Thoughtful Arguments Unit Plan

Thoughtful Arguments Unit Plan
Unit Goals
Relevant Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.1
Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view
with reasons.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.1.A
Introduce the topic or text they are writing about, state an opinion,
and create an organizational structure that lists reasons.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.1.B
Provide reasons that support the opinion.
Essential Questions: What makes an argument strong?
Enduring Understandings/Take Aways:
Students will understand that opinions must be supported with facts
and evidence.
Students will understand that it is possible to have more than one
strong argument about the same issue.
Content Knowledge:
Students will know that in an effective argument, the speaker or
writer clearly states his or her position, backs it up with multiple
facts, and concludes by restating his or her position.
Students will know that an argument means an explanation of why
an opinion on an issue makes sense.
Skills:
Students will be able to write an outline of an argument that

includes a topic sentence, at least three reasons to support their
opinion, and a concluding sentence.
Students will be able to identify strengths and weaknesses in an
argument.
Students will be able to discuss an issue they disagree about in a
mature, thoughtful, and respectful manner.
Assessment
Performance Tasks:
Students will debate one-on-one about whether or not their should
be zoos.
Other Evidence to Be Collected:
Students will outline an argument that includes a topic sentence
with their stated position, at least three pieces of evidence that
support that position, and a concluding sentence.
Exit ticket on key components of a good argument.
Student Self-Assessment and Reflection:
Students will write an exit ticket on how they can use what they
learned about making strong arguments and disagreeing
respectfully in real life.
Outline of Lessons
Lesson 1
Objective: Students will be able to articulate why it is important for
an opinion to be grounded in facts and evidence.
Assessment plan: Exit ticket on the components of a strong
argument; observations during group discussion.
Activities:
o Introduce that we will be learning about making strong
arguments and disagreeing respectfully.
o Read-Aloud of Should There Be Zoos.
o Discuss what makes an argument strong.
Lesson 2
Objective: Students will be able to create an outline that includes
introducing the topic they are writing about, stating an opinion, and
listing reasons based in evidence.
Assessment plan: Look at student work on their outlines.
Activities:
o Minilesson on how to structure an opinion piece, including to
introduce the topic, state your opinion, give your reasons
(which should state facts,) and conclude by restating your
opinion.
o Students will be assigned a position about zoos to write on
and using a graphic organizer with this outline, write their
argument.
Lesson 3
Objective:
o Students will be able to articulate why some questions,
instead of having right answers, have multiple well-supported
opinions.
o Students will be able to think critically about an opinion other
than their own.
Assessment plan: Listen in to student conversations in which they
debate whether there should be zoos and give feedback on each
others arguments; exit ticket on how they can use what they

Activities:
o Minilesson on how there can be different valid arguments
about the same issue. Go back into Should There Be Zoos to
see that.
o Students will pair up with a person who wrote about a
different position than they did on whether there should be
zoos to discuss each others positions and think about what
makes each argument strong and what could be stronger.
o Students write reflection.
Lesson 1
Topic, class, and level Thoughtful Arguments, 3rd Grade
Date for implementation: 12/8/14
Conceptual Framework: To what important concept, essential question,
enduring understanding, or big idea in the discipline does this lesson
connect?
Essential Question: What makes an argument strong?
o Students will understand that opinions must be supported
with facts and evidence.
o Students will understand that it is possible to have more than
one strong argument about the same issue.
Standards: MA, Common Core, WIDA or other Standards for this
lesson or unit:
with reasons.
Knowledge/Understandings: What should the students know and
understand at the end of this lesson?
Students will know that in an effective argument, the speaker or
writer clearly states his or her position, backs it up with multiple
facts, and concludes by restating his or her position.
Skills: What will the students be able to do when this lesson is over?
Students will be able to identify strengths in an argument.
Assessment. How will you check for student achievement and
understanding?
Students will get a printout of two arguments from the book Should
There Be Zoos, one pro and one against, and will highlight the
different elements of an argument in different colors.
Students will write an exit ticket on what makes an argument
effective or convincing.
Instructional Approach: (Describe activities, allotted time, and closure)

