Overview

Lesson Procedure

55-65 minutes of class time across 5 phases.

1. Warm-Up5-10 minutes
2. Direct Instruction15 minutes
3. Guided Practice15 minutes
4. Independent Practice15 minutes
5. Closure5-10 minutes

1. Warm-Up5-10 minutes

   Warm-Up Prompt

   "Your cousin says: 'You should come to my soccer team. We won 9 of our 12 games this season. Our coach is the nicest coach in the whole world. And soccer is the best sport ever invented.' Which of these sentences would help convince your parents? Which would not? Why?"

   Take several answers. Students usually notice that "9 of our 12 games" is something a parent could check, while "the nicest coach in the whole world" and "the best sport ever invented" are feelings that nothing in the message backs up. Name the parts: "You should come to my soccer team" is the main claim; the other sentences are specific claims offered to support it; and the number of wins is evidence. Tell students that RI.6.8 asks them to do this with whole texts: follow the claims in order and sort the ones that are backed up from the ones that are not.

2. Direct Instruction15 minutes

   Teach the terms and leave them on the board:

   • Argument: writing or speech that tries to make readers believe something or do something.
   • Claim: a statement the writer wants readers to accept. The main claim is the big point; specific claims are the smaller points along the way.
   • Reason: an explanation of why a claim is true, often after "because" or "so."
   • Evidence: facts, numbers, examples, observations or an expert's words that show a claim is true.
   • Supported claim: a claim backed by reasons and evidence. Unsupported claim: a claim the writer simply states, or backs only with feelings or name-calling.
   • Trace: follow the argument in order, from claim to claim, as you would trace a path on a map. Evaluate: judge how strong the support is.
   • Signal words: words such as first, because and therefore that show how one claim connects to the next.

   Stress one idea: an unsupported claim is not always false. It is a claim the reader has no good reason yet to accept.

   Introduce the text. After the American Revolution, officers of the Continental Army (the American army in the war) formed a club called the Society of the Cincinnati. Its members wore a badge shaped like an eagle. In 1784, Benjamin Franklin, who was living in France, read about the new society in newspapers his daughter Sarah Bache had sent him from Philadelphia, and he answered her in a long letter. Passage 1 is the part of the letter about the two birds, printed with Franklin's own spellings and capital letters. Words to know: Dindon (French for turkey), Representative (here, a symbol), perch'd (perched), Fishing-Hawk (the osprey, a bird that dives for fish), diligent (hard-working), in good Case (healthy and well fed), Sharping (cheating), lousy (covered with lice), rank (complete), KingBird (a small, bold bird), emblem (symbol), Chevaliers d'Industrie (French for swindlers, people who live by tricks), withal (also), peculiar to (found only in), Jesuits (Catholic priests, some of whom worked in Canada), Charles the Ninth (a king of France in the 1500s), Grenadier of the British Guards (a British soldier; British soldiers wore red coats) and presume (dare).

   1Others object to the Bald Eagle as looking too much like a Dindon, or Turkey. For my own part, I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen as the Representative of our Country; he is a Bird of bad moral Character; he does not get his living honestly; you may have seen him perch'd on some dead Tree, near the River where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing-Hawk; and, when that diligent Bird has at length taken a Fish, and is bearing it to his Nest for the support of his Mate and young ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him, and takes it from him. With all this Injustice he is never in good Case; but, like those among Men who live by Sharping and Robbing, he is generally poor, and often very lousy. Besides, he is a rank Coward; the little KingBird, not bigger than a Sparrow, attacks him boldly and drives him out of the District. He is therefore by no means a proper emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America, who have driven all the Kingbirds from our Country; though exactly fit for that Order of Knights, which the French call Chevaliers d'Industrie.

   2I am, on this account, not displeas'd that the Figure is not known as a Bald Eagle, but looks more like a Turk'y. For in Truth, the Turk'y is in comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America. Eagles have been found in all Countries, but the Turk'y was peculiar to ours; the first of the Species seen in Europe being brought to France by the Jesuits from Canada, and serv'd up at the Wedding Table of Charles the Ninth. He is, [...] a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards, who should presume to invade his FarmYard with a red Coat on.

   • Trace: find the main claim

     Franklin writes, "I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen as the Representative of our Country" (paragraph 1) and later that "the Turk'y is in comparison a much more respectable Bird" (paragraph 2). What is his main claim, and how are his specific claims arranged?

     Result: Main claim: the bald eagle is a poor symbol for the country, and the turkey is a more respectable bird. The specific claims come in two groups. Paragraph 1 lists what is wrong with the eagle: it is dishonest, poor and lousy, and a coward. Paragraph 1 ends with a small conclusion, "He is therefore by no means a proper emblem," where "therefore" signals that the claims before it are meant to lead there. Paragraph 2 lists what is right about the turkey. Tracing means following that order.

   • A claim supported by evidence

     Franklin claims the eagle "does not get his living honestly." What does he give to back this up?

     Result: He gives an observation readers can check: the eagle "watches the Labour of the Fishing-Hawk" and, when the hawk has caught a fish, "the Bald Eagle pursues him, and takes it from him." That is evidence, a specific behavior, and he even invites readers to check it: "you may have seen him." Bald eagles really do chase ospreys and steal their fish. The claim is supported. (Calling this "bad moral Character" is still Franklin's judgment: a bird is not dishonest the way a person is.)

   • A claim with no support

     Franklin adds that the eagle "is generally poor, and often very lousy" (paragraph 1). Is this claim supported?

     Result: No. Franklin gives no reason and no evidence: no example, no observation, nothing a reader could check. He only compares the eagle to "those among Men who live by Sharping and Robbing," which makes readers dislike the bird without showing that the claim is true. It is an unsupported claim.

   • Evaluate: does the evidence prove the claim?

     Franklin claims the eagle "is a rank Coward," because "the little KingBird, not bigger than a Sparrow, attacks him boldly and drives him out of the District" (paragraph 1). How strong is this support?

     Result: Franklin does give evidence, a behavior people can watch: small kingbirds do chase eagles away. But the evidence does not quite prove the claim. An eagle that flies off from a pestering little bird may simply not think it worth a fight; that is not the same as cowardice. The claim has evidence, but the link between the evidence and the word "Coward" is weak. Evaluating means asking not only "Is there evidence?" but "Does it show what the writer says it shows?"

   Find it, check it, judge it. Show Diagram 1 and model the routine with the examples: (1) copy the claim in the writer's words; (2) look for a reason (why?) and for evidence (what shows it?); (3) decide: supported, partly supported, or not supported, and say why. Stress that a claim can have evidence and still be weak if the evidence does not show what the writer says. Give students a frame: "The writer claims ___. The support is ___ (a reason / evidence / nothing). This claim is supported / partly supported / not supported because ___."

3. Guided Practice15 minutes

   Read Passage 2 aloud: a letter from a sixth grader to her principal, invented for this page. Students copy the claim checker in Diagram 2. In pairs, they highlight each claim in one color and its support in the other, then run every claim through the three questions. Pairs answer the three questions below, then share. Teacher notes:

   1Dear Ms. Okafor: I am a sixth grader at Birch Street Middle School, and I am writing to ask you to put a bike rack by the front doors before spring break.

   2First, more students would ride to school if they had a safe place to lock their bikes. I gave a survey to three sixth-grade homerooms, and 31 of the 74 students said they would ride at least twice a week if we had a rack. Right now, on a normal day, only 6 bikes are chained to the fence by the parking lot.

   3Second, a rack would not cost much. The hardware store on Main Street sells a steel rack that holds 10 bikes for $389. Our parent group told me it still has $1,200 to spend this year.

