MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Office of Academics and Transformation
Department of Language Arts/Reading
English Language Arts (ELA) Exemplar Lesson
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON – Teacher Copy
Learning Objectives
Quarter 3, Week 21: 01/21/13 – 01/25/13
This exemplar lesson examines the central idea of heroism. Through repeated readings of targeted sections and the effective use of collaborative
discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led), students recognize common themes that contribute to America’s reverence for the gallantry of
common citizens. Varying the length and purpose for writing (paraphrasing, objective summarization, analysis of evolving themes, use of graphic
organizers to deconstruct arguments) provides time for evidentiary writing tasks that support deeper understanding of text. Teachers may need to
further scaffold activities to address individual students’ needs depending on the intent of the lesson and specific learners’ needs.
Rationale: This lesson explores Lincoln’s famous speech in which he honors those who died fighting for democracy and Lincoln’s proclamation that
declares that slaves residing in secessionist states are free. By looking at two significant works of Lincoln’s legacy, students will analyze the way he
uses language to convey multiple meanings and the common theme of freedom.
Text Title(s): The Gettysburg Address (Abraham Lincoln) and The Emancipation Proclamation (Abraham Lincoln)
McDougal Littell Literature, p. 564; p. 566
Genre/Text Structure: Public documents – Primary Source Informational Nonfiction / Literary Nonfiction (Speech) and (Legal Document)
Targeted Text Selections
p. 564
p. 566
Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
RI.11-12; RH.11-12; W.11-12; WHST.11-12
http://www.corestandards.org
Lesson Sequence
PERFORMANCE TASK /CULMINATING INDEPENDENT WRITING ASSESSMENT:
Write a 1-2 page objective summation analyzing Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and Emancipation Proclamation. Identify the
purpose and point of view while evaluating the rhetorical features of each.
Activity 1:
GUIDING QUESTION(S):
What is Lincoln’s message in the speech?
What values and beliefs are evident in the speech?
1. The students will read “The Gettysburg Address” its entirety. Avoid giving any background context or instructional guidance at the outset. Use
a close reading approach to force students to rely exclusively on the text.
2. After reading the passage independently, listen as the piece is read aloud by the teacher /or skillful students/ or an audio rereading at
www.classzone.com. The order of the student silent read and the read aloud may be reversed depending on the intent of the lesson and
specific learners’ needs.
3. Rereading is embedded in the text-dependent questions and discussion activities. The sequence of questions is not random, but rather carefully
crafted to build toward more coherent understanding.
4. Model paraphrasing and summation using the first sentence (lines 1-3) of the speech. Assign students different sentences and paragraphs (lines
4-20) of Lincoln’s speech to paraphrase and summarize. As students move through the close reading, check for understanding of academic and
domain specific vocabulary.
5. Students write a 1-page objective summary on their understanding of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Use the graphic or response journals to
build and extend understanding of the passage. By referring to the evidence from the text, the students repeatedly encounter the topic to
stimulate a deeper, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
Activity 2:
GUIDING QUESTION(S):
What is Lincoln’s purpose in writing this declaration?
What values and beliefs are evident in the document?
1. The students will read “The Emancipation Proclamation” its entirety. Avoid giving any background context or instructional guidance at the
outset. Use a close reading approach to force students to rely exclusively on the text.
2. After reading the passage independently, listen as the piece is read aloud by the teacher /or skillful students/ or an audio rereading at
www.classzone.com. The order of the student silent read and the read aloud may be reversed depending on the intent of the lesson and
specific learners’ needs.
3. Rereading is embedded in the text-dependent questions and discussion activities. The sequence of questions is not random, but rather carefully
crafted to build toward more coherent understanding.
4. Use the same format from Activity 2 to paraphrase and summarize lines 12 – 20. Assign students different sentences of the document for close
2012-2013
1
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
Quarter 3, Week 21: 01/21/13 – 01/25/13
analysis. As students move through the close reading, check for understanding of academic and domain specific vocabulary.
Activity 3:
GUIDING QUESTION(S):
What is Lincoln’s message in the speech?
