Learning Activity

Introducing Shakespeare: Claim and Evidence in a Digital Text

Subject Area

English Language Arts

Grade(s)

9, 10

Overview

After reading parts of "After 450 Years, We Still Don’t Know the True Value of Shakespeare" by Kate McLuskie, and determining the subject, occasion, audience, purpose, tone and credibility of the article, students will share what they learned about Shakespeare’s value by reading the article.  This information will help students put Shakespeare and his works into a more current context.  It will also give students practice citing claims and evidence in preparation for more extended research tasks.

English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 9

ELA21.9.9

Compose both short and extended narrative, informative/explanatory, and argumentative writings that are clear and coherent, use an appropriate command of language, and demonstrate development, organization, style, and tone that are relevant to task, purpose, and audience.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.9.9

Vocabulary

  • Short writings
  • Extended writings
  • Narrative writing
  • Argumentative writing
  • Informative/explanatory writing
  • Writing development
  • Writing organization
  • Style
  • Tone
  • Task
  • Purpose
  • Audience
  • Command of language

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Writing pieces can be short, such as a paragraph, or extended, such as constructed responses and essays.
  • A narrative is a piece of writing that tells a story.
  • The purpose of argumentative writing is to convince the reader to take action or adopt a particular position.
  • Informative or explanatory text is a piece of writing that provides factual information that was gathered from multiple research sources.
  • The development, organization, style, and tone of writing will change depending on the writing task, the purpose of the writing, and the intended audience.
  • Formal academic writing should demonstrate an appropriate command of language.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Compose short and extended clear, coherent narrative, argument, and informative/explanatory writings.
  • Identify the writing task, the purpose of writing, and the intended audience in order to appropriately adapt the development, organization, style, and tone of the writing.
  • Demonstrate command of the written language.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • There are different genres of writing that serve various purposes.
  • The writing task, purpose, and audience should be considered in the development, organization, style, and tone of the writing.
  • Formal academic writing should display their command of the English language.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 9

ELA21.9.9c

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning, relevant and sufficient evidence, transitions, and a concluding statement or section that follows from the information presented.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.9.9c

Vocabulary

  • Arguments
  • Claims
  • Substantive topics or texts
  • Valid
  • Relevant
  • Sufficient
  • Reasoning
  • Evidence
  • Transitions
  • Concluding statement or section

Knowledge

  • The purpose of argumentative writing is to defend an opinion or state a claim.
  • Argumentative writing includes introducing the topic by stating an argumentative claim, valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence to support the claim, and a concluding statement that coherently follows the presented information.
  • Words that indicate transitions.

Skills

  • Write an argument to support claims in an analysis of topics or texts that utilizes appropriate transitions.
  • Gather relevant and sufficient evidence from accurate and credible sources to support the claim.
  • Use valid reasoning to support a claim.
  • Include a concluding statement or section that logically follows the presented information.

Understanding

  • To effectively defend a position or make a claim, they must present relevant, sufficient evidence from accurate and credible sources.
  • An argument can be more effective if the writer includes a concluding statement that logically follows the information presented previously.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 9

ELA21.9.12

Interpret digital texts to determine their subject, occasion, audience, purpose, tone, and credibility.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.9.12

Vocabulary

  • Digital text
  • Credibility
  • Subject
  • Occasion
  • Audience
  • Purpose
  • Tone

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Digital texts, such as online academic journals, social media, and blogs, have various subjects, appropriate occasions, intended audiences, purposes, and tones.
  • A credible source is free from bias and supported with relevant evidence.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify and interpret the subject, occasion, audience, purpose, tone, and credibility of digital texts.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • It is important to evaluate the credibility of digital text.
  • Digital texts will focus on different subjects, be used on different occasions, are created with different intended audiences, have different purposes, and a variety of tones.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 10

ELA21.10.9

Compose both short and extended narrative, informative/explanatory, and argumentative writings that are clear and coherent, use an appropriate command of language, and demonstrate development, organization, style, and tone that are relevant to task, purpose, and audience.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.10.9

Vocabulary

  • Short writings
  • Extended writings
  • Narrative writing
  • Argumentative writing
  • Informative/explanatory writing
  • Writing development
  • Writing organization
  • Style
  • Tone
  • Task
  • Purpose
  • Audience
  • Command of language

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Writing pieces can be short, such as a paragraph, or extended, such as constructed responses and essays.
  • A narrative is a piece of writing that tells a story.
  • The purpose of argumentative writing is to convince the reader to take action or adopt a particular position.
  • Informative or explanatory text is a piece of writing that provides factual information that was gathered from multiple research sources.
  • The development, organization, style, and tone of writing will change depending on the writing task, the purpose of the writing, and the intended audience.
  • Formal academic writing should demonstrate an appropriate command of language.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Compose short and extended clear, coherent narrative, argument, and informative/explanatory writings.
  • Identify the writing task, the purpose of writing, and the intended audience in order to appropriately adapt the development, organization, style, and tone of the writing.
  • Demonstrate command of the written language.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • There are different genres of writing that serve various purposes.
  • The writing task, purpose, and audience should be considered in the development, organization, style, and tone of the writing.
  • Formal academic writing should display their command of the English language.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 10

ELA21.10.9c

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning, relevant and sufficient evidence, appropriate transitions, and a concluding section that follows from and supports the information presented.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.10.9c

Vocabulary

  • Arguments
  • Claims
  • Substantive topics or texts
  • Valid
  • Relevant
  • Sufficient
  • Reasoning
  • Evidence
  • Transitions
  • Concluding statement or section

Knowledge

  • The purpose of argumentative writing is to defend an opinion or state a claim.
  • Argumentative writing includes introducing the topic by stating an argumentative claim, valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence to support the claim, and a concluding statement that coherently follows the presented information.
  • Words that indicate transitions.

Skills

  • Write an argument to support claims in an analysis of topics or texts that utilizes appropriate transitions.
  • Gather relevant and sufficient evidence from accurate and credible sources to support the claim.
  • Use valid reasoning to support a claim.
  • Include a concluding statement or section that logically follows the presented information.

Understanding

  • To effectively defend a position or make a claim, they must present relevant, sufficient evidence from accurate and credible sources.
  • An argument can be more effective if the writer includes a concluding statement that logically follows the information presented previously.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 10

ELA21.10.12

Interpret digital texts to determine subject, occasion, audience, purpose, tone, and credibility.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.10.12

Vocabulary

  • Digital text
  • Credibility
  • Subject
  • Occasion
  • Audience
  • Purpose
  • Tone

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Digital texts, such as online academic journals, social media, and blogs, have various subjects, appropriate occasions, intended audiences, purposes, and tones.
  • A credible source is free from bias and supported with relevant evidence.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify and interpret the subject, occasion, audience, purpose, tone, and credibility of digital texts.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • It is important to evaluate the credibility of digital text.
  • Digital texts will focus on different subjects, be used on different occasions, are created with different intended audiences, have different purposes, and a variety of tones.

Phase

After/Explain/Elaborate
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

  • Students will interpret digital texts and determine the subject, occasion, audience, purpose, tone, and credibility of a digital text. 
  • Students will determine the author’s claim and provide evidence to support the claim.

Activity Details

1. Students will have ready read the first three paragraphs of the article, the final two paragraphs of the article, and their assigned paragraph(s).  Paragraphs could have been assigned in the following chunks:

Group 1: 

Paragraph 4 (“Shakespeare’s plays came to dominate….”)

Group 2: 

Paragraph 5 (“The play’s stories of family dynamics….”)

Group 3 (for accelerated readers):

Paragraphs 6,7,8 (“The work of performers and commentators….”; “Brand analysts….”; “It isn’t….”)

Group 4: 

Paragraphs 9,10 (“So perhaps the original texts….”; “But that price….”)

Group 5: 

Paragraph 11 (“So the value that ensues”....)

Group 6: 

Paragraph 12 (“Shakespeare, by contrast,....)

2. The teacher and students will review and discuss their findings from the graphic organizer on subject, occasion, audience, purpose, tone, and credibility.

3. The teacher will define “claim” as “the author’s stance, argument, or assertion of truth about something.” Students will already be familiar with the word “evidence.” Remind them that evidence backs up or proves a claim. 

4. Provide students with an exit ticket. This can be a 3x5 index card or an electronic form. The exit ticket should include the following two questions: 

  • What is the author’s claim about Shakespeare? 
  • In your assigned reading, what is one statement that is evidence of the author’s claim? 
Assessment Strategies

Assessment Strategies

  • The teacher will read the students’ exit tickets and provide feedback for students who do not state the claim correctly or provide sufficient evidence.
  • The student’s claim statement should indicate that Shakespeare is valuable 450 years later. The evidence statement should come from the assigned paragraph(s).

 

Acceleration

These students will have already completed an extended reading assignment.  They may submit two pieces of evidence instead of one or read one of the articles linked as “You Might Also Like” below the McLuskie article.

Intervention

  • Provide sentence starters for students to complete. For example, "The author believes ________(claim) about Shakespeare because ________________ (evidence in blank)."
  • Allow students extra time to complete the exit ticket by extending the due date until the start of the next class meeting. 

Approximate Duration

Total Duration

0 to 15 Minutes

Related Learning Activities

Learning Activity (Before)

Elements of a Digital Nonfiction Text

Learning Activity (During)

Introducing Shakespeare: Analyzing Elements of a Digital Nonfiction Text

Learning Activity (After)

Introducing Shakespeare: Claim and Evidence in a Digital Text

Background and Preparation

Background / Preparation

Teacher Preparation: Ensure that students have completed the During activity in which students read and interpreted "After 450 Years, We Still Don’t Know the True Value of Shakespeare" by Kate McLuskie.

Student Preparation:  Students should have read their assigned portions of "After 450 Years, We Still Don’t Know the True Value of Shakespeare" by Kate McLuskie.  They should also have completed the graphic organizer on Interpreting Digital Texts as directed in the before and during activity.

Materials and Resources

Materials and Resources

Digital Copy of Article

https://theconversation.com/after-450-years-we-still-dont-know-the-true-value-of-shakespeare-25734

Exit Slip

The exit slip can be digital (an electronic Form) or a 3x5 index card. 

Digital Tools / Resources

"After 450 Years, We Still Don’t Know the True Value of Shakespeare" by Kate Mc…
https://theconversation.com/after-450-years-we-still-dont-know-the-true-value-o…

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

szana
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