LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE JULIE POOLE
ENGLISH EDUCATION, 2008-2009 COHORT
DATE: FEBRUARY 23, 24, 2009
PERIOD: 4TH BLOCK
GRADE LEVEL: ENGLISH 11 COLLEGE
CONTEXT/RATIONALE:
(Why this lesson in this way with this group of students today? How does it fit into the bigger context of the
unit?)
INTRODUCING/DISCUSSING THE PERSUSASIVE ESSAY BEFORE STUDENTS BEGIN WRITING WILL HELP THEM
BRAINSTORM IDEAS, HELP THEM TO UNDERSTAND THE REQUIREMENTS EXPECTED OF THEM, AND GIVE THEM
THE CHANCE TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS THEY NEED ANSWERED. THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THEIR PERSUASIVE
UNIT SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE WHEN THEY BEGIN THE WRITING PROCESS.
INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES:
(Connect to SOL’s where appropriate.)
SOL: 11.4
1.
2.
3.
4.
GIVEN AN INSTRUCTIONAL SESSION, STUDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND THE PERSUASIVE ESSAY
ASSIGNMENT.
GIVEN A WRITING GUIDE, STUDENTS WILL FOLLOW A NUMBER OF STEPS TO BEGIN ORGANIZING
THEIR PERSUASIVE ESSAY.
GIVEN A “MLA” HANDOUT AND REVIEW OF MLA REQUIREMENTS, STUDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND
AND APPLY THIS METHOD OF CITATION WITHIN THEIR ESSAY/WORKS CITED PAGE.
GIVEN A PLAGERISM HANDOUT, STUDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND APPLY TIPS TO AVOIDING PLAGERISM
AND CITE MULTIPLE SOURCES APPROPRIATELY.
OPENER/ANTICIPATORY SET/WARM-UP:
(Include details about what prior knowledge students need in order to enter into this lesson and
how you’ll engage it.)
1. I ask students if they have either
a. Written a persuasive essay
b. Used MLA format
c. Know how to decide if something has been plagiarized or not
2. Students discuss what they have done in the past, what they do and don’t know, etc.
ACTIVITIES:
(Include variety here – use the lesson planning checklist as a reference.)
1.
2.
3.
4.
DURING CLASS, SMALL GROUPS OF 3-4 STUDENTS WERE PULLED BACK TO THE BACK OF THE ROOM
SO WE COULD DISCUSS THE WRITING GUIDE, MLA HANDOUT, AND PLAGERISM. BY HAVING IT IN SUCH
A SMALL GORUP SETTING, INDIVIDUAL ATTENTION WAS GIVEN TO QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS
LARGE, LONG-TERM ASSIGNMENT.
DISCUSSED THE STEPS TOWARD WRITING THEIR PERSUASIVE ESSAY, CLARIFIED ANY DIRECTIONS,
ANSWERED QUESTIONS, ETC.
ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT MLA HANDOUT, MODELED/DISCUSSED HOW TO CORRECTLY FORMAT
CITATIONS, ETC.
DISCUSSED PLAGERISM, WHAT IT IS, AND HOW TO AVOID IT (HANDOUT)
CLOSURE:
I ASKED THEM TO FILL OUT AT LEAST THE FIRST PAGE OF THE WRITER’S GUIDE HANDOUT TO PREPARE THEM
FOR THEIR ROUGH DRAFT DUE FEBRUARY 27 AND FOR THEIR WRITER’S WORKSHOP DISCUSSIONS WITH ME
ON FEBRUARY 26.
MATERIALS:
(What do you need to gather and have ready for students to support and drive this lesson?)
1.
2.
3.
4.
WRITER’S GUIDE HANDOUT
MLA HANDOUT
PLAGERISM HANDOUT
DISCUSSION ROOM (BACK OF THE CLASSROOM)
DIFFERENTIATION:
(What can you do within this lesson to make sure that you are moving ALL kids further in their
skills and understandings? Note: It is not enough to mention that you’re working with a
collaborating teacher or reading specialist here. This might not happen in each lesson.)
Between this class period and 3rd block, this persuasive essay assignment is differentiated. The end
result is still the same (persuasive essay) but the requirements are different.
1. For this particular block, students are required to have AT LEAST 3 reasons (3 body
paragraphs) and 3 supporting details for each reason.