Materials, preparation, and/or on-line resources to be used:
Should There Be Zoos?
Printouts of the Zoochosis argument on pages 11-12, and of the
Protection and Care argument on pages 25-26
Highlighters of three different colors
Hook: What question or activity might spark student curiosity and
motivation?
Entry Ticket: Write about how you feel about zoos.
Today, we will start learning about arguments. Youve all heard the
word argument before, and it often gets used the same way as the
word fight. An argument happens when people disagree about
something. When people disagree, they try to convince each other
that their opinion is right. In academic language, an argument
means that explanation a person gives, in writing or in conversation,
of what makes their opinion the best one. What makes an opinion
convincing? Turn and talk to the person next to you about it.
Activities: What question/s might encourage the student to explore and
discover the content? What will happen during the body of the lesson?
Share out a few things that make opinions convincing.
As you might have noticed, some arguments are not very good and
just include people yelling at each other, but in other arguments,
participants give very good reasons for their side and can listen to
and consider the other side. Our goal is to learn to have these kinds
of arguments that are grounded in reasons and facts, and in which
we can respect each other and listen to each other while
disagreeing.
Im going to read a book to you that includes arguments from

students who disagree about a topic. As I read it, I want you to pay
special attention to these and what is strong or weak about the
arguments.
This book is called Should There Be Zoos? It was put together by a
4th grade class. It is made up of the students opinions of whether
or not there should be zoos, and most importantly, different
reasons for why or why not.
I will read the book aloud, pointing out positives about how it is
structured and how opinions are supported. I will specifically point
out instances of reasons and facts to back up those reasons,
making the distinction.
Students will go to their seats and receive printouts of two of the
arguments, one pro and one against, from the book. They will be
given three different colored highlighters, and will be asked to
highlight in one color where the position is stated at the beginning
and end, in another color each reason, and in another color each
fact backing up the opinion. They should be thinking about which
reasons are the most convincing to them.
Differentiation including SEI Considerations (key vocabulary,

language/content objectives, etc.):
Sam will have help from his aide.
Zoe, Lauren, and Jack will work on this with an aide.
Grouping: If you are grouping at some point during the lesson, why are
you grouping? How are you grouping?
Students may work with a partner of their choice if they choose to
do so. My reason for this is because it is the norm for independent
work in this classroom, and I dont think having a partner will take
away from their learning. It will enhance learning if partners discuss
which points are more convincing to them and why.
Sponge activity: (to soak up extra time)
Students who are finished can get a copy of the whole book to
begin highlighting which facts are the most striking or convincing to
them.
Homework when appropriate:

none
Wrap-up: How will you help students make meaning from the lessons
activities?
After students finish highlighting, they will fill out an exit ticket
listing the most important parts of a good argument.
After students hand in their exit tickets, I will tell the class, today
we learned about what makes a good argument. What were the
main elements we discussed of good arguments? (Clearly stating
position, backing up with facts, and restating position.)
Potential Pitfalls and Reflection: What difficulties can you predict (or did
you discover as you taught) that your students may find challenging or have
misconceptions about? How will you address those confusions?
I think it might be difficult for some kids to identify what are facts
and what are not facts.
The different usages of the word argument could be confusing to
students. I will make sure to clarify along the way as I use the word,
and define it clearly in the beginning.
Lesson 2
connect?
Essential Question: What makes an argument strong?
and evidence.
lesson or unit:
with reasons.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.1.A
Introduce the topic or text they are writing about, state an opinion,
and create an organizational structure that lists reasons.
Students will know that when making an argument, they need to
clearly state their position, back it up with multiple facts, and
conclude by restating their position.
Students will be able to write an outline of their assigned position

on whether there should be zoos that includes at least 3 reasons to
support their opinion.

understanding?
Students will fill out a graphic organizer with an outline of their
argument, including their position, at least 3 reasons to support it,
and their restated position.
Copies of Should There Be Zoos?
Graphic organizer of structure of an opinion piece
Plain lined paper
motivation?
Yesterday, we looked at arguments for and against zoos in the book
Should There Be Zoos? Today, were going to learn how to make a
good argument by using the facts in this book to write about this
topic. You will be assigned an opinion. Can anybody tell me why I
would want to assign you a side to argue about instead of letting
you pick the side you agree with? (Let a few share.) The reason is
that I want you to see that no matter whether or not you agree
with an opinion, it is still possible to make a very strong argument
for it if you back it up with facts. Its very important that when you
get into disagreements in real life that you can realize that even if
you disagree with someone, that person could have very good
reasons for what they think.

