Pick a Text Assignment Alex Pantoja

Cover Page:
This unit is designed for a 10th grade classroom focused fixed at the end of a semester. The
class has surveyed a diverse range of genres outside of class including: short story, poetry,
song, memoire, and novel.
The main goal of this unit is to have students articulate the components of a text that make it
ideal for a 10th grade student. Students will have identified key literary devices and strategies
that make a text effective and best fit for future 10th graders. They will leverage the priorities
of 10th grade English combined with their ability to articulate literary analysis (seeking to use
their literary analysis as evidence to argue for the text which is warranted by the 10th grade
priorities listed below)
Priorities for texts in English 10

Explore world-wide contexts through literature

Engage in complex discussion based on textual evidence
Characters with conflicting traits or relationships
Examine current issues
Use complex language to articulate the authors message
Addresses community issues

Student goals:
Students will utilize evidence and warrant to articulate a clear argument utilizing
Students will work to categorize and prioritize options to decide which evidence and
warrant are most effective for their argument
Students will use their personal experiences and reflections to make a value decision
Common Core:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly
as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid
reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and
information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis
of content.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2.B
Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions,
concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the
audience's knowledge of the topic.
Argumentative Writing Assignment Prompt:
After weve spent the semester engaging in a variety of texts, its time for you to choose a text
you want to add to the 10th grade English class for our school. The chair of the department
has opened up a space for the most effective and persuasive argument to bring in a new text.
The single text you choose can be in a variety of forms: novel, short story, film, poem, song,
etc. Please review the 10th grad priorities to warrant your argument for the most effective text
to be added to our class.
Step 1: Utilize and determine which text you find to be most important in our 10th grade
classroom according to the 10th grade priorities
Step 2: Identify a text you would like to use for your argument
Step 3: Conduct a text analysis to support your argument; the text analysis should reveal the
most significant qualities of your chosen text and how those qualities support the 10th grade
priorities
Step 4: Write a letter to the department head to argue for your text as most important
according to our 10th grade priorities
The following will offer you parameters for your writing:
Mode: an argumentative letter
Audience: the head of the department
Purpose: argue for a given text to be added to the 10th grade class using criteria for a text
and textual analysis; the letter should explain why the text is important for our 10th grade
priorities
Situation: its critical to consider our school as the context; what is distinct about our
community that makes your added text a needed addition to 10th grade?

Calendar of Objective and Activities:

Day 1:
Objectives: Guiding question: How does audience guide decisions for most-effective mode,
purpose and situation?
Activities: Introduce MAPS template:
As a class we model the MAPS format by engaging in mentor texts: use websites,
blogs, advertisement videos, and a poem to model how to use MAPS across
genres (including technology)
Focus is placed on the audience and how it influences mode, purpose, and
situation
Students then work in small groups to identify the MAPS of further model texts
Reconvene as a class to discuss the groups findings and how they can begin to
apply MAPS for their own writing
Introduce the audience for this assignment: how does this influence our thinking
as we write? (Apply the same principles from the mentor texts to this given
assignment)
Day 2:
Objectives: Address the set of 10th grade priorities given to our class; navigate how to
effectively write to a set of criteria through a model text
Activities:

Teacher introduces the model text to reveal the ways it address the 10th grade
criteria; the model text is a piece I wrote as a first year teacher as to which text
should be added to the curriculum
Students work in small groups to identify the how the writing address the criteria;
use highlighters to identify
Exit card: Write about how a text supports one criteria from the 10th grade
priorities

Day 3:
Objectives: Define claim, evidence, warrant; Develop claim using evidence and warrant
Activities:

Day 4:

Think, Pair, Share definitions of claim, evidence and warrant to survey students
prior knowledge with argumentative writing
Engage in the Toulmin model involving claim, evidence, warrant:
Start by modeling with concrete examples
Students then work to create their own examples to fit the Toulmin model

