Applying Standards Based Constructivism:
A Two-Step Guide for Motivating Students
Using Non-Fiction and Graphic Material

Popular Name: Using Non-Fiction and Graphic Materials
Grade Level: 9th Grade
Discipline:English Language Arts
Standards: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding
Learning Objectives:
Students will draw upon written and graphic information to construct a persuasive piece of writing. 
EXPLORATORY PHASE:
Students will reflect on and share their past experiences related to a specific topic, e.g. roadway safety.
DISCOVERY PHASE:
Performance Task
  • Students will use the information contained in an article and its accompanied graphic, as well as their personal experience, to write a letter to the appropriate authority requesting action be taken or offering suggestions.
  • The letters will be peer-reviewed using a State assessment rubric the students have rewritten in their own language.
  • The revised letter will be sent to the appropriate authority. 

Using Non-Fiction and Graphic Material
Popular Name: Using Non-Fiction and Graphic Materials
Grade Level: 9th Grade
Discipline:English Language Arts
Standards and Performance Indicators Context
 
ELA Standard 1
Language for Information and Understanding
  • Write and present research reports features, articles, and thesis/support papers on a variety of topics related to all school subjects.
  • Present a controlling idea that conveys an individual perspective and insight into the topic.
  • Use a wide variety of organizational patterns such as chronological, logical, cause and effect, and comparison/contrast.
  • Revise and improve earlier drafts by reconstructing, correcting errors, and revising for clarity and effect.
  • Using standard English skillfully, applying established rules and conventions for presenting information and making use of a wide range of grammatical constructions and vocabulary to achieve an individual style that communicates effectively. 
  • Understand the purpose of writing; for example, explain, describe, narrate, persuade, and express feelings.
  • Use tone and language appropriate for audience and purpose.
Core Curriculum Outline Connection
  • Use both primary and secondary sources of information for research.
  • Select and limit topics for informational writing.
  • Analyze and integrate data, facts, and ideas to communicate information.
  • Apply new information to situations.
  • Use paraphrasing and quotations in order to communicate information most effectively.
  • Use charts, graphs, and diagrams to support and illustrate informational text.
Learning Objectives (which will become the dimensions of the assessment’s rubric.)
Students will draw upon written and graphic information to construct a persuasive piece of writing.  
EXPLORATORY PHASE
(estimated time:  10 minutes)
Reflection on past experience
  • The teacher invites the students to form groups of three
  • In groups, students reflect on past experience related to the topic that will be explored in the Performance Task. For example, if the topic is going to be related to roadway safety, the teacher asks the students to reflect on experiences they or someone they know have had with regard to roadway safety.
  • The reflections are then the subject of a report-out/debrief.
DISCOVERY PHASE
Estimated time: the lesson takes between two or three class periods depending on how many parts of it are included.  Approximate times appear below:
  • Initial work on Performance Task: 10 minutes
  • Planned Intervention/Spontaneous Intervention: 10 to 20 minutes
  • Translating the Rubric : 20 minutes
  • Beginning letter: 10 minutes
  • Class Interaction: 5 minutes
  • Peer Review: 10 minutes
  • Rewrites: 15-20 minutes
  • Audience Beyond the Teacher: 0 to 15 minutes
  • Peer Grading: 10 to 20 minutes
Performance Task (including planned interventions and audience beyond the teacher)
  • Students, in groups of three, are provided a newspaper article that includes a graph.
  • The students are to discern:
    • The thesis of the article.
    • How the graph supports the thesis.
    • How the article supports the thesis.
  • The teacher works the room to interact with the groups and engage in spontaneous interventions as needed.
  • Once the thesis related questions are resolved, students individually, write a letter based on the article and incorporating personal experience to the appropriate authority demanding some action and/or offering suggestions. (For example, using a newspaper article on the deaths that are occurring on certain roadways as the basis/context for a letter to the head of the Department of Transportation.)
Planned Intervention/Spontaneous Intervention  
  • At this point the teacher may determine that all or a sizable portion of students could profit from a planned intervention regarding the writing of a business letter.
  • Or offer to provide such a planned intervention for those who identify themselves as in need of such instruction.
  • Of course, the format and structure of a business letter could be put into a rubric and students could use the rubric and an exemplar as guides with the teacher providing spontaneous interventions as the need appears.
Translating the Rubric
  • The rubric that is provided for scoring the letter is the rubric used for the English Regents Exam (Usually given at the end of 9th or 10th grade. Passing this exam is a New York State graduation requirement.)
  • To help the students understand the distinctions expressed in the rubric, the teacher divides the class into four groups.
  • Each group is assigned one of the following dimensions of the scoring rubric: Meaning, Development, Organization, and Language Use.
  • The group is to translate the language of the rubric into common English as that language applies to the letter assignment. (To do this roles need to be assigned: facilitator, timekeeper, scribe/recorder. These roles can be assigned or the groups can choose its own members.)
  • The groups are given a time constraint to move this task along (approx.10 minutes). All that is needed is level 6 but if the groups move along well they can go on down the line to level 5 etc.
  • Once the groups have completed their translation, a jigsaw exercise is used to have members of each group inform the other groups what they have concluded.
  • Following this a whole class debrief is conducted by the teacher to have what has been concluded recapped. This will allow the teacher to record the “consensus” rubric translation. (The teacher transcribes the translated rubric and provides the students copies the following day.)
Class Interaction
  • A few minutes prior to the end of class, the teacher calls on a few students to share what they have written thus far.
  • The teacher assigns the completion of the first draft of the letter for homework.
  • The following day a few more students are called on to share what they have written.
  • To scaffold active listening, students are asked to prepare at least one question for the presenters to answer. 
Peer Review
  • The teacher passes out the translated rubric. 
  • Using the translated rubric, pairs of students review each other’s first drafts and make suggestions.
Rewrites
  • Based on the peer feedback and spontaneous interventions by the teacher, students revise their letters.
Audience Beyond the Teacher
  • Students are given the option of sending their own letter or working with a group of students to come up with a letter that combines the best of their individual efforts to be sent to the authority related to the topic of the original article.
Grading
  • The teacher may wish to grade the individual efforts or the combined efforts or both.
  • The teacher may opt for peer reviewing grading. 
Task Specifications for Developing the Student-Generated Product/Process
  • The letter is to be no more than two pages long.
  • The sources are to be mentioned.
  • The letter is to be in business letter format.
  • The positions taken in the letter must be supported by information contained in both the article and the graph.
  • The letter should incorporate student’s personal prior knowledge.

