PERSUASION--Week 1-Lesson 5--Friday, Dec. 10

Fine Arts

“Fine arts are important in the curriculum because of what they do for learning,” stated Patty Taylor, arts consultant for the California State Department of Education. In other words, the arts, especially music, should be part of every school’s curriculum at every grade level. Music makes students smarter, gives children something positive to do, and builds self-confidence. Most students don’t have a chance to learn music outside of school, and everyone deserves that opportunity.
Students would be much smarter if they had some music experience. They would improve their classroom skills, like paying attention, following directions, and participating without interrupting. People develop all these skills when they learn music. Musicians are also better in math, and they get higher S.A.T. scores. For instance, a study by the College Entrance Examination Board reported, “Students with 20 units of arts and music scored 128 points higher on the S.A.T. verbal and 118 points higher in math.” A Rockefeller Foundation study states that music majors have the highest rate of admittance to medical school. Making music also lets children use their imaginations, unlike playing with video games and electronic stuffed animals. “It provides students a chance to try out their own ideas,” according to the October 1997 California Educator. Music makes children well-rounded students.
Music not only makes children better students but also gives them something positive to do. In a music program, children can be part of a band or choir instead of joining a gang. Parents can enjoy listening to their children’s music instead of seeing them glued to a computer or TV screen. In band, students get to be part of a team. They can interact with old friends and make new friends through music. While learning and making music, children can also be exploring a potential career.
Music builds self-confidence. It gives children a sense of accomplishment and success. Making music is something for them to be proud of, and it lets kids practice performing in front of an audience. As reported in the California Educator, “It gives [students] self-confidence and a feeling of importance to have a skill someone appreciates. They are also learning how to accomplish something from beginning to end and actually come out with a product that they can be proud of.” Music gives children an outlet for self-expression, and that helps develop their self-confidence.
Once again, music is important because it can make children better students, give them something positive to do, and build their character. Unfortunately, the children who need music lessons the most usually don’t have access to them outside of school. That is why music should be offered in every single grade in every school.

PERSUASION--Week 1--Lesson 4--Thursday, Dec. 9

Hang Up and Drive

You see it every day, especially in freeway traffic. A car is weaving back and forth, speeding up then slowing down, or suddenly stopping. No, it’s not a drunk driver. It’s a cell-phone driver. Cell phones are used everywhere, but on the road they are a dangerous distraction to drivers and should be prohibited.
The New England Journal of Medicine reported that “motorists using a cell phone were four times more likely to have an accident than those not using a phone.” The major problem is that the driver is not focused on the road, but on his or her conversation. Cell-phone drivers are very unpredictable: they weave, tailgate, drive too fast or too slow, make improper turns, run red lights, and even stop at green ones. It’s not only annoying; it’s hazardous. Cell-phone-related accidents include rear-ending vehicles; running off a road and crashing into trees, fences, and buildings; flipping over; and having head-on collisions. Many of these accidents result in fatalities. In October at the California Traffic Safety Summit, experts testified that “cell phones used by drivers lead to at least 1,000 deaths per year in California.” These are the same problems that occur with drunk driving, which is strictly outlawed and harshly enforced. For the same reasons, California needs laws that restrict the use of cell phones in cars.
Until we take action to pass new laws, drivers at least need to be more responsible when using cell phones. The American Automobile Association recommends that drivers pull off the road before using a cell phone, have a passenger use it for them, or use voice mail to answer calls. Another suggestion is to keep the phone off while moving or simply not use it in the car. Before using a cell phone, drivers should think to themselves, “Is this call really that important?”
Cell phones can be a vital link in emergencies, but drivers need to use them wisely. As professional NASCAR racer John Andretti says, “Driving safely is your first responsibility.” The best road to safety is to just hang up and drive.

PERSUASION--Week 1--Lesson 3--Wednesday, Dec. 8

1.     Distribute copies and discuss the Empowering Writers pillar/graphic organizer.  Students note the three elements of an argument are also parts of the pillar. 