1. Use Communication, Information and Media connections at www.classzone.com, www.discoveryeducation.com, or other online resources
(www.libraryofcongress or http://www.myloc.gov/Multimedia/Gettysburg.aspx ) to explore the impact of the Battle at Gettysburg and how
Lincoln’s famous speech provided hope and promise for Americans by perpetuating the ideals of freedom.
Selected segments from Gettysburg Address: The Speech That Saved America [43:33] at www.discoveryeducation.com
Union Victory at Gettysburg [06:05]
Gardner's Civil War Photographs [02:04]
Lincoln's Grief [04:08]
Gettysburg: First National Cemetery [04:59]
Crafting the Gettysburg Address [03:24]
2. Discussions lead to additional avenues of inquiry. By referring to evidence from the text, students repeatedly encounter the issue to
stimulate a deeper, well-reasoned exchange of ideas as they build and extend their understanding of the text.
3. Continue to use the Graphic Organizers or Reader Response Journals as a means for students to organize thoughts for prewriting activities.
Activity 4:
GUIDING QUESTION(S):
How are the beliefs, values and principles expressed in Lincoln’s writing symbolized through Annie Leibovitz’s photography?
What is revealed in Leibovitz’s images? What stories are created in the images?
How did the photographer use symbols to convey important ideas about the Civil War?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Display or provide copies of Leibovitz’s images.
Students collaboratively (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) identify and analyze the symbols used in Leibovitz’s images.
Explain how the symbols, colors, and visual images represent an idea or express a theme found in Lincoln’s writings.
Write a summation of the visual clues the artist uses to suggest state of mind and convey the theme.
Activity 5:
GUIDING QUESTION(S):
What is Lincoln’s message in the speech and proclamation?
What values and beliefs are evident in the documents?
1.
Conduct a final discussion of text-dependent questions and allow time for students to complete notes on the purpose and themes evident in
Lincoln’s pieces.
2. Students prepare to write an objective summation analyzing Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and Emancipation Proclamation. Identify
the purpose and point of view while evaluating the rhetorical features of each. Use the graphic organizers, summation statements, and
personal response notes to write a well-supported response.
3. Allow an extended amount of time for students to write a 1-2 page documented response. Use the 30-point mode-specific rubric to score the
summative assessment.
Targeted Text Selection
Vocabulary
Teacher Activities and Techniques
“The Gettysburg Address”
Text-Dependent Questions
page 564, lines 1 - 3
underlined words:
GUIDING QUESTION(S):
with insufficient
What is Lincoln’s message in the speech?
1 Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought
contextual clues
forth on this continent a new
Return to the text, and ask students a small set of guiding
2 nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the
BOLD words: Tier Two
questions about the document.
proposition that all men are
words
3 created equal.
(Q1) What does Lincoln mean by “four score and seven years
line 1-score: twenty ago”? Who are “our fathers”?
years
Model paraphrasing and summation using the first
Possible answer.
sentence of the speech.
line 1 – father:
Lincoln tells his listeners when and by whom the country was
ancestor;
Answers will vary. Possible answer.
founded. (Students have the clues they need to calculate the
forefather;
year. They have been told that score means twenty years, and
Four score and seven years ago
predecessor
they have been given the date of Lincoln’s speech as 1863. 1863
4 x 20 + 7 = 87 years ago (In 1776)
– 87 = 1776.) For now, keep it simple –all we know about “our
our fathers
line 2 –
fathers” from this sentence is that they started something new.
our ancestors or founding fathers (political leaders and
proposition:
Some students may recall the phrase “founding fathers” which is
statesmen - Washington, Jefferson, Franklin Hancock)
proposal, plan,
a nice inference here, since Lincoln identifies these people as
2012-2013
2
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
brought forth on this continent
started here in North America
a new nation,
a new country (United States of America)
conceived in liberty,
formed in freedom,
and dedicated to the proposition
and committed to the idea
that all men
that all people (men, women, children of all races and
ethnicities)
are created equal.
should be treated the same.
