Seeking Justice: To Kill a Mockingbird (2020)

Lesson 31
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ELA

Unit 6

8th Grade

Lesson 31 of 35

Objective


Explain the expectations of the writing task and begin to delineate arguments and gather evidence from both sides of the debate.

Readings and Materials


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Target Task


Writing Prompt

To Kill a Mockingbird is often considered one of the most significant novels in the history of American literature. And yet there is significant debate around whether it should be taught in schools.

Imagine that your school is considering whether or not to continue teaching this text next year. Write a letter to your school principal explaining your position on this issue and urging him or her to either remove the book from the curriculum or continue teaching it.

In your letter you should:

  • Clearly state your position in a clear claim statement.
  • Explain the primary points on both sides of the argument around the text.
  • Provide quoted textual evidence from at least three sources to support your position.
  • Write a clear introduction and conclusion.

Note: This task is not asking you whether or not you liked the book; your job is to argue whether or not the book is a valuable part of the school curriculum.

Lesson Guidance


  • Have students unpack the prompt. Explain to students that they have already developed many of the skills they will need to be successful in writing this letter—in their last task, they performed research using nonfiction resources, pulled evidence from multiple texts, and explained a controversial issue in detail. This task will require all of those skills —plus developing a clear argument.
  • Have students read through the provided articles and create a graphic organizer (whatever format works for them) where they note arguments on both sides of the debate, including strong evidence for each of these points. Complete any unfinished work for homework.

Common Core Standards


  • W.8.1 — Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
  • W.8.1.b — Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
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Lesson 30

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Lesson 32

Lesson Map

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