Task One: Previewing
The previewing activity, also known as warm-up, is an essential strategy to motivate my students. The choice of effective strategies is the key point of the entire unit. Research says the level of motivation students bring to a task impacts whether and how they will use comprehension strategies. Reading for real reason and creating an environment rich in high-quality texts is identically important and will undoubtedly help. Sometimes an oral preview of stories, which are then turned into discussions and predictions, increases the story comprehension, and a creative variation of the preview by having the students compose a narrative based on key words from the upcoming story triggers a deeper comprehension. (Farstrup, Alan E.,Samuels S. Jay. eds. What Research Has to Say About Reading Instruction. Newark: International Reading Association, 2002.
Duke, Nell K., Pearson P. David. Effective Practices for Developing Reading Comprehension. Farstrup and Samuels 205-236).
Since I am responsible for all the juniors in my school, I will use a combination of pre-reading activities to accommodate the striking differences inside a class and between classes. I also need sustained interest and motivation as well as text comprehension throughout the entire unit. Consequently, I will use two different activities: a Quick Write activity at the very beginning of the unit and the Tea Party and/or Probable Passage before the reading of each document. The Tea Party strategy encourages an active participation with the text. This pre-reading strategy allows students to predict what they think will happen in the text while inferring, comparing and contrasting, see casual relationships, and use their prior knowledge. It is extremely effective with unmotivated and/or struggling readers. The Probable Passage forces students to predict, think, infer, reach conclusions, and see casual relationships. It also offers the opportunity to comprehend the vocabulary (Beers, Kylene. When Kids Can't Read What Teachers Can Do. Portsmouth: Heinemann, 2003).
Quick Write activity (at the very beginning of the unit):
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1. Prompt: "Would you like to be the first person to discover something or someone? Why? What would you do to achieve your goal and find something nobody ever thought about or knew about? What would you expect if you became famous?"
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I always participate to all my students' activities because it improves their engagement and makes the activity "real."
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2. Sharing Time: all my students will be sitting in a circle. One of us (either the teacher or a student) will start reading aloud and taking brief notes. Any other student can respond to the writer and/or share the writing.
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3. When Sharing Time is over, I will ask them to go through their notes and determine the reasons and causes just shared in class. I will write the list of causes and effects on a Post-It board.
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4. At this point, I will ask them to spend some other minutes and write if their initial position has changed after our discussion/sharing time, and why.
Probable Passage Activity (pre-reading activity):
When I present my students this activity for the first time, I model it. Then, we do it together on our second time. I also form groups of three or four students.
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1. I will write on the board a list of words from the passage we are about to read.
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2. I will ask them to distribute those words in one of the following categories: character(s), setting, causes, outcome(s), and unknown words.
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3. When they finish categorizing the words, I will ask them to write a Gist Statement (concise statement).
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4. Sharing Time: I will ask the students to say/share how they categorized those words. I will write them on the board together with their gist statements.
Tea Party activity (pre-reading activity):
(I would not suggest modeling it because "not knowing how to do it" triggers more thinking.)
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1. I will prepare fifteen or twenty index card with one phrase from the document they will be reading. I can repeat those phrases two or three times, so you can have one card per student.
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2. I will give one card to each student and ask them to move from student to student. While moving, they have to share their card, listen to others as they read their cards, discuss how these cards might refer to, and suggest what these cards might mean.
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3. I will ask them to form groups of three or four students and write what they think about those statements in the cards and why.
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4. Sharing Time: I will ask the students to read what they wrote and I take notes on the board.
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5. After reading the text, we will have another Sharing Time to compare and contrast their predictions and the text. This step also helps them understand how the explorers drew their conclusions and how the researcher has to find out the validity of these conclusions.
Task Two: Visuals
To look at images, respond, and then analyze what you see may be difficult, but the hardest of all is to communicate what you see and feel to the others. The students need to be taught a strategy or a combination of strategies. Modeling is essential and I will do it by using the visual included in this unit. My students are talented artists but they have difficulty articulating exactly what they see and feel, and why. Consequently, I will give them a process they can use, and I will provide them a vocabulary they can use to explain what they feel to others. While modeling I will also ask the students to respond and share for a better understanding and learning of the strategy.
I will begin by telling them that when you look at things, you have a reaction and you need to understand that reaction. After understanding this reaction, you need to share what you have seen and felt to the others. Thus, the process involves five stages:
1. Looking and understanding (I look at the image and say what I see holistically)
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- What do you see in this image?
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- What do you notice specifically?
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- What does it remind you of?
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- What do you feel looking at this image?
Modification
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- What is visible in this image?
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- Write down a few notes on what the visual appears to be.
2. Analyzing images
Usually there is one central figure that attracts your eye first, and that is called focal point. This is important because it guides you to understand the image.
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- What detail catches your attention first?
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- Why would the artist focus on this detail? What are your theories?