2. They are also required to have at least 5 sources, only one being electronic.
3. Most students have access to a computer at home, so class time is given but some is to be
done outside of class.
4. It must be typed.
5. The due date for their rough draft is February 27 and the final draft due March 5.
NEW LITERACIES/21ST CENTURY SKILLS/TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION:
(Again, this might not happen in every lesson, but you’ll want to articulate it when it does – and
offer ideas about why it isn’t the right fit specific cases, etc.)
1.
2.
STUDENTS ARE ACTIVELY USING THEIR COMPUTERS IN CLASS, RESEARCH TOOLS, ETC.
STUDENTS ARE BLOGGING ABOUT THEIR PERSUASIVE IDEAS, RESPONDING TO EACH OTHER’S IDEAS,
COLLABORATING/SUGGESTING IDEAS TO EACH OTHER, ETC.
ASSESSMENT:
(How do you know what ALL students know? Formative and summative.)
Formative:
1. Checking/responding to Blog entries regarding essay progress
2. In class work time/Writer’s Workshop/Research Day/Individual Conferencing/Peer
Reviews/Etc.
3. Rough Draft (February 27, 2009)
4. Writer’s Guide Packet completed (March 5, 2009)
Summative:
1. Persuasive Essay (March 5, 2009)
Persuasive Essay requirements:
1. Title & Heading in upper left hand corner
2. 12 point font, Times New Roman
3. 1 inch margins
4. Double Spaced
5. Required number of reasons/supporting details
6. Writing Guide completed
7. Works Cited Page (MLA format)
8. 5 sources, ONLY ONE electronic!!
 If you can prove that your electronic source is in print form
(i.e. online journal article/newspaper/etc.) then that can
count as a print source.
ROUGH DRAFT DUE:
February 26, 2009
FINAL DRAFT DUE (65 pts.):
March 5, 2009
WRITING GUIDE DUE (10 pts.):
March 5, 2009
Name:
Period:
Date:
10 Easy Steps to Writing the Persuasive Essay
Having trouble with your persuasive essay?? Have no fear! This easy to use, 10step outline will help you to develop your stance throughout the writing process
and will assist you in writing and structuring your paper. Before you begin,
please remember: You must have AT LEAST 3 reasons as to why you have
chosen your particular viewpoint regarding your issue. For each reason, you
must have AT LEAST 3 strong pieces of evidence to support it. This means in total
you will need to cite and explain 9 pieces of evidence. LET’S BEGIN!
PAPER TOPIC: What is your paper going to be about??
STEP 1: Write an interest catching sentence (or two) that will begin your paper.
You may use a question, a quotation, or an incident. (If it is easier to write this
sentence after you have planned your paper, do so)
STEP 2: In a complete sentence, state your opinion as completely as possible.
This will help you and your research to stay focused on your stance.
STEP 3: List at least 3 reasons for your opinion. Number the reasons from least
important to most important. This will help you structure your persuasion, as you
want to end your essay with your strongest point.
1.
2.
3.
STEP 4: Write a thesis statement that deals with your topic AND includes your
three-reasons/topic sentences. Use the reasons in order of increasing
importance, as your paper will parallel the structure of your thesis statement.
STEP 5: Gather evidence for each of your reasons. There will be a library day set
aside for research time, as well as time in class to use your computer. You will be
using note-cards to organize your research. Each note-card should only have
ONE piece of evidence written on it, it’s citation, and labeled with the reason
that piece of evidence would fall under. Once you’ve gathered all of your
evidence, you can separate the note-cards according to your reasons. You will
also want to rank your details from least important to greatest. This will help you
decide what details to use in your essay and in what order.
STEP 6: Now, you can organize your information here. Rewrite your reasons
(MUST HAVE AT LEAST 3). Under each reason, make a list of specific pieces of
evidence from your research that explain and support your reason. Make note
of how this detail is going to be used to persuade your audience and what
technique you might use (i.e. a statistic could be targeting the audience’s
logical appeal). You need AT LEAST 3 specific details for each reason. Write
your reasons as sentences; then you can use them as your topic sentences for
your paragraphs.