   4Third, riding to school is good exercise. Our health textbook says that children and teens need about 60 minutes of physical activity every day. My ride takes 15 minutes each way, so biking would give me half of that before the first bell.

   5Also, everyone knows that kids who ride bikes are happier and get better grades. Bikes are much cooler than cars, anyway.

   6Finally, the street in front of our school is perfectly safe, so nobody would ever get hurt. Please say yes to a bike rack. Sincerely, Maya R., Grade 6

   1. Trace it. What is the main claim, and what are the specific claims, in order? Teacher note: main claim, "put a bike rack by the front doors before spring break" (paragraph 1). The signal words "First," "Second," "Third," "Also" and "Finally" mark five specific claims: more students would ride (paragraph 2), a rack would not cost much (paragraph 3), riding is good exercise (paragraph 4), bike riders are happier and get better grades (paragraph 5), and the street is perfectly safe (paragraph 6).
   2. Sort it. Which claims are supported by reasons and evidence, and which are not? Teacher note: paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 give evidence: a survey ("31 of the 74 students"), a price and a budget ("$389" and "$1,200"), and a health guideline plus the writer's ride time. Paragraphs 5 and 6 give none. "Everyone knows" is not evidence, and "perfectly safe, so nobody would ever get hurt" is stated with nothing to back it up.
   3. Judge it. Is even the supported part strong? Teacher note: look closely at the numbers. The rack "holds 10 bikes," but 31 students said they would ride, so the writer's own evidence suggests one rack may not be enough. The survey also covered only three homerooms, and "would ride" is a promise, not a count. Strong readers see that evidence can support a claim and still leave questions. For the principal, the unsupported safety claim may matter most of all.
4. Independent Practice15 minutes

   Students read Passage 3 on their own and fill in a fresh claim checker before they answer the quiz. In 1870, a Missouri farmer went to court against his neighbor after his hunting dog, Old Drum, was shot. A young lawyer named George Graham Vest spoke to the jury (the group of citizens who decide a trial) for the dog's owner. Vest later served as a United States senator. The speech is printed inside a short, unsigned account of the trial in a 1925 book of dog stories. Words to know: testimony (what witnesses say in court), address (a speech), reared (raised), traitors to their faith (people who break a promise of loyalty), reputation (what others think of a person), ill-considered (not thought through), prone to (likely to), malice (the wish to hurt someone), prosperity (having money and success), pauper (a very poor person), outcast (someone pushed away by others), plaintiff (the person who brings a case to court) and verdict (the jury's decision).

   1Young Vest took no interest in the testimony and made no notes, but at the close of the case arose, and in a soft voice made the following address:

   2"Gentlemen of the Jury:

   3"The best friend a man has in the world may turn against him, and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name, may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it most. A man's reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads.

   4"The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog. A man's dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer; he will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounter with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings, and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.

   5"If fortune drives the master forth an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him, to guard him against danger, to fight against his enemies. And when the last scene of all comes, and death takes his master in its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by the grave-side will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad, but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even in death."

   6When he concluded his remarks, there were but few dry eyes in the audience. The case was submitted without further argument, and the jury promptly returned a verdict for the plaintiff.

5. Closure5-10 minutes

   Exit ticket: (1) Write one claim of your own about your school that is supported by a reason and evidence, and one that is not. (2) Finish the sentence: "A claim can have evidence and still be weak when ___."

   Teacher note on the texts. Passage 1 is printed as Franklin wrote it, with his capital letters and old spellings ("perch'd," "Turk'y," "FarmYard"). He wrote it as a private, partly joking letter to his daughter about a club badge, not as a formal proposal for a national bird; the bald eagle had already been placed on the Great Seal of the United States in 1782. His comparison of the eagle to "those among Men who live by Sharping and Robbing" is name-calling, which is part of what students evaluate. Passage 3 uses "man" and "his" for all people, as writers of its time often did. The speech was not recorded word for word at the trial; like other printed versions, this one was written down afterward, and versions differ slightly. Its last paragraph speaks of a master's death and burial, so prepare students who have recently lost a pet or a family member. Passages 2 and 4 and all their people, places and numbers are invented for this page.

