Lesson+Plan+and+Rubric

Unit Plan: Discovery Literacy Lesson: Persuasive Writing Content: Language Arts || **Content Standards** || W–8–10 Students use a recursive process, including pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, and critiquing to produce final drafts of written products. W–8–7.3 In informational writing, students effectively convey purpose by Writing with a sense of audience, when appropriate
 * **Grade/Content Area** || Grade: 8
 * =**Lesson Title**= || ===Persuasive Writing=== ||
 * =**GLEs/GSEs**=

W–8–8.3 In informational writing, students demonstrate use of a range of elaboration strategies by Addressing readers’ concerns (including counterarguments – in persuasive writing; addressing potential problems – in procedures; providing context – in reports

The first day of this lesson will introduce the theme of persuasive writing. I will open by showing students different tourist attraction brochures and other various forms of persuasive writing including newspaper articles and advertisements. I will ask students what these various mediums have in common. I will guide students to notice that all use persuasion to influence the audience.
 * Language Arts Content Standards:**
 * NCTE Standard 4:** Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate effectively with different audiences and for different purposes
 * NCTE Standard 12:** Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g for learning, for enjoyment, persuasion, and for the exchange of information) ||
 * ** Context of the Lesson ** || This lesson will be taught during the Team Zeus’s Integrated Unit on the concept of Discovery. Students will be doing all different types of lessons related to the theme of discovery over the period of two weeks. This lesson on persuasive writing will take five-seven days to complete. Their final product of the lesson will be directly used in the Culminating Assessment and Activity. ||
 * ** Opportunities to Learn ** ||  ||
 * ** Objectives ** || Students will write a piece of writing which persuades a US citizen to move to this newly discovered society. ||
 * Instructional Procedures ** || **Opening**
 * Day 1:**

After students are aware of the topic of persuasion I will allow students to share their connections. By allowing students to share experiences where they participated in or observed persuasion at work, I will activate students’ prior knowledge.

Next I will provide a lesson on the art of persuasion. I will review the ReadWriteThink powerpoint presentation for the students through a projector. I will engage in discussion and provide the written powerpoint to students in the class who would need a hard copy to accompany the audio and visual information. Students will complete the Persuasive Strategy Definitions worksheet as we go over the powerpoint.

I will assign the homework “Persuasion Is All Around You” to guide students’ notice the use of persuasion through various venues including newspaper, television, radio, magazines, and billboards. I will have students return with their findings and copies of advertisements if found in print. For students who do not have access to these materials I will provide them with magazines or newspapers. (To accommodate English Language Learners I will provide advertisements that have a clear message of persuasion or show them examples)

The class will begin with students sharing their findings from their homework assignment. I will have a whole-group class discussion and then have the students turn and share a piece of information with their partner so that each student has a change to share.
 * Engagement**
 * Day 2:**

I will then introduce the activity for today’s class where students will be reading pieces of persuasive writing in partners. They will have to evaluate the strategies used by the authors according to the strategies definition sheets completed the day before in a “Check the Strategies” worksheet created by ReadWriteThink. I will partner the students based on their abilities. ELL students will be paired with a moderate to higher reader to allow for peer assistance. The types of persuasive writings (newspaper articles, letters to editor, magazine articles) will be chosen and assigned based on the students reading.

I will then have a discussion with the students about the strategies the observed and the ones they thought were most effective.

On this day, I will introduce the assignment that will be used in the culminating assessment. I will tell students that they will each have to write a persuasive piece convincing US citizens to move to their newly discovered place. I will remind students of the importance of considering the audience as we have discussed before.
 * Day 3:**

I will have a think-aloud/brainstorming session to help students develop their ideas for the type of society they will create. I will remind students that it is important to have a clear idea of what your society is going to look and be like in order to persuade someone. We will talk about the weather/landforms/climate/location I will brainstorm ideas and record them on the overhead. We will also brainstorm ideas for possible government types (relate to SS) and the kinds of animals and resources that will be there (Science). I will remind students to be creative and have fun with the assignment. They are to become the spokesperson for this new society and convince US citizens to move there.

I will then discuss that in an argument or persuasive piece you must try to anticipate possible counter-arguments and concerns. We will review what society is like today in the US and talk about peoples concerns and appeals of this new country. (Again, remember the audience).

After the discussion and brainstorm students will be given time in class to brainstorm on their own about what they would like their new society to be like. For ELL students I will allow them to start with a picture to brainstorm rather than using words. I will also allow students to pair up and discuss their ideas.

For homework students will be expected to come in on the following day with a clear vision of what their society looks like. I will hand out a graphic organizer for students to fill in at home so that they have a comprehensive vision for their new discovery. The graphic organizer will ask questions like weather-climate-resources-appeal and other questions. It will have them name their newly discovered place and create a catch phrase for it. I will read the directions for the graphic organizer out load and go over each question (for ELL learners) I will provide the answers to any questions and encourage students to stay after if they need help developing their ideas or completing the homework. I will remind students that as they create this place they will want to remember that they will be persuading someone to come here!

Today’s class will be held in the computer lab. Each student will need a computer with internet access and connection to a printer to engage in this section of the lesson. Students will complete an online graphic organizer to guide them in the writing of their persuasive piece of writing. Students will locate the interactive persuasion map already bookmarked on the computers. I will remind students to include all of the information they have learned about persuasion and to revisit the strategies discussed the first and second day of class. They will fill in the information and print out when done.
 * Day 4:**

Once students complete the online graphic organizer and print it out they will write their first draft of their persuasive writing piece. For students who do not complete their first draft of their piece it will be assigned for homework. For ELL students I will provide them with a list of persuasive words that are often used in persuasive writing. I will also allow students to stay after school if they need help with the drafting part of the lesson.

Students will be expected to have a complete first draft this day because they will be peer editing their persuasive pieces. Students will be partnered up and given a peer-editing worksheet. (ELL students have difficulty editing their own work so by allowing peer editing they will be encouraged to develop their draft) I will monitor the students’ conferences and will hold conferences with students if needed.
 * Day 5:**

Students will be expected to revise their draft and hand it in within the next three days. I will encourage students who are having difficulty to see me often so I can offer assistance.

Students writing pieces will be used and incorporated into the culminating activity and assessment. Team members will read through the different persuasive writings and pick the most creative, effective and fun newly discovered places. Teachers form groups for the culminating assessment designed around the best pieces of writing. Students will then formulate groups during team time to design a brochure and complete any other work for the activity/assessment. ||
 * Closure:**
 * Culminating Activity/Assessment**
 * ** Assessment ** || Students writing will be assessed on a rubric. See attached. ||
 * ** Reflections ** || ==Student Work Sample 1 – Approaching Proficiency:==

Student Work Sample 3 – Exceeds Proficiency:

 * Lesson Implementation:** ||

Persuasive Writing Rubric

Audience || Student does not illustrate an understanding of the audience and does not address any possible concerns || Student illustrates an understanding of the audience through addressing one of their possible concerns || Student illustrates an understanding of the audience through addressing two or more of their possible concerns ||
 * Category || Approaching the Standards || Meets the Standards || Exceeds the Standards ||
 * Description of Society || Student may briefly describe their new society but does not provide any examples || Student describes their new society with three examples || Student vividly describes their new society with more than three examples ||
 * Understanding of
 * Use of Persuasion Strategies || Student uses less than three persuasion strategies in their writing || Students uses 3-5 persuasion strategies in their writing (pathos, ethos ect) || Student uses all 6 persuasion strategies in their writing ||