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Lesson 7

We will write a multiparagraph response that presents and explains a claim that addresses the following question:

In what ways did the Farm Security Administration and photographs such as Migrant Mother influence American society, public opinion, and politics?

Lesson Goals

Reading and Knowledge

  • Gather and Organize Evidence: How well do I gather evidence from texts on the subject of Lange’s photojournalism to support my claim?

Writing

  • Form Claims: How well do I develop and clearly communicate a meaningful and defensible claim about how photojournalism influences politics, as developed in texts about Lange’s photography?
  • Develop Ideas: How well do I sequence and group sentences and paragraphs and use devices, techniques, descriptions, reasoning, evidence, and visual elements to establish coherent, logical, and well-developed narratives, explanations, and arguments?

Texts

Core

  • Unit Reader
    • “How Photography Defined the Great Depression,” Annette McDermott, A&E Television Networks, LLC., 2018

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read – Discuss

We will review our claims, tools, and lists of evidence to prepare for drafting our essays.

Review your claims, tools, and planning notes to remind yourself about what you want to say in your expository essay that responds to the Section Diagnostic question.

With a partner, talk out what you intend to write in your draft. Ask and respond to constructive and clarifying questions.

Activity 2: Write

We will draft our multi-paragraph responses to the Section Diagnostic using the Forming Evidence-Based Claims Tool and the planning notes we developed.

Using the Forming Evidence-Based Claims Tool and your planning notes, draft a two- to three-paragraph response to the task question.

Activity 3: Write

We will revise our rough drafts and submit polished products to our teacher.

Review and revise your rough draft so that it represents your best and clearest writing and so that it meets the expectations on the Section 2 Diagnostic Checklist. Use the following questions to guide your revisions:

  1. Does my response clearly and strongly communicate a claim about the influences of photojournalism on public opinion and politics?

  2. Does my response include information about the Great Depression, the Farm Security Administration, Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother photo, and any other photjournalists I have studied to provide historical and political context?

  3. Does my response describe specific visual details from Lange’s photos (or those of other photojournalists)?

  4. Does my response present a supporting claim about the role of the Farm Security Administration and photographers like Dorothea Lange in influencing public opinion?

  5. Does my response use effective paragraph organization, sentence development, language, and conventions to clearly communicate my explanation?

Activity 4: Write – Discuss

We will reflect on our work on the Section Diagnostic and assess how prepared we are for the Culminating Task.

Step 1

Choose at least three of the questions below regarding the Section Diagnostic and respond to them in your Learning Log:

  1. How well did you take necessary action to prepare for the task?

  2. What went well for you during the completion of this task?

  3. What did you struggle with during the completion of this task? How did you push through these struggles?

  4. How well did you actively focus your attention during this independent task?

  5. How well did you develop and use an effective and efficient process to maintain workflow during this task?

  6. What would you do differently during the next Section Diagnostic?

Step 2

Now, find your Culminating Task Progress Tracker Think about the knowledge you have gained and the skills you have practiced thus far in the unit. Use the Culminating Task Progress Tracker to do the following:

  • Add or refine any skills and content knowledge required for the Culminating Task.

  • Evaluate how well you are mastering the skills and knowledge required for the Culminating Task.

Step 3

Review the Central Question of the unit:

How do images change the world?

Use the following questions to guide a discussion with a partner or small group:

  1. What new knowledge do you have that relates to the Central Question?

  2. What are you still curious about that relates to the Central Question?

  3. What is the relationship between the Central Question and the texts you have read so far? How do the texts shed light on the question? How does the question help you understand the texts?

  4. How has your response to the question evolved, deepened, or changed?

In your Learning Log, write your response to Question 4. You will return to this response in later lessons to examine how your understanding of the Central Question has evolved.