Lesson Plan: Inquiry Into Petition Connection to the Integrated Unit Students will be working on an opinion writing unit

t where they develop their opinion about a certain issue. Students will be exposed to different types of opinion writing such as petitions, speeches, and persuasive letters. Students will choose one type of opinion writing as a way to advocate for a social justice issue that they believe is important. Students will use their writing to voice their opinion in a powerful way. Goals and Objectives SWBAT understand the foundational elements of opinion writing, which include giving reasons or evidence and thinking about the audience. SWBAT know that there are different forms of opinion writing across many different genres. Standards PA Common Core ELA1.4 Writing: Students write for different purposes and audiences. Students write clear and focused text to convey a well-defined perspective and appropriate content. Common Core 1.4.3.I Writing: Students will be able to support and justify a clear opinion and/or argument with facts and details from text personal experiences to strong persuade an audience. Materials Writers notebooks Pencils Petition from Change.Org Smartboard Checklist for Opinion Writing Classroom Arrangement and Management Skills This lesson will be taught within the context of the writers workshop format that the students are already familiar with. I do not anticipate any major problems with management because the students already know what the expectations are. There will be some moving of students from the carpet to their writing sports, but they do this on a regular basis so I do not expect any problems with transition. Students will have time to work with their writing partners, who they have been together with since the beginning of the year. Each pair has their own writing spot in the classroom where they can work. Students are able to work productively in groups and I will also be walking around to support and make sure groups are engaged and on task.

 Plan

I will give students reminders of time throughout the lesson so they are able to pace themselves throughout independent writing. Introduction and Mini Lesson (10 min): o I will start the lesson on the carpet. I will begin by asking the students to give some examples of what makes a strong piece of opinion writing by turning and talking with a neighbor. I expect students to say things like give evidence, use personal examples, think about your audience, etc. During this time, I will be listening to the different groups for an informal assessment to see how much the students know. I will then have a few pairs share their answers in a class discussion. o I will then tell the students that we are going to be focusing on writing persuasive letters and petitions today. I will ask the students to keep this question in mind during the mini lesson: What have you learned as speechwriters that you see other writers using in other types of opinion writing? o I will then introduce students to a petition. I will use a petition that was put on change.org to reduce the number of plastic bags in the city of Philadelphia (see Appendix). I will use the Smartboard to show the petition on change.org. I will ask students to describe some of the techniques the opinion writer used in the petition. o Together as a class we will create a poster of Techniques Opinion Writers Use. This chart can be used as a reference for students during the writing process. Body (30 min): o (5-10 min) I will transition into the main part of the lesson where students will be asked to think about some topics they want to write about. Although I want students to pick a topic related to social justice, I do want to give students freedom and choice for this activity. o (20-25 min) I will ask students to go to their writing spots with their writing partner and start to write either a petition or persuasive letter about the topics they brainstormed. I will remind students that they have had some practice using techniques for strong opinion writing and to continue using them in their writing persuasive letters and petitions. They will also have an opinion writing checklist that they can refer to for self-assessment and reflection of their writing. Students will work independently but may quietly confer with their writing partner if they have questions or need some extra support. Before wrapping up with the class, students will do a peer review where they say something strong about their partners work and something that needs more work. Students will support each other in their writing. Closing (10 min):

o I will ask students to share any parts of their writing that exemplified strong opinion writing techniques. This will be an opportunity to share something complementary they felt about their writing. I will use their examples to emphasize the main objectives of the lesson such as the different types of opinion writing, opinion writing techniques, and the type of audience. I will give a brief review of what the students did, especially the things they did well, and learned to end the lesson. Assessment The turn and talk in the beginning of the lesson, along with student responses to my initial question about opinion writing will be an important place for me to see how much the students understand the foundational elements of opinion writing. I can make adjustments in response to what my students are saying. I will be making many informal observations during student discussions, both during class discussions and when the students are talking with their writing partners. I will go around and confer with different groups of students throughout independent writing to see what they are writing. I will also look at their writers notebooks to read their writing and see if they were able to use the techniques for opinion writing in their notebooks. Anticipating students responses They will have started the unit on opinion writing and need to continue to build on the skills they have been working on. Since this is a new section within the unit, I will have to watch for the students who may have had some trouble establishing the basic foundations of opinion writing. For the most part, I expect students will be able to work independently and write on their own. However, students will be with their writing partners who they can use as a resource to talk, assess, and review their writing. Students will use peer conversations to make improvements to their work. Accommodations I will use the time during which students are writing to walk around and work individually with students who may be struggling and need extra support. This is also an important time to be working with the ELL students. Since students are able to write about whatever topic they wish, it may make the writing process easier for students. Since this activity is to help students practice using techniques for opinion writing, they can write about many different topics, which will give students a chance to work at their own pace and accommodate for both faster and slower children. Students will also be with their writing partners who are additional resources. They can use feedback from their peers to make improvements to their drafts. Resource

