Common Core Interactive Journals: Standards RI.8 and RI.9 Trace and Compare Arguments

So sorry for the delay about Common Core interactive reading journals.  I recently started working with adorable kindergarten students, so things have been so hectic.  Plus, I have just started assisting with high school students.  Nonetheless, things have been busy.  It has been fun, and I appreciate every second of it.

This post deals with Common Core Standard RI.8 Evaluate and Trace an Argument and RI.9 Compare Arguments.    The .8 version of this standard only exists in informational text.  At the primary grade levels, the goal is to get students to determine if an author fully defends his or her ideas.  By the middle school levels, students should be able to analyze how the author makes his or her points.  Eventually, the students are expected to use and analyze rhetoric in writing by the end of high school.

This is the foldable that my students will be handed for their journals.  Once school begins next week, we will start this unit by looking at the different types of fallacies that speakers make.  Although Common Core does not expect students to know these terms by name at late elementary or middle school, this extra boost at these levels will help them get higher ACT and SAT scores later (which is really the goal of Common Core).  

My goals are to help students analyze the points made in an essay or speech and use different techniques when they write.  This will help them cover all bases with Common Core.  

  

This is the foldable that I have as an example for them.  After we analyze the arguments that writers have made in essays and other types of informational text, we will move on to Common Core Standard RI.9 which asks students to compare arguments by two different speakers.

We will eventually move on Common Core argument writing where students will write their own argument (persuasive) essays.  

This is the type of chalk marker that I use for the journal writing.  Black cardstock paper is used too.  These markers come in white, light and dark blue, orange and green.

This is the graphic organizers, question answering frames, and wall chart document that I use while teaching the standards.  I have one for most grade levels. This document helps me track student progress, provides students with sentence starters for answering Common Core questions, and contains graphic organizers that are aligned to the standards.  Click Here For More Information At Your Grade Level