Digital Unit Plan Template Unit Title: Creating Thesis Statements Content Area: English

CA Content Standard(s)/Common Core Standard(s): Establish a controlling impression or coherent thesis that conveys a clear and distinctive perspective on the subject and maintain a consistent tone and focus throughout the piece of writing. Big Ideas: Students will have a chance to practice important writing skills they will need for essays in 9 th grade and on. Students will be introduced to essay introductions and ways to structure their writing. Unit Goals and Objectives: -Goal: Students will write clearly thought out introductory paragraphs that strengthen their essays. -Objectives: -Create a thesis that answers all questions asked by the prompt. -Write a statement that clearly explains the authors point of view on the subject. -Create a structure for the essay that is dictated by the thesis statement. -Organize the essay so that every paragraph states an idea that can relate back to the thesis and support the writers argument.

Name: Alexandra Langford Grade Level: 9th

Unit Summary: In this lesson, students will learn all about thesis statements. Students will be exposed to the basic definition of a thesis statement, the function of a thesis statement, how it works in an essay, and how to build an essays organization around the state ments made in a thesis. The class will also engage in practice activities that give students opportunities to write their own statements and grade their peers statements. Students will al so learn about how to adapt their statement to the type of essay they are writing, as well as correct and effective word choices that will help their thesis statements strengthen their essays.

Assessment Plan:

Entry-Level: -Ask students during class to respond to questions in their journals during the teacher lecture: What is a thesis statement. Have you ever used a thesis statement in an essay before without knowing it? Is there always a sentence you incorporate into the introduction of an essay that states your big idea? What do you think an essay would look like without a thesis statement? These questions will let me know whether or not the students are paying attention and if they understand the basic concepts.

Formative: Ask students questions have them respond individually, to each other, or in their journals. 1. Why does a thesis have to go at the beginning of an essay? 2. Do you have to state an opinion in a thesis statement? Why? 3. What can happen to an essay if your thesis statement is weak? (quiz examples of weak and strong thesis statements) 4. How does the thesis statement give direction to the following paragraphs? These questions require more critical thinking and will let me know if students are able to synthesize and come to conclusions on their own about their writing and their peers writing.

Summative: Have students respond to an essay prompt students are only required to write the thesis statement, and then after discuss how this statement is the backbone of the essay. These assignments will be graded. The thesis statements written will give me an idea as to whether or not students are ready to write essays around their thesis statements.

Lesson 1 Student Learning Objective: State ones opinion about the issue the essay should be addressing with the thesis statement. Lesson 2 Student Learning Objective: Create a thesis that answers all questions asked by the prompt and addresses each paragraph the student will write Acceptable Evidence: A students thesis will not directly restate the prompt. Thesis sentences will provide an answer to the prompt, but will mostly focus on the authors view on what the prompt is asking. A thesis statement will provide the backbone Instructional Strategies: Communication Collection Collaboration Presentation Organization Interaction
Lesson Activities: -Go over examples of effective and ineffective thesis statements, and define what makes an effective and ineffective thesis statement. -Have students write their own thesis statements and workshop them with a partner. -Look at student samples written out on the board with the whole class. Ask whether or not the thesis answers the question of the prompt and if the authors ideas come through or if the prompt is simply being restated.

Acceptable Evidence: The student is able to write a statement that is interesting and clearly states his or her position on the question being asked by the essay.

Instructional Strategies: Communication Collection Collaboration Presentation Organization Interaction

Lesson Activities: -Take a look at some controversial issues and make a pros and cons list about both sides of the issue. Have students decide which side they want to take and why. Ask them to write as clearly as possible their side and why they believe this is the better choice in one sentence. -Have students look at a work of art and try to decide what the work is trying to depict. Ask students to write what they think the work symbolizes and why in one sentence.

of the essay. Lesson 3 Student Learning Objective: Organize the essay so that every paragraph states an idea that can relate back to the thesis and support the writers argument. Unit Resources:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/01/ http://depts.washington.edu/pswrite/thesisstmt.html http://www.cws.illinois.edu/workshop/writers/tips/thesis/ http://www.uen.org/Rubric/rubric.cgi?rubric_id=27347 http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/thesis-statements/ http://studenthacks.org/2007/11/06/thesis-statement/ http://lklivingston.tripod.com/essay/thesis.html http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/922 http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/word-choice/ http://www.uc.utoronto.ca/organizing http://www.dailywritingtips.com/100-beautiful-and-ugly-words/ http://my.hrw.com/nsmedia/intgos/html/igo.htm

Acceptable Evidence: Each paragraph in an essay will answer or relate back to an aspect of the students thesis statement. There will be no paragraphs that go off topic.

Instructional Strategies: Communication Collection Collaboration Presentation Organization Interaction

Lesson Activities: -Students will look over each others essays while making sure that each paragraph connects back to the thesis -The entire class will go over some examples from the class and discuss together what parts supported the thesis and what parts did not belong in the essay.

Useful Websites:
http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/922 http://pulse.pharmacy.arizona.edu/9th_grade/from_global/language_arts/thesis_statements.html