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Lesson 9

We will take a position about the viability of a chosen agricultural practice and explain how it is or is not effective, safe, and sustainable in addressing global food challenges.

Lesson Goals

Reading and Knowledge

  • Gather and Organize Evidence: How well do I gather and organize relevant and sufficient evidence to demonstrate an understanding of topics such as organic agriculture and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and argue claims about them?
  • Delineate Argumentation: How well do I identify the claims, reasoning, and evidence used to develop arguments and explanations about the current state and future of the food system?

Writing

  • Form Claims: How well do I develop and clearly communicate meaningful and defensible claims about the food system that represent valid, evidence-based analysis of the two texts I have chosen?
  • Develop Ideas: How well do I sequence and group sentences and paragraphs and use reasoning and evidence to establish coherent, logical, and well-developed arguments?

Texts

There are no texts for this Lesson.

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read

With partners, we will briefly review the Delineating Arguments Tool we drafted to prepare for the Section Diagnostic.

With a writing partner, use your draft of the Delineating Arguments Tool to overview the argument you have developed and intend to explain for the Section Diagnostic.

Identify the area of improvement you want to focus on based on how you did on the previous Section Diagnostic.

Based on feedback from your partner, determine any changes you might want to make to your draft plan.

Activity 2: Write

We will develop a final draft of a Delineating Arguments Tool.

Access a clean copy of the Delineating Arguments Tool.

Transfer and revise your notes from the tool you used to plan your argument as homework. Make sure that you have expressed your answers, claims, and explanations in complete sentences. (Note: Your teacher will evaluate this tool as part of your Section Diagnostic.)

Activity 3: Write

We will write a well-developed explanation of our position about the viability of an agricultural practice, as delineated in the Delineating Arguments Tool.

Review the Section 2 Diagnostic Checklist.

Using your revised Delineating Arguments Tool as an outline, write an explanation of the position you have taken in response to the following question:

  1. In what ways is an agricultural practice either viable or not viable within our food system?

As you write, keep in mind expectations found on the Section 2 Diagnostic Checklist, including the bulleted list.

Activity 4: Write

We will revise our responses.

Review the Section 2 Diagnostic Checklist expectations. Reread and revise your explanation in light of these expectations and the area of improvement you identified from the Section 1 Diagnostic.

Activity 5: Read

We will reflect on our work on the Section Diagnostic and assess our progress toward the Culminating Task.

Step 1

Choose at least three of the questions below 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 that struggle?

  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?

Review your Culminating Task Progress Tracker. Think about all you have learned and done during this section of the unit. Evaluate your skills and knowledge to determine your progress toward the Culminating Task, and add or refine any skills and content knowledge required for the Culminating Task.

Step 2

Review the Central Question of the unit:

How do we feed a growing population in a viable way?

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

  1. What new knowledge do you have in relation to the Central Question?

  2. What are you still curious about in relation to the Central Question?

  3. What is the relationship between the 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 3. You will return to this response in later lessons to examine how your understanding of the Central Question has evolved.