Develop an argument for why all schools in Michigan should or should not go to a year-round calendar. Begin by making a clear debatable claim. Provide at least three pieces of evidence to support and prove your claim, including one piece of evidence from a credible secondary source. End your paragraph with a strong statement that summarizes your point.
5 Paragraph Essay Outline #1 - PDF Click Here
5 Paragraph Essay Outline #2 - PDF Click Here
Website Evaluation Rubric - PDF Click Here
Some Online Resources… (January 2014)
These are neither good nor bad resources. Just a few to share and a place to start.
Year Round Schooling
http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/year-round-schooling/
Should There Be Year Round School?
http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-there-be-year-round-school
Should School be Year Round?
http://www.dominicanu.com/masters-in-education-resources/should-school-be-year-round/
The Pros and Cons of Year Round School
http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/choosing-schools-programs/pros-and-cons-year-round-schools
The Pros and Cons of Year Round Schools
http://childparenting.about.com/od/schoollearning/a/year-round-school-pros-cons.htm
Should School be Year Round (passage)?
http://www.readworks.org/sites/default/files/passages/650_should_school_be_year_round.pdf
Should American Schools go Year Round?
http://www.teachhub.com/should-american-schools-go-year-round
NEA Research Spotlight on Year-Round Education
http://www.nea.org/tools/17057.htm
What Research says about Year-Round Schools
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/apr10/vol67/num07/Year-Round_Schooling.aspx
Debate.org - Are year-round schools a good idea that should be adopted by private and public schools?
http://www.debate.org/opinions/are-year-round-schools-a-good-idea-that-should-be-adopted-by-private-and-public-schools
Year Round Education Program Guide (California Department of Education)
Be careful interpreting this one. It may be a little confusing.
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/fa/yr/guide.asp
Signal Words & Phrasesbecause
so since consequently therefore due to due to the fact thus as a result the reason for for this reason this led to / leading to on account of which causes / causing |
Click Here for BLANK Document
Generating and Selecting a Topic
Cause and Effect
- Solo/Pairs/Trios - Breaking Down an Event into Causes and Effects
- Select a cause-effect examples and use a blank Identifying Cause and Effect Relationships handout to break it down into cause/event/effect. Point out that political and scientific examples may be more challenging.
- assessed using the rubric below.
RUBRIC
Content: Causes, Event, Effects...
Causes
Advanced (3): Identifies all causes of event.
On-Target (2): Identifies most causes of the event.
Novice (1): Does not identify causes or mistakes effects as causes.
Event
Advanced (3): Correctly identifies event.
On-Target (2): Correctly identifies event.
Novice (1): Cannot identify event.
Effects
Advanced (3): Identifies all possible effects of event.
On-Target (2): Identifies some possible effects of event.
Novice (1): Does not identify effects or mistakes causes as effects.
Content: Causes, Event, Effects...
Causes
Advanced (3): Identifies all causes of event.
On-Target (2): Identifies most causes of the event.
Novice (1): Does not identify causes or mistakes effects as causes.
Event
Advanced (3): Correctly identifies event.
On-Target (2): Correctly identifies event.
Novice (1): Cannot identify event.
Effects
Advanced (3): Identifies all possible effects of event.
On-Target (2): Identifies some possible effects of event.
Novice (1): Does not identify effects or mistakes causes as effects.