   For homework: students read Passage 4, an invented letter to the editor of a town newspaper, printed below. Words to know: editor (the person who chooses what a newspaper prints), sign-in sheets (lists that visitors write their names on), average (the total shared out equally, here visitors per Saturday), council (the group of people elected to run a town) and director (the person in charge).

   1To the Editor: The Maple Falls Public Library should open on Sunday afternoons, from 1 to 5 p.m. I am in sixth grade, and I think Sunday hours would help the whole town.

   2People already want more weekend time at the library. The library's sign-in sheets show that 1,236 people visited on the four Saturdays in October. That is an average of 309 visitors each Saturday, more than on any weekday.

   3Sunday hours would not cost the town much. At the September council meeting, the library director said that paying two staff members for four extra hours would cost about $180 a week.

   4Libraries are the most important buildings in any town, and people who read are always kinder than people who do not.

   5Sunday hours would also help students do better in school. My older brother says he would have passed his science test last spring if the library had been open the Sunday before.

   6Other towns have tried it. When the Cedar Grove library began opening on Sundays last year, its head librarian reported that Sunday became its second-busiest day of the week.

   7Please, council members, do not let our library sit dark on the one afternoon when many families are free. Signed, Jordan P., Maple Falls

Differentiation Strategies

Assessment Guidance

1. Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In an argument, what is the main claim?

   AThe most surprising fact that the writer includes anywhere in the text BThe big point that the writer wants readers to believe or to act on CThe first sentence of the text, whatever that sentence happens to say DThe quotation from an expert that the writer uses to prove a point

2. Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   A student writes, "Our town needs a crosswalk on Elm Street." Which sentence is evidence for this claim?

   ACrosswalks are the most important part of any street in a town. BI think a crosswalk would make everyone feel a lot better. CLast year, the police reported 7 accidents at Elm and 4th Street. DEverybody I know has always wanted a crosswalk put in on Elm Street.

3. Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Read: "We should keep the gym open after school. It gives students a safe place to play, and it is the most fun place in the world." How is the bold claim supported?

   ABy evidence, because it includes a number that can be checked BBy an expert, because a coach is quoted about the gym's safety CIt is not a claim at all, because it is a fact everyone accepts DBy nothing yet: it is a reason that still needs some evidence

4. Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In Passage 1, paragraph 2, Franklin writes that "the first of the Species seen in Europe being brought to France by the Jesuits from Canada." How does he support this claim?

   AHe states it as a fact with no evidence, so the reader must check it BHe quotes a Jesuit priest who saw the first turkeys brought from Canada CHe supports it with the observation readers can make, as with the eagle DHe gives the date and the name of the ship that carried the turkeys

5. Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Passage 1 begins, "Others object to the Bald Eagle as looking too much like a Dindon, or Turkey." Whose claim is this?

   AFranklin's own main claim, which the rest of paragraph 1 then supports BA claim Franklin reports other people making before he gives his own CThe claim of the Jesuits, who first brought turkeys to Europe DA claim by the Society of the Cincinnati about its own badge

6. Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Franklin writes, "Eagles have been found in all Countries, but the Turk'y was peculiar to ours" (Passage 1, paragraph 2). Which claim does this sentence support?

   AThat the eagle is a rank coward and cannot stand up to smaller birds BThat the turkey would attack a British soldier wearing a red coat CThat the turkey is "a true original Native of America" DThat the eagle steals fish from the hard-working fishing hawk

7. Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Franklin ends Passage 1 by saying the turkey "would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards, who should presume to invade his FarmYard with a red Coat on." What is the best evaluation of this claim?