Summary:
In 1776, our political leaders started here in North
America a new country called the United States of
America, formed in freedom and committed to the idea
that all people should be treated the same.
page 564, lines 4 – 20
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing
whether that nation, or any
5 nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long
endure. We are met on a great
battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a
portion of that field as a final
resting place for those who here gave their lives that
that nation might live. It is
altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. a
But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate—we cannot
consecrate—we cannot
10 hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead,
who struggled here have
consecrated it far above our poor power to add or
detract. The world will little
note nor long remember what we say here, but it can
never forget what they did b
here. It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated
here to the unfinished work
which they who fought here have thus far so nobly
advanced. It is rather for us to
15 be here dedicated to the great task remaining before
us—that from these honored
dead we take increased devotion to that cause for
which they gave the last full
measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that
these dead shall not have
died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a
new birth of freedom; and
that government of the people, by the people, for the
people, shall not perish from
20 the earth.
Targeted Text Selection
“The Emancipation Proclamation”
page 566, lines 12 – 20
2012-2013
Quarter 3, Week 21: 01/21/13 – 01/25/13
suggestion
“those who brought forth a new nation” some time ago.
(Q2) What is he saying is significant about America? Is he saying
that no one has been free or equal before? So what is new?
Possible answer.
Lincoln says – that this nation is “conceived in Liberty” (that is,
the people who founded it freely chose to dedicate themselves to
a claim – it was not forced upon them) and “dedicated to the
proposition that all men are created equal.”
(Q3) Sum up and gather what students have learned so far: have
students summarize the three ways in which the nation is new.
Possible answer.
The nation (1) did not exist before, (2) was made through free
choice, and (3) is dedicated to a specific idea – “all men are
created equal.”
(Q4) Reread the entire document. Paraphrase each sentence of
the speech by rewriting in your own words. Write a summary of
the entire speech.
Answers will vary. Possible answer.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether
that nation, or any
Now we are involved in a great domestic (state against
state) war, finding out if the United States, or any
nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.
country based on free choice, can continue a long time.
We are met on a great battlefield of that war.
We are meeting a great battlefield of the Civil War.
We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final
resting place for those who here gave their lives that that
nation might live.
We have come to offer a piece of that battlefield as a
cemetery for the people who died so that this country can
continue.
It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
It is very good and acceptable that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate—we cannot
consecrate—we cannot hallow—this ground.
But, in the bigger picture, we cannot honor—we cannot
make special—we cannot make holy—this cemetery.
The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have
consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract.
The brave men, living and dead, who fought and died here
have made it special far beyond our ability to do more.
The world will little note nor long remember what we say
here, but it can never forget what they did here.
The world will not remember what is said here, but it can
never forget what the Civil War soldiers did here…
Summary:
Answers will vary. Accept reasonable summations.
Vocabulary
Teacher Activities and Techniques
Text-Dependent Questions
3
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
12 “That the Executive will, on the first day of January
aforesaid, by
proclamation, designate the States and parts of States,
if any, in which the people
thereof, respectively, shall then be in rebellion against
the United States; and
15 the fact that any State, or the people thereof, shall on
that day be, in good faith,
represented in the Congress of the United States by
members chosen thereto
at elections wherein a majority of the qualified voters
of such State shall have
participated, shall, in the absence of strong
countervailing testimony, be deemed
conclusive evidence that such State, and the people
thereof, are not then in
20 rebellion against the United States.”
Cross Genre Connections OR Across Text or NonText Sources:
Quarter 3, Week 21: 01/21/13 – 01/25/13
line 12 – aforesaid:
mentioned earlier
GUIDING QUESTION(S):
What is Lincoln’s purpose in writing this declaration?
What values and beliefs are evident in the document?
line 18 –
countervailing:
contradicting
(Q4) What is Lincoln’s purpose in writing this declaration?
Write objective summary of lines 12 – 20 of the Emancipation
Proclamation.
Possible answer.
On January 1, 1863, the president will determine which states of
part of states are rebelling against the government. Those that
participate in Congress will usually be seen as not rebelling.
Lincoln’s purpose is to establish clear, legal grounds for his
actions.
Vocabulary
(Q5) What values and beliefs are evident in the document?
Possible answer.
Lincoln believes that emancipation is just, supported by the
Constitution, and a military necessity.
Teacher Activities and Techniques
Text-Dependent Questions
GUIDING QUESTION(S):
How are the beliefs, values and principles expressed in
Lincoln’s writing symbolized through Annie Leibovitz’s
photography?
(Q6) What is revealed in Leibovitz’s images? What stories are
created in the images?
