UNIT X 106 | UNIT 3 Instructional Routine: Language Arts p. Txxix Essential Question: How can a letter persuade people to do something? Ask the Essential Question and give students a chance to discuss their ideas in pairs before sharing them with the whole class. ANSWERS Sample answers: A letter can explain how a problem will affect the writer negatively and what the reader can do to stop that negative effect. If someone is warned about a problem and what they can do about it, they may be persuaded to act. A Persuasive Text • Recognize and analyze genre Ask: What is a persuasive text? (A persuasive text tries to convince the reader that the writer’s opinion is correct and to then take action based upon that opinion.) What features does a persuasive text have? (It contains an opinion, reasons that support the opinion, and a call to action.) Draw students’ attention to the Text Genre box. Read the information aloud as the students read along silently. • Preview and predict Have students preview the title, the photo, and the letter. Ask: What do you think this persuasive text is about? What opinion will be offered in this text? Tell students that they will listen to the persuasive text more than once so they can check and confirm their predictions. Then play the audio, asking students to listen for the general idea before looking at the words. Review the persuasive text with the class. Have students underline the writer’s opinions and circle the action(s) the writer wants the reader to take. • Listen actively Play the audio a second time. Ask students to read along silently and check their predictions. Have volunteers share whether their predictions were correct. • B Demonstrate understanding by responding to questions Read the questions aloud. Clarify unfamiliar vocabulary by searching for it in context. Then have students work in pairs to use information from the letter to complete Activity B. ANSWERS Sample answers: 1. Marta wants the city council to save Community Farm by buying the land from the owners. 2. Marta wants to save the farm because people need jobs at the farm, they sell fresh fruits and vegetables, and the farm is good for the environment. 3. Marta wants people to call the city council members to tell them to save the land. Yes, I think it will work. The city council members will realize how important Community Farm is to the local community. EXPLORE AND LEARN PRACTICE DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION Scaffold Provide students with sentence stems to help answer the questions in Activity B. Model how to find information from the letter and make notes for each question. Then use the stem and your notes to answer question 1. Support students as they continue with the remaining questions and stems. 1. Marta wants the city council to _______. 2. Marta wants to save Community Farm because _________ 3. The call to action is to ____________. I think it will ____________. Amplify Have students write a letter to the editor stating whether they agree or disagree with Marta. They should include their opinion and evidence to support that opinion. UNIT 3 / CONNECT TO LANGUAGE ARTS Persuasive Text A Read the letter to the editor. B Talk about it 1. What does Marta want the city council to do? 2. What are the reasons that Marta wants to save the Community Farm? 3. What does Marta want the readers to do in the call to action? Do you think it will work? Save Our Community Farm! Dear Editor, We are losing an important part of our heritage. This area was rich in agriculture in the past. Now we might lose one of the only farms we have left. The owners of Community Farm are selling their land to a company that wants to construct new houses. This community needs this farm. I urge the city council to buy the land from the owners. Then, we can keep this farm for our community. People depend on Community Farm. Many people work on the farm and need the jobs. The Community Breadbasket sells the fruits and vegetables from the farm. We’re a rural community, so it can be hard to get fresh food. The food from the farm is cheaper than the food at the local supermarkets, and it’s also healthier. This land also supports our environment. Many different plants use the carbon dioxide we breathe out. They return oxygen to us, so the farm helps keep our air clean. There is still time to do something. Please call our city council members and tell them to save Community Farm. We want future generations to benefit from this land, so we should encourage the city council to buy it. We must save Community Farm! Sincerely, Marta Sanchez How can a letter persuade people to do something? ? ESSENTIAL QUESTION TEXT GENRE A Letter to the Editor In a letter to the editor, the writer states and supports an opinion. The writer wants you to agree. Sometimes, the writer wants you to act. This letter to the editor includes: • the writer’s opinion • reasons that support the opinion • a call to action (what the reader can do) UNIT 3 106 CONNECT TO Language Arts
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