Making Change: Speeches, Essays, and Articles (2020)

Lesson 6
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ELA

Unit 7

8th Grade

Lesson 6 of 11

Objective


Research a topic of choice and gather appropriate evidence from reputable sources. 

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Target Task


Writing Prompt

We have read a series of texts this year that explore the best and the worst aspects of human nature. Again and again we have seen how important education is in developing empathy for others, challenging authority, and standing up for what is right and just. 

Now is your chance to educate others on an issue that is important to you, to fight against ignorance, apathy, and intolerance. Your final project will be a paper with three sections, each representing a different genre of writing and focused on different questions. 

Narrative (approximately 1 page):

  • What is one specific incident from your own life that caused you to care about this issue or illustrates why this issue is important to you personally?

Informative (approximately 2 pages):

  • What should people know about this social issue?
  • What are young people already doing to address or build awareness around this issue?

Persuasive (approximately 1 page):

  • Why should people care about this social issue?
  • Why is your position on this issue the right position to take?

Lesson Guidance


  • Unpack the prompt. You may wish to present students with a model and have them reflect on the different elements of the model. 
  • If students are feeling stuck, you may want to provide them with a list of possible options or topics that they can choose from (or that will spark their own ideas). See notes. 
  • Students should begin their independent research today on the topic of their choice. This research should help them answer the questions: what do people need to know about this topic and how are teens raising awareness and making change related to this issue? 
  • Students should gather information from at least five reputable sources. You may wish to provide a graphic organizer.

Notes

  • While this is primarily designed as a culminating unit in which students should demonstrate all of the different skills they learned and practiced over the course of the year, this project could easily be extended over several weeks, depending on how much feedback and direct instruction you wish to provide students. 
  • Possible topics of focus:
    • LGBT+ rights
    • Reproductive rights
    • Immigration reform
      • DREAM act
      • Border crisis
      • Migrant workers
      • Refugee resettlement
    • Climate change
    • Environmental conservation
    • Animal rights
    • Disability rights
    • Native peoples’ rights
    • Racial justice
    • Police brutality
    • Gender discrimination
    • Wage gap
    • Housing discrimination
    • Gun violence
    • Drug addiction
    • Clean water
    • Islamophobia
    • Homelessness

Homework

  • Complete research on topic of choice.

Common Core Standards


  • W.8.1 — Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
  • W.8.2 — Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content
  • W.8.2.a — Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
  • W.8.2.b — Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
  • W.8.3 — Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
  • W.8.7 — Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
  • W.8.8 — Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
  • W.8.9 — Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
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