Another important element of analysis is the figure-ground contrast which emphasizes the difference between what is in the front and what is in the back (ground). The figure is often the focal point.
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- What other details do you see other than the focal point?
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- Why would the artist include those details? What are your theories?
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Modification
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- Write down any elements or details that seem important.
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or
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- What are the key elements or features of this image?
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- How do they contribute to what you see?
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Grouping according to proximity and similarity is also an important element in visuals.
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- Which elements and/or details are in the same space? (proximity)
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- Look for elements that are positioned close together. What connections do you see between/among them?
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Modification
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- Look for details /elements that are close to each other.
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- Why would the artist include those details? What are your theories?
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Similarity
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- Which elements and/or details are close to each other or have the same shape, or size? (similarity)
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- What is/are the effect(s) of those elements on your response to the image?
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Modification
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- Look for details/elements that are similar for size, shape or color.
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- Why would the artist include those details? What are your theories?
Color in visuals has a specific connotation and conveys meaning and feelings. In fact, it can focus on our attention, create contrast, appeal to emotions and help communicate the message.
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- How do the color(s) or degree of shading appeal to emotions?
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Modification
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- Did the artist use colors that you did not expect? What are your theories?
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- What emotions does this specific color appeal to?
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Modification
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- Would you use the same colors the artist did? Why?
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- Would you use different colors? Why?
Lines also provide a sense of movement. A line can convey mood (in the AP English Language and Composition class, and those in the Honors class already know the meaning of mood). Lines can create a sense of calm and equilibrium, uncertainty, or movement and stress. Soft lines may imply softness, flow, or change.
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- Look at the lines in this image. Describe these lines (horizontal, vertical, soft, thick, or wavy).
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- Why did the artist include those lines? What are your theories?
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Modification
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- Would you use the same lines? Why?
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- Would you use different lines? Why?
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- What do you think the artist wanted to tell us?
Most times artists do not include all the details in their image. This is because the artist wants the viewer to predict and imagine. Leaving information out creates interest, generates tension contributing to the understanding of the artist's message, and promotes the viewer's participation. This is said closure.
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- What is not visible? Why? What are your theories?
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- What question you would ask the artist? Why?
Modification
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- Does this image suggest you a story?
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- What does this image tell you about this culture/this traveler?
3. Sharing time: I simply read aloud what I wrote and then my students will be encouraged to do the same (since we are in the fourth marking period, they do it automatically, but if you never did it before, the students need encouragement). I also tell them that we do not spend any time discussing their writings, we simply share them.
4. At this point, I will ask them to respond the following questions:
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- What is the purpose of this image?
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- What detail or details mentioned by your peers caused you to see this image differently?
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- How do your experience and knowledge affect the reading of the image? Think about the image in term of context: historical, personal, technical, or cultural.
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- Use the title as a theory and parts of the visual as clues to detect and specify the interrelationships in the graphic.
Modification
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- Highlight the words of the title of the visual if available.
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- Are there any connections between the title and the visual?
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- Draw a conclusion about the visual as a whole.
5. Compare and contrast the visual with a specific piece of expository text (I will combine the visual to the text we will read). Write in the essay format. Modification: first draw a T-chart and list all the essential elements, feelings, reactions, and/or interpretations of the visual and of the text. Secondly, draw connecting lines for the similarities, and then write about these similarities and differences.
Task Three: Student's Independent Research
The students will critique the discussion of the discovery of America in two sources (one text-book and one website): does the author mention the Vikings, Zheng He or Columbus, and how?
Task Four: Reading the Documents and Writing the GIST/Concise Summary
The strategies for reading differ and are modified in order to meet all the reading levels of my students. The grade level readers and the AP students, most of whom do not know to summarize concisely, are usually asked to do the initial reading of the document(s) as homework with the specific task to determine the meaning of the new vocabulary in the context before coming to class. In class, we do the following sequence of steps for the direct instruction:
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1. Sharing time: we discuss about the important facts from the document(s) and the new words. The students write their ideas (WHO/WHAT) on sticky notes that are posted on the classroom board. We discuss those ideas in order to avoid using the same words found in the text.
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2. Students write those ideas in completed sentences in their journals;
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3. Sharing Time: we share our concise summary/GIST of the document, discuss about the language structures, paraphrase, and make any necessary changes;
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4. For each voyage and/or explorer covered in the various documents the students are required to keep a chart responding to the following: Who, When, Where, Why, What Did they See?, Source: Title and Pages. Copy is posted on the board.
Modification:
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1. Pre-reading activity (I use the Probable Passage for the below grade-level readers and the Tea Party for the struggling readers);
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2. I divide the text in short passages/sections that can be logically summarized, and we read one at a time.
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3. I ask them to highlight the words that are difficult to understand.
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4. Sharing Time: we discuss the meaning of the words in the context and out of the context and we write them on a Post-it Board that will stay in the classroom for the entire unit.
