TITLE: Persuasive Essay
TASK DEVELOPER: D. Evering    
GRADE AND CONTENT AREA: 11th Grade / Apps English
SCOPE AND SEQUENCE: Full Scope / Logical Sequence
TARGET TEACHING DATE:  March 26 - March 28, 2007
SCHOOL: John F. Kennedy Senior High School

STANDARDS:

WRITING - GRADE 9-12

STANDARD 3.2 WRITING: All students will write in clear, concise, organized language that varies in content and form for different audiences and purposes.

Strand A. Writing as a Process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, post-writing): By the end of grade 12, students will:

1. Engage in the full writing process by writing daily and for sustained amounts of time.
2. Use strategies such as graphic organizers and outlines to plan and write drafts according to the intended message, audience, and purpose for writing.
3. Review and edit work for spelling, usage, clarity, and fluency.

Strand B. Writing as a Product (resulting in a formal product or publication): By the end of grade 12, students will:

4. Draft a thesis statement and support/defend it through highly developed ideas and content, organization, and paragraph development.
5. Use primary and secondary sources to provide evidence, justification, or to extend a position, and cite sources, such as periodicals, interviews, discourse, and electronic media.
6. Provide compelling openings and strong closure to written pieces.

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PERFORMANCES:
  • The students will write a persuasive essay that directly corresponds to the above referenced standards.

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SETTING:

Real World Setting: Education

You are a student representative. You are faced with many students failing exams because they do not have enough time to do homework. You are writing a letter to the school board requesting that the board abolishes homework for those who have after school jobs.

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SMARTSKILLS:

Level I: Acquiring Data - Data students will acquire in this standards-based task:

Skills: writing skills.
Processes: Prewriting, drafting, revising, producing a final draft.

Level II: Visualizing Information - Data from Level I that are visualized as information in this standards-based task:

Organizing: Students will be able to put their ideas in a coherent and persuasive manner.

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PREFERENCES:

The students will individually complete the task:

Instruction - Activities will be organized and delivered by differentiating the content standards based on assessment results:

Students with special needs will be given additional time to complete task and other modifications and accommodations will be made to facilitate their learning.

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ACTIVITIES:

Quality-Driven Teaching

Activity 1: Setting High Expectations
Estimated time for this activity:30 minutes

  • Step 1. In a discussion, students will take a clear and definite position about the topic, students who have after school jobs should not do homework.
  • Step 2. Students will be organized in groups. In these groups, they will support their positions or arguments with solid reasons. A representative from each group will report to the class. 
  • Step 3. The students will discuss the topic, essay format, brainstorm and develop a graphic organizer.

Technology for this activity: Over-head projector
Materials for this activity: Dittoes, rubric
Student product or performance for this activity: Graphic organizers
Scoring tool for this activity: NJ scoring rubric

Activity 2: Activating Prior Knowledge - writing response
Estimated time for this activity: 50 minutes

  • Step 1.  Students will develop thesis statements and decide which persuasive techniques and transitional words they will use in their essays.
  • Step 2.  Persuasive techniques and transitional words will be displayed for class discussion.
  • Step 3. Students will write an opening that introduces the topic and the central idea.
  • Step 4. Develop the central idea and related main ideas with the supporting information. Students will add additional specific details as necessary or appropriate.
  • Step 5. They will write a closing that summarizes or reinforces the most important ideas or otherwise that will bring the response to a conclusion.

Technology for this activity: Over-head projector
Materials for this activity: Written essays
Student product or performance for this activity: Group activity
Scoring tool for this activity: NJ scoring rubric

Activity 3: Editing
Estimated time for this activity: 20 minutes

  • Step 1. Students will revise and edit their essays.
  • Step 2.  Students will work in groups to revise and edit their classmates' essays.
  • Step 3. Each essay will be evaluated and scored.

Technology for this activity: Over-head projector
Materials for this activity: Written essays
Student product or performance for this activity: Class discussion
Scoring tool for this activity: NJ scoring rubric

Activity 4: Visualizing Information
Estimated time for this activity: 20 minutes

  • Step 1. Discuss model essay.
  • Step 2. Students will re-write their essays where necessary

Technology for this activity: Over-head projector
Materials for this activity: Written essays
Student product or performance for this activity: Class discussion
Scoring tool for this activity: NJ Scoring rubric

Activity 5: Applying Knowledge
Estimated time for this activity: 10 minutes

  • Step 1. Students will compare and contrast their re-written essays with the model essay.