Each of you will get a paper with a picture of a sandwich on it. It

has a sandwich because good opinion papers are organized like
sandwiches, like we saw when we highlighted the different parts of
opinion pieces yesterday. Who can tell me what this top bun is
going to be? (Clearly stating your position.) What does the burger
and the vegetables represent? (Reasons.) What goes in the bottom
bun? (Restating your position.)
Next, I will assign each of you a side and a partner. Then, I will give
each pair a copy of the parts of the book that write to support that
opinion. After that, you will fill out your sandwich by writing a
sentence stating your position, writing at least 3 reasons from the
book that you think are the most convincing to support your opinion,
and writing a sentence that restates your position.
Students work independently on their graphic organizers.
I will come around to the pairings whom I have given a more
advanced graphic organizer, and explain that it is asking them to
give 3 reasons and for each reason to give at least one fact that
supports that reason.

Sam will work with his aide.
Zoe, Lauren, and Jack will not be given all of the parts of the book
that support their assigned opinion. Instead, they will be given only
two shorter sections.
Madeleine and the other advanced students (to be determined with
my CT) will be given a graphic organizer that requires them to
include at least one fact to support each reason.
I am making pairings between students who are arguing the same
side as each other and who are somewhat close to the same
reading level as each other, so that they can help each other find
the most convincing reasons for their side.

Students who are done who did not find facts to back up their
reasons should do so. Students who already found facts can begin
discussing with their partner what they think the other side would
argue and how they would address those counterarguments.
none
activities?
What did you think was the most convincing reason for your side?
What made it convincing?
Facts make arguments more convincing. Tomorrow, were going to
pair up with someone from the other side and argue about this
issue using strong reasons and facts. This will help us practice
disagreeing in a mature way, and think about what makes our
arguments convincing and what could make them even better.
I predict that it could be difficult for some students to figure out
what are facts from what are not facts. I also think that some
students might write down the first three reasons they see, and not
necessarily think about which ones are the most convincing. Lastly,
I think that the distinction between a reason and a fact could be
challenging for most kids, so Im going to let it slide for right now if
students conflate the two, but Ill work with the advanced students
on making that distinction.
Lesson 3
connect?
Essential Questions: What makes an argument strong?
and evidence.
lesson or unit:
with reasons.
Students will know that when making an argument, they need to
clearly state their position, back it up with multiple facts, and
conclude by restating their position.
Students will be able to identify strengths and weaknesses in an

argument.
Students will be able to articulate why some questions, instead of
having right answers, have multiple well-supported opinions.
Students will be able to think critically about an opinion other than
their own.

understanding?
I will listen in to student conversations in which they critique each
others arguments.
Students will write an exit ticket on what they felt successful about
and what is challenging about opinion writing.
Should There Be Zoos?
Students graphic organizers from the day before
motivation?
Yesterday, we outlined arguments for or against zoos. Today, were
going to practice arguing with each other in a mature and
thoughtful way, and thinking about what can make arguments
stronger. Can there be two different arguments about the same
question that have different opinions, but are both very strong?
Yes, indeed, there can be differing opinions about the same topic
that are both strong even though they disagree. Like we saw in the
book, some people think there should be zoos and some people
dont, but both sides have very good reasons and very strong
arguments. However, if someone said they thought there should be
zoos just because they like zoos, would that be a strong argument?
No, it wouldnt. The strength of an argument all depends on how

good the reasons are and how well supported they are with facts.
Im going to read one of the arguments from the book and tell you
how Im thinking about what is strong or weak about this argument.
Then, I will pair you up with a student who wrote about the
opposite opinion from you, and you will give each other feedback
about what is strong in your arguments and what you could work
on.
I will read aloud the section Entertainment on page 17. As I go, I
will point out facts that do a good job of supporting the opinion. I
will also point out parts of the argument that are weak, like when it
says Think about it. Were kids and used to playing on the
weekends and sometimes at night when our homework is finished.
Imagine if we could only play for ten minutes a day. We wouldnt be
happy, would we? Ill explain that I dont think this is a good
reason because it is not supported by facts. We dont actually know
if dolphins and whales are like us and need to play. If they do, we
need to include evidence. Notice how if I was talking to this student,
I would not say, Thats dumb. When you disagree, you need to be
polite and explain why. The more specific you can be, the more
helpful it will be.
Next, Im going to pair you up with a student who will argue the
opposite side from you. Ill be coming around to hear your
conversations. What I really want to hear is that you are listening
to each other and really thinking about what the other person has
to say. Even if you disagree with the side you are arguing, I want
you to do your best to represent that side in your conversation. You
should each present your argument using your hamburger from
yesterday, but dont just read off of it. Explain your side to your
partner as best you can. After you both explain, you can talk about
what was strong about each others arguments and what could be
improved.
I will pair up students and they will first talk about one students
argument, then switch and talk about the other students argument.
They will discuss what is strong about it and what could make it
stronger.

