Standardized Assessment and Argumentative Writing
These lessons can be used for grades 3-8. For lower grades, read the articles aloud.
Graphic organizers can be shortened or modified for lower grade levels.
Common Core standards:
1. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.1: Write arguments to support claims with clear
reasons and relevant evidence.
2. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support
analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
3. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.6: Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in
a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting
evidence or viewpoints.
4. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.2 Determine two or more central ideas in a text and
analyze their development over the course of the text; provide an objective
summary of the text.
Objectives:
1. Students will compare two differing points of view in non-fiction,
argumentative text.
2. Students will write an argumentative letter on standardized assessments,
using textual evidence from the non-fiction texts and their own personal
thoughts and connections to the topic.
3. Students will find 2 central ideas of a non-fiction article.
Essential Questions:
1. Why were standardized assessments created?
2. Why do blacks and Latinos score significantly lower on standardized
assessments?
3. Should standardized assessments be mandated in school districts? Explain
with evidence.
Lessons:
(Some days can be joined and completed in one lesson)
Day 1:
1. Bellringer (Write in their journal): What qualities make an individual a good
person? What qualities make an individual a good citizen in their community
and in society? What qualities do high stakes tests measure?
2. Pair: Share with a partner your thoughts on the questions.
3. Share: Share with the class, the main points of your discussion.
4. Tell them the statistic that blacks and Latinos test significantly lower on
standardized assessments than their white peers.
5. Have them discuss in pairs:
a. What do you think about this?
b. How does this make you feel?
c. Why do you think Latinos and blacks score lower than their white peers?
6. Share out in large group discussion.
Day 2 (this is optional, depending on the grade level of your students or
amount of time you have):
Graphic Organizer: Central Idea
7a. Connection: Remind them that yesterday they discussed why Latinos and
black score disproportionately lower on standardized assessments than their white
peers. Explain how today they will learn about the history of standardized
assessments and why they were first created.
8a. Tell the students that they will work on finding the 2 central ideas of a nonfiction texts by doing a close read of the article on Eugenics. Explain that the central
idea of a text is the message of the story. It is the unifying element of the text, which
ties together all of the other elements.
9a. Model finding the central idea by reading aloud:
http://www.whatkidscando.org/featurestories/2008/03_scoring_well/pdf/2
4-4-Woollen.pdf Page 4-5: how the SAT disproportionately affects Blacks/Latinos
10a. Explain the central idea.
11a. Tell the students to find the central idea of: “A Brief and Ugly History of
Intelligence Testing” http://crackingthelearningcode.com/bonus1.html
12a. Tell the students to fill out the graphic organizer on central idea, using
textual evidence, explaining the textual evidence and including their own thoughts
and connections.
Day 3:
Article Links:
BBB letter: http://ilraiseyourhand.org/content/bbbs-letter-parents-about-opting-out
More than a Score Letter: http://morethanascorechicago.org/2014/01/30/mtasresponds-to-bbbs-opt-out-letter-and-announces-ice-the-isatcampaign/?relatedposts_exclude=590
Graphic Organizer: Comparing differing view points
7. Connection: Remind them of the letter they received last week from BBB on
standardized assessments.
8. Explain how people have differing viewpoints on standardized assessments.
9. Pass out a comparison graphic organizer for comparing BBB’s letter to More
than a Score’s Response letter.
10. Tell the students to underline her thoughts on standardized assessments. Tell
them to “star” which points she is against and wants to rebuttal. Read aloud
BBB’s letter.
11. Read aloud More than a Score’s response. Tell them to star their rebuttals.
12. Explain how in strong argumentative writing, the writer rebuttals the
opposing viewpoints.
13. As a class, discuss, the differing viewpoints.
14. Students will fill out the comparison graphic organizer, using textual
evidence.
Day 4:
Graphic Organizer: Argumentative Writing
15. Bellringer: (write in their journals) Should students take standardized
assessments? Explain with evidence from yesterday’s articles and your own
experiences.
16. Students will discuss their responses in pairs.
17. Students will share our to the whole group and debate the topic.
18. Connection: Remind the students how yesterday they read 2 differing view
points on standardized assessments and today they will write their own
argumentative piece on standardized assessments using a graphic organizer.
19. Explain how strong argumentative writers include a thesis, reasons with
evidence, a rebuttal to the opposing viewpoint and their own personal
connections. Provide a graphic organizer on writing an argumentative piece
on whether students support standardized assessments. The graphic
organizer will include:
a. thesis
b. textual evidence from the letters.
c. explanation of the textual evidence in their own words.
d. Students’ own personal experiences connected to standardized
assessments
19. Students will use the graphic organizer to write a letter to BBB on their
thoughts on standardized assessments.
Extra resources to include in the lesson:
1. The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
2. “More than a Number” video. Explain how NY schools rate kids 1-4:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcjIftvIC3I