* Please Read Entire Bundle Before Starting the Unit - a Thorough Understanding Is Essential

BUNDLE

GRADE 4

E.L.A.

Building a Written Opinion

* Please read entire bundle before starting the unit - a thorough understanding is essential.

2012

Table of Contents

Common Core Learning Standards Page 3-4

Rubric to assess student learning Page 5

Unit Title and Overview of Content Page 6 - 7

Part 1: Pre-Assessment Page 8 - 9

Part 2: Unit of Instruction Page 10 - 16

Part 3: On-Demand Performance Task Page 17 - 22

Resources Page 23

Reading Standards for Informational Text (Boxes contain focus Standards for this unit. Mini-lessons must address these Standards. Other Standards listed are also relevant)

Key Ideas and Details
RI.4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

RI.4.2 Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key ideas; summarize the text.

RI.4.9 Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
4.10: By the end of the year read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 4-5 complexity band independently and proficiently.

Writing Standards

W.4.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
a) Introduce the topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which ideas are logically grouped
to support the writers’ purpose
b) Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details.
c) Link opinion and reason using words, phrases and clauses.
d) Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented

2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

a. Introduce a topic clearly, provide a general observation and focus, and group related information logically; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.

c. Link ideas within and across categories of information using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., in contrast, especially).

d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

e. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.

Production and Distribution of Writing

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

5. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grade 5 on page 38.)

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

7. Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

8. Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.

9. Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

b. Apply grade 5 Reading standards to informational texts (e.g., “Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which points

10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

RUBRIC: / 1
Emerging / 2
Developing / 3
Proficient / 4
Exemplary
Little or very limited evidence / Inconsistent evidence / Consistent evidence of meeting standards / Consistently above standard
Introduce the topic clearly and states an opinion
Supports opinion with strong evidence – facts and details from the texts
Effectively structures ideas to state and support the opinion
Uses convincing point-of-view.
Understands what language choices will have the most impact on readers/uses appropriate vocabulary
Uses evidence from texts provided and acknowledges this
Provides a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented
Use the writing process- draft, revise, edit and publish.

Unit Title and Overview of Content

Title: Building a Written Opinion

Overview:

This five-week unit is designed to help the teacher guide students’ understanding of informational text so that students will be able to form and write opinion.

Week 1 – Pre-Assessment and GAP analysis

(Used to assess students’ prior knowledge and inform instruction.)

Weeks 2 to 4 – Unit of Instruction

Reading:

Students will read and analyze informational texts, identify the main idea and key details and quote accurately from the text. Students will synthesize information across multiple sources as they build opinion and acquire a variety of supporting details.

Reading (continued)

Students will read samples of opinion writing to build understanding of this genre.

Writing:

Teachers will model writing an opinion with the required components in order to meet the standards.

Students will write opinion pieces, both with support and independently in shared and independent writing.

Students will be provided with a child-friendly rubric and/or checklist. Teachers will model how students can use these sources to inform and assess their reading and writing.

Week 5 - On-Demand Performance Task

Part 1: Pre-Assessment

Reading Informational Texts and Opinion Writing Performance Assessment,

Two class periods across one or two days

Students will be prompted to write an opinion piece in which they state an opinion, and provide reasons and information for that opinion, on the topic of whether eating school lunch or bringing lunch from home is a better choice. The students will be reminded to refer to the checklist provided listing 4th grade expectations for opinion writing.

Text: “Chicago School Bans Lunches Brought From Home”

Text: “Lunches Provided by Schools May Be Healthier than Lunches

They will then write a research-based essay stating their opinion. They will support this opinion with evidence from the information in the two articles.

Suggested time frame:

The introduction and tasks could be administered in two to four chunks of time, in either one or two days

1.  Students will read the articles and will be prompted to write main ideas and key supporting details from the texts.

2.  Students will be prompted to write a research-based essay in which they state an opinion, and provide reasons and information for that opinion, on the topic. The students will be reminded to use evidence from the provided texts.