Cause and Effect
Article Analysis
Concept: Generating
and Selecting a Topic: Cause and Effect in Informational Texts
Available Article Samples
“After Lean Acorn Crop in Northeast, Even People May Feel the Effects” from the New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/03/nyregion/boom-and-bust-in-acorns-will-affect-many-creatures-including-humans.html
“Time for a Vacation? Climate Change and the Human Clock” from the New York Times
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/08/time-for-a-vacation-climate-change-and-the-human-clock/
“Rough Times Take Bloom Off a New Year’s Rite, the Rose Parade” from the New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/28/us/rose-parade-new-years-ritual-faces-rough-times.html
Handouts Needed:
Copies of the Identifying Cause and Effect Relationships Handout
The Cause-Effect Signal Words and Phrases Anchor Chart
“After Lean Acorn Crop in Northeast, Even People May Feel the Effects” from the New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/03/nyregion/boom-and-bust-in-acorns-will-affect-many-creatures-including-humans.html
“Time for a Vacation? Climate Change and the Human Clock” from the New York Times
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/08/time-for-a-vacation-climate-change-and-the-human-clock/
“Rough Times Take Bloom Off a New Year’s Rite, the Rose Parade” from the New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/28/us/rose-parade-new-years-ritual-faces-rough-times.html
Handouts Needed:
Copies of the Identifying Cause and Effect Relationships Handout
The Cause-Effect Signal Words and Phrases Anchor Chart
- Cause and Effect in an Informational Text
- Copies of brief news article to annotate the text.
- Full Class – Begin the reading activity:
- Hypothesize what the key cause-effect event is based on the article’s title.
- Read the first paragraph together out loud.
- Identify cause-effect signal phrases using the Cause-Effect Signal Phrases Anchor Chart.
- Discuss what cause-effect relationships are evident in this paragraph and if hypothesis is correct so far.
- Fill in the Identifying Cause and Effect Relationships Handout with the information gleaned in the first paragraph.
- Pairs or Trios of students – Finish the activity:
- Continue to read the article. As you read you should:
- Circle cause-effect signal phrases.
- Underline causes.
- Bracket effects.
Writing Prompt:
On your own, write a few sentences that summarize the cause and effect relationship in the article we just read and discussed. Be sure to state the event, as well as all the causes and events.
On your own, write a few sentences that summarize the cause and effect relationship in the article we just read and discussed. Be sure to state the event, as well as all the causes and events.
Grading Rubric
Skill: Summarizing a Cause and Effect Relationship.
Advanced (3): Identifies event, all causes and effects, and notes how causes and effects are linked.
On-Target(2): Identifies event and most causes and effects.
Novice(1): Identifies the event and either some causes or some effects.
Skill: Summarizing a Cause and Effect Relationship.
Advanced (3): Identifies event, all causes and effects, and notes how causes and effects are linked.
On-Target(2): Identifies event and most causes and effects.
Novice(1): Identifies the event and either some causes or some effects.
DRAFTING
The Controlling Idea (Mini Task)
“Humans May Be to Blame for Shark Attacks” from Discovery.com
http://news.discovery.com/animals/shark-attacks-human-global-warming-110820.html
Copies of the Informational Text Analysis – Find the Controlling Idea handout
http://news.discovery.com/animals/shark-attacks-human-global-warming-110820.html
Copies of the Informational Text Analysis – Find the Controlling Idea handout
Sample Organizer…
My inquiry question was:
My controlling idea is…
Use this as a model: Cause(s) --> Event/Issue --> Effect(s)
This is more complex than my original thinking on the topic because I learned that…..
My inquiry question was:
My controlling idea is…
Use this as a model: Cause(s) --> Event/Issue --> Effect(s)
This is more complex than my original thinking on the topic because I learned that…..
Mini Task Rubric
Content
Advanced (3): -Answers all aspects of the inquiry question
On-Target (2): -Answers some aspects of the inquiry question
Novice (1): -Does not address the inquiry question
New learning
Advancer (3): -The controlling idea has significantly evolved from the original cause/effect relationship
On-Target (2): - The controlling idea has somewhat evolved from the original cause/effect relationship
Novice (1): -The controlling idea has not evolved from the original cause/effect relationship
Content
Advanced (3): -Answers all aspects of the inquiry question
On-Target (2): -Answers some aspects of the inquiry question
Novice (1): -Does not address the inquiry question
New learning
Advancer (3): -The controlling idea has significantly evolved from the original cause/effect relationship
On-Target (2): - The controlling idea has somewhat evolved from the original cause/effect relationship
Novice (1): -The controlling idea has not evolved from the original cause/effect relationship