   AIt is well supported, because Franklin describes a turkey he watched attack a soldier BIt is supported by the reason that the turkey is a true native of America CIt is a fact, because British soldiers really did wear red coats DIt is unsupported: Franklin gives no example, and he seems to be joking

8. Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   What is the main claim of the speech in Passage 3?

   AA man's children are sure to turn against him in the end BMoney is the only friend a man can count on in hard times CA man's dog is the one friend who will never desert him DJuries should always decide cases in favor of the plaintiff

9. Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   How does paragraph 3 of Passage 3 fit into Vest's argument?

   AIt lists what may fail a man, to set up the contrast with the dog BIt gives evidence from the trial about who shot the dog and why it happened CIt is the main claim of the speech, and paragraphs 4 and 5 are only a summary DIt tells the jury that the dog's owner had lost all his money and friends

10. Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    In paragraph 4, Vest says a dog "will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow," "will kiss the hand that has no food to offer" and "guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince." What kind of support are these sentences?

    ANumbers that the jury could check against the records of the trial BGeneral pictures of what dogs do, with no particular dog named CThe words of an expert on dogs, quoted to prove the point is true DThe testimony of the witnesses who saw what happened to Old Drum

11. Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Vest calls the dog "The one absolutely unselfish friend" and "the one that never deserts him" (paragraph 4). Why do the words "absolutely" and "never" make this claim hard to support?

    AThey show that Vest is quoting a scientist, who must be believed BThey are old-fashioned words, so readers today cannot understand them CA claim about every dog at every time can be undone by one exception DThey turn the claim into a question that the jury must answer

12. Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Which sentence, if Vest had added it to paragraph 4, would be evidence for his claim that a dog "stands by him in prosperity and in poverty"?

    A"A dog is the finest and most loyal creature that ever walked upon this earth." B"Every one of you knows in his heart that this is true." C"No man who has ever owned a dog could doubt it for a moment." D"When the Smith farm failed, its dog followed the family to town."

13. Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Paragraph 1 of Passage 3 says, "Young Vest took no interest in the testimony and made no notes." Who makes this claim, and how is it supported?

    AVest makes it in his speech, and he supports it with his own notes BThe account printed around the speech, which gives no source for it CThe jury makes it, and the verdict in paragraph 6 supports it DOld Drum's owner makes it, and his testimony at the trial supports it

14. Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Paragraph 6 says "there were but few dry eyes in the audience" and "the jury promptly returned a verdict for the plaintiff." What does this show about Vest's claims?

    AIt shows that the speech moved people, not that each claim was supported BIt proves that his claims about dogs are true, because the jury agreed with him CIt proves that the speech was written by the book's editors, not by Vest DIt shows that the jury had studied dogs before the trial began that day

15. Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer

    Choose one claim from Passage 1 that is supported by evidence and one that is not. Do not use the three claims shown in Diagram 1. Quote each claim, and explain your choice.

    Show model answer

16. Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer

    Trace the argument of Vest's speech (Passage 3, paragraphs 3-5) in three or four steps, in order. Then state what Vest wants the jury to decide, even though he never says it directly.

    Show model answer

17. Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer

    Vest's speech is about a trial over a dog that was shot, but the speech never mentions who shot the dog, why, or what the dog was worth. Evaluate his argument: is it supported by reasons and evidence? Quote the passage.

    Show model answer

18. Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer

    In paragraph 5, Vest says that at the master's grave "will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad." Is this claim supported? Explain, and name one kind of evidence that could support it.

    Show model answer

19. Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer

    Compare Passage 1 and Passage 3. Which writer supports more of his claims with evidence that a reader could check? Give one example from each passage.

    Show model answer

20. Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer

    Rewrite Vest's claim "The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world [...] is his dog" as a claim that could be supported. Then write one sentence of evidence that would support your new claim.

    Show model answer

These standards connect to RI.6.8: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.

Standard text: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy. © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.