Reason # 1:
1. Specific Evidence/Persuasive Technique (& citation):
2. Specific Evidence/Persuasive Technique (& citation):
3. Specific Evidence/Persuasive Technique (& citation):
Reason # 2:
1. Specific Evidence/Persuasive Technique (& citation):
2. Specific Evidence/Persuasive Technique (& citation):
3. Specific Evidence/Persuasive Technique (& citation):
Reason # 3:
1. Specific Evidence/Persuasive Technique (& citation):
2. Specific Evidence/Persuasive Technique (& citation):
3. Specific Evidence/Persuasive Technique (& citation):
STEP 7: Restate your thesis statement in different words. Include your supporting
reasons in the same order as your original thesis and maintain the parallel
structure.
STEP 8: Write a clincher sentence that ends your paper.
STEP 9: Write a rough draft of your paper using this plan. Check carefully to be
sure that you use TRANSISTIONS to link your paragraphs and the specific details
within each paragraph. Follow this order:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
First Paragraph:
Second Paragraph:
Third Paragraph:
Fourth Paragraph:
Fifth Paragraph:
Interest catcher and thesis statement
Develop Reason #1
Develop Reason # 2
Develop Reason # 3
Thesis restatement and clincher
**ROUGH DRAFT DUE FEBRUARY 27**
STEP 10: Revise your paper as necessary, using this planning guide and the
rubric. Be sure to proofread for mechanics and spelling errors. Make sure you
follow MLA citation standards and include a works cited page. There will be a
writer’s workshop February 26 before your rough draft is due where you will be
able to set up a time to meet with me and go over your paper. Any additional
questions or help you may need during this writing process, feel free to ask at
any time! **NOTE: THIS WILL BE TURNED IN WITH YOUR PAPER MARCH 6**
Persuasive Essay Grading Rubric
Name: _____________
Block: _____________
(5) _________Title & Heading in the Left Corner
(5)___________MLA IN-Text Citation (format)
(5)__________Grammatical/Mechanical Errors
(10)__________Works Cited Page
(10)__________Call to Action/Thesis Statement/Closing Statement
(15)
3 Reasons/3 Supporting Details for each
(10) _________Overall quality of paper
(5) __________Required sources for the paper
Comments:
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
___
MLA Style: Intext Citation
Intext citation: Format (Citing a Source within Your Paper or Essay)
If the author is named in a signal phrase, (e.g., Noted psychologist Rachel
Carpenter states. . .) only a page reference (if available) is needed for intext citations.
According to computer expert and university professor John Smithson, “People, not computers, will create
Millennium Mania” (23).
If the author is unnamed in the sentence, provide the last name and page number at the end.
One computer expert and university professor claims that “people, not computers, will create Millennium Mania”
(Smithson 23).
MLA Style: Basic Works Cited Page and References Formats
At the end of your paper, you are to list the sources you cite using a style and format chosen by your
instructor. The MLA (Modern Language Association) style refers to this list as Works Cited. Use these basic
citation forms as a guideline and then examine the citation examples that follow. If your source does not
provide a particular piece of information, you may skip it and move on to the next piece of your citation. (In
most cases the state is not required with the city of publication.) Remember, too, you cite sources to give
credit to their authors and to provide your readers with enough information to locate that source for further
consideration.
Basic Works Cited Format:
Author, Adam. Title of Work. City: Publisher, Year.
General notes: Modern Language Association (MLA)
 This format requires intext citations (author’s last name and page number) for quotations, paraphrases, or
summaries of material from print and other sources.
 This format alphabetizes sources on a double-spaced Works Cited page.
 MLA follows conventional capitalization rules for article titles.
 Whether you underline or italicize titles of books and journals, be consistent.
 The Works Cited citation examples in this guide demonstrate hanging indentation.
 The first line is not indented, but additional lines are indented five character spaces.

When no author is listed, go to the next piece of required information and begin the itation there.
Reference Formats:
1. Document or information from a website:
Works Cited Format:
Rolfe, John. “Letter of John Rolfe, 1614.” Virtual Jamestown. 1998. 8 July 2003
<http://www.iath.virginia.edu/vcdh/jamestown/rolfe_letter.html>.
Intext citation: (Rolfe).
2. Article in an online magazine or journal (not a subscribed database):
Works Cited Format:
Boutin, Paul. “Flipping the Switch: Linux’s New Popularity May Hurt Apple More Than
Microsoft.” Slate 23 June 2003. 10 July 2003 <http://slate.msn.com/id/2084727/>.
Intext citation: (Boutin)
3. Anthologies
In a Works Cited list you may cross-reference two or more selections from an anthology. Give the complete
citation of the anthology, and in separate citations, give only the author, title of the selection from the
anthology, the editor’s last name, and the page numbers. In the example below, the Angelou and Cobb works
are included in Brunk’s anthology.