While fulfilling his 1914 commission to create the statue for the
Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., the sculptor Daniel
Chester French made plaster casts of his own hands. He sculpted
several models for the Lincoln statue, which was ultimately
hewed from 28 marble blocks.
The gloves that Abraham Lincoln wore the night he was
assassinated, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum,
Springfield, Illinois
Formative Assessment/ Rubrics, if applicable
2012-2013
Possible answer. The stark images of heavily veined hands
molded out of pale, translucent marble and the blood-stained
dress gloves Lincoln wore the night he was assassinated, send a
clear image of a strong individual who has endured many
hardships.
(Q7) How do these images of Lincoln’s gloves worn at his
assassination and the plaster molds made by French sculptor
Daniel Chester French capture the theme of both passages?
Possible answer. Man alone has hands. Hands are symbols for
support and strength. Hands can be used as weapons and cause
destruction. Sculptor Daniel Chester French depicted President
Lincoln as worn, but resolved and resilient by sculpting clenched
hands gripping the edge of a chair. The firm grasp suggests the
stress and tension of turbulent times. This image, however,
suggests strength and determination to see the nation through
the divisive Civil War. The gruesome image of blood-stained
gloves turned palm-up in opposition to each other suggests the
bloody division of North-South during 1860s. The gloves also
suggest the destructive nature of man. Both images capture the
theme of Lincoln’s writing by acknowledging the good and evil in
man. The horror of slavery and the revulsion of death in battle
are shown in the gloves. The commitment and determination to
persevere through difficult times can be seen in the position of
the marble hands. Both photos advance Lincoln’s ideals of
liberty and equality.
Collaborative (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) discussion(s) on text-dependent
comprehension questions and written responses (paraphrasing, objective
summarization, analysis of evolving themes, reader response journals) serve as
prewriting assignments and formative assessments.
4
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
Quarter 3, Week 21: 01/21/13 – 01/25/13
Summative Assessment/ Culminating Independent
Writing Task
Write a 1- 2 page objective summation analyzing Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg
Address and Emancipation Proclamation. Identify the purpose and point of
view while evaluating the rhetorical features of each.
Possible answer.
A 30-point mode-specific rubric defines the writing expectations for the summative
assessment.
The Emancipation Proclamation took effect six months before the Battle of Gettysburg.
Lincoln’s law training is evident; the document is formal and legalistic. The sentence
structure is convoluted and complex, based on the diction of legal documents. The
purpose the document is more symbolic than enforceable law. The proclamation did
not free all slaves. Its purpose was more political than ethical, and it left uncertainty
around the issue of slavery. In the Gettysburg Address Lincoln focuses on freedom and
equality as the causes for which his soldiers are fighting. The tone is serious and
elevated. Lincoln’s mention of historical events, high ideals, and national purpose
convey the occasion’s importance. His references to these causes are an allusion to
emancipation. Lincoln believes that the nation will survive and remain dedicated to the
principles of freedom and liberty.
Technology:
www.discoveryeducation.com – (see links embedded in pacing guide)
www.classzone.com
www.libraryofcongress or http://www.myloc.gov/Multimedia/Gettysburg.aspx
Extension Activities/Further Resources
English Language Learner (ELL) Resources and Strategies
Key Vocabulary
Have students complete the chart below by writing the suffix found in each word, the
suffix meaning, and a working definition for the word. Provide ONLY the information
listed in the Word-column. Distribute dictionaries for students to fill out the rest of the
columns. The chart contains the possible answers. New words could be added if
necessary.
Word
Background Information/Media Connections:
Writing Task
2012-2013
Suffix
Suffix Meaning
Word Meaning
proposition
ion, -tion, -ation
tells the state or quality of the process of
something; tells action or proposing, suggesting,
process
claiming
dedication
ion, -tion, -ation
tells the state or quality of a self-sacrificing
something; tells action or devotion
process
devotion
ion, -tion, -ation
tells the state or quality of the act of devoting,
something; tells action or sacrificing, worshiping
process
consecrate
-ate
make, form, to become like
make a place sacred
Watch the video clip from Discovery Education titled “Gettysburg Address: The Speech
that Saved America,” where Abraham Lincoln redefined the purpose of the United
States. Answer the following question in a paragraph form. Use the Cause-and-Effect
Diagram, Transparency B38 (Easy Planner) to plan.
