Curriculum / ELA / 8th Grade / Unit 5: Facing Calamity: Climate Change Facts and Fictions / Lesson 15
ELA
Unit 5
8th Grade
Lesson 15 of 23
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Please Note: If this you are unable to source the text An Inconvenient Sequel, you may skip this lesson.
Determine the central idea of sections of An Inconvenient Sequel and synthesize information in a short presentation that educates classmates.
Book: An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power by Al Gore — pp. 177–214, 276–293
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Tasks that represents the peak thinking of the lesson - mastery will indicate whether or not objective was achieved
Develop and present a thirty-second to one-minute television commercial to convince your classmates that they should take action on climate change using your assigned approach. You must answer the following questions:
An example response to the Target Task at the level of detail expected of the students.
Questions about the text that will help guide the students understanding
What is Gore’s central message about political activism (pp. 177–183)? Provide two pieces of evidence that strongly support your answer.
Literary terms, text-based vocabulary, idioms and word parts to be taught with the text
imperative
adj.
(p. 178)
extremely important; necessary
Reading and/or task to be completed at home in preparation for the next lesson.
To ensure that students are prepared for the next lesson, have students complete the following reading for homework. Use guidance from the next lesson to identify any additional language or background support students may need while independently engaging with the text.
Article: “Gen Z on How to Save the World: Young Climate Activists Speak Out”
Article: “Young Climate Activists and the Battle to Avert Catastrophe” by Ruairi Casey
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RI.8.2 — Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
SL.8.4 — Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
Standards that are practiced daily but are not priority standards of the unit
L.8.6 — Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
RI.8.1 — Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RI.8.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.
RI.8.10 — By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 6—8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
SL.8.1 — Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
SL.8.6 — Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
W.8.2 — Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content
W.8.4 — Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
W.8.9 — Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
W.8.9.b — Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., "Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced").
W.8.10 — Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Lesson 14
Lesson 16
Explain how specific words, phrases, and structural choices develop tone in Greta Thunberg’s speeches, and how tone impacts meaning.
RI.8.4
Identify the key ideas Gore uses to support his claims about climate change and assess whether the evidence he provides is relevant and sufficient.
RI.8.8
Identify a writer’s claims in a text and explain how they support those claims, as well as how they respond to conflicting viewpoints.
RI.8.6 RI.8.8
Infer the meaning of unknown words using context clues, use reference materials to verify the meaning of words, and explain how word choice develops meaning in an informational article.
L.8.4 L.8.4.a L.8.4.c L.8.4.d RI.8.4
Explain how Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner specific words and phrases develop tone in a poem and how tone impacts meaning.
RL.8.4
Write objective summaries and determine central ideas in informational articles.
RI.8.2
Identify claims made in an informational article and assess the relevance and sufficiency of evidence provided to support those claims.
Explain how writer Abby Geni uses imagery and figurative language to establish mood and meaning in a short story.
RL.8.2 RL.8.4
Determine a theme in the short story, "Notes from a Bottle" and explain how the author develops it; identify literary allusions and explain how they help to build meaning in a text.
RL.8.2 RL.8.9
Writing
Research the possible impacts of climate change and begin to brainstorm aspects of setting for climate fiction narratives.
W.8.3 W.8.8 W.8.9
Draft two paragraphs vividly describing the setting of your climate fiction narrative.
W.8.3 W.8.3.a W.8.3.b W.8.3.d
Draft a short climate fiction scene.
W.8.3 W.8.3.a
L.8.2 L.8.2.a W.8.3 W.8.5
Compare and contrast the central arguments of two articles about climate change, and explain how one author acknowledges and responds to viewpoints that differ from their own.
RI.8.6 RI.8.9
RI.8.2 SL.8.4
Synthesize information about a young climate activist and create a short presentation that educates classmates.
Delineate arguments made about climate change and assess whether the evidence provided is relevant and sufficient.
Socratic Seminar
Engage in a Socratic Seminar with peers, responding directly to others by rephrasing and delineating arguments, determining the strength of evidence, and posing clarifying questions.
SL.8.1 SL.8.1.d SL.8.3 SL.8.4
Research the potential local impacts of climate change in preparation for writing a letter to a congressperson.
W.8.1 W.8.7 W.8.8 W.8.9
Outline a letter urging a congressperson to take action to stop climate change.
W.8.1 W.8.1.a W.8.1.b W.8.5
Draft a letter urging a congressperson to take action to stop climate change.
W.8.1 W.8.1.a W.8.1.b W.8.1.c W.8.1.e
L.8.3 L.8.3.a W.8.1 W.8.1.d
Assessment – 2 days
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