LESSON SEVEN (Giving back / change for good)

Face-to-face, Synchronous
Skill: Compare and contrast

Essential questions:
● Does comparing and contrasting their own actions with others inspire students to want to
effect change for good?
● Does preparing a refutation spur critical thinking and help students investigate an issue
more deeply?

Learning Objectives:
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Learning Objectives Needs Assessment (click the READY strategy based on 5C
link to see details) standards (Goal Areas)
#1: academic English and
skills; #2: communicative
English; #3 good motivations

Develop an argument using #1, #2 Explain

their knowledge of cause and (in Communication goal area)
effect.

Prepare a refutation using #1, #2 Explain

debate strategies. (in Communication goal area);
Advancement
(in Culture goal area );
Develop
(in Comparison goal area)

Apply cultural comparison #1, #3 Develop

and critical thinking through (in Comparison goal area);
problem-solving. Advancement
(in Culture goal area )
Teacher instructions:
Important concepts: compare and contrast, change for good, giving back, arguing a side,
refuting an argument

Activity Time

Introduce the topic of “giving back/ change for good” through having 7 min
students do a pre-speaking activity to activate their schemata.
Have students spend 5 minutes thinking about times in their life that
they gave back or helped others. Then, they should jot down their
answers to the following questions:

● Did you give money or donate your time to give back? Why?
● Did you do something else? What was it?
● How does giving back make you feel about yourself? Why?
● How can making “change for good” helps you cultivate your
best self?

Have a few students share their answers with the rest of the class.

Organize students in groups of 4 and give every student a number 5 min

from 1 - 4. Pair the students with odd numbers (1 & 3) together and
the students with even numbers (2 & 4) together to use a Padlet to
brainstorm examples of:

· Times they have done well

· Times they have seen people do good
· Current events that relate to donations and charity
· Examples of celebrities giving back

Have the same groups work together to fill out the Compare- 10 min
Contrast Worksheet. They can look for examples on the web, if
needed.

In the same groups, students will create Venn diagrams using Canva 8 min
from the information they have written down in their Compare-
Contrast Worksheet to compare and contrast different ways to give
back. This exercise creates cultural comparison and critical thinking
through problem-solving.

Inform the odd group that they will argue that giving money is the 10 min
best way to give back and that the even group will argue that
charitable deeds are the best way to give back.
 Students will review the Refuting an Argument: Why and How
worksheet individually. Advise students to look at their Compare-
Contrast Worksheet and circle any good counter-arguments. Also,
they can review their previous brainstorm to find some additional
examples for their argument.

Pair student 1 and 2 together and student 3 and 4. Allow students 2 8 min
minutes to prepare their argument. Have students “argue” their side
to their partner. Students should try to use one phrase from the
Refuting an Argument: Why and How worksheet. The time limit is 3
minutes each. The odd numbered students will present their
arguments first.

Inform the students that they will need to submit a 3-5 sentence 2 min
paragraph giving their opinion of what they think is the best way to
give back and how that spurs critical thinking skills* and investigation
of the culture of giving via the LMS.

TOTAL 50 min

Student instructions:

● Think about the topic of “giving back/ change for good” through answering questions to a
pre-speaking activity and share your answers if asked to do so.
● Work with a partner to brainstorm examples of giving back following the prompts
provided by your teacher.
● Develop arguments for different sides by completing the Compare-Contrast Worksheet
with a partner. You can look for examples on the web if needed.
● Create a Venn diagram in Canva together with the same partner to compare and
contrast different ways to give back. This exercise creates cultural comparison and
critical thinking through problem-solving.
● Review the Refuting an Argument: Why and How worksheet individually. Look at your
Compare-Contrast Worksheet and circle any good counter-arguments. Also, review their
previous brainstorm to find some additional examples for your argument.
● After 2 minutes of preparing your argument, “argue” their side to your partner. Use one
phrase from the Refuting an Argument: Why and How worksheet. The time limit is 3
minutes each. The odd numbered students will present their arguments first.
● Submit a 3-5 sentence paragraph giving their opinion of what they think is the best way
to give back and how that spurs critical thinking skills* and investigation of the culture of
giving via the LMS.
*Students read the READY strategy offered in the READY Strategy Reflection
Worksheet
Materials needed:
● Computer
● Compare - Contrast Worksheet
● Refuting an Argument: Why and How

Collaboration/group work:
Students work with a partner discuss times when they have given back to activate their
schemata, brainstorm examples of to be applied to an argument, create a
comparison/contrasting visualization using a Venn diagram, and to debate against applying
refutation skills.

Assessment:
A summative assessment in which students write a 3-5 sentence paragraph giving their
opinion of what they think is the best way to give back and how that spurs critical thinking skills*
and investigation of the culture of giving. Students will submit their paragraph via the LMS.
Students will be rated on a scale of 1 - 5 (5 being the best) for each of the 3 Learning Objectives
using Rubric for Grading Short Paragraph:

Presentation rubric:
Lesson 7 Learning 1 - Poor 2 - Insufficient 3 - Sufficient 4 - Very good 5 - Excellent
objective

Develop an
argument using
their knowledge of
cause and effect.

Prepare a
refutation using
debate strategies.

Apply cultural
comparison and
critical thinking
through problem-
solving.
READY strategy- Through the curriculum, the students will be able to:

READY 5C Goal Areas Standards

strategy

R Reinforce Build, reinforce, and expand their knowledge of

(in Connections goal area) other disciplines while using the language to
develop critical thinking and to solve problems
creatively.

E Explain 1. Understand, interpret, and analyze what is heard,

(in Communication goal read, or viewed on a variety of topics.
area) 2. Present information, concepts, and ideas to
inform, explain, persuade, and narrate on a variety
of topics using appropriate media and adapting to
various audiences of listeners, readers, or viewers.
Clarify the “why” or the “how” of ideas, actions, or
phenomena.

A Advancement Reflect on the relationship between the practices

(in Culture goal area ) and perspectives of the cultures studied.

D Develop 1. Develop insight into the nature of language and

(in Comparison goal area) culture in order to interact with cultural competence
2. Use the language to investigate, explain, and
reflect on the nature of language through
comparisons of the language studied and their own.

Y Yearns towards... Learners use the language both within and beyond
(in Community goal area) the classroom to interact and collaborate in their
community and the globalized world.
Compare - Contrast Worksheet
Refuting an Argument: Why and How Worksheet