How would life in America be changed if the Confederacy had won the Civil War?
http://app.discoveryeducation.com/core:player/view/assetGuid/842F653493AA-4748-A726-E866DBA2B171
Answer the following question in a paragraph form and find evidence in Lincoln’s
speech to support your answer. When Lincoln says the nation was “so conceived and
so dedicated” what is he referring to?
Possible answer: This country was conceived in liberty and dedicated to the principle
that all men are created equal.
5
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
Quarter 3, Week 21: 01/21/13 – 01/25/13
Student Copy
Targeted Text Selection
“The Gettysburg Address”
page 564, lines 1 - 3
1. Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought
forth on this continent a new
2. nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the
proposition that all men are
3. created equal.
Vocabulary
underlined words:
with insufficient
contextual clues
BOLD words: Tier Two
words
Teacher Activities and Techniques
Text-Dependent Questions
GUIDING QUESTION(S):
What is Lincoln’s message in the speech?
Return to the text, and ask students a small set of guiding
questions about the document.
line 1-score:
(Q1) What does Lincoln mean by “four score and seven years
ago”? Who are “our fathers”?
line 1 – father:
Possible answer.
line 2 –
proposition:
(Q2) What is he saying is significant about America? Is he saying
that no one has been free or equal before? So what is new?
Possible answer.
(Q3) Sum up and gather what students have learned so far: have
students summarize the three ways in which the nation is new.
Possible answer.
6
10
15
20
page 564, lines 4 – 20
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing
whether that nation, or any
nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long
endure. We are met on a great
battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a
portion of that field as a final
resting place for those who here gave their lives that
that nation might live. It is
altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. a
But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate—we cannot
consecrate—we cannot
hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead,
who struggled here have
consecrated it far above our poor power to add or
detract. The world will little
note nor long remember what we say here, but it can
never forget what they did b
here. It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated
here to the unfinished work
which they who fought here have thus far so nobly
advanced. It is rather for us to
be here dedicated to the great task remaining before
us—that from these honored
dead we take increased devotion to that cause for
which they gave the last full
measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that
these dead shall not have
died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a
new birth of freedom; and
that government of the people, by the people, for the
people, shall not perish from
the earth.
2012-2013
(Q4) Reread the entire document. Paraphrase each sentence of
the speech by rewriting in your own words. Write a summary of
the entire speech.
Possible answer.
6
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
Targeted Text Selection
“The Emancipation Proclamation”
(page 566, lines 12 - 20)
12 “That the Executive will, on the first day of January
aforesaid, by
proclamation, designate the States and parts of States,
if any, in which the people
thereof, respectively, shall then be in rebellion against
the United States; and
15 the fact that any State, or the people thereof, shall on
that day be, in good faith,
represented in the Congress of the United States by
members chosen thereto
at elections wherein a majority of the qualified voters
of such State shall have
participated, shall, in the absence of strong
countervailing testimony, be deemed
conclusive evidence that such State, and the people
thereof, are not then in
20 rebellion against the United States.”
Cross Genre Connections OR Across Text or NonText Sources:
Quarter 3, Week 21: 01/21/13 – 01/25/13
Vocabulary
line 12 – aforesaid:
line 18 –
countervailing:
Teacher Activities and Techniques
Text-Dependent Questions
GUIDING QUESTION(S):
What is Lincoln’s purpose in writing this declaration?
What values and beliefs are evident in the document?
(Q4) What is Lincoln’s purpose in writing this declaration?
Write objective summary of lines 12 – 20 of the Emancipation
Proclamation.
Possible answer.
(Q5) What values and beliefs are evident in the document?
Possible answer.
Vocabulary
Teacher Activities and Techniques
Text-Dependent Questions
GUIDING QUESTION(S):
How are the beliefs, values and principles expressed in
Lincoln’s writing symbolized through Annie Leibovitz’s
photography?
(Q6) What is revealed in Leibovitz’s images? What stories are
created in the images?
Possible answer.
(Q7) How do these images of Lincoln’s gloves worn at his
assassination and the plaster molds made by French sculptor
Daniel Chester French capture the theme of both passages?
Possible answer.
Summative Assessment/ Culminating Independent
Writing Task
Write an objective summation analyzing Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
and Emancipation Proclamation. Identify the purpose and point of view while
evaluating the rhetorical features of each.
Possible answer.
A 30-point mode-specific rubric defines the writing expectations for the summative
assessment.
For further information regarding this document contact the Division of Language Arts/Reading, Secondary District Instructional Supervisors,
Dr. Erin Cuartas, Ms. Laurie Kaplan or Dr. Sharon Scruggs-Williams, 305-995-3122; for ELL questions, contact the Division of Bilingual Education and World
Languages District Supervisor, Ms. Caridad Perez, 305-995-1962.
2012-2013
7
Informational/Explanatory Writing – Independent Writing Assignment
Comparison Gettysburg Address and Emancipation Proclamation
Grading Criteria – STUDENT SELF-ASSESSMENT - 11 - 12 ELA
Informational/explanatory writing conveys information accurately. This kind of writing serves one or more closely related purposes: to increase readers’
knowledge of a subject, to help readers better understand a procedure or process, or to provide readers with an enhanced comprehension of a concept.
Informational/explanatory writing includes a wide array of genres, including academic genres such as literary analyses, scientific and historical reports,
summaries, and précis writing as well as forms of workplace and functional writing such as instructions, manuals, memos, reports, applications, and
resumes. (Appendix A, 23 http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_A.pdf)
Student Name: _____________________________________________ Period: ___________________ Final Score: ____________/30
Criterion
With practice, students become better able to
develop a controlling idea and a coherent focus on a
topic and more skilled at selecting and incorporating
relevant examples, facts, and details into their
writing.
They are also able to use a variety of techniques to
convey information, such as naming, defining,
describing, or differentiating different types or
parts; comparing or contrasting ideas or concepts;
and citing an anecdote or a scenario to illustrate a
point.
Response to Prompt/Thesis
W.11-12.2a
Level 5
Level 4
Level 3
Level 2
Level 1
Superior
Solid
Partial
Limited
Very Limited
Approaching
expectations
Does not
meet
expectations
Exceeds
Above
Meets
expectations expectations expectations
5
4
3
2
1
5
4
3
2
1
5
4
3
2
1
5
4
3
2
1
5
4
3
2
1
Did you introduce a topic?
W.11-12.2e
Did you establish and maintain a formal style and
objective tone while writing?
W.11-12.4
Is your writing clear and coherent?
Is the development, organization, and style appropriate
to task, purpose, and audience?
Organization
W.11-12.2a
Did you organize complex ideas, concepts, and
information so that each new element builds on the
previous idea?
Did you use parallel construction to organize the information?
W.11-12.2c
Did you u se appropriate and varied transitions?
Did you vary the sentence structure and syntax?
Did you clarify the relationships among complex ideas
and concepts?
Evidence/Support
W.11-12.2b
Did you develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the
most significant and relevant facts?
Analysis
W.11-12.2b
Did you use extended definitions, concrete details,
quotations, or other information and examples
appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic?
Structure
W.11-12.2f
Did you provide a concluding statement or section that
follows from and supports the information presented?
Command of Language
W.11-12.2d
Did you use precise language, domain-specific
vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile,
and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic?
5
4
3
2
1
W.11-12.5
Did you strengthen your writing by planning, revising,
editing, and rewriting?
Did you consider trying a new approach, focusing on
addressing what is most significant for a specific
purpose and audience?
L.11-12.1
Did you observe the conventions of standard English
grammar and usage when writing?
L.1-12.2
Did you observe the conventions of standard English
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing?
L.11-12.3
Did you apply knowledge of language, make effective
choices for meaning or style, and vary syntax for effect?
NOTE: The following writing standards are not specifically addressed in this lesson.
W.11-12.1 - Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and
sufficient evidence.
W.11-12.3 - Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and wellstructured event sequences.
W.11-12.6 - Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage
of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.
W.11-12.7 - Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a
problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of
the subject under investigation.
W.11-12.8 - Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess
the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of
ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
W.11-12.9 - Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Informational/Explanatory Writing – Independent Writing Assignment
Comparison Gettysburg Address and Emancipation Proclamation
Grading Criteria – TEACHER SCORING RUBRIC - 11 - 12 ELA
Informational/explanatory writing conveys information accurately. This kind of writing serves one or more closely related purposes: to increase readers’ knowledge of a subject, to help readers
better understand a procedure or process, or to provide readers with an enhanced comprehension of a concept. Informational/explanatory writing includes a wide array of genres, including
academic genres such as literary analyses, scientific and historical reports, summaries, and précis writing as well as forms of workplace and functional writing such as instructions, manuals, memos,
reports, applications, and resumes. (Appendix A, 23 http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_A.pdf)
Student Name: ___________________________________________________________________________ Period: ___________________ Final Score: ____________/30
Criterion
With practice, students become better able to develop a controlling idea and a
coherent focus on a topic and more skilled at selecting and incorporating relevant
examples, facts, and details into their writing.
They are also able to use a variety of techniques to convey information, such as
naming, defining, describing, or differentiating different types or parts; comparing
or contrasting ideas or concepts; and citing an anecdote or a scenario to illustrate a
point.
Response to Prompt/Thesis
W.11-12.2a - Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information
so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole;
include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia
when useful to aiding comprehension.
W.11-12.2e - Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while
attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
W.11-12.4 - Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,
organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Organization
W.11-12.2a - Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so
that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole;
include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia
when useful to aiding comprehension.
W.11-12.2c- Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major
sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex
ideas and concepts.
Evidence/Support
W.11-12.2b - Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and
relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information
and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
Level 5
Level 4
Level 3
Level 2
Level 1
Superior
Solid
Partial
Limited
Very Limited
Exceeds
expectations
Above
expectations
Meets
expectations
Approaching
expectations
Does not meet
expectations
5
4
3
2
1
skillful
purposeful style
5
competent
appropriate style
4
adequate
sufficient style
3
logical order
skillful use of
transitions/syntax
sequences
purposefully
masterful parallel
construction
appropriate order
proficient use of
transitions/ syntax
sequences logically
obvious parallel
construction
some order
some use of
transitions/syntax
sequences
minimally
some elements of
parallelism
5
4
3
insightful
cohesive
skillful control with
evidence, citations
and/or quotes
thorough
cohesive
strong control with
evidence, citations
and/or quotes
sufficient
some cohesion
control with some
evidence, citations
and/or quotes
limited
inconsistent style
2
limited order
inappropriate use of
transitions/syntax
sequences illogically
little parallel
construction
2
inappropriate
superficial
lacks cohesion
little specific
information with
few citations and/or
quotes
inadequate
attempts, but fails
at style
1
lacks order
inadequate use of
transitions/syntax
fails to sequence
no evidence of
parallel
construction
1
insufficient
irrelevant
no evidence of
specific
information,
citations and/or
quotes
Analysis
W.11-12.2b - Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and
5
4
3
relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information
and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
complex thinking
thorough
seamless
Structure
5
4
3
effective closure
meaningful,
reflective
conclusion
closure
conclusion follows
implications
sense of closure
conclusion
partially supports
explanation
W.11-12.2f- Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and
supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or
the significance of the topic).
Command of Language
W.11-12.2d - Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such
as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.
W.11-12.5 - Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing,
rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant
for a specific purpose and audience.
L.11-12.1 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar
and usage when writing or speaking.
L.1-12.2 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
L.11-12.3 - Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in
different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend
more fully when reading or listening.
some complex
thinking
relevant
5
4
mature language
skillful use of
domain specific
terms
exemplary
command of
conventions
appropriate
language
domain specific
terms
command of
conventions
simplistic thinking
appropriate
3
inconsistent
language
some domain
specific terms
inconsistent
command of
conventions
2
flawed thinking
minimal
2
weak closure
inadequate
conclusion
2
limited language
few domain specific
terms
limited command of
conventions
1
inaccurate thinking
irrelevant
illogical
1
no evident closure
lacks conclusion
1
inappropriate
language
insufficient use of
domain specific
terms
weak command of
conventions
NOTE: The following writing standards are not specifically addressed in this lesson.
W.11-12.1 - Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
W.11-12.3 - Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
W.11-12.6 - Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to
other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.
W.11-12.7 - Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the
inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
W.11-12.8 - Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in
answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.