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5. We reread the passage and highlight the main ideas in a different color.
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6. Sharing Time: we discuss about the important facts from the passage. The students write their ideas on sticky notes that are posted on Post-it boards.
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7. Sharing Time: we discuss how to write those ideas in sentences without using the texts words.
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8. The students craft accurate sentences and write them in their journals.
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9. I repeat the same process for each sections of the document except for the pre-reading activity;
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10. For each voyage and/or explorer covered in the various documents the students are required to keep a chart responding to the following: Who, When, Where, Why, What did they See?, Source: Title and Pages. Copy is posted on the board.
Task Five: Close Reading and Analytical Writing
For grade-level readers and AP students, I do the following:
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1. Read the passage/document again;
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2. Underline interesting, important, and/or unusual/unexpected words, phrases, and language structures, and label them in the margin;
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3. Determine connections and draw arrows from one part of the passage to another to mark those connections;
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4. Highlight the descriptions, the reflections, the facts, or the purpose.
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5. What is the main idea or subject of the text? How do you know? How is it presented? Does the author introduce it immediately? Does the author express this main idea, or do you have to infer it? How do you infer it? What clues support your theory?
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6. When did this situation occur? Why? How do you know or determine the time and place this situation occurred? Is it clearly stated? Do you infer it? How do you infer it? What clues confirm your theory?
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7. Who is the audience? How do you know? Is it clearly stated? How? How do you infer it? What clues confirm your theory?
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8. Who is the voice that tells the story? Is it the author? How do you know? What assumptions can you make about this voice? Can you assume what age, education, social status, hidden reasons for writing this document?
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9. What is/are the purpose(s) of the document? What's the reason(s) behind the text? How do you know? What reaction(s) in the audience does the writer want to achieve? Why? How do you know? What techniques does the author use to achieve this purpose? How do you think the audience will feel? What is the effect the author wants to achieve?
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10. What is the tone of this document? How do you know? What word(s) or phrase(s) determine this tone? Why? What details, sentence structures, or images convey this tone? Why?
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11. Sharing Time: the students share their analysis, discuss and take notes in their journals.
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12. Add any new detail(s)/information/perspective to the Who/When/Where/Why/ What chart.
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13. Do you notice any difference(s)/similarity(ies) between this document and the previous one(s) you analyzed?
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14. Can you notice/infer any difference(s)/similarity(ies) between the author of this document and the previous one(s)?
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15. Do you notice any stylistic difference(s)/similarity(ies) between this document and the previous one(s) you analyzed?
Modification:
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1. Read the passage/document again;
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2. Underline interesting, important, and/or unusual/unexpected words, phrases, and language structures;
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3. Determine connections and draw arrows from one part of the passage to another to mark those connections;
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4. Write a "Wonder Why" question for each interesting, important, unusual, or unexpected word/phrase. Write your theory(ies) and support it with clear references to the text.
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5. Sharing Time: the students share, discuss their interpretations, and take notes of the peer's thoughts in their journals.
Task Six: Final Paper
The Final Paper will be a documented essay with an annotated bibliography. This documented essay will follow various stages. In fact, we will start determining the thesis statement in response to the essential question, "Who first reached America: the Vikings, the Chinese Admiral Zheng He, or Columbus? What were these travelers looking for? What did they actually find and what benefits did they derive?" In order to write a strong thesis statement, the students have to:
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1. Review the Who/When/Where/What chart we did while reading and interpreting the various documents and visuals and highlight the details and information that will lead to their theory;
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2. Reread their journals and highlight the details, information they want to use to support their theory;
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3. Write a possible idea/theory, share, and discuss it with the peers;
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4. Write a discovery draft with a thesis statement and reasons;
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5. Write a first draft containing the thesis statement, the reasons, the supports/references from the documents, and the analysis/discussion why those references support the assertions. This draft will be followed by a group work of peer revision;
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6. Write a second draft including the suggestions from the peer's revision. This will be followed by a group work of peer's editing;
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7. Write a third draft followed by a conference with the teacher.
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8. Write the annotated bibliography of the documents cited in the essay. They will have a model for the MLA requirements. Each source will be followed by few lines describing the content of the source. They can use their GIST statements they already have in the journal.
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Modification:
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9. Review the Who/When/Where/What chart we did while reading and interpreting the various documents and visuals and highlight the details and information that will lead to their theory;
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10. Reread their journals and highlight the details, information they want to use to support their theory;
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11. Write the thesis in response to the essential question and use one Power Point slide;
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12. Determine and write the reasons for your theory/thesis and use one Power Point slide;
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13. Find the evidences in the documents and write them in other slides.
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14. Write a brief conclusion on a slide.
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15. Sharing Time: each student will read the slides and discuss his/her theory and the evidence(s) with the class.
The students who will write the documented essay will prepare the presentation (sharing time) with slides that will illustrate their theory, reasons, references to sources, connections between support and reason, and conclusion.