Classroom Resource

And in Conclusion: Inquiring into Strategies for Writing Effective Conclusions

Subject Area

English Language Arts

Grade(s)

9, 10, 11, 12

Overview

As part of the drafting and revision process for a current literary analysis essay (or another type of argument), students first participate in initial peer review to improve the argument in their essay. Then they inquire into published tips and advice on writing conclusions and analyze sample conclusions with a partner before choosing two strategies they would like to try in their own writing, drafting a conclusion that employs each. After writing two different conclusions and conferring with a peer about them, they choose one and reflect on why they chose it, as well as what they learned about writing conclusions and the writing process more broadly. Though this lesson is framed around an argumentative literary essay, its structure could be easily adapted to other written forms.

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

ELA21.9.R5

Utilize a writing process which includes planning, revising, editing/peer-editing, and rewriting to create a focused, organized, and coherent piece of writing for a specific purpose and audience.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.9.R5

Vocabulary

  • Writing process
  • Plan
  • Revise
  • Edit
  • Peer-edit
  • Rewrite
  • Focused
  • Organized
  • Coherent
  • Purpose
  • Audience

Knowledge

Students know:
  • The writing process steps are to plan, revise, edit, and rewrite.
  • Editing can be completed by the writer or by a peer.
  • Peer-editing skills.
  • Completed writing projects should be focused, organized, and coherent, and written for a specific purpose and intended audience.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Plan, revise, edit, and rewrite to create a focused, organized, and coherent piece of writing.
  • Compose a writing piece for a specific purpose and intended audience.
  • Engage in the peer-editing process.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Writing is a process that requires multiple drafts, edits, and versions.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 9

ELA21.9.R6

Employ conventions of grammar, mechanics, and usage in order to communicate effectively with a target audience.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.9.R6

Vocabulary

  • Conventions
  • Grammar
  • Mechanics
  • Usage
  • Target audience
  • Punctuation
  • Capitalization
  • Spelling
  • Effective sentence structure
  • Appropriate formality of language

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Grammar, mechanics, and usage conventions.
  • Effective communication strategies.
  • Methods to identify a target audience.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Employ the conventions of grammar, mechanics, and usage.
  • Communicate effectively with a target audience.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • To communicate effectively, they must use the conventions of standard English grammar, mechanics, and usage.
  • There are situations and audiences when formal language should be used, while in other situations, informal language is acceptable.
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): 10

ELA21.10.R5

Utilize a writing process which includes planning, revising, editing/peer-editing, and rewriting to create a focused, organized, and coherent piece of writing for a specific purpose and audience.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.10.R5

Vocabulary

  • Writing process
  • Plan
  • Revise
  • Edit
  • Peer-edit
  • Rewrite
  • Focused
  • Organized
  • Coherent
  • Purpose
  • Audience

Knowledge

Students know:
  • The writing process steps are to plan, revise, edit, and rewrite.
  • Editing can be completed by the writer or by a peer.
  • Peer-editing skills.
  • Completed writing projects should be focused, organized, and coherent, and written for a specific purpose and intended audience.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Plan, revise, edit, and rewrite to create a focused, organized, and coherent piece of writing.
  • Compose a writing piece for a specific purpose and intended audience.
  • Engage in the peer-editing process.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Writing is a process that requires multiple drafts, edits, and versions.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 10

ELA21.10.R6

Employ conventions of grammar, mechanics, and usage in order to communicate effectively with a target audience.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.10.R6

Vocabulary

  • Conventions
  • Grammar
  • Mechanics
  • Usage
  • Target audience
  • Punctuation
  • Capitalization
  • Spelling
  • Effective sentence structure
  • Appropriate formality of language

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Grammar, mechanics, and usage conventions.
  • Effective communication strategies.
  • Methods to identify a target audience.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Employ the conventions of grammar, mechanics, and usage.
  • Communicate effectively with a target audience.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • To communicate effectively, they must use the conventions of standard English grammar, mechanics, and usage.
  • There are situations and audiences when formal language should be used, while in other situations, informal language is acceptable.
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): 11

ELA21.11.R5

Utilize a writing process which includes planning, revising, editing/peer-editing, and rewriting to create a focused, organized, and coherent piece of writing for a specific purpose and audience.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.11.R5

Vocabulary

  • Writing process
  • Plan
  • Revise
  • Edit
  • Peer-edit
  • Rewrite
  • Focused
  • Organized
  • Coherent
  • Purpose
  • Audience

