F-4
Strong Teaching Tasks3
TEMPLATE TASK OVERVIEW
Strong Teaching Tasks are:
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Are worthy of 2, 3 or 4 weeks of instruction
Ask students to grapple with important content to the discipline
Provide opportunities to read informational text of appropriate text complexity and content specific to the
grade level
Have students working in the most effective mode of discourse/text structure
Evolve from a rigorous text-dependent question directly related to the content being taught
Involve products written for an authentic audiences
Important Note:
Engage students in a balanced set of writing tasks over the course of the year
Sample #1: ELA – 10th Grade English II
Module Title: Tyranny and Julius Caesar
Module Description (overview): Students will read William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, as well as informational and
digital texts on tyranny and Caesar’s rise to power.
Template Task (include number, type, level)
Task 11 (Informational/Explanatory) After researching
__________ (informational texts) on ___________ (content),
write a ___________ (report or substitute) that defines
___________ and explains ____________ (content). Support
your discussion with evidence from your research.
Teaching Task
After researching articles and graphical information on
Julius Caesar’s rise to power, write a report that defines
“tyranny” and explains how Caesar is an example of a
tyrant. Support your discussion with evidence from your
research.
Sample #1: Social Studies – Grade 9
Module Title: Does Colonialism Continue to Impact Africa Today?
Module Description (overview): This module is intended to help students understand how colonialism continues to impact
Africa today; students will explore the current issues of genocide, AIDS, and hunger in Africa. The module is used as the final piece of
a unit on the history of colonialism in Africa and was created for high school freshman with low literacy skills.
Template Task (include number, type, level)
Task 14 – Informational/Description
[Insert question] After reading ________ (literature or
informational texts), write ________ (essay, report, or
substitutes) that describes ________ (content) and addresses the
question. Support your discussion with evidence from the text(s).
Teaching Task
Are the effects of colonialism in Africa still seen today?
After reading informational texts, write an essay that
describes current issues of AIDS, hunger, genocide in Africa
and addresses the question. Support your discussion with
evidence from the texts.
Sample Task #3: Science – Grade 8
Module Title: Cryobiology
Module Description (overview): Students have just finished units on States and Properties of Matter. They will take the concepts
learned and expound upon them by examining the field of cryobiology. Cryobiology is the study of living things at very low
temperatures. This science is filled with many technological advances. Students will examine the pros and cons of the techniques
used and formulate an argument based on scientific facts.
Template Task (include number, type, level)
Teaching Task
2 – Argumentative/Analysis
(Insert question.) After reading ______________ write ____________
that addresses the question and support your position with evidence
from the texts. L2 Be sure to include competing views. L3 Give
examples from past or current events or issues to illustrate and clarify
your position.
Cryobiology is the study of living things at very low
temperatures. Should cryobiology techniques be used to
preserve living matter for future use? After reading texts on
cryobiology, write an article that analyzes the pros and cons of
these techniques.
Writing Your Teaching Task
Step 1: Choose your topic ___________________________________________________________________________
Step 2: What standard are you teaching? (What do you want students to learn while studying this topic?)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 3: Choose a template
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Mode of Writing – What mode is best aligned with the desired outcome? ________________________________________
Text Structure - What text structure is best aligned with the desired outcome? (analysis, definition, cause & effect,
problem-solution, etc.) __________________________________________
Step 4: Decide if you will begin your teaching task with a question:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 5: Chosen Template Task ___________
Teaching Task: