UNIT NAME:
UNIT DESCRIPTION

	Making Evidence-Based Claims:  Cesar Chavez

It is essential that students understand the importance and purpose of making evidence based claims, which are at the center of many elds of study and productive civic life. We must help students become invested in developing their ability to explore the meaning of texts. Part of instruction should focus on teaching students how to understand and talk about their skills.

It is also important that students view claims as their own. They should see their interaction with texts as a personal investment in their learning. They are not simply reading texts to report information expected by their teachers, but should approach texts with their own authority and condense to support their analysis.
		
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS AND BIG IDEAS	 		
MID Performance TAsk	Students independently read part of the Commonwealth Club Address (paragraphs 20-29) text and use the Forming EBC Worksheet to make an evidence-based claim.  Task 
		
PERFORMANCE TASK	Students independently review  the entire text and use the Organizing EBC Worksheet to make an evidence-based claim.   Students independently write an evidence-based writing piece using their  claims.  Task 		
CONTENT CONNECTIONS	Civil Rights, Civil Disobedience, Economic equality 		
EXTENDED TEXTS	California Commonwealth Club Address - Cesar Chavez
		
SHORT CONNECTED TEXTS	Letter from a Birmingham Jail - Martin Luther King Jr.		
SEI CLassroom Materials	Intermediate/RFEP: materials to differentiate instruction for this common core unit.
Inside Level C: Unit 6: "Struggle for Freedom" (Oppression) 
Cause/Effect, Fact/Opinion, Compare text on same topic, research, lyrics
Escaping to Freedom (Biography of African American Slave Josiah Henson 	
Follow the Drinking Gourd (Song)
Brave Butterflies (Dominican Republic -Short Story–rise above Trujillo)
Farah Ahmedi (Biography of Afghanistan young woman)

Inside Level C: Unit 8: "Harvest Time" (Plants and Business)   
News Media, text features, Author’s purpose & tone, Compare characters/themes
Old Music Finds New Voices (Newspaper Article-nonfiction)
When I Sing/Cuando Canto (Song)
Making Faces (Magazine Article-nonfiction)
Wings (Short Story)    	
Icarus & Daedalus ( Greek Myth)

Pre-Emergent/Emergent-Follow Inside Scope & Sequence- Level A Units 3-5                                               Basic-Follow Inside Scope & Sequence- Level C Unit 2		
MULTIMEDIA	Audio Version of Cesar Chavez speech- California Commonwealth Club Address		

LEARNING TASK 1 STANDARDS
ELP STANDARDS	
RI.7.1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as
well as inferences drawn from the text. 
ELPs: IV-R-S4-HI-4: answering literal, inferential and personal response questions about text.
IV-S4-R-HI-14: drawing conclusions from information implied or inferred in a literary selection.
IV-S4-R-HI-28: interpreting information in functional documents (e.g. memos, directories, search engines, manuals, recipes, graphic organizers.)
IV-S4-R--HI-30: distinguishing fact from opinion and bias in persuasive text by providing supporting evidence.
IV-S3-R-HI-1: reading aloud passages from unfamiliar content area text, observing phrasing, punctuation and expression.

RI.7.2: Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course
of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

RI.7.3: Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas
influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).
ELPs: IV- R-S4- HI-5: generate clarifying questions about text.
IV- R-S4- HI-7: connect information & events in text to life experiences & to related text & sources (text-self, text-text)
IV- R-S4- HI-29: compare and contrast two items within an expository text.

RI.7.2: Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course
of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
ELPs: IV-LS-S1-HI-6: respond to social conversations by rephrasing/repeating information, asking questions, offering advice, sharing one’s experience and expressing one’s thoughts.
IV-LS-S1-HI-7: offer and justify opinions and ideas in response to questions and statements in academic discourse
IV-LS-S2-HI-5: ask and respond to academic questions (i.e. agree/disagree, express probabilities, hypothetical questions, etc) in complete sentences.

KEY ACADEMIC VOCABULARY 
claims
evidence-based claims
text-based claims
conclusions or inferences

MATERIALS

SUGGESTED MINI LESSONS
Mini lessons to introduce what are Evidence-Based Claims

	
LEARNING TASK 1
INSTRUCTION:  1 DAY (Day 1 of the unit.)	
INTRODUCTION TO THE UNIT

INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES
Introduce the central purpose of the unit and the idea of a “claim” someone might make. The following is a possible approach: Introduce the first characteristic of an evidence-based claim: “States a conclusion you have
come to… and that you want others to think about.” Pick a subject that is familiar to students, such as “school lunches” and ask them to brainstorm some claim statements they might make about the subject. Introduce the fourth characteristic: “All parts of the claim are supported by specific evidence you can point to” and distinguish claims that can be supported by evidence from those that are unsupported opinions, using the students’ brainstorm list as a reference.

Move from experience-based claims to claims in a field like science. Start with more familiar, fact-based claims (For example, the claim “It is cold outside” is supported by evidence like “The outside thermometer reads 13 degrees F” but is not supported with statements like “It feels that way to me”). Then  discuss a claim such as “Smoking has been shown to be hazardous to your health” and talk about how this claim was once considered to be an opinion, until a weight of scientific evidence over time led us to accept this claim as fact. Introduce the third characteristic/criterion: “Demonstrates knowledge of and sound thinking about a topic” and with it the idea that a claim becomes stronger as we expand our knowledge about a subject and more and better evidence to support the claim. 

Move from scientific claims to claims that are based in text that has been read closely. Use an example of a text read recently in class or one students are likely to be familiar with. Highlight that textual claims can start as statements about what a text tells us directly (literal comprehension) such as “Tom Sawyer gets the other boys to paint the fence” and then move to simple conclusions we draw from thinking about the text, like: “Tom Sawyer is a clever boy” because (evidence) “He tricks the other boys into doing his work and painting the fence.” Then explain how text-based claims can also be more complex and require more evidence (e.g., “Mark Twain presents Tom Sawyer as a ‘good bad boy’ who tricks others and gets into trouble but also stands up for his friend Jim.”), sometimes – as in this example – requiring evidence from more than one text or sections of text.

Explain that the class will be practicing the skill of making evidence-based claims that are based in the words, sentences, and ideas of a text by closely reading and analyzing the text (or texts) selected for this unit.

In the activities that follow, students will learn to make a text-based claim by moving from literal understanding of its details, to simple supported conclusions or inferences, to claims that arise from and are supported by close examination of textual evidence. This inductive process mirrors what effective readers do and is intended to help
students develop a method for moving from comprehension to claim. In addition, the guiding questions, model claims, and movement through the text over the course of the unit are sequenced to transition students from an initial, literal understanding of textual details to:
• Claims about fairly concrete ideas presented in short sections of the text;
• Claims about more abstract ideas implied across sections of the text;
• More global claims about the entire text and its meaning.

LEARNING TASK 2 STANDARDS
ELP STANDARDS	
RI.7.1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as
well as inferences drawn from the text. 
ELPs: IV-R-S4-HI-4: answering literal, inferential and personal response questions about text.
IV-S4-R-HI-14: drawing conclusions from information implied or inferred in a literary selection.
IV-S4-R-HI-28: interpreting information in functional documents (e.g. memos, directories, search engines, manuals, recipes, graphic organizers.)
IV-S4-R--HI-30: distinguishing fact from opinion and bias in persuasive text by providing supporting evidence.
IV-S3-R-HI-1: reading aloud passages from unfamiliar content area text, observing phrasing, punctuation and expression.

RI.7.2: Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course
of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

RI.7.3: Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas
influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).
ELPs: IV- R-S4- HI-5: generate clarifying questions about text.
IV- R-S4- HI-7: connect information & events in text to life experiences & to related text & sources (text-self, text-text)
IV- R-S4- HI-29: compare and contrast two items within an expository text.

SL.7.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly.
ELPs: IV-LS-S1-HI-6: respond to social conversations by rephrasing/repeating information, asking questions, offering advice, sharing one’s experience and expressing one’s thoughts.
IV-LS-S1-HI-7: offer and justify opinions and ideas in response to questions and statements in academic discourse
IV-LS-S2-HI-5: ask and respond to academic questions (i.e. agree/disagree, express probabilities, hypothetical questions, etc) in complete sentences.

KEY ACADEMIC VOCABULARY 
primary purpose
textual details
inferentially
implicit evidence
explicit evidence

MATERIALS - 
Cesar Chavez’s address - text version
Cesar Chavez’s address- audio version

SUGGESTED MINI LESSONS

	
LEARNING TASK 2
INSTRUCTION: 1 DAY (Day 2 of the unit.)	
Part 1 - Activity 2 INDEPENDENT READING
Students independently read part of the text with a text-dependent question to guide them.

INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES
Briefly introduce the speech. The introduction should be kept to naming Chavez, the speech, and the year and place where he delivered it. Students independently read the first five paragraphs of the Chavez’s address and answer the question: What story does Chavez tell to begin his speech? 

Students should be allowed to approach the text freshly and to make their own inferences based on
textual content. Plenty of instruction and support will follow to ensure comprehension for all
students. The question helps orient students to the text and begins the focus on searching for
textual evidence.

Part 1-Activity 3 READ ALOUD AND CLASS DISCUSSION
Students follow along as they listen to the text being read aloud, and the teacher leads a discussion guided by a series of text-dependent questions.

INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES
The students follow along as they listen to Cesar Chavez deliver the speech (see link in the text) or as the teacher reads it aloud.
The teacher leads a discussion of the first five paragraphs guided by three text-dependent questions:
1- What story does Chavez tell to begin his speech?
2- What does Chavez say about the living conditions of the farm workers?
3- How does Chavez know about the living conditions of the farm workers?

The close reading of these paragraphs serves three primary purposes: to ensure comprehension of an important part of the text, to orient students to the practice of close reading, and to guide students in searching for textual evidence. Use the discussion about the questions to help students learn the essential skills of selecting
interesting and significant textual details and connecting them inferentially. This process links directly to the forming of evidence-based claims they will begin in a subsequent Task.

1- What story does Chavez tell to begin his speech?
Chavez begins his address by relating the story of a traffic accident that caused the death of 32 farm workers. The events are made more tragic by Chavez’s implication that negligence on the part of the farm workers’ employer likely contributed to their deaths. Chavez says that modifications to the truck that carried the workers had not been approved by a government agency and that the driver of the truck had impaired eyesight, i.e., “tunnel vision” (7). Focus discussion on the actual textual details. Students should be able to understand the main characters of the story, the heroes, those who were irresponsible, and the setting— California. The elements Chavez introduces here with the opening story set the stage for his speech. Discuss the effect that beginning his address in such a way likely has on an audience, how it generates interest in and sympathy for the subject of his concern—farm workers’ rights and their quality of life.

2- What does Chavez say about the living conditions of the farm workers in paragraphs 2 and 3?
Understanding the living conditions of the Hispanic farm workers before the origination of the United Farm Workers union is foundational to comprehending the main points of Chavez’s address. Guide the students, using the language of the question—“what does Chavez say about”—to move from a general understanding of the text, e.g., “conditions were bad,” to a more qualified, evidence-based, response, e.g., “the farm workers slept outside with rats and garbage” (9, 11). Chavez also describes the use of child labor and health issues that migrant workers face (P3). Attending to specific details will prepare students for making inferences.

3- How does Chavez know about the living conditions of the farm workers?
In paragraph 4, Chavez switches to his own story. Recognizing that Chavez had firsthand knowledge of the farm working conditions that he outlines is important for linking his own personal experience to his motivation to organize farm workers. Help students use implicit (“that dream was born in my youth”) and explicit (“my motivation comes from my personal life”) evidence from the text to show an understanding that Chavez himself grew up under the conditions he describes (24, 27). Doing so will help students understand the emotional roots behind the creation of the United Farm Workers. Paragraphs 4 and 5 also introduce ideas of injustice and racism. Discuss how Chavez introduces these important topics as he develops his own story.

	

                                                                LEARNING TASK 3 STANDARDS

                                                                           ELP STANDARDS	
RI.7.1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as
well as inferences drawn from the text. 
ELPs: IV-R-S4-HI-4: answering literal, inferential and personal response questions about text.
IV-S4-R-HI-14: drawing conclusions from information implied or inferred in a literary selection.
IV-S4-R-HI-28: interpreting information in functional documents (e.g. memos, directories, search engines, manuals, recipes, graphic organizers.)
IV-S4-R--HI-30: distinguishing fact from opinion and bias in persuasive text by providing supporting evidence.
IV-S3-R-HI-1: reading aloud passages from unfamiliar content area text, observing phrasing, punctuation and expression.

RI.7.2: Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course
of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

RI.7.3: Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas
influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).
ELPs: IV- R-S4- HI-5: generate clarifying questions about text.
IV- R-S4- HI-7: connect information & events in text to life experiences & to related text & sources (text-self, text-text)
IV- R-S4- HI-29: compare and contrast two items within an expository text.

SL.7.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly.
ELPs: IV-LS-S1-HI-6: respond to social conversations by rephrasing/repeating information, asking questions, offering advice, sharing one’s experience and expressing one’s thoughts.
IV-LS-S1-HI-7: offer and justify opinions and ideas in response to questions and statements in academic discourse
  
IV-LS-S2-HI-5: ask and respond to academic questions (i.e. agree/disagree, express probabilities, hypothetical questions, etc) in complete sentences.

KEY ACADEMIC VOCABULARY 

MATERIALS - 
Cesar Chavez Address, 
Forming Evidence-Based Claims handout, 
Evidence-Based Claims checklist 1
  
SUGGESTED MINI LESSONS	
LEARNING TASK 3
INSTRUCTION:  1 DAY (Day 3 of the unit.)	

INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES

Based on the class discussion of the text, the teacher models a critical reading and thinking process for forming EBCs: from comprehension of textual details that stand out, to an inference that arises from examining the details, to a basic EBC that is supported by specific references back to the text.

Once the class has reached an understanding of the text, use the Forming EBC Handout to introduce a three-step process for making a claim that arises from the text. 

Exemplify the process by making a claim with the Forming EBC Worksheet. The worksheet is organized so that students first take note of “interesting” details that they also see as “related” to each other. The second section asks them to think about and explain a connection they have made among those details. Such “text-to-text” connections should be distinguished from “text-to-self” connections readers make between what they have read
and their own experiences. These “text-to-text” connections can then lead them to a “claim” they can make and record in the third section of the worksheet – a conclusion they have drawn about the text that can be referenced
back to textual details and text-to-text connections. Have students follow along as you talk through the process with your claim.

To provide structured practice for the first two steps, you might give students a textual detail on a blank worksheet. In pairs, have students use the worksheet to add other details/quotations that could be related to the one you have
provided, and then make/explain connections among those details. Use the EBC Checklist 1 to discuss the claim, asking students to explain how it meets (or doesn't yet meet) the criteria. [Note: Here and throughout the entire unit, you are encouraged to develop claims based on your own analysis and class discussion. The provided models are possibilities meant more to illustrate the process than to shape textual analysis. Instruction will be most effective if the claims used in modeling flow naturally from the textual ideas and details you and the students find
significant and interesting. Also, while the worksheets have three or four places for supporting evidence, students should know that not all claims require three pieces of evidence. Places on the worksheets can be left blank.]

INDEPENDENT READING ACTIVITY
Students read the first five paragraphs of Chavez's Commonwealth Club Address and use the Making EBC  Worksheet to find evidence to support the teacher-provided claim. This activity overlaps with the next Task and can be given as homework or done at the beginning of the next class.

HOMEWORK:  
Students independently read paragraphs 6-19 of Chavez’s Commonwealth Club Address and complete Making EBC Worksheet

ASSESSMENT OPPORTUNITIES
The Forming EBC Worksheet should be evaluated to get an initial assessment of students’ grasp of the relationship between claims and textual evidence. Even though the work was done together with the class, filling in the  worksheet helps them get a sense of the critical reading and thinking process and the relationships among the ideas. Also make sure that students are developing the habit of using quotation marks and recording the  reference.

	

LEARNING TASK 4  STANDARDS
ELP STANDARDS	
RI.7.1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as
well as inferences drawn from the text. 
ELPs: IV-R-S4-HI-4: answering literal, inferential and personal response questions about text.
IV-S4-R-HI-14: drawing conclusions from information implied or inferred in a literary selection.
IV-S4-R-HI-28: interpreting information in functional documents (e.g. memos, directories, search engines, manuals, recipes, graphic organizers.)
IV-S4-R--HI-30: distinguishing fact from opinion and bias in persuasive text by providing supporting evidence.
IV-S3-R-HI-1: reading aloud passages from unfamiliar content area text, observing phrasing, punctuation and expression.

RI.7.2: Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course
of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

RI.7.3: Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas
influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).
ELPs: IV- R-S4- HI-5: generate clarifying questions about text.
IV- R-S4- HI-7: connect information & events in text to life experiences & to related text & sources (text-self, text-text)
IV- R-S4- HI-29: compare and contrast two items within an expository text.

SL.7.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly.
ELPs: IV-LS-S1-HI-6: respond to social conversations by rephrasing/repeating information, asking questions, offering advice, sharing one’s experience and expressing one’s thoughts.
IV-LS-S1-HI-7: offer and justify opinions and ideas in response to questions and statements in academic discourse
IV-LS-S2-HI-5: ask and respond to academic questions (i.e. agree/disagree, express probabilities, hypothetical questions, etc) in complete sentences.

KEY ACADEMIC VOCABULARY 

MATERIALS

SUGGESTED MINI LESSONS
	
LEARNING TASK 4
INSTRUCTION:  1 DAY (Day 4 of the unit.)	
Part 2 

ACTIVITY 1: INDEPENDENT READING AND FINDING SUPPORTING EVIDENCE

Students independently read part of the text and use the Making EBC Worksheet to look for evidence
to support a claim made by the teacher.

INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES
Students independently work on paragraphs 6-19 of Chavez's Commonwealth Club Address.  Depending on scheduling and student ability, students can be assigned to read and complete the worksheets for homework.  Teachers should decide what works best for their students.  It’s essential that students have opportunity to read the text independently.  All students must develop the habit of perseverance in reading.  Assigning the reading as homework potentially gives them more time with the text. Either way, it might be a good idea to provide some time at the beginning of class for students to read the section quietly by themselves. This ensures that all students have had at least some independent reading time.

Also depending on scheduling and student ability, some students might choose (or be encouraged) to read ahead. Instructional focus should follow the pacing outlined in the activities, but students will only benefit from reading and re-reading the text throughout the duration of the unit.

ACTIVITY 2: READ ALOUD AND CLASS DISCUSSION
Students follow along as they listen to the same part of the text being read aloud and discuss a series of text-dependent questions.

INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES
Students follow along as they listen to paragraphs 6-19 read aloud and discuss three text-dependent questions:
1- Beginning in paragraph 6, Chavez describes how to overcome the unfair treatment of farm workers. What solution does Chavez discover to the problem the farm workers faced?

2- Chavez introduces the United Farm Workers union in paragraph 9. What are some of the things the union did and how did it affect the Chicano society in general?

3- After a long description of the successes of the UFW, Chavez discusses Governor George Deukmejian. What effect does Chavez say that Governor George Deukmejian had on the farm worker’s movement?

Read the text aloud to the class while students follow along. Alternatively, students could be asked to read aloud to the class. Work through the text using the following three text-dependent questions.

INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES
1- Beginning in paragraph 6, Chavez describes how to overcome the unfair treatment of farm workers. What solution does Chavez discover to the problem the farm workers faced?

Organization, as a word, and as a concept, makes frequent appearances early in Chavez’s address, which serves as a build-up to the climactic moment when Chavez proclaims that organization was the farm workers’ response to exploitation by the farm owners: “We organized!” (64). Chavez suggests early in his address that organizing will
play a role in the farm workers’ response to exploitation when he says that his dream of overthrowing the farm labor system was developed in his early days of organizing (P4). Chavez links his success with organizing the farm workers to the experience of learning how to use organization as a tool of empowerment for the community of Mexican American people in San Jose against the oppression by the non-Hispanic, Anglo majority: “I began to realize what other minority people had discovered: That the only answer—the only hope—was in organizing […] and people like me had to develop the skills it would take to organize, to educate, to help empower the Chicano people” (P6). Track how Chavez’s skill of organization developed, helping students identify the instances of when “organization” is used in the address before Chavez’s climatic exclamation in line 64. Discuss how the story of its development in Chavez’s life, as well as the repetition of the word, serve to lead up to and increase the memorability of one of Chavez’s most critical points, i.e., organization as the way for minorities to resist oppression.

2- Chavez introduces the United Farm Workers union in paragraph 9. What are some of the things the union did and how did it affect the Chicano society in general? 

The United Farm Workers union, or UFW, had a positive effect on the Hispanic population in general. Chavez says that the very fact the union existed at all was a message to Hispanics everywhere that “we were challenging and overcoming injustice” (74-76). By ceasing to continue allowing themselves to be victims, Chavez asserts, the farm workers “created confidence and pride and hope in an entire people’s ability to create the future” (65-66, 68- 70). Chavez enables the listener/reader to anticipate that this positive effect would be felt by Hispanic people at large in a slightly earlier portion of the text when he states that farm workers were symbolic reminders to the Hispanic people of their history in the United States: “All Hispanics—urban and rural, young and old—are connected to the farm worker’s experience [….] We shared that common humiliation” (47-49). Guide students in connecting the positive effect the UFW had for Hispanics in general back to Chavez’s implicit reasoning for why it would have this effect, helping students trace the progression of Chavez’s thought with evidence from the text. Help students discuss the effect this has on the reader/listener, how it helps the reader/listener to (implicitly) make connections across different parts of the text, which prepares the reader/ listener to understand (by drawing an inference) why non-farm working Hispanics also benefitted by the creation and existence of the UFW without Chavez explicitly repeating this information.

3- After a long description of the successes of the UFW, Chavez discusses Governor George Deukmejian. What
effect does Chavez say that Governor George Deukmejian had on the farm worker’s movement?

Chavez describes how after 1975, the conditions of the farm workers dramatically improved under the passage of
the Agricultural Labor Relations Act, which, Chavez says, “helped farm workers make progress in overcoming
poverty and injustice […] in overcoming child labor, in overcoming miserable wages and working conditions, in
overcoming sexual harassment of women worker” (114-121). The UFW, consequently, shifted its focus from using
boycotts to further improve farm workers’ conditions to winning elections in the political arena. These improved
working conditions for the farm workers, however, were undermined in 1982, when George Deukmejian was elected governor of California. According to Chavez, Deukmejian, instead of enforcing the law, invited farm owners who broke the law “to seek relief from the governor’s appointees” (128-129). Thus, because it was not
enforced, the law that guaranteed the rights of farm workers to organize was rendered impotent and no longer
protected farm workers (122-123). Guide students in tracking the cause and effect relationship of these events, i.e.: the passage of Agricultural Labor Relations Act => improved working conditions; election of Governor
Deukmejian => undermining of Agricultural Labor Relations Act => loss of improved working conditions. Ask students to specifically identify how conditions worsened for the workers under Deukmejian’s governorship,
including, for example, how workers lost protection from threats and intimidation by growers, how they were
cheated out of back pay, and how child labor continued (P18). Help students understand the connection between
these worsening conditions and the undermining of Chavez’s central strategy for minorities to resist exploitation
—organization.

ACTIVITY 3: FIND SUPPORTING EVIDENCE
In pairs, students use the Making EBC Worksheet to look for evidence to support additional claims about the text made by the teacher.

INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES
Once the class has reached a solid understanding of the text, connect it to the skill of making claims and supporting them with evidence by presenting a few main claims. Pass out the worksheets and have students work in pairs to find evidence to support the claims.

Collect each student’s Making EBC Worksheet with the evidence they found for the rst claim. These should be evaluated to get an assessment of where each student is in the skill development. Students should use their
worksheets for their work in pairs—repeating the first claim and refining their evidence based on the read aloud and class discussion. Even though students are not nding the evidence independently, they should each ll in the
worksheets to reinforce their acquisition of the logical structure among the ideas. Students should get into the habit of using quotation marks when recording direct quotes and including the line numbers of the evidence.
The instructional focus here is developing familiarity with claims about texts and the use of textual evidence to support them. Students should still not be expected to develop complete sentences to express supporting  evidence. The pieces of evidence should be as focused as possible. The idea is for students to identify the
precise points in the text that support the claim.

This focus is lost if the pieces of evidence become too large. The worksheets are constructed to elicit a type of “pointing” at the evidence. 

One approach for ensuring a close examination of claims and evidence is to provide erroneous claims that contradict textual evidence and ask students to find the places that disprove the claim. Students could then be asked to modify it to account for the evidence.

LEARNING TASK 5 STANDARDS
LEARNING TASK 5
ELP STANDARDS	
RI.7.1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as
well as inferences drawn from the text. 
ELPs: IV-R-S4-HI-4: answering literal, inferential and personal response questions about text.
IV-S4-R-HI-14: drawing conclusions from information implied or inferred in a literary selection.
IV-S4-R-HI-28: interpreting information in functional documents (e.g. memos, directories, search engines, manuals, recipes, graphic organizers.)
IV-S4-R--HI-30: distinguishing fact from opinion and bias in persuasive text by providing supporting evidence.
IV-S3-R-HI-1: reading aloud passages from unfamiliar content area text, observing phrasing, punctuation and expression.

RI.7.2: Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course
of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

RI.7.3: Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas
influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).
ELPs: IV- R-S4- HI-5: generate clarifying questions about text.
IV- R-S4- HI-7: connect information & events in text to life experiences & to related text & sources (text-self, text-text)
IV- R-S4- HI-29: compare and contrast two items within an expository text.

SL.7.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly.
ELPs: IV-LS-S1-HI-6: respond to social conversations by rephrasing/repeating information, asking questions, offering advice, sharing one’s experience and expressing one’s thoughts.
IV-LS-S1-HI-7: offer and justify opinions and ideas in response to questions and statements in academic discourse
IV-LS-S2-HI-5: ask and respond to academic questions (i.e. agree/disagree, express probabilities, hypothetical questions, etc) in complete sentences.

KEY ACADEMIC VOCABULARY 

MATERIALS

SUGGESTED MINI LESSONS
	
LEARNING TASK 5
INSTRUCTION:  1 DAY (Day 5 of the unit.)	
Part 2 - Activity 4 CLASS DISCUSSION OF EBCs and Independent Reading Activity		 	 	 		
The class discusses evidence in support of claims found by student pairs.

INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES
After students have finished their work in pairs, regroup for a class discussion. Have pairs volunteer to present their evidence to the rest of the class. Discuss the evidence, evaluating how each piece supports the claims. Begin by modeling the evaluation, referring to the checklist, and then call on students to evaluate the evidence shared by the other pairs. They can other their own evidence to expand the discussion. Carefully guide the exchanges,
explicitly asking students to support their evaluations with reference to the text. These constructive discussions are essential for the skill development. Listening to and evaluating the evidence of others and providing text-based criticism expands students’ capacity to reason through the relationship between claims and evidence. Paying close attention to and providing instructional guidance on the student comments is as important to the process as evaluating the worksheets and creates a class culture of supporting all claims (including oral critiques) with evidence.

Using the Text-Centered Discussion Checklist is one way of talking about and supporting student participation in class and pair discussions, especially if students are already familiar with the TCD checklist from previous units. If not, time can be taken (if desired) to introduce them to some or all of the criteria of effective text-centered discussions.
		
INDEPENDENT READING ACTIVITY
Students read paragraphs 20-29 of the speech and use the Forming EBC Worksheet to make a claim and support it with evidence. This activity overlaps with the first activity of Part 3 and can be given as homework or done at the beginning of the next class.

ASSESSMENT OPPORTUNITIES
The Making EBC Worksheets should be evaluated to assess the development of the student’s grasp of the relationship between claims and textual evidence. They should show progress in the relevance and focus of the evidence. The Forming EBC Worksheets are students’ first attempts at making their own claims with the help of a peer. Basic claims are ne at this point. Use the EBC Criteria Checklist to structure the evaluation and feedback to students. Evaluation should focus on the validity and clarity of the claim and the relevance of the evidence. Recording the “thinking” part of the worksheet is important in order to strengthen the student’s reasoning skills as well as provide them with the academic vocabulary to talk about them.

Evidence should be in quotation marks and the reference recorded. Using quotation marks helps students make the distinction between quotes and paraphrases. It also helps them to eventually incorporate quotes properly into their writing. Recording references is critical not only for proper incorporation in writing, but also because it helps students return to text for re-evaluating evidence and making appropriate selections.

The Text-Centered Discussion Checklist can be used to evaluate student participation in discussions for formative and diagnostic information. Teachers and students can get a sense of areas where development in speaking and listening skills are needed.

	

LEARNING TASK 6 STANDARDS
ELP STANDARDS	
RI.7.1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as
well as inferences drawn from the text. 
ELPs: IV-R-S4-HI-4: answering literal, inferential and personal response questions about text.
IV-S4-R-HI-14: drawing conclusions from information implied or inferred in a literary selection.
IV-S4-R-HI-28: interpreting information in functional documents (e.g. memos, directories, search engines, manuals, recipes, graphic organizers.)
IV-S4-R--HI-30: distinguishing fact from opinion and bias in persuasive text by providing supporting evidence.
IV-S3-R-HI-1: reading aloud passages from unfamiliar content area text, observing phrasing, punctuation and expression.

RI.7.2: Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course
of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

RI.7.3: Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas
influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).
ELPs: IV- R-S4- HI-5: generate clarifying questions about text.
IV- R-S4- HI-7: connect information & events in text to life experiences & to related text & sources (text-self, text-text)
IV- R-S4- HI-29: compare and contrast two items within an expository text.

SL.7.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly.
ELPs: IV-LS-S1-HI-6: respond to social conversations by rephrasing/repeating information, asking questions, offering advice, sharing one’s experience and expressing one’s thoughts.
IV-LS-S1-HI-7: offer and justify opinions and ideas in response to questions and statements in academic discourse
IV-LS-S2-HI-5: ask and respond to academic questions (i.e. agree/disagree, express probabilities, hypothetical questions, etc) in complete sentences.

KEY ACADEMIC VOCABULARY 

MATERIALS

SUGGESTED MINI LESSONS

	
LEARNING TASK 6
INSTRUCTION:  1 DAY (Day 6 of the unit.)	
ASSESSMENT - Part 3, ACTIVITY 1: INDEPENDENT READING AND FORMING EBCs

Students independently read part of the text and use the Forming EBC Worksheet to make an evidence-based claim.

INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES
Students independently work on paragraphs 20-29 of Chavez's Commonwealth Club Address. Depending on scheduling and student ability, students can be assigned to read and complete the worksheet for homework. Teachers should decide what works best for their students. It’s essential that students have an opportunity to
read the text independently. All students must develop the habit of perseverance in reading. Assigning the reading as homework potentially gives them more time with the text. Either way, it might be a good idea to provide some time at the beginning of class for students to read quietly by themselves. This ensures that all
students have had least some independent reading time.

	

LEARNING TASK 7 STANDARDS
ELP STANDARDS	
RI.7.1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as
well as inferences drawn from the text. 
ELPs: IV-R-S4-HI-4: answering literal, inferential and personal response questions about text.
IV-S4-R-HI-14: drawing conclusions from information implied or inferred in a literary selection.
IV-S4-R-HI-28: interpreting information in functional documents (e.g. memos, directories, search engines, manuals, recipes, graphic organizers.)
IV-S4-R--HI-30: distinguishing fact from opinion and bias in persuasive text by providing supporting evidence.
IV-S3-R-HI-1: reading aloud passages from unfamiliar content area text, observing phrasing, punctuation and expression.

RI.7.2: Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course
of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

RI.7.3: Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas
influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).
ELPs: IV- R-S4- HI-5: generate clarifying questions about text.
IV- R-S4- HI-7: connect information & events in text to life experiences & to related text & sources (text-self, text-text)
IV- R-S4- HI-29: compare and contrast two items within an expository text.

SL.7.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly.
ELPs: IV-LS-S1-HI-6: respond to social conversations by rephrasing/repeating information, asking questions, offering advice, sharing one’s experience and expressing one’s thoughts.
IV-LS-S1-HI-7: offer and justify opinions and ideas in response to questions and statements in academic discourse
IV-LS-S2-HI-5: ask and respond to academic questions (i.e. agree/disagree, express probabilities, hypothetical questions, etc) in complete sentences.

KEY ACADEMIC VOCABULARY 

MATERIALS

SUGGESTED MINI LESSONS	
LEARNING TASK 7
INSTRUCTION:  1 DAY (Day 7 of the unit.)	

Part 3 - Activity 2 READ ALOUD and Activity 3 MODEL ORGANIZING EBCs
Students follow along as they listen to part of the text being read aloud.

INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES
Read paragraphs 20-29 of Chavez's Commonwealth Club Address aloud to the class while students follow along. Alternatively, students could be asked to read aloud to the class.

ACTIVITY 3: MODEL ORGANIZING EBCs

The teacher models organizing evidence to develop and explain claims using student evidence-based claims and the Organizing EBC Worksheet.

INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES
The central focus of Part 3 is learning the thinking processes associated with developing an evidence-based claim: reflecting on how one has arrived at the claim; breaking the claim into parts; organizing supporting evidence in a
logical sequence; anticipating what an audience will need to know in order to understand the claim; and, eventually, planning a line of reasoning that will substantiate the claim. This is a complex set of cognitive skills, challenging for most students , but essential so that students can move from the close reading process of
arriving at a claim (Parts 1-2 of the unit) to the purposeful writing process of explaining and substantiating that claim (Parts 4-5). 

How a reader develops and organizes a claim is dependent upon the nature of the claim itself –and the nature of the text (or texts) from which it arises. In some cases – simple claims involving literal interpretation of the text – indicating where the claim comes from in the text and explaining how the reader arrived at it is sufficient. This suggests a more straightforward, explanatory organization. More complex claims, however, often involve multiple parts, points, or premises, each of which needs to be explained and developed, then linked in a logical order
into a coherent development.

Students only learn how to develop and organize a claim through practice, ideally moving over time from simpler claims and more familiar organizational patterns to more complex claims and organizations.

Students can be helped in learning how to develop a claim by using a set of developmental guiding questions such as the following:
[Note: the rst few questions might be used with younger or less experienced readers, the latter questions with students who are developing more sophisticated claims.]
• What do I mean when I state this claim? What am I trying to communicate?
• How did I arrive at this claim? Can I “tell the story” of how I moved as a reader from the literal details of the text to a supported claim about the text?
• Can I point to the specific words and sentences in the text from which the claim arises?
• What do I need to explain so that an audience can understand what I mean and where my claim comes from?
• What evidence (quotations) might I use to illustrate my claim? In what order?
• If my claim contains several parts (or premises), how can I break it down, organize the parts, and organize the evidence that goes with them?
• If my claim involves a comparison or a relationship, how might I present, clarify, and organize my discussion of the relationship between parts or texts?

Students who are learning how to develop a claim, at any level, can benet from graphic organizers or instructional scaffolding that helps them work out, organize, and record their thinking. While such models or templates should
not be presented formulaically as a “how to” for developing a claim, they can be used to support the learning process. The Organizing EBC Worksheet can be used to provide some structure for student planning – or you can
substitute another model or graphic organizer that ts well with the text , the types of claims being developed, and the needs of the students.

Begin by orienting students to the new worksheet and the idea of breaking down a claim into parts and organizing the evidence accordingly.

Ask for a volunteer to present his or her claim and supporting evidence. Use the example as a basis for a discussion. Based on the flow of discussion, bring in other volunteers to present their claims and evidence to build and help clarify the points. Work with students to hone and develop a claim. As a class, express the organized claim in Organizing EBC Worksheet The provided teacher version is one possible way a claim could be expressed and organized.

	

LEARNING TASK 8 STANDARDS
ELP STANDARDS	
RI.7.1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as
well as inferences drawn from the text. 
ELPs: IV-R-S4-HI-4: answering literal, inferential and personal response questions about text.
IV-S4-R-HI-14: drawing conclusions from information implied or inferred in a literary selection.
IV-S4-R-HI-28: interpreting information in functional documents (e.g. memos, directories, search engines, manuals, recipes, graphic organizers.)
IV-S4-R--HI-30: distinguishing fact from opinion and bias in persuasive text by providing supporting evidence.
IV-S3-R-HI-1: reading aloud passages from unfamiliar content area text, observing phrasing, punctuation and expression.
RI.7.3: Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas
influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).
ELPs: IV- R-S4- HI-5: generate clarifying questions about text.
IV- R-S4- HI-7: connect information & events in text to life experiences & to related text & sources (text-self, text-text)
IV- R-S4- HI-29: compare and contrast two items within an expository text.

SL.7.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly.
ELPs: IV-LS-S1-HI-6: respond to social conversations by rephrasing/repeating information, asking questions, offering advice, sharing one’s experience and expressing one’s thoughts.
IV-LS-S1-HI-7: offer and justify opinions and ideas in response to questions and statements in academic discourse
IV-LS-S2-HI-5: ask and respond to academic questions (i.e. agree/disagree, express probabilities, hypothetical questions, etc) in complete sentences.

KEY ACADEMIC VOCABULARY 

MATERIALS

SUGGESTED MINI LESSONS
	
LEARNING TASK 8
INSTRUCTION:  1 DAY (Day 8 of the unit.)	
Part 3 Activity 4 ORGANIZING EBCs IN PAIRS and Activity 5 CLASS DISCUSSION OF STUDENT EBCs
In pairs, students develop and organize a claim using the Organizing EBC Worksheet.

INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES
When the class has reached a solid expression of an organized evidence-based claim, have students work in pairs, using the worksheet to develop and organize another claim. You might want to give students some general
guidance by directing their focus to a specific section of the text.

ACTIVITY 5: CLASS DISCUSSION OF STUDENT EBCs 
After students have finished their work in pairs, regroup for a class discussion about their EBCs.

INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES
Have pairs volunteer to present their claims and evidence to the rest of the class. Discuss the evidence and organization, evaluating how each piece supports and develops the claims. Repeat the process from activity two, using student work to explain how evidence is organized to develop aspects of claims. The teacher version of the Organizing EBC Worksheet is one possible way a claim could be expressed and organized.

HOMEWORK: INDEPENDENT READING ACTIVITY
Students review Cesar Chavez's Commonwealth Club Address and use the Organizing EBC Worksheet to make any claim and support it with evidence. This activity overlaps with the first activity of Part 4 and can be given as homework or done at the beginning of the next class.

	

LEARNING TASK 9 STANDARDS
ELP STANDARDS	
RI.7.1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as
well as inferences drawn from the text. 
ELPs: IV-R-S4-HI-4: answering literal, inferential and personal response questions about text.
IV-S4-R-HI-14: drawing conclusions from information implied or inferred in a literary selection.
IV-S4-R-HI-28: interpreting information in functional documents (e.g. memos, directories, search engines, manuals, recipes, graphic organizers.)
IV-S4-R--HI-30: distinguishing fact from opinion and bias in persuasive text by providing supporting evidence.
IV-S3-R-HI-1: reading aloud passages from unfamiliar content area text, observing phrasing, punctuation and expression.

RI.7.2: Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course
of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

RI.7.3: Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas
influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).
ELPs: IV- R-S4- HI-5: generate clarifying questions about text.
IV- R-S4- HI-7: connect information & events in text to life experiences & to related text & sources (text-self, text-text)
IV- R-S4- HI-29: compare and contrast two items within an expository text.

SL.7.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly.
ELPs: IV-LS-S1-HI-6: respond to social conversations by rephrasing/repeating information, asking questions, offering advice, sharing one’s experience and expressing one’s thoughts.
IV-LS-S1-HI-7: offer and justify opinions and ideas in response to questions and statements in academic discourse
IV-LS-S2-HI-5: ask and respond to academic questions (i.e. agree/disagree, express probabilities, hypothetical questions, etc) in complete sentences.

KEY ACADEMIC VOCABULARY 

MATERIALS - 
Cesar Chavez text, 
Organizing Evidence-based Claims worksheet
Evidence-based writing rubric

SUGGESTED MINI-LESSONS

LEARNING TASK 9
INSTRUCTION:  2 DAYS (Day 9 and 10 of the unit.)	
ASSESSMENT - Students independently review  the entire text and use the Organizing EBC Worksheet to make an evidence-based claim.    Students independently write an evidence-based writing piece using their  claims.
Activity: Independent Reading and Making EBCs		 	 	 		
Students independently review the entire text and use the Organizing EBC Worksheet to make a new evidence-based claim. 
INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES		 	 	 		
Depending on scheduling and student ability, students can be assigned to read and complete assessment.Teachers should decide what works best for their students. It’s essential that students have an opportunity to read the text independently. All students must develop the habit of perseverance in reading. 
 Assessment: INDEPENDENT WRITING OF FINAL PIECE
Students independently write a final evidence-based writing piece using their new claims. 
INSTRUCTIONAL NOTE 		 	 	 		
This evidence-based writing piece should be used as a summative assessment to evaluate acquisition of the reading and writing skills. Evaluating the claims and discussing ways of improving their organization breaks the summative assessment into two parts: making an evidence-based claim, and writing an evidence-based claim. 
  	 	 	 		
At this stage teachers can assess students’ reading and writing skills. Students should be comfortable making claims and supporting them with organized evidence. Their worksheets should demonstrate mastery of the reading skill. Their final evidence-based writing piece can be seen as a summative assessment of both the reading and writing skills. Use the Evidence-Based Writing Rubric to evaluate their pieces. 

		 	 	 		

   

LEARNING TASK 10 STANDARDS
ELP STANDARDS	
RI.7.1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as
well as inferences drawn from the text. 
ELPs: IV-R-S4-HI-4: answering literal, inferential and personal response questions about text.
IV-S4-R-HI-14: drawing conclusions from information implied or inferred in a literary selection.
IV-S4-R-HI-28: interpreting information in functional documents (e.g. memos, directories, search engines, manuals, recipes, graphic organizers.)
IV-S4-R--HI-30: distinguishing fact from opinion and bias in persuasive text by providing supporting evidence.
IV-S3-R-HI-1: reading aloud passages from unfamiliar content area text, observing phrasing, punctuation and expression.

RI.7.2: Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course
of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

RI.7.3: Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas
influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).
ELPs: IV- R-S4- HI-5: generate clarifying questions about text.
IV- R-S4- HI-7: connect information & events in text to life experiences & to related text & sources (text-self, text-text)
IV- R-S4- HI-29: compare and contrast two items within an expository text.

SL.7.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly.
ELPs: IV-LS-S1-HI-6: respond to social conversations by rephrasing/repeating information, asking questions, offering advice, sharing one’s experience and expressing one’s thoughts.
IV-LS-S1-HI-7: offer and justify opinions and ideas in response to questions and statements in academic discourse
IV-LS-S2-HI-5: ask and respond to academic questions (i.e. agree/disagree, express probabilities, hypothetical questions, etc) in complete sentences.

KEY ACADEMIC VOCABULARY   Textual Evidence; Inferences; Evidence-based; Claims

MATERIALS - 
Letter from a Birmingham Jail, 
EBC Criteria Checklist 2

SUGGESTED MINI-LESSONS: - Incorporating textual evidence, accurately citing text

“Letter from a Birmingham Jail”
Video:  Teaching Strategies on  “close reading” Dr. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”  
http://www.engageny.org/resource/middle-school-ela-curriculum-video-close-reading-of-a-text-mlk-letter-from-birmingham-jail	
LEARNING TASK 10
INSTRUCTION:   2 DAYS   (Day 11 and 12 of the unit.)

 “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”
Activity 1:  Independent Reading and Making EBC’s		 	 	 		
Students independently review the text and use the Forming EBC Worksheet to develop an evidence- based claim. 
INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES	 	 	 							
Depending on scheduling and student ability, students can be assigned to read and complete for homework. Teachers should decide what works best for their students. It’s essential that students have an opportunity to read the text independently. All students must develop the habit of perseverance in reading. 		 	 	 	
Assigning the reading as homework potentially gives them more time with the text. Either way, it might be a good idea to provide some time at the beginning of class for students to read the text quietly by themselves. This ensures that all students have had at least some independent reading time.

Activity: Model Writing EBCs	
The teacher introduces and models writing evidence-based claims using a claim developed in a previous task.    
INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES		 	 	 		
Previous tasks  have built a solid foundation of critical thinking and reading skills for developing and organizing evidence-based claims. Expressing evidence- based claims in writing should now be a natural transition from this foundation. 		 	 	 		
Begin by explaining that expressing evidence- based claims in writing follows the same basic structure that they have been using with the worksheets; one states a claim and develops it with evidence. Discuss the additional considerations when writing evidence-based claims like establishing a clear context and using proper techniques for incorporating textual evidence. Introduce the EBC Criteria Checklist II with the additional writing-related criteria The Writing EBC Handout gives one approach to explaining writing evidence-based claims. Model examples of written evidence-based claims are provided with the materials.			
Explain that the simplest structure for writing evidence-based claims is beginning with a paragraph stating the claim and its context and then using subsequent paragraphs logically linked together to develop the necessary points of the claim with appropriate evidence. (More advanced writers can organize the expression differently, like establishing a context, building points with evidence, and stating the claim at the end for a more dramatic effect. It’s good to let students know that the simplest structure is not the only effective way).			
Incorporating textual evidence into writing is difficult and takes practice. Expect all students to need a lot of guidance deciding on what precise evidence to use, how to order it, and deciding when to paraphrase or to quote. They will also need guidance structuring sentence syntax and grammar to smoothly and effectively incorporate textual details, while maintaining their own voice and style. 
Activity 2: Model Writing EBC’s		 	 	 					
Three things to consider when teaching this difficult skill:			
A “think-aloud” approach can be extremely effective here. When modeling the writing process, explain the choices you make. For example, “I’m paraphrasing this piece of evidence because it takes the author four sentences to express what I can do in one.” Or, “I’m quoting this piece directly because the author’s phrase is so powerful, I want to use the original words.” 		 	 	 		
Making choices when writing evidence-based claims is easiest when the writer has “lived with the claims.” Thinking about a claim— personalizing the analysis—gives a writer an intuitive sense of how she wants to express it. Spending time with the worksheets selecting and organizing evidence will start students on this process. 
Students need to know that this is a process—that it can’t be done in one draft. Revision is fundamental to honing written evidence-based claims. 
Activity 3: Writing EBC’s in pairs
In pairs, students write evidence-based claims using their claims from Part 3.   
INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES  		 	 	 		
 Students return to the same pairs they had in Part 3 and use their Organizing EBC Worksheets as guidelines for their writing. Teachers should roam, supporting pairs by answering questions and helping them get comfortable with the techniques for incorporating evidence. Use questions from pairs as opportunities to instruct the entire class. 
Activity 4: Class Discussion of Written EBC’s
The class discusses the written evidence-based claims of volunteer student pairs.  
INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES  		 	 	 		
At this stage, this activity is reversed from earlier similar ones. Students should present their evidence-based claims and allow discussion to determine areas of the text to be read aloud. Students read aloud relevant portions to help the class analyze claims and selected evidence. Have students transfer their claims from the Forming EBC Worksheet to the Organizing EBC Worksheet to help them organize and refine their evidence in preparation for writing. 
Activity 5: Independent Writing EBC’s
Students independently write their evidence-based claims from their Organizing EBC Worksheets.  
INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES  		 	 	 		
 Students should have refined their claims and developed an Organizing EBC Worksheet based on class discussion. Now they independently write their claims based on their worksheets. 
INDEPENDENT READING ACTIVITY		 	 	 					
Students review the entire text and use an Organizing EBC Worksheet to make a new claim of their		choice and develop it with evidence. This activity overlaps with the first activity of Part 5 and can be given as homework or done at the beginning of the next class. 
ASSESSMENT OPPORTUNITIES		 	 	 		
At this stage teachers can assess students’ reading and writing skills. Students should be comfortable making claims and supporting them with organized evidence. Their worksheets should demonstrate evidence of mastery of the reading skill. Student writing should demonstrate the same qualities of organization. Make sure they have properly established the context; that the claim is clearly expressed; and that each paragraph develops a coherent point. Evaluate the writing for an understanding of the difference between paraphrase and quotation. All evidence should be properly referenced. Use the EBC Criteria Checklist II to structure the evaluation and feedback to students. 

 Close Reading (Link with questions on the first five paragraphs of the letter- Materials) 
1st Task  Read the first paragraph alone.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
2nd Task “Read out-loud” to the class.(first paragraph)                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
Guided questions:  Based on the first paragraph “What can you tell about the letter King received                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
What is the argument is he pushing against.  What does the first sentence tell us about King?
Paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 - What are the three arguments from paragraphs 3, 4, and 5?    
What is the textual evidence that supports the claim in each paragraph?   

Click here for a link to Dr. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”  			

LEARNING TASK 11 STANDARDS
                                                                                             ELP STANDARDS	
TARGETED STANDARD(S):
RI.7.1 W.7.9b Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. 
ELPs: IV-W-S5-HI-2: locate and evaluate informational sources about a topic.
IV-W-S1-HI-3: quoting or paraphrasing information sources, and supplying citations.
IV-W-S5-HI-5: paraphrase information and cite the source.
IV-W-S5-HI-6: include works cited, bibliography or reference page.

RI.7.1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as
well as inferences drawn from the text. 
ELPs: IV-R-S4-HI-4: answering literal, inferential and personal response questions about text.
IV-S4-R-HI-14: drawing conclusions from information implied or inferred in a literary selection.
IV-S4-R-HI-28: interpreting information in functional documents (e.g. memos, directories, search engines, manuals, recipes, graphic organizers.)
IV-S4-R--HI-30: distinguishing fact from opinion and bias in persuasive text by providing supporting evidence.
IV-S3-R-HI-1: reading aloud passages from unfamiliar content area text, observing phrasing, punctuation and expression.

RI.7.2: Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course
of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

RI.7.3: Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas
influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).
ELPs: IV- R-S4- HI-5: generate clarifying questions about text.
IV- R-S4- HI-7: connect information & events in text to life experiences & to related text & sources (text-self, text-text)
IV- R-S4- HI-29: compare and contrast two items within an expository text.

SL.7.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly.
ELPs: IV-LS-S1-HI-6: respond to social conversations by rephrasing/repeating information, asking questions, offering advice, sharing one’s experience and expressing one’s thoughts.
IV-LS-S1-HI-7: offer and justify opinions and ideas in response to questions and statements in academic discourse
IV-LS-S2-HI-5: ask and respond to academic questions (i.e. agree/disagree, express probabilities, hypothetical questions, etc) in complete sentences.

KEY ACADEMIC VOCABULARY 

MATERIALS 
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (Interactive- Overview; Oral History; Timeline; Resources)  (Research)
http://rg.bcri.org/gallery/

Birmingham, Alabama, and the Civil Rights Movement in 1963  (Research)
http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/m_r/randall/birmingham.htm

Poem 
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/175900 
       	
LEARNING TASK 11 EXTENSION
1 DAY NSTRUCTION:   1 DAY  (Day 13 of the unit.)

EXTENSION    
Write an analytical essay exploring how this poem expresses the emotions of slavery, segregation, and prejudice in American history; support it with media and the “Letter from Birmingham” to support your thinking.

BALLAD OF BIRMINGHAM
by Dudley Randall

(On the bombing of a church in Birmingham, Alabama, 1963)

"Mother dear, may I go downtown 
instead of out to play, 
and march the streets of Birmingham 
in a Freedom March today?

"No, baby, no, you may not go, 
for the dogs are fierce and wild, 
and clubs and hoses, guns and jails 
ain't good for a little child."

"But, mother, I won't be alone. 
Other children will go with me, 
and march the streets of Birmingham 
to make our country free."

"No, baby, no, you may not go, 
for I fear those guns will fire. 
But you may go to church instead 
and sing in the children's choir."

She has combed and brushed her nightdark hair, 
and bathed rose petal sweet, 
and drawn white gloves on her small brown hands, 
and white shoes on her feet.

The mother smiled to know her child 
was in the sacred place, 
but that smile was the last smile 
to come upon her face.

For when she heard the explosion, 
her eyes grew wet and wild. 
She raced through the streets of Birmingham 
calling for her child.

She clawed through bits of glass and brick, 
then lifted out a shoe. 
"O, here's the shoe my baby wore, 
but, baby, where are you?"

LEARNING TASK 12 STANDARDS
ELP STANDARDS	
TARGETED STANDARD(S): RI.7.1 W.7.9b
RI.7.1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
ELPs: IV-R-S4-HI-4: answering literal, inferential and personal response questions about text.
IV-S4-R-HI-14: drawing conclusions from information implied or inferred in a literary selection.
IV-S4-R-HI-28: interpreting information in functional documents (e.g. memos, directories, search engines, manuals, recipes, graphic organizers.)
IV-S4-R--HI-30: distinguishing fact from opinion and bias in persuasive text by providing supporting evidence.
IV-S3-R-HI-1: reading aloud passages from unfamiliar content area text, observing phrasing, punctuation and expression.

W.7.9b: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. 
ELPs: IV-W-S5-HI-2:record hypotheses, reflections, questions, speculations, decisions and conclusion structured around an investigation
IV-W-S1-HI-3: quoting or paraphrasing information sources, and supplying citations.
IV-W-S5-HI-5: paraphrase information and cite the source.
IV-W-S5-HI-6: include works cited, bibliography or reference page.
	
SUPPORTING STANDARD(S): RI.7.2 RI.7.3 SL.7.1
RI.7.2: Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

RI.7.3: Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).
ELPs: IV- R-S4- HI-5: generate clarifying questions about text.
IV- R-S4- HI-7: connect information & events in text to life experiences & to related text & sources (text-self, text-text)
IV- R-S4- HI-29: compare and contrast two items within an expository text.

SL.7.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
ELPs: IV-LS-S1-HI-6: respond to social conversations by rephrasing/repeating information, asking questions, offering advice, sharing one’s experience and expressing one’s thoughts.
IV-LS-S1-HI-7: offer and justify opinions and ideas in response to questions and statements in academic discourse
IV-LS-S2-HI-5: ask and respond to academic questions (i.e. agree/disagree, express probabilities, hypothetical questions, etc) in complete sentences.
								
KEY ACADEMIC VOCABULARY:   (transition words) Similar; likewise; compared to; in like manner; in contrast; 

MATERIALS   Graphic organizer (Google docs.)
	
LEARNING TASK 12
INSTRUCTION:  1 DAY (Day 14 of the unit.)	
SUGGESTED MINI LESSONS :  What do Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King Jr. have in common?  Review both civil rights activists.  Compare and Contrast the Contributions and Achievements of Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King to the Civil Right Movement. Complete an essay.

Activity 1: Independent Writing of EBC’s
Students independently write their evidence-based claims using the worksheets: Making Evidence-Based Claims and Organizing Evidence Based-Claims 
Now they independently write their claims based on their worksheets.