Unit 3: Reading Closely for Textual Evidence-Informational Texts Overview

Unit 3 :“Everybody is guilty of something”

Texts: (pdf file)

Enduring Understanding(s)

Students will understand –

  • Guilt is the mainstay of who we are and how we are organized, and is, seemingly, our undeniable destiny. This is a truism of the West.
  • Guilt is as old as the DNA that defines our species.
  • Human greed contributes to most of the crimes in the world throughout history.
  • Ponzi scheme is an embodiment of our infinite capacity for self-delusion.

Essential Question(s):

  • Why is the western civilization based on guilt?
  • Why did Madoff emerge  not as some master criminal, but as a sad, hapless man who, lacking the character to tell the truth at the critical moment, stumbled foolishly and blindly into one of the crimes of the century?
  • Why does the Ponzi scheme such as Madoff’s  hold us not because of the engrossing details of the scam, but because of its human dimension?
  • Were Ponzi scheme victims innocent? Why or why not?

Introduction

In this unit, students will engage with informational texts as they continue to exercise and develop their ability to identify and make claims. Students will read “True Crime: The roots of an American obsession,” an article from Newsweek that examines humanity’s relationship with guilt; “How Bernard Madoff Did It,” a New York Times book review by Liaquat Ahamed that discusses The Wizard of Lies by Diana B. Henriques; and finally, an excerpt from the epilogue of The Wizard of Lies by Henriques, which discusses the shared responsibility for crimes like Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. These texts complement each other in their treatment of guilt and people’s fascination with crime.

In this unit, students also focus on writing, peer reviewing, and revising their writing. Text-based, whole-class discussion is also introduced in this unit to offer students the opportunity to verbally articulate claims. In both forums, students learn to articulate analysis backed by ample references to the text, while also learning to engage in a safe, critical dialogue with peers.

For the Mid-Unit Assessment, students will examine a claim made by Walter Mosley in “True Crime,” write a multi-paragraph analysis of how Mosley develops that claim, and make connections across the text’s multiple central ideas. After writing, students will engage in the peer review process, building upon the self-review process in Unit 2 of this module, and then revise their writing. Students will be assessed on their own writing as well as their participation in the peer review process.

For the End-of-Unit Assessment, students will look back across the unit texts and synthesize the author’s central ideas and claims. Students will create discussion questions relating to connections between the texts in the unit to prepare for a rigorous and critical academic discussion. Students will be assessed on their ability to prepare, propel conversation, and respond thoughtfully to their peers in a fishbowl style discussion. Finally, students will develop a synthesized claim based on all three articles  and write a multi-paragraph analysis using evidence from all three articles to support the synthesis, and make connections across all three texts.

Literacy Skills & Habits

  • Read closely for textual details
  • Annotate texts to support comprehension and analysis
  • Engage in productive evidence-based conversations about text, specifically around central ideas or themes
  • Determine meaning of unknown vocabulary
  • Provide an objective summary of the text
  • Paraphrase and quote relevant evidence from a text
  • Write original evidence-based claims
  • Critique one’s own writing and peers’ writing
  • Revise writing
  • Generate and respond to questions in scholarly discourse

Standards for This Unit

CCS Standards: Reading—Informational Text
RI.9-10.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
RI.9-10.5 Analyze in detail how an author’s ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g., a section or chapter). 
RI.9-10.7 Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person’s life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.

CCS Standards: Writing

W.9-10.2.a, b  Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

  1. a.       Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
  2. b.      Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
W.9-10.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grades 9–10.)
W.9-10.9.b Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

  1. b.      Apply grades 9–10 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning”).

CCS Standards: Speaking & Listening

SL.9-10.1.a, c, d  Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

  1. a.       Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
  2. c.       Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.
  3. d.      Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented.
SL.9-10.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
SL.9-10.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grades 9­–10 Language standards 1 and 3 for specific expectations)

CCS Standards: Language

L.9-10.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
L.9-10.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
L.9-10.4.a Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 9–10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

  1. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

Unit Assessments

Ongoing Assessment

Standards Assessed RI.9-10.2, RI.9-10.5, W.9-10.2.a, b, W.9-10.5, W.9-10.9.b, SL.9-10.1.a, c, d, SL.9-10.4, SL.9-10.6, L.9-10.1, L.9-10.2
Description of Assessment Answer text-dependent questions. Write informally in response to text-based prompts. Revise and strengthen writing through peer- and self-review. Participate in group discussion. Present information in an organized and logical manner.
Mid-Unit Assessment
Standards Assessed RI.9-10.2, W.9-10.2.a, b, W.9-10.5, L.9-10.1, L.9-10.2
Description of Assessment In the Mid-Unit Assessment students will reread the full text of “True Crime” and independently draft a multi-paragraph analysis of how Mosley’s develops the central idea that humans are fascinated with true and fictional crime stories. Students will use a writing rubric to review their peers’ responses for strength of evidence.Students will evaluate their own work and a peers’ work using the Text Analysis Rubric. Students will then revise their own response based on both reviews and complete a review accountability tool to assess their understanding.
End-of-Unit Assessment
Standards Assessed RI.9-10.2, RI.9-10.5, SL.9-10.1.a, c, d, L.9-10.1 W.9-10.2.a, b, W.9-10.5
Description of Assessmen The End-of-Unit Assessment asks students to apply RI.9-10.2 and RI.9-10.5 to multiple texts at once, identifying where the central ideas are articulated, and analyzing how the ideas are developed.Students will analyze “True Crime,” “How Bernard Madoff Did It,” and The Wizard of Lies. Using a fishbowl method for discussion, students will engage in a critical dialogue about the texts and critique their peers’ discussion.The Speaking and Listening Rubric will be used to assess students on their ability to contribute meaningfully to discussion through questions and responses; propel the conversation by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader central ideas or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.

Students will develop a synthesized claim based on all three articles  and write a multi-paragraph analysis using evidence from all three articles to support the synthesis, and make connections across all three texts. Students will use a writing rubric to review their peers’ responses for strength of evidence.

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