3.  Teachers will review all students’ writing, rate it against the rubric and use the GAP analysis to indentify student learning needs. Teachers will then use this data to determine and modify instruction (lessons and activities) for their class from the content in Part 2 Unit of Instruction

End of Pre-Assessment

Part 2: Unit of Instruction

Overview:

Students will read informational texts. They will learn to identify and use relevant information to form an opinion and to support it with evidence from the text. They will read opinion pieces constructed by others to understand what the genre is. They will access child friendly rubrics and checklists to support them as they plan and undertake their writing, and to review their finished work.

The students will be introduced to several informational/opinion pieces through shared reading with opportunities to read other pieces independently. Well-constructed pieces will be used as models to demonstrate how research is an essential step in forming an opinion and establishing a point of view. Student will learn that acknowledging sources is an important part of substantiating their opinion.

Students will write a text that clearly states their opinion. They will support this opinion with clear, logically grouped reasons and relevant evidence. They will acknowledge sources of information. Students will demonstrate a developing proficiency in their writing as they indicate the connection between what they read and their opinion/point of view.

Enduring Understanding
·  Readers are constantly developing their understanding and thinking.
·  Readers recognize that behind every text is a writer and that writer has a purpose or reason for writing
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·  Writers write for different purposes.
Essential Questions
·  How can readers improve their understanding about a specific topic?
·  How can readers think critically about a writer’s purpose?
·  How does research and critical conversation expand understanding and thinking?
·  How can writers present a clear opinion that expresses their point of view? / Skills
o  Using multiple sources to understand the topic
o  Determine author’s purpose and how he uses specific information, text or graphic features to support his purpose.
o  Distinguish between facts and opinion and use the information to make inferences, and draw conclusions to form an opinion.
o  Identify key words and phrases that can influence others and understand how language choices will have the most impact on readers/use appropriate vocabulary.
o  Summarize and paraphrase information from multiple sources.
o  Organize ideas and use note-taking strategies when researching.
o  Writing effectively by structuring ideas to state and support opinion using convincing point-of-view/argument.
o  Cite evidence to support ideas.
o  Use the writing process- draft, revise, edit and publish and last present to peers and teachers

Instructional Content:

Lessons should be developed around the skills identified on the previous page (p.) as essential.

READING

In planning mini-lessons teachers should be mindful of the two focus Standards for Reading Informational Text:

Key Ideas and Details

4.1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

4.2: Determine the main ideas of a text and explain how it is supported by key details: summarize the text.

Range of Reading and Level of text Complexity

4.10: Comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 4-5 complexity band independently and proficiently.

WRITING

In planning mini-lessons teachers should be mindful of the focus Informational Text Writing Standards:

Text Types and Purposes

4.1: Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

a) Introduce the topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which related ideas are grouped to support the writer’s purpose

b) Provide reasons that are supported by facts and details.

c) Link opinion and reason using words, phrases and clauses. (e.g., “for instance” “in order to” “in addition”)

d) Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion present

Key Terms/Vocabulary:
opinion, convince, persuade, audience, reasons, purpose, recommend, suggest, anecdote, counterpoint, issue, topic
etc.
Formative Assessment - Students will be assessed on the following:
·  identify features of opinion pieces
·  identify purpose of opinion pieces
·  use of a good lead (hooks the reader) / opening paragraph
·  use of the proper tone (serious, humorous, empathy)
·  ability to research using multiple texts
·  use of relevant details to support opinion/ body
·  ending that will back the opinion statement
·  understanding how to revise and edit

There are 18 mini-lessons in this 20 day Instructional Unit. Lower and higher level texts to differentiate instruction can be found in room 561 on the c.d. roms in the Benchmark kits.