Objectives: Subordinating clauses in argumentative writing

Activities: Use model text from Day 2 to engage in subordinating clauses:
Day 5:
Objectives: Clearly articulate the text they will be using; begin practice on literary analysis to
draw on certain themes that fit the 10th grade principles
Activities: Students draw on their semester journals to decide on a single text they will bring
into their argument:
Create a double sided entry journal: Left side will be examples from their text;
right side will be how those examples support the 10th grade principles in
particular (the idea is this is a chance for them to brainstorm texts that are
meaningful first they will have to know the assignment and expectations in
order to choose the most fitting text for the 10th grade priorities and their own
criteria for an important text)
Students will be assigned to continue their text analysis for their chosen text and
how it addresses the 10th grade priorities [so they can be prepared for the next
class].
Day 6:
Objectives: Use the Toulman model to create effective claim, evidence and warrant for the
particular 10th grade principles they address in their argument

Activities: Students apply their literary analysis to the Toulmin model for 3 examples; they
write the examples and gain peer feedback; peers ask the following: what is the principle you
are addressing? How does your analysis offer evidence and warrant support to the principle?

Day 7:
Objectives: Students begin writing based on the work they have done so far: focus is on
audience and their claims addressing particular 10th grade principles
Activities: Students do 5 minute conferences with teacher to check in with their
understanding and ability to create the above objectives
Day 8
Objectives: Practice argumentative skills while addressing the assignment prompt; gain
instant feedback on their thinking
Activities: Students will participate dialogic setting:
Chalk board discussion: post texts on the chalk boards; students respond by
writing their preferred text
Socratic Seminar: After all students write on the board, we discuss why they made
particular texts and how they are still in support of the 10th grade principles; In
addition, evaluate what is lost and gained by the new text in place of the replaced
text
Day 9:
Objectives: Implementing counter argument to support their claim for the text
Activities: Create a cost/affordance sheet as to how their texts add to the 10th grade
curriculum; practice writing using subordinating clauses
Day 10:
Objectives: Workshop
Activities: Students write while the teacher is available to answer questions
Day 11:
Objectives: Students revise their writing to evaluate their effectiveness according to the
prompt and rubric

Activities: Students use different markers to identify the following in their letters:
Intentionally written for the chair of the department
Uses literary analysis techniques to reveal aspects that support the 10th grade
priorities
Uses evidence (literary analysis) and warrant to explain how the text supports the
10th grade priorities
Uses counterargument when their writing addresses which text should be replaced
in the 10th grade curriculum

Rubric:
Excellent

Competent

Emerging

Claim

The claim is clear and

concise; the reader can
follow which text will be
added the class and
how its supported by
the evidence and
warrant designated to
three or more10th
grade principle

The claim begins to tell

the reader which text
will be added to the
class and how its
supported by the
evidence and warrant
designated to a couple
10th grade principles

The claim is
inconsistent as to which
text will be added to
the class and it is
independent of
evidence and warrant;
the claim does not
connect to the 10th
grade principles

Analysis

You engage in literary

elements such as
character, plot, setting,
context, language, etc.
to support your
argument. You use
literary elements to
support your argument
for your chosen text

You begin to engage in

literary elements from
the text to support your
argument for your
chosen text

You have used limited

literary elements from
the text to support your
argument for your
chosen text

Audience

Demonstrates a clear
understanding of the
potential reader and
uses appropriate
vocabulary and
arguments. Anticipates
reader's questions and
provides thorough
answers appropriate
for that audience.

Demonstrates a
general understanding
of the potential reader
and uses vocabulary
and arguments
appropriate for that
audience.

Demonstrates some
understanding of the
potential reader and
uses arguments
appropriate for that
audience.

Evidence

All of the evidence and

examples are specific,
relevant and
explanations are given
that show how each
piece of evidence
supports the author's
position.

Most of the evidence

and examples are
specific, relevant and
explanations are given
that show how each
piece of evidence
supports the author's
position.

At least one of the

pieces of evidence and
examples is relevant
and has an explanation
that shows how that
piece of evidence
supports the author's
position.