Assessment of Performance Task
Dimensions
 Criteria for a score of
6
 Criteria for a score of
5
 Criteria for a score of
4
 Criteria for a score of
3
 Criteria for a score of
2
 Criteria for a score of
1
Meaning: The extent to which the response exhibits sound understand-ing, interpretation and analysis of the task. --reveal an in-depth analysis of the documents
--make insightful connections between information and ideas in the documents and the assigned task.
 --convey a thorough understanding of the documents
-- make clear and explicit connections between information and ideas in the documents and the assigned task.
-- convey a basic understanding of the documents
-- make implicit connections between information and ideas in the documents and the assigned task
 -- convey a basic understanding of the documents
-- make few or superficial connections between information and ideas in the documents and the assigned task.
 -- convey a vague or inaccurate  understanding of the documents
-- allude to the documents but make unclear or unwarranted connections to the assigned task.
 --Provide no evidence of   understanding
-- make no connections between information in the documents and the assigned task. 
Development: the extent to which the ideas are elaborated using specific and relevant evidence from the text(s).
 --develop ideas clearly and fully making effective use of a wide range of relevant and specific details from both documents
 --develop ideas clearly and consistently using relevant and specific details from both documents.
--develop ideas inconsistently using relevant details from both documents.
--develop ideas simply, using some details from the documents.
--are largely undeveloped, limiting ideas that are sketchy, vague, irrelevant or repetitive.
--are minimal with no evidence of development.
Organization: The extent to which the response exhibits direction, shape, and coherence.
 ---maintain a clear and appropriate focus
--exhibit a logical coherent structure through effective use of appropriate devices and transitions.
---maintain a clear and appropriate focus
--exhibit a logical sequence of ideas through the use of appropriate devices and transitions
 ---maintain a clear and appropriate focus
--exhibit a rudimentary structure but many include some inconsistencies and irrelevancies

 --establish but fail to maintain an appropriate focus
-- exhibit uneven organization.
-lack an appropriate focus but suggests some organization.
 -- shows no focus or organization
Language Use: The extent to which the response reveals an awareness of audience and purpose through effective use of words, sentences, structure, and sentence variety.
--are stylistically sophisticated using original and precise language with a notable sense of voice and awareness of audience and purpose. – vary structure and length of sentences for effect.
 --use language that is fluid and engaging with some awareness of audience and purpose.


– show consistent use of sentences that are varied in length and structure.
 --use appropriate language with some awareness of audience and purpose.



occasionally vary length and structure. .
 -- rely on language from the documents and basic vocabulary



-- rely on sentences that are unvaried in length and structure.
 --Use language that is imprecise or unsuitable for he audience or purpose.


- rely on sentences that lack variety and may be constructed incorrectly.
--are minimal—use language hat is incoherent or inappropriate



-- violate basic rules of sentence structure.
Conventions: The extent which the response exhibits conventional spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, capitalization, and usage.
demonstrates control of conventions
 demonstrates control of conventions with very few minor errors that have no effect on comprehension
 demonstrates partial control exhibiting errors that occasionally hinder comprehension.
demonstrates partial control exhibiting errors that occasionally hinder comprehension
 demonstrates lack of control exhibiting many errors that make comprehension difficult
 are minimal
—May be illegible or not recognizable as English.
Resources to Be Made Available to Students
  • A newspaper article with accompanying graph.
  • An exemplar of a business letter (optional)
  • A business letter format (optional)
Suggestions for the Teacher
Modifications for special needs students
  • Students can be paired with partners to help with follow through issues. A good rule is to pair all or none of the students.
Additional lessons
  • Writing an original article along the lines of the one that was used as a resource for the letter to the DOT. 
  • An expanded lesson using more complex articles with more complex data displays.
  • Following up the letter to the DOT (or other authority based on the topic involved) with a phone call regarding any action that is going to be taken.
This lesson incorporates ideas found in a learning experience tilted, “Using Non-Fiction and Graphic Material in the Classroom”, created by Sheilah Bobo and Christine Patano, which was per reviewed by the New York State Academy for Teaching and Learning.