CONTENT

Learning Intention / Differentiation / Main Activity
Introduction of Unit of Study (reading) / Levels of Text / Teacher will read the sample opinion piece Schools Should Not Sell Soda (Time for Kids/Level 3) and chart observations about this kind of writing. Students will be provided with opinion pieces on their level, working with a partner, to read and jot observations.
Genre Immersion/Comparisons
(reading) / Levels of Text / Teacher will compare and contrast two opinion pieces on the same topic The Tree Can Go and The Tree Must Stay (Old Oak Park: Build On or Save It?) Persuasive Letters from the Genre Readers’ and Writers’ Workshop kit. List common and different elements on a Venn diagram. Students work in their guided reading groups with two texts on their level. They will read and compare the two opinion pieces and create a Venn diagram to chart similarities and differences.
Genre Immersion / Purpose
(reading) / Levels of Text / Teacher will read aloud More What Do You Think? Do You Have to Finish First To Be a Winner? (Time for Kids/Level 3) and ask the class why opinion pieces are written. Students will use new opinion pieces, working with a partner on their level and jot reasons why the piece was written.
Genre Immersion / Audience
(discussion) / Levels of Text / At meeting area teacher will lead a discussion about where opinion pieces are found, and what audiences they are written for. Working in groups students will read opinion pieces on their level and name audiences the piece is targeting.
Identification/Purpose
(reading) / Levels of Text / Teacher will demonstrate how to identify the purpose of an opinion piece by highlighting all opinion sentences in yellow from Safer Streets: A Simple Solution (Time for Kids/Level 3). Students will work with a partner from their guided reading group using an opinion piece on their level to highlight all opinion sentences in yellow .
Identification/Writers Prove Point of View
(reading) / Levels of Text / Teacher will demonstrate using the same opinion piece Safer Street: A Simple Solution (Time for Kids/Level 3) to model how writers use facts or statistics and other research to prove their point and highlight all facts and statistics in green. Students will use their opinion piece from the previous lesson and highlight facts and statistics in green.
Identification/The Other Sentences
(reading) / Levels of Text / Teacher will revisit Safer Streets: A Simple Solution (Time for Kids/Level 3) and identify the sentences that have not yet been color coordinated and discuss the purpose of these (to recommend, suggest, personal anecdote, etc.) and create a list. Students will work with their partners to find the unmarked sentences in the opinion pieces they have been color coding and create a T chart of the sentences and their purpose.
Identification/Creating a Class Rubric
(discussion) / Levels of Text / Teacher will work with the class to list all required and optional elements of an opinion piece. Students will work in their groups to create a class rubric (Teacher may want to provide template) Students will return to the meeting area to decide what will go into class rubric. (Teacher will use the Standards and the teacher rubric to inform content of student rubric)
Guided Practice / Selecting Text
/ Levels of Text / Teacher will discuss the performance task. Students will work in their guided reading groups and will be provided with two informational texts about the Boston Massacre for review. Students will identify relevant details describing the event.
Guided Practice/Opinion Organizer / Levels of Text / Students will be asked to form an opinion based on the facts they reviewed in the previous lesson. Teacher will model an opinion organizer. Students will use the opinion organizer as an aid to plan their opinion piece
Guided Practice/Plan Your Opening / Levels of Text / Teacher will provide several examples of different openings to hook readers. Students will be provided with different texts and they will explore and list examples. They will share with a partner to choose a favorite.
Guided Practice/ Consider a Tone / Levels of Text / Teacher will pose questions regarding tone of editorials; Will you use empathy? Humor? Serious? Tones will modeled by teacher. Students will work with partners to experiment writing with different tones.
Guided Practice / Draft Opening Paragraph / Levels of Text / Teacher will model an opening paragraph, making sure opinion is included. Students will work on their own drafts of opening paragraphs, making sure to include their opinion.
Guided Practice/Gathering Research / Levels of Text / Teacher will review the use of relevant details to support your opinion. Students will plan their first support paragraph: what fact, example, quote, or anecdote with come first?
Guided Practice / Revision / Levels of Text / Teacher will model revision of paragraphs, making sure each paragraph has its own vision and focus. Students will continue to draft their opinion with attention to paragraph focus and structure.
Guided Practice/ Plan Your Ending / Levels of Text / Teacher will model various endings; back to opinion statement, leave with a suggestion. Students will draft several different endings and share with a partner to select the most effective ending.
Guided Practice/Check The Rubrics / Levels of Text / Teacher will review rubrics with class for required elements. Students will read drafts aloud to a partner and discuss effectiveness, self assess using the rubric, and revise.
Guided Practice/ Editing / Levels of Text / Teacher will review writing conventions. Students will edit, then check with a partner to catch remaining errors.
Culminating Activity / Teacher will ask students to reflect on their learning. Students will share their finish opinion piece with another class.
Assessment

Part 3: On-Demand Performance Task