Sam will work with an aide and be partnered with Ceci, who works
well with him.
Madeleine and the other advanced children will be paired up with
each other to push each other further.
I will pair up the very high students with each other so that they
can push each other. I will pair up the very low students with
students who arent as low, and I will pair up the students in the
middle with each other.
I am making pairs so that they can get each others feedback on
their arguments, and so that they can practice evaluating an
argument.
Students who are finished can discuss their own opinions on the
issue with each other.
none
activities?
Did anyones minds change from an argument in the book, from
reading a classmates argument, or from writing about an opinion
you didnt agree with before? What convinced you?
What makes an argument strong?
Students will write an exit ticket on how they can use what they
Students might not be very good at thinking critically and realizing
weaknesses in arguments. They also might not be very tactful
about telling their partner about something that needs to be
improved.
5/4/15 9:48 PM
Day 1
I just taught the first lesson. I felt good about it. I was nervous that
I would lose track of what I wanted to be doing when, but I knew
the lesson well, so that did not happen. I did not anticipate how
long the students would need to write down their feelings about
zoos. Even writing short amounts takes time for them. I also did
not anticipate how badly they all would want to talk about their
opinions about the issue. I think I will continue to work on getting
them away from their own opinions and focused on the strength of
the arguments in a more objective way, since I think this is a hard
skill, but important. That being said, I want to add in some time at
the end for them to talk about their own opinions after theyve
spent time thinking about both sides. I forget what the exit ticket is
at the end of the unit, but I want them to talk about what they
think now and why, and if their mind changed at all, and what
changed it.
Based on coming around to them and looking at their work, I can
see that they have trouble differentiating between specific examples
and pieces of evidence and transitions, and even more trouble
differentiating between reasons and the facts that support those
reasons. I decided quickly that this was not my objective, so it was
okay if those were conflated as long as they were differentiating
facts from speculation. I was excited to have Lily GJ point out to me
that the article says Animals are in danger in the wild, and that
she does not think that is a fact because she thinks animals evolved
to live in the wild. I loved that she noticed that this was a claim that
was not necessarily fact. I pushed her to be on the lookout, though,
for evidence for that claim, because even if she disagrees, they
might have included evidence that is factual and she has to
recognize that. Most students did not notice those distinctions like
she did.
As students finished, I told them to write about what makes an
argument convincing, then star the points that were most
convincing to them. Many of them asked me if I meant what makes
these specific arguments convincing or what makes an argument in
general convincing. I was very glad that they realized that

distinction.
I changed the activity right beforehand for them to highlight where
the author states the argument and all the facts to support it,
instead of making them highlight reasons in another color, in
anticipation that they wouldnt get that distinction yet and that was
okay. I decided that only if they finished that they should do the
exit ticket and go back and star the points that were most
convincing to them.
Today, seeing their struggles in distinguishing facts from reasons
reinforced my decision that tomorrow only the advanced students
will be responsible for adding facts to support their reasons for their
opinion.
I am worried that tomorrow it will take too long for them to read
copies of the whole book to find more reasons for their position. I
think I will still give it to them, but Ill definitely give only one
argument to the students who dont decode well, and I will
encourage all students to skim and skip around to find reasons that
support their assigned point.
I will also make a point to tell them that this unit is not about what
they think just yet, but about what makes any argument strong,
because there can be more than one strong argument and they can
disagree, but we need to respect that both sides have good points.
We have someone out sick today. I am not sure how Ill catch her
up tomorrow.
Jeanne pointed out that I could have improved the lesson by
modeling more about how they should do their independent work. I
agree with her that that would have helped, because even though I
gave clear directions, some students did not understand exactly
what I meant by highlighting where the person states their
argument. Some thought I meant to highlight every part where the
person says what they think as opposed to evidence. I would clarify
this confusion in the future, but I think these students got a lot out
of differentiating between what the author thinks and why they
think that.
Day 2
My CT and I were very pleased with how it went.