Works Cited Format:
Angelou, Maya. “Mary.” Brunk 3-9.
Brunk, Terence, et al., eds. Literacies. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 2000.
Cobb, Jennifer J. "Cybergrace: The Search for God in the Digital World.” Brunk 155-67.
Intext citation: (Cobb 162).
4. Books: One Author
Works Cited Format:
Author, Adam. Title of Book. City: Publisher, Year.
Tompkins, Jane. West of Everything: The Inner Life of Westerns. New York: Oxford UP, 1992.
Intext citation: (Tompkins 45).
5. Books: Two or Three Authors
Works Cited Format:
Author, Adam, and Eve Authoress. Title. City: Publisher, Year.
Rico, Barbara, and Sandra Mano. American Mosaic: Multicultural Readings in Context.
Boston: Houghton, 1991.
Intext citation: (Rico and Mano 45).
6. Books: Edited
Works Cited Format:
Editor, Edward, and Edith Editor, eds. Title. City: Publisher, Year.
Hornblower, Simon and Antony Spawforth, eds. Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization.
New York: Oxford UP, 1998.
Intext citation: (Hornblower and Spawforth 45).
7. Collection of Essays
Works Cited Format:
Author(s). “Article Title”. Book Title. Book Editor(s). City: Publisher, Year.
Cowan, Frederic. J., Elizabeth Ann Myerscough, and David A. Smith. “The Death Penalty
Should Be Imposed on Juvenile Murderers.” Youth Violence: Current Controversies.
Eds. M. D. Biskup and C. P. Cozic. San Diego: Greenhaven, 1992.
Intext citation: (Cowan, Myerscough, and Smith 222). [The original date of the reprinted article is unnecessary.]
8. Encyclopedia
Works Cited Format:
Author, Adam. “Entry Title.” Encyclopedia Title. Year.
Cloos, Mark. “Plate Tectonics.” World Book Encyclopedia. 1998.
Intext citation: (Cloos 782).
9. Bible and Other Sacred Texts
When citing the Bible, Koran, Torah, or other sacred texts, provide the version title in the first intext citation.
Standard abbreviations for books within the text are allowed: The teacher’s response to being ridiculed was
to say, “Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools” (Holy Bible, New International
Version, Eccles. 7.6). Thereafter, intext citations can simply provide the book, chapter, and verse. In the
works cited or reference list, follow the standard format.
Works Cited Format:
Holy Bible: New International Version. New York: American Bible Society, 1978.
10. Testimony before Congress
Works Cited Format:
Name of person testifying. Testimony, Hearing or Minutes Title. Number of Congress. Session of
Congress. Day Month Year.
Chesemore, Ronald. RU486: The Import Ban and its Effect on Medical Research: Hearings on
Regulation, Business Opportunities, and Energy of the House Committee on Small
Business. 101st Cong., 2d Sess. 35. 25 Aug. 1990.
Intext citation: (Chesemore 24).
11. Journal: One Author
Works Cited Format:
Knecht, Michael. “Cell Phones in the Stacks.” American Libraries June/July, 34.6 (2003): 6869.
Intext citation: (Knecht 68).
12. Journal: Multiple Authors
Works Cited Format:
Author, Adam, et al. “Article Title.” Journal Title Volume. Series (Year): Pages.
Render, Ralf, et al. “Effect of Age on Excess Mortality in Obesity.” Journal of the American
Medical Association 281.16 (1999): 14981504.
Intext citation: (Render et al. 1499).
13. Magazines: No Author
Works Cited Format:
“Article Title.” Magazine Title Date: Pages.
“Radiation in Russia.” U.S. News and World Report 9 Aug. 1993: 4042.
Intext citation: (“Radiation in Russia” 41).
14. Newspapers: No Author
Works Cited Format:
“Article Title.” Newspaper Title Date: Pages.
“U.S. Scholar Facing Spy Trial.” Evansville Courier & Press 19 July. 2001: A5.
Intext citation: (“U.S. Scholar... ” 41).
**FOR CITATIONS ON AUDIO RECORDINGS, TV BROADCASTS, TV SERIES
EPISODE, MOTION PICTURE, ETC. SEE THIS WEBSITE:**
http://www.ivytech.edu/library/southbend/lib-info/MLA-guide-r2.pdf