Knowledge

Students know:
  • The writing process steps are to plan, revise, edit, and rewrite.
  • Editing can be completed by the writer or by a peer.
  • Peer-editing skills.
  • Completed writing projects should be focused, organized, and coherent, and written for a specific purpose and intended audience.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Plan, revise, edit, and rewrite to create a focused, organized, and coherent piece of writing.
  • Compose a writing piece for a specific purpose and intended audience.
  • Engage in the peer-editing process.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Writing is a process that requires multiple drafts, edits, and versions.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 11

ELA21.11.R6

Employ conventions of grammar, mechanics, and usage in order to communicate effectively with a target audience.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.11.R6

Vocabulary

  • Conventions
  • Grammar
  • Mechanics
  • Usage
  • Target audience
  • Punctuation
  • Capitalization
  • Spelling
  • Effective sentence structure
  • Appropriate formality of language

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Grammar, mechanics, and usage conventions.
  • Effective communication strategies.
  • Methods to identify a target audience.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Employ the conventions of grammar, mechanics, and usage.
  • Communicate effectively with a target audience.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • To communicate effectively, they must use the conventions of standard English grammar, mechanics, and usage.
  • There are situations and audiences when formal language should be used, while in other situations, informal language is acceptable.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 11

ELA21.11.11

Compose and edit both short and extended products in which the development and organization are relevant and suitable to task, purpose, and audience, using an appropriate command of language.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.11.11

Vocabulary

  • Compose
  • Edit
  • Short products
  • Extended products
  • Writing development
  • Writing organization
  • Task
  • Purpose
  • Audience
  • Command of language

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Writing products can be short, such as a paragraph, or extended, such as constructed responses and essays.
  • The skills required by the writing process.
  • The development and organization 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 writing products.
  • Identify the writing task, the purpose of writing, and the intended audience in order to appropriately adapt the development and organization 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 and organization of the writing.
  • Formal academic writing should display their command of the English language.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 12

ELA21.12.R5

Utilize a writing process which includes planning, revising, editing/peer-editing, and rewriting to create a focused, organized, and coherent piece of writing for a specific purpose and audience.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.12.R5

Vocabulary

  • Writing process
  • Plan
  • Revise
  • Edit
  • Peer-edit
  • Rewrite
  • Focused
  • Organized
  • Coherent
  • Purpose
  • Audience

Knowledge

Students know:
  • The writing process steps are to plan, revise, edit, and rewrite.
  • Editing can be completed by the writer or by a peer.
  • Peer-editing skills.
  • Completed writing projects should be focused, organized, and coherent, and written for a specific purpose and intended audience.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Plan, revise, edit, and rewrite to create a focused, organized, and coherent piece of writing.
  • Compose a writing piece for a specific purpose and intended audience.
  • Engage in the peer-editing process.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Writing is a process that requires multiple drafts, edits, and versions.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 12

ELA21.12.R6

Employ conventions of grammar, mechanics, and usage in order to communicate effectively with a target audience.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.12.R6

Vocabulary

  • Conventions
  • Grammar
  • Mechanics
  • Usage
  • Target audience
  • Punctuation
  • Capitalization
  • Spelling
  • Effective sentence structure
  • Appropriate formality of language

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Grammar, mechanics, and usage conventions.
  • Effective communication strategies.
  • Methods to identify a target audience.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Employ the conventions of grammar, mechanics, and usage.
  • Communicate effectively with a target audience.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • To communicate effectively, they must use the conventions of standard English grammar, mechanics, and usage.
  • There are situations and audiences when formal language should be used, while in other situations, informal language is acceptable.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 12

ELA21.12.14

Actively engage in collaborative discussions about topics and texts, expressing their own ideas by respectfully contributing to, building upon, and questioning the ideas of others in pairs, diverse groups, and whole class settings.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.12.14

Vocabulary

  • Collaborative discussions
  • Pairs
  • Diverse groups
  • Whole class settings

Knowledge

Students know:
  • The format and process for respectful, collaborative discussions in a variety of settings.
  • Methods for expressing their ideas, contributing to and building upon others' ideas, and questioning the ideas of others.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Participate in a collaborative discussion in pairs, diverse groups, and whole class settings.
  • Express their own ideas, contribute to and build upon others' ideas, or question the ideas of others.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • They can better understand a topic or text by discussing their ideas with others.
  • There are multiple ways to respond to others in a collaborative discussion, including answering questions, asking questions, or adding to others' ideas.
Link to Resource
http://readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/conclusion-inquiring…

CR Resource Type

Lesson/Unit Plan

Resource Provider

ReadWriteThink
Accessibility
License

License Type

Custom

Custom License Type (URL)

http://www.readwritethink.org/util/legal.html

Approved Date

raulstoncg
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