Many students were conflating reasons with evidence and examples,
which I expected. Jeanne and I agree that it would have been
better to have everyone do the challenge assignment with the
graphic organizers that require examples, because that way I could
have modeled differentiating between the two, which could have
cleared up the confusion for the children.
Many students, especially Rowen, struggled with arguing for an
opinion they didnt agree with. However, all of them except Rowen
got over it enough to do the assignment.
Day 3
Overall, I was very pleased with how the discussions went.

Some students really struggled to explain the argument in their
own words.
Hogie and Rowen didnt finish their hamburgers the day before
because Rowen is so resistant to doing anything, so Hogie had
trouble explaining his side in the argument. I didnt see what
happened with Rowen, but I know that he and Sarah were off task
at first and at one point he was crying and Sarah left.
Using the protocol of having each explain their side and then
summarize, and then debate, and then talk about their own ideas
really helped.
Im glad that Mrs. Wall and I modeled the whole protocol. I could
tell they were using some of what we said.
The students really thought about this topic. I heard Julia say,
o At first I thought there should be zoos, but then when I read
the articles, it made me think that there shouldnt be zoos
because they can hurt animals, like in the aquariums where
they train the animals and they dont give them dinner if they
dont do a trick right. Then again, though, theres the bald
eagle and the zoos helped the bald eagle so it didnt go
extinct, so now Im not totally sure.
Luke had trouble with explaining his argument in a logical way. He
started talking about the bald eagle example without giving any
context as to how it relates to his argument that there should be

zoos. He also has a lot of trouble listening. When I came over to
hear their discussion of how they feel, he told me they were done.
I told them to talk more and I wanted to listen. Instead, Luke
summarized what they had said. I asked Jack what he thought, and
he said I dont know, I think there should be zoos, and I said why,
and he said, I havent really thought of that part yet. Luke jumped
in and started saying You think there should be zoos because and
listed many reasons we had learned.
Sam actually did very well with explaining how his thinking changed,
because he originally thought zoos were good but when he read the
zoochosis argument, he totally felt that there should not be zoos.
Interestingly, in his reflection he said that he already knew there
shouldnt be zoos, but his opinion was strengthened when he
learned about zoochosis. I asked him about it and he said that hed
always thought that.
Im giving them more time after lunch to finish their reflections.
5/4/15 9:48 PM
Pro:
Needs more support:

Sam and Sarah
Lauren and Colin
Needs more challenge:
Madeleine and Lily GJ
Luke and Kai
Middle:
Julia, Lily C, and Julie
Ethan and Ryan D
Against:
Needs more support:
Jack and Matty
Zoe and Courtney
Hogie and Rowen
Needs more challenge:

Chloe and Ceci
Amrit and Ryan A
Middle:
Michaela, Rachel, and Molly
Day 3: pairings for debate

Luke and Jack
Rowen and Sarah
Sam and Hogie
Ceci and Lily GJ
Chloe and Madeleine
Matty and Kai
Julia and Michaela
Lily C and Rachel
Molly and Julie
Ethan and Zoe
Ryan D and Courtney

Lauren and Amrit
Colin and Ryan A

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Thoughtful Arguments Unit Plan

Students will be able to write an outline of an argument that

learned about making strong arguments and disagreeing

Instructional Approach: (Describe activities, allotted time, and closure)

Im going to read a book to you that includes arguments from

Differentiation including SEI Considerations (key vocabulary,

Homework when appropriate:

Students will be able to write an outline of their assigned position

Assessment. How will you check for student achievement and

Activities: What question/s might encourage the student to explore and

Each of you will get a paper with a picture of a sandwich on it. It

Differentiation including SEI Considerations (key vocabulary,

Sponge activity: (to soak up extra time)

Students will be able to identify strengths and weaknesses in an

Assessment. How will you check for student achievement and

No, it wouldnt. The strength of an argument all depends on how

Differentiation including SEI Considerations (key vocabulary,

general convincing. I was very glad that they realized that

My CT and I were very pleased with how it went.

Overall, I was very pleased with how the discussions went.

context as to how it relates to his argument that there should be

Needs more support:

Needs more challenge:

Day 3: pairings for debate

Ryan D and Courtney

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