ~ look how far we have come!, reviewing independent work, and looking forward to
Wednesday work.

(~16 mins) Independent Work Time

● (~16 mins) Extra time cushion time for presentations, reading time, catch up time, and checking in with students.

HW: (identity)
● Students will read a book of their choice for 20 minutes.
● For Wednesday work, students will respond to the following discussion question, Which youth changemaker’s work
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resonates with you most? Why? What might the youth in this slideshow have in common? (at least 100-150 words).
They will also comment on at least two of your peers’ posts (at least 50 words). In this comment you may connect
with what someone wrote, ask questions, etc.

Reflection:
● What went well?

● What can be improved?

Lesson Plan 2
Date: Day 2 (of 2 days)
Jan I can...
07/08 Day 01 of Lesson (synchronous):
● I can discuss what role young people have in bringing about change in my community and world (identity).
(time) ● I can conduct research on a youth activist using credible sources and share my research with my classmates
90 mins (skills).
● I can learn about different youth changemakers and their work in improving various issues that they are
passionate about (intellect).
● I can explain how and why various youth are fighting for change in our country and around the world (criticality).
Day 02 of Lesson (asynchronous) - this will be set up in a discussion post on Schoology:
● I can reflect on which youth changemaker’s work resonates with me most (identity)
Day 03 of Lesson (synchronous)
● I can understand the importance of writing with “The Urgency of Your Pen” (criticality).
● I can develop a list of topics that are most urgent of my pen (identity).
● I can identify the claim, evidence, and reasoning in a text (skills).
● I can learn about why authors write for social change (intellect).

Materials:
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● Presentation
● 8th Grade Pre-Test
● Schoology
● ELA Notebook
● Pen or Pencil
● Hogwash

(~10 mins) Hellos & Welcome! (identity)

● (~6 mins) Welcome everyone! How are you? Casual chat as students enter the classroom and while Ms. Daniel is
taking attendance.
● (~2 mins) Connection-Making: say hello and share a goal/resolution you have for 2021. I will read through these and
ask students to expand on something they wrote if I see something particularly interesting.
● (~2 mins) I will read through the learning targets of the day.

(~35 mins) Opener (skills)

● (~5 mins) Welcome slide, weekly schedule, today’s agenda, and reviewing our social contract
○ Have a student read the welcome slide.
○ Read through our weekly schedule!
○ Go over today’s agenda.
○ Reviewing our social contract ~ have a student read through these to the class!
● (~10 mins) Reading time
○ I will ask students to write the book name they are reading in the chat!
○ Students will read for 10 minutes!
● (~20 mins) Pre-Test
○ I will explain the directions to the pre-test and how it is to see what you already know about reading and
writing. I will mention that we will take a post-test after spring break and that this pre-test does not count
toward your grade!
○ I will walk students through the pre-test.
■ For your pre-test you will read an article and respond to questions.
■ You can “talk to the text” by highlighting passages and by using the sticky note squares.
■ When you finish reading, answer the questions in the blue boxes.
● Take a note at the rubric at the bottoms to understand the standards.
○ We will put you in individual breakout rooms. Reminder: this is just to see where you are right now!
○ When you are done, please read independently.
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(~3 mins) Break

(~20 mins) Middle (criticality/intellect)

● (~7 mins) Changemaker of the week: Audre Lorde Quote Analysis
○ Do you remember who the name of our changemaker of the week is?? Bonus points to whoever gets it!
○ You got it! It’s Audre Lorde. Today we are going to analyze a quote from here. We are going to practice
interpreting quotes each week in this unit because you are going to be weaving in quotes in the essays you
are writing and analyzing them!
○ Quote of the day: “When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are
silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak.”
■ Carefully consider the quotation. Write for 3 minutes in your notebook about your thoughts about
what it might mean. Try to write for the whole time.
■ Possible sentence stems and ideas for responding to the question:
● This quote means…
● I believe this quote is important because…
● This quote resonates with me because…
○ After students write, we will discuss it as a group! I will encourage unmuters!!! It gives me energy when I hear
students’ voices (I am going to tell them that). !
● (~12 mins) Writing with the Urgency of Your Pen Discussion and topic listing
○ I will review that one of our essential questions is: what demands the urgency of your pen?
■ I will ask students what they think that could mean.
○ I will note how this question calls on us to think about our identities and communities and determine which
social issues are most in need of change or improvement.
■ We can work to write in response to these issues in the essays this semester.
■ I will note how this idea comes from Gholdy Muhammad and Alfred Tatum
○ We will then have a padlet discussion and list different topics that are most urgent of our pens and discuss
them!!!

(~3 mins) Break

(~3 mins) Wrap Up (identity)

● (~ 10 sec) Review Agenda, look how far we have come!
● (~2 mins) Reviewing independent work
○ For homework
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■ Students will read for 20 minutes

■ Fill out the Hogwash
■ Respond to the discussion post in Schoology in a 100-150 word response:
● Which topic from our padlet stands out to you the most? Why? What do you already know
about it? What else do you want to know about it?

(~15 mins) Independent Work Time

● (~14 mins) Extra time cushion time for presentations, reading time, catch up time, and checking in with students.

HW: (identity)
● Students will read for 20 minutes
● Fill out the Hogwash
● Respond to the discussion post in Schoology in a 100-150 word response:
● Which topic from our padlet stands out to you the most? Why? What do you already know about it? What else do
you want to know about it?

Reflection:
● What went well?

● What can be improved?