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Lesson 9

We will work with mentor sentences to deepen our understanding of the excerpt from Machiavelli’s The Prince and introduce more varied sentence structures in our writing.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I gather and organize relevant and sufficient evidence to demonstrate an understanding of texts and topics, support claims, and develop ideas about change agents?

  • Can I recognize and interpret an author’s use of rhetorical strategies to deepen my understanding of texts about change agents?

  • Can I summarize evidence-based discussions about change agents?

  • Can I develop and clearly communicate meaningful and defensible claims that represent valid, evidence-based analyses of texts about change agents?

Texts

Core

  • Unit Reader
    • Excerpt from The Prince, Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli, Gutenberg.org, 1532

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read – Discuss – Write

In groups, we will explore a mentor periodic sentence to illuminate how sentence structure can have a strong impact on writing and speaking.

A periodic sentence is a sentence in which an author waits until the last part to make the main point. The last word is often the most important word in the sentence. A periodic sentence is an effective sentence to write in order to build suspense to the main point.

Read the following periodic sentence from The Prince and write it in your Mentor Sentence Journal:

It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things. (para. 3)

In your group, discuss the structure of the sentence. Respond to the following questions:

  1. What is the key idea of the sentence?

  2. Where is the key idea located?

  3. What is the tone of the sentence?

  4. How does the author’s use of commas impact the tone and meaning of the sentence?

  5. How does the author’s use of the words nothing more and nor impact the tone and meaning?

  6. How could you use the periodic sentence structure in your own writing?

Summarize your answers in your Learning Log.

Activity 2: Write

We will use a mentor periodic sentence as a model for crafting our own periodic sentences.

Work as a class to write a mentor periodic sentence with your teacher. Work in your groups or in pairs to write a periodic sentence about change agents in your Mentor Sentence Journal:

  • Share your periodic sentence with another pair or group.

  • Share your example with the class.

Activity 3: Discuss

We will return to our summary of the excerpt from the previous lesson and work with a new partner to make revisions as necessary.

Find a new partner you have not yet worked with and find your summary of The Prince from the previous lesson. With your partner, compare summaries and address the following questions:

  1. Is the summary accurate? If not, what should be changed or added to make it accurate?

  2. Is the summary clear? If not, what language can be added or changed to make it more clear?

Revise your summary with any necessary changes based on peer feedback.

Activity 4: Discuss

We will solidify our understanding of the excerpt, including understanding the author’s craft and purpose, as well as the characteristics of change agents explored in the text.

You and your partner will join with another group. In your new groups, share highlights from your discussion about the excerpt and your summaries. Follow the directions below:

  1. In your Learning Logs, summarize key information about the excerpt from The Prince (e.g., craft, purpose, and any characteristics of change agents explored in the text).

  2. Return to your personal definition of a change agent. Add to your definition of a change agent based on the information you gleaned from this text.

  3. Using your Forming Evidence-Based Claims Tool, form an evidence-based claim about change agents using new information from The Prince. Consider using the following guiding question: Based on the excerpt, what trait does Machiavelli claim is important when fighting for change?

Activity 5: Read

For homework, we will review the section 1 diagnostic checklist to prepare for the Section Diagnostic in the next lesson.

For homework, read the Section 1 Diagnostic Checklist. Review your notes taken during this section, thinking about the term change agent. Consider the characteristics change agents demonstrate. Have you collected evidence from the texts in this section to be able to help you respond to the prompt?

Review your Vocabulary Journal and Mentor Sentence Journal. Identify a significant word or words that you would like to use in your response to the Section Diagnostic. Select at least one technique that you plan to use when writing your response to the Section Diagnostic.