Introduction to selected lessons in persuasion  (Page 6/6)

LS 1.13 Analyze the types of arguments used by the speaker, including argument causation, analogy, authority, emotion, and logic.

Support standards

LC 1.2 Understand sentence construction (e.g., parallel structure, subordination, proper placement of modifiers) and proper English usage (e.g., consistency of verb tenses).

LC 1.3 Demonstrate an understanding of proper English usage and control of grammar, paragraph and sentence structure, diction, and syntax.

LS 1.9 Analyze the occasion and the interests of the audience and choose effective verbal and nonverbal techniques (e.g., voice, gestures, eye contact) for presentations.

LS 1.11 Assess how language and delivery affect the mood and tone of the oral communication and make an impact on the audience.

Using california english language development standards: benefits and challenges

Many states have developed two sets of standards: Content learning standards for all students and English Language Development (ELD) standards for English learners (EL). In order to support English learners’ language acquisition and content learning, it is important that the language standards align with the content standards. Intentionally integrating language learning with content learning provides opportunities for more authentic and effective language and content learning experiences. However, teachers are cautioned to read the ELD standards with a critical eye to assess the skill level of linguistic and academic expectations.

Use the Link, Aligning ELA Content and English Language Development (ELD)Standards , for an example of how to align English language arts (ELA) content and ELD standards in ways that assess presence and level of academic expectations for all students, including English learners, at all points of language development from beginner to advanced.

Instructional tools and materials

Co-constructed classroom charts

• Characteristics of Effective Explanations of Significant Sentences (class specific)
• Methods to Persuade (all classes)
• Characteristics of Effective Persuasive Speeches (class specific)
• Issues to Speak Out About (class specific)

Student work tool: reader's/writer's notebook

As part of their daily routine, each student will own and use a Reader's/Writer's Notebook . The Reader's/Writer's Notebook is a classroom tool that gives students a place for thinking about the texts they have read, for recording notes from the texts, and for trying out different voices and writing techniques. It is a place for writers to work through writing problems and to brainstorm. It is a place, as Randy Bomer (1995) says in Time for Meaning , for students to collect data about their lives and to begin to reach for meaning in advance of writing a draft. For information about setting up a Reader's/Writer's Notebooks, consult the Teacher Resources.

The Amplified Reader's/Writer’s Notebook resource includes extended activities for English learners to help them identify key cognates and vocabulary that will aid their reading comprehension.

The resource also illustrates how to help learners use their language study from earlier grades. See the example cited in Teacher Resource, Lesson 1. The example illustrates how to help students build from what they learned earlier about language analysis to comprehend a new text by examining its syntax to help with getting the text's gist.

Handouts, transparencies, displays, unit texts

Handouts should be copied on hole-punched paper so students can keep them in their Reader's/Writer's Notebooks. They can be accessed by clicking on them.

Rationale for amplified handouts for english learners

English learners, like all learners, are on a learning trajectory that is a gradual and lifelong process. Students can be viewed on a continuum of language learning that ranges from novice to expert language learners. Even when they are novice readers and writers in English, these learners have something to contribute and when they read and write at an expert level, they still have something to learn. Beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels of language proficiency often represent this continuum. These categories are fluid, and students may exhibit varying levels of language ability depending on their literacy skills, the activity, content being studied, or their comfort level, among other things. The Amplified Handouts provided for the online lessons were developed for English learners with an intermediate level of English proficiency, however, they can be amplified for all students along the continuum by extending language or content study as needed. While the English learners in our classrooms speak many languages other than Spanish, the language support included in these handouts are tailored for Spanish-speaking English learners.

Three ideas guide our teaching of English learners: Integration, expectations, and conversation. English learners can and should be integrated into every classroom activity by setting high academic expectations for them and providing them with opportunities to engage in conversations about language and content learning with their peers. To facilitate this three-fold process, we have included guidelines for language support within the lessons and translations into Spanish of the following documents, Definitions of Discourse and Reading the Architecture .

Teacher resources (found after the four online lessons)

• Aligning ELA Content with ELD Standards ... Use with all lessons
• Setting Up a Reader's/Writer's Notebook ... Use with Lesson 1
• Amplified Reader's/Writer's Notebook ... Use with Lesson 1
• Definitions of Discourse ... Use with Lesson 1
• Language of Persuasion ... Use with Lesson 1
• Rubric for Significant Sentences: "Ain't I a Woman?" ... Use with Lesson 2
• Inquiry-based Discussion Guide ... Use with Lesson 3