Teaching Evidence & Arguments

Lesson Overview: Evidence and Arguments

The lesson focuses on a reading standard: identifying the central idea in a text and connecting specific elements of the text to demonstrate how they develop or reveal that main idea.
Students have already read "Letter From Birmingham Jail" and used a reading strategy called thinking notes, or Metacognitive Markers, to track their reactions.
In-class activities include a close reading exercise with differentiated tasks for groups to identify important elements.

Planning should incorporate multiple standards, not just one set (e.g., writing, reading, speaking, and listening).
The lesson emphasizes a reading standard: identifying the central idea and connecting it to specific text elements to understand how they develop or reveal the central idea.
There is also work on speaking and listening standards related to presentations, reliable and factual information, conversation protocols, and interaction.
The lesson moves towards an argumentative writing piece to tie into writing standards, focusing on a central claim backed by effective evidence.

"Letter From Birmingham Jail" is recognized as a dense text that needs careful unpacking.
Students need to narrow down and focus on the language in the letter itself.

Groups present their findings and share them with each other.
Day two continues working through the text with a Socratic Seminar, using a variation called the Fish Bowl with inner and outer rings and turn-and-talk moments.
Students create their own levels of questions, concentrating on level two (drawing inference from the text) and level three (making universal connections).
The seminar is student-centered, with questioning and conversation to ensure a strong understanding of the text before moving to a writing assignment.

Strong participation from students, including active listening.
Students should react to what they are hearing, jotting down notes, and considering how it might help them with the writing task later.
Inner and outer circles facilitate turn-and-talk moments, where partners work together to generate more ideas.

The text is a slightly shortened version of King's "Letter From Birmingham Jail."
Students understand the context of the Civil Rights Movement at the time.
They analyze how it is a persuasive piece that addresses an outside audience refuting King's ideas.
Students examine how King makes a case for his actions, not just to the clergymen he was responding to, but to a broader audience.

Students consider the extent to which King's ideas are still relevant today.
They are encouraged to consider current events, such as the Arab Spring or instances in the United States where people may be breaking laws they consider unjust.
Students develop their own perspectives on the relevance of King's writing today.
This is done in the form of a blog.

Common Core writing standard six emphasizes writing for the twenty-first century, including writing on the web and taking advantage of fluid ways to publish and react to text online.
Students write a blog entry with their own opinion and provide high-quality feedback in the comments section to at least two other editorials.

Minute-by-minute assessment through back-and-forth conversation that taps into speaking and learning.
Students share ideas and engage in discussions, defending their own ideas and relying on protocols to gain new perspectives.
Development of ideas through discussion is crucial.
For reading assessment, students produce a one-slide PowerPoint connecting textual elements to the overall meaning.
Writing assessment focuses on maintaining high-quality writing in an internet-based format.
The goal is for students to develop their ideas on the text over time and demonstrate not just comprehension but also application of the text to new ideas.