Student Written Essay for Analysis

Summer: 15 Days or 2 1/2 Months?

The final bell rings. It’s the last day of school, and summer has finally come! Students don’t have to think about school for at least another 2 1/2 months. That is the way it should always be. Schools should continue using the traditional calendar and not a year-round schedule. There are numerous downsides to year-round schooling. It has no positive effects on education, it adds to costs, and it disrupts the long-awaited summer vacation.
Contrary to the well-accepted belief, year-round schooling has no constructive impact on education. Most year-round schedules use the 45-15 method: 45 days of school followed by 15 days off. Because of this, there are many first and last days of school. All those transitions disrupt the learning process. Also, there is no evidence of higher test scores. Due to that, many schools that change to year-round schedules end up switching back. For example, since 1980, 95 percent of schools that tried the year-round schedule changed back to a traditional calendar. It is obvious that changing to year-round schooling does not help students; therefore, why is the change necessary?
Like any other facility, keeping a school open requires a great deal of money. When a school changes to a year-round schedule, the costs skyrocket. Keeping school open in the middle of summer requires air conditioning, and that adds significantly to the school’s expenses. The usual utility bills grow because of the additional open-school time. Finally, teachers must be paid for all the weeks they are working. With all these factors, the cost of keeping schools open becomes immensely high. For example, a high school in Arizona had a cost increase of $157,000 when they switched to year-round schooling. Some schools may not be able to handle such increases, and other schools that can handle these expenses could be doing better things with the money. Is year-round school really where the money should go?
An important part of a child’s life is summertime. With year-round schedules, students would hardly have any time to relax. During the 15-day breaks, they would be thinking about their quick return to school. It would also be difficult to coordinate family vacations with parents’ work schedules. Similarly, children would not be able to go to most summer camps. One expert, Dr. Peter Scales, says, “The biggest plus of camp is that camps help young people discover and explore their talents, interests, and values. Most schools don’t satisfy all these needs. Kids who have these kinds of [camp] experiences end up being healthier and have fewer problems.” Obviously, the summer is crucial to a child’s learning and development. Why should this invaluable part of a young person’s life be taken away?
It is evident that year-round schooling is not the best option for the school calendar. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the traditional school year. Why change something that works so well? The final bell rings. Let’s make sure this bell means that the “real” summer vacation has come.

PERSUASION--Week 2--Lesson 6

1.     Plan and implement suggested lessons in McDL pp 968-979 using the two articles “Zoos Myth and Reality” and ‘”Zoos Connect Us to the World”



 

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT :ZOOS: MYTH AND REALITY /

ZOOS CONNECT US TO THE NATURAL WORLD

Comprehension

Read each of the following questions. Then choose the letter of the best answer.

(6 points each)

1. What does the author of “Zoos: Myth and Reality” believe that animals in cages at zoos teach the public?

A. a love of wildlife

B. the wrong message

C. a way to feed animals

D. the rules of conservation

2. Distinguish fact and opinion in “Zoos: Myth and Reality.” The statement that polar bear exhibits look like “a Flintstones movie set” is an example of

A. the author’s opinion

B. a scientific experiment

C. a fact from an expert

D. another writer’s belief

3. What claim does the author of “Zoos: Myth and Reality” make in his argument about roadside zoos?

A. These zoos think that they are doing a

good job.

B. Because of these zoos, all zoos should

close.

C. These zoos make animals suffer

terribly.

D. People who enjoy these zoos are cruel.

4. What does the author of “Zoos Connect Us to the Natural World” think zoos do for people who live in cities?

A. make the world seem strange to them

B. make them believe they have traveled

C. convince them to live somewhere else

D. help them appreciate wildlife and

nature

5. The authors of the articles agree that

A. people should learn about and care for wildlife

B. zoos should protect animals from each other

C. a zoo’s main job should be teaching children

D. zoos need to ask people for more money

Vocabulary

Choose the answer that best explains the meaning of each underlined word.

