This lesson plan is for a 9th grade Honors English class where students will analyze two articles and develop a central idea for one of the articles. The lesson goals are for students to analyze the articles, develop a central idea supported by evidence, analyze writing strategies, and create an organizer. Students will read one article silently, discuss possible central ideas and strategies in groups, and create an organizer. The instructor will provide guidance and answer questions. Students will be assessed based on their participation in class activities and their written central idea essay in the next lesson. The lesson is designed to provide practice for a future assessment based on social cognitive theory of learning from peers.

1. Name: Kelley McDonald Subject/Course: 9th Grade Honors English
Unit: Central Idea Essay Grade Level: 9 Lesson: 1 of 3
Stage 1—Desired Results
Goals:
 Analyze the articles “Love and Hatred” by unknown and “Inside the Teenage Brain” by
unknown.
 Develop a central idea for the selected article.
 Discover and develop textual evidence to support the central idea.
 Analyze the author’s work and make an inference on the strongest writing strategy used.
 Develop a graphic organizer to sort all the material gathered.
NY’s Common Core Standards:
 RI 9-10.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
 RI 9-10.2: Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course
of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide
an objective summary of the text.
 W 9-10.1.A: Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or
opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among
claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
NCTE Standards:
5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process
elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and
punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss
print and non-print texts.
Understandings:
 Students will analyze an assigned
article.
 Students will develop a claim for that
assigned article.
 Students will analyze the article and
make an inference on the strongest
writing strategy used.
 Students will analyze evidence to
support that claim.
Essential Questions:
 How can love and hatred affect one’s life?
 How can love and hatred be similar
emotions?
 How can love and hatred be opposite
emotions?
 How can a teenager’s developing brain
affect his or her actions?
 How do parents affect a developing
teenage brain?
Objectives:
 Students will be able to read his or her article silently.
 Students will be able to develop a central idea within an assigned group.
 Students will be able to analyze various writing strategies and make an inference on which
is strongest.
 Students will be able to develop supporting evidence for that claim with his or her
assigned groups.
 Students will be able to disagree with group members, as long as he or she is able to
support his or her claim.

2.  Students will be able to make a graphic organizer to organize materials found.
Prior Academic Learning & Students’ Personal/Cultural/Community Assets:
The students have written multiple Central Idea essays and are clear of the standards. They will
be assessed in the future and must write a Central Idea essay; therefore this lesson is excellent
practice for them to develop the skills needed to do well on future assessments. The group setting
enables students to share ideas, which instills confidence if he or she struggles with central
writing assignments. This is the ideal situation for a student who struggles with central writing
assignments because he or she is able to listen to a stronger student’s ideas and incorporate those
into his or her own.
Stage 2- Assessment Evidence
Performance Tasks:
 Students will read their assigned
article individually and silently.
 Students will work together to
analyze the author’s work and
develop possible central ideas.
 Students will work together to
analyze the author’s work and
develop possible writing strategies.
 Students will work together to
complete a graphic organizer to
organize the material found and
needed to complete the writing
assignment the following day.
Other Evidence:
 Informal assessments will be made
throughout the class. I will be observing
the various activities revolving around the
class.
 The formal assessment will be made
through the central idea writing the
students wrote in lesson two of this lesson
sequence.
Stage 3—Learning Plan
Instructor (will…) Students (will…) Approx. Time
 Review the requirements to
complete a central writing
assignment.
 Listen to the directions of the
central writing assignment.
5 minutes
 Circulate around the classroom
while remaining available to
answer questions that need
clarification
 Read the selected article
silently.
5 minutes
 Circulate around the classroom
while remaining available to
answer questions that need
clarification.
 Analyze the article and
develop possible central ideas
and writing strategies used by
the author.
33 minutes
 Collect all the material used
during class.
 Write down any reminding
ideas and hand in all the
material used..
2 minutes

3. Instructional Resources and Materials:
Instructional Materials & Resources:
 Central Idea Writing Worksheet
 “Love and Hatred” article
 “Inside the Teenage Brain” article
 Graphic Organizer
Student Materials:
 Pen/pencil
 Copy of Central Idea Writing Worksheet
 Assigned article
 Graphic Organizer
Supporting Diverse Student Strengths, Needs and Interests:
 There are no students in this particular class that require state-mandated accommodations.
Relevant Research & Theories that Inform Effective Pedagogy and Justify Your
Instructional Design:
Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes the importance of “student’s frequent
access to models of knowledge, skills and behaviors that are expected of them.” Allowing the
students to work in predetermined groups enables the higher performing students to take a lead
role and become a model for those whom is less performing. It is my job as an instructor to
encourage positive behavior and put bad behavior to a stop, so students are able to model what is
correct and incorrect behavior within my classroom.