Source: http://www.learningfront.com

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SCORING:

New Jersey Registered Holistic Scoring Rubric - GEPA/HSPA
In Scoring, consider the grid of  written
language		 Inadequate Command Limited Command Partial Command Adequate Command Strong Command Superior Command
Score
1
2
3
4
5
6
Content & Organization

- May lack opening and/or closing

 - May lack opening and/or closing - May lack opening and/or closing - Generally has opening and/or closing - Opening and closing - Opening and closing
- Minimal response to topic; uncertain focus - Attempts to focus
- May drift or shift focus		 - Usually has single focus - Single focus - Single focus
- Sense of unity and coherence
- Key ideas developed		 - Single, distinct focus
- Unified and coherent
- Well-developed
- No planning evident; disorganized - Attempts organization
- Few, if any, transitions between ideas		 - Some lapses or flaws in organization
- May lack some transitions between ideas		 - Ideas loosely connected
- Transition evident		 - Logical progression of ideas
- Moderately fluent
- Attempts compositional risks		 - Logical progression of ideas
- Fluent, cohesive
- Compositional risks successful
- Details random, inappropriate, or barely apparent - Details lack elaboration, i.e., highlight paper - Repetitious details
- Several unelaborated details		 - Uneven development of details - Details appropriate and varied -Details effective, vivid, explicit, and/or pertinent
Usage - No apparent control
- Severe/
numerous errors		 - Numerous errors - Errors/ patterns of errors may be evident - Some errors that do not interfere with meaning - Few errors - Very few, if any, errors
Sentence Structure -Assortment of incomplete and/or incorrect sentences - Excessive monotony/ same structure
Numerous errors		 - Little variety in syntax
- Some errors		 - Some errors that do not interfere with meaning - Few errors - Very few, if any, errors
Mechanics - Errors so severe they detract from meaning -Numerous serious errors - Patterns of errors evident - No consistent pattern of errors
- Some errors that do not interfere with meaning		 - Few errors - Very few, if any, errors
Source: http://www.njpep.org/assessment/TestSpecs/LangArts/Scoring/RubricsNJwritingHolistic.html

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RESULTS:

Organize: The following chart displays student data that I evaluated and scored. 

Data-Driven Results Disaggregated by Gender and All Students
Content Standard: Assessment of students' essays using the NJ. scoring rubric. (6- advanced, 5- proficient, 4,3,2,1- basic
Students
Scoring Results
Last Name and First Name
Male
Female
All Students
1. Student 1
4
 
4
2. Student 2
 
6
6
3. Student 3
 
4
4
4. Student 4
 
3
3
5. Student 5
2
 
2
6. Student 6
 
5
5
7. Student 7
 
4
4
8. Student 8
 
4
4
9. Student 9
3
 
3
10. Student 10
 
6
6
11. Student 11
 
5
5
12. Student 12
3
 
3
13. Student 13
 
4
4
14. Student 14
4
 
4
15. Student 15
3
 
3
# Of students at the Advanced Performance Level
0
2
2
# Of students at the Proficient Performance Level
0
2
2
# Of students at the Basic Performance Level 6       5 11
% of Students equal to or greater than the Proficient Level (Total # of students at the proficient and advanced levels divided by the total number of students) 0 44%
 27%
% Distance above or below school Annual Measurable Objective (AMO)       -22%

Reflection:

Of the 15 students evaluated there were 6 boys and 9 girls.. When analyzed by gender, 22% of the girls performed at the advanced level. None of the boys performed at this level. 100% of the boys and 56% of the girls scored at the basic level.

Out of the 15 students who wrote this essay, 73% scored at the basic level.

Personal reflection:

I am deeply convinced that we can increase student performance above the school's Annual Measurable Objective (AMO). To do this, our students have to read more (quality literature that will equip them with knowledge that they can use for their academic advancement.), write more and participate in structured discussions and debates.

If I have the opportunity to teach this lesson again, I will make two changes. First, I will spend more time helping my students develop their ideas about the positions they take. Secondly, I will provide more opportunities for my students to learn organizational skills when writing an essay.

 Action Plan:

The students who performed at the advanced and proficient levels did so because they were able to elaborate effectively . These students were also able to proficiently use supporting details. Those who scored at the advanced level used persuasive techniques effectively. Writing opportunities, continuously have to be given to these two categories of performers so their writing skills can continue to increase.

I will offer more tutorial opportunities to those students who scored at the basic level and below. They need to work on organization of ideas, appropriate essay format and effective supporting details.

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