IMPLEMENTING COMMON CORE STANDARDS USING COMMON SENSE ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING

Lorraine Hirakawa, NBCTPuget Sound Writing Project

Exploring the Common Core• 4 corner strategy

• Argument is the same as persuasion• Young students cannot formulate an argument• Argument requires research• Argument requires logic

• Debrief• Read the material from Appendix A/C • Conclusions? What do we need to do?

Small Group Discussion• Has anyone in your group used mysteries in the

curriculum before? If so, with what goals?• What were are your strengths and weaknesses in

teaching argument?• What are your concerns about engaging students in

argumentation?

Slip or Trip

Next Day – Slip or Trip • Writing the report• Who would we be writing to?• What would we need to explain?

Claim, Warrant, Evidence• Claim - states your position on the issue

• What is your position on Queenie’s guilt or innocence?• Data - the evidence which you cite to support your claim

• What evidence did you points to Queenie’s guilt or evidence?• Warrant - the warrant interprets the data and shows how it

supports your claim

The Lunchroom Murder

Argument of Judgment• Goal

• Develop a model for informal reasoning• Use a model for informal reasoning to analyze data and draw

logical conclusions• Apply a model for informal reasoning in writing an analysis of a

problem that requires the application of criteria

MASCOT ASSIGNMENTSee page 8 of your packet

School Mascots• Arkansas State University

• Runnin’ Joe• ASU Indians• ASU Red Wolves

Think about YOUR mascot• How do you feel about it?• Do you like it?• Why or why not?• What comes to mind when you think of it?• How was your mascot selected?• If you were to select a different mascot, what would it be?• Why would you select it?

What about these?

Evaluate• Do you think the mascot is a good one?• If you like it, what makes a good mascot?• If you don’t like it, what makes it a bad mascot?

• Write comments on your sticky notes and go put them on the appropriate mascot chart.

Criteria for a good mascot• Based on your comments, let’s make some criteria

• In your group, use your butcher paper to• Come up with four or five rules (warrants) that a school should use to

select a mascot

SHARE TIME

THE VOLUPTUARYPage 10

What makes a good king?• In your group, make a list of qualities that makes a good

king.• Justify your answers

• Is the prince in the picture a good king? (use page 10 of packet)

Academic Controversy• Learn to argue both sides of an issue• Draw from both to create meaning• Students need to be assigned partners

• Elbow partner• Face partner

• Fold your paper vertically• Label the left hand column Reasons, the right hand

Examples

EXAMPLE of two columns

Reasons for banning

• Cheating

Examples

• Students could text answers to their friends

• They could copy down test questions.

• They could photograph test pages.

• They could put notes/answers on their phones

PASS OUT ARTICLEPg. 11 of your packet “Florida Allows Cell Phones in Class”

Why Cell Phones SHOULD be used in School

• Turn papers over• Again label the left hand column Reasons and the right

hand column Examples• Work with your partner to choose four good reasons along

with examples for using cell phones in school, think about the article you read

Example of two columns

Reasons

• Quick research

Examples

• Teacher can pose a question and students can look it up and share information.

• Visual information – if students are reading about a setting or time period they are unfamiliar with

• Students get more practice at best ways to research a topic and they can easily share tips/strategies

Choose a new partner• Partner 1 – you are going to argue in favor of banning cell

phones• Partner 2 – you are going to argue in favor of using cell

phones• Ones – you have one minute to argue; Twos don’t

interrupt, only listen• Switch

Final• Now, draft a solution that considers all sides of the

argument. • This can be a quick write or a more formal essay.

Nancy Steineke’s book Assessment Live addresses this strategy more elaborately.

Four Corners Variation• When artificial meat becomes available, would you eat it?• Choose your corner• Bring a writing surface and a pen so you can compare

notes with the people you meet. • When you arrive, your job is to talk to some other people

who are standing there and take turns explaining your reason.

• What could change your mind?

Four Corners Variation• Today we are going to read a short article about artificial

meat, also know as vitro meat. • Anyone heard of vitro meat?• Anyone heard of PETA?• Read and annotate the article

Chicken in a Petri Dish

Culminating Assignment• Sample Junior AP English prompt• Pg. 13 of Packet

Pros Cons-Schools need money -Youth and advertisers’

influence

SMARTER Balance

Parts of Performance Task• Part 1: Student reads research sources

and responds to prompts (Claim 1 or 4)

• Part 2: Student plans, writes, and revises his or her full essay (Claim 2) or plans and delivers a speech (Claim 3)

Sample Performance Task

Directions

Part 1

Part 2

Scoring Information• How your essay will be scored:

The people scoring your essay will be assigning scores for:

• Statement of purpose/focus—how well you clearly state your claim on the topic, maintain your focus, and address the alternate and opposing claims

• Organization—how well your ideas logically flow from the introduction to conclusion using effective transitions, and how well you stay on topic throughout the essay

• Elaboration of evidence—how well you provide evidence from sources about your opinions and elaborate with specific information

• Language and Vocabulary—how well you effectively express ideas using precise language that is appropriate for your audience and purpose

• Conventions—how well you follow the rules of usage, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling

Guidelines for Writing Performance Tasks

• Align parts of the task• Parts build to “full write” or speech• Develop rubric for each assessment target• Develop exemplars for each rubric• Allow multiple approaches

Sources• Daniels, Harvey and Nancy Steineke. Texts and Lessons

for Content Area Reading. Portsmouth: Heineman, 2011.

• Hillocks, Jr. Teaching Argument Writing. Portsmouth: Heineman, 2011.