Writers Workshop by Lucy Caulkins

Appendix Reduce Plastic Bags in Philly Petition by Green Philly Blog (from change.org) Each year, the average Philadelphian family takes home 1500 plastic shopping bags, which equals 100 billion plastic bags in America annually. These plastic bags are already built into grocery fees and cost taxpayers approximately $.18 cents PER bag for cleanup efforts and removal. 50 years ago, we didn't have this problem because plastic bags weren't used. But we've become a disposable society and grown accustomed with using a bag for 15 minutes before throwing them 'away'. But plastic bags last forever and affect Philadelphia streets, waterways and greening efforts. More importantly: they don't go "away", since there is no 'away'. The solution is a LOT easier than we think. We need your support in efforts to reduce plastic and single use bags since it will reduce costs, improve sustainability efforts and help prove Philadelphia (the 5th largest US city) is serious about becoming green. We're asking Philadelphia City Council to implement common sense legislation to reduce our single use bag consumption. Consumers already pay for plastic and paper bags, but it is hidden in their grocery bill. With a plastic bag fee, consumers can choose to bring their own reusable bag OR purchase a single use bag at checkout. Don't you have a right to choose? Mayor Nutter has declared his goal for Philadelphia to be the greenest city in America by 2015. In order to meet this goal we need to take action and prove that Philly's got gumption. We're serious to show Philadelphia, the nation and world that Philadelphia is serious about becoming the Greenest City in America. Please sign this petition to

declare your support for Philadelphia's sustainability mission, whether you live in the city, visit Philadelphia or just care about improving the quality of our lives. Please follow our progress by liking our Facebook Page or uploading your plastic bag street shots to our website. UPDATE: We started this petition during out "Ban the Bag Awareness Day" on July 26, 2012 and received attention from local press including Philly.com, CBS News, KYW & Philly Mag. To give consumers a right to choose, we are pushing for a single use bag (paper or plastic) fee. Please continue to take action to ensure the plastic bag legislation happens! Green Philly Blog, Clean Air Council, PennEnvironment, Clean Water Action Philadelphia & 5 Gyres are organizers of this campaign. Sample Letter To: Councilman Bill Green Councilman Brian O'Neill Philadelphia City Council Members Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell Councilman Mark Squilla Councilwoman Cindy Bass Councilman Kenyatta Johnson Councilman Curtis Jones, Jr. Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown Councilman Bobby Henon Council President Darrell L. Clarke Councilman James F. Kenney Councilman Bill Greenlee Councilman David Oh Councilwoman Maria D. Quiones-Snchez Councilwoman Marian B. Tasco Councilman W. Wilson Goode, Jr. Councilman Dennis M. OBrien I just signed the following petition addressed to: Philadelphia City Council. ---------------Reduce our Plastic & Single Use Bag Consumption: A Petition

Each year, the average Philadelphian family takes home 1500 plastic shopping bags, which equals 100 billion plastic bags in America annually. These plastic bags are already built into grocery fees and cost taxpayers approximately $.18 cents PER bag for cleanup efforts and removal. 50 years ago, we didn't have this problem because plastic bags weren't used. But we've become a disposable society and grown accustomed with using a bag for 15 minutes before throwing them 'away'. But plastic bags last forever and affect Philadelphia streets, waterways and greening efforts. More importantly: they don't go "away", since there is no 'away'. The solution is a LOT easier than we think. I support efforts to reduce plastic and single use bags since it will reduce costs, improve sustainability efforts and help prove Philadelphia (the 5th largest US city) is serious about becoming green. We're asking Philadelphia City Council to implement legislation to reduce our single use bag consumption. Mayor Nutter has declared his goal for Philadelphia to be the greenest city in America by 2015. In order to meet this goal we need to take action and prove that Philly's got gumption. We're serious to show Philadelphia, the nation and world that Philadelphia is serious about becoming the Greenest City in America. ---------------Sincerely, Sincerely, [Your name]