(6 points

each)

6. Propaganda is

A. an expert on zoo construction

B. rules that explain conservation

C. information that supports a cause

D. a person who teaches animal facts

7. What does sterile mean?

A. cold

B. barren

C. private

D. dangerous

8. To languish is to

A. earn respect

B. lose strength

C. gain information

D. fail to save someone

9. Something that is exotic is

A. unusual

B. beautiful

C. captive

D. threatened

10. To exploit means to

A. explain a problem

B. ignore serious danger

C. use for selfish purposes

D. appreciate good treatment

Written Response

Short Response Answer the following questions based on your knowledge of the

articles. Write a sentence or two on a separate sheet of paper.(10 points each)

11. What does “Zoos: Myth and Reality” say is putting pressure on zoos to improve?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

12. According to “Zoos Connect Us to the Natural World,” what projects have

zoos undertaken recently to help animals living in the wild? Include one detail

from the article.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

PERSUASION--Week 1--Lesson 2--Tuesday, Dec. 7

Lesson Title:  Persuasive Cartoons

Can you add a claim?  Support?  A Call to action?  Add dialogue to the cartoon using speech bubbles.

Persuasive Cartoons

PERSUASION--WEEK 1--Lesson 1-Monday, December 6, 2010

Lesson Title:  Persuade Me!   

SWBAT Identify elements of an argument (position/claim, main argument/s, support, call to action)

AGENDA for Monday, December 6, 2010:

1. Independent Reading (15 minutes)--Record your title, number of pages read and date
2. Warm-up----working with your partner, answer the question on the card in 20 words or less.
3. Vocabulary--What is a persuasive text?
4. Read Aloud--Introduce 3 main elements of an argument, "Homeschooling"
5. Mini Lessons/Work Period-- Model elements of an argument: McDL page 963, “Why Can’t I Live on French Fries”
6. Exit Slips:  What are the main elements of an argument
 

EDITORIAL

Homeschooling Often Benefits Children Greatly

Home School Association of California

Most discussions about whether homeschooling is better or worse than traditional institutional education rely on subjective opinions. A great deal of  research, however, is available to show that homeschooling does not disadvantage children and often benefits them greatly.

     Homeschooling gives parents the ability to tailor the education to the needs of each student, addressing that child’s learning issues and learning styles. Parents are not limited to traditional curriculum and classroom styles nor do they need to worry about the needs of 29 other children. They can try a combination of approaches, materials and methods and choose those to which their child responds best and which are best suited to that child’s unique needs. Children who need more challenge can tackle more advanced material than their age peers, which can reduce the boredom that often leads to gifted children underachieving. The California Association for the Gifted, an organization of educators and parents focused on meeting the needs of gifted and talented students, primarily those in public schools, adopted a position paper in 2004 that supports homeschooling, in part because of the ability parents have to meet their children’s unique needs. And children with significant learning issues can receive the extra help that can ensure success; parents are unlikely to leave a child behind. Most conventional schools have a teacher-to-student ratio that does not permit customizing a child’s education this way. For children whose needs are not met by traditional institutions, homeschooling can increase the chances that they will receive an appropriate education.

Lesson Plan: 

GLE

R.10 Compare, contrast and critiques two author’s beliefs and assumptions about a single topic or issue and decide which author presents the stronger argument.

Teacher notes:

Write each Essential Question on index cards.  Have students in teams of two/thee explore/discuss a question.

Write a response that is less than 20 words.  Post or save to revisit/revise during and after the unit.

List all the variations of the word PERSUADE on chart paper and post in the classroom.  Define persuasive text.  What it mean to persuade?  Brainstorm all the variations of the word with students.

  

Post the Empowering Writers posters for reference

Read Aloud/Think Aloud

1. Introduce the three main elements of an argument.  See Part I “Elements of an Argument” lesson page 962 McDougal-Littell (McDL).  Select an editorial or use one of the attached for the lesson.