Overview

The focus of this week’s activities is on co-constructing Arguments of Fact with the Slip or Trip? text. Students will closely read the text to understand and construct evidence-warrant relations, as well as draw on the reader’s experiences. Students will understand that evidence drives the argument, informing the kinds of claims that can be made. Additionally, students will engage in establishing criteria for judging interpretations.

Day 1

Sources
Slip or Trip? Image
Slip or Trip? Text and Image

Activities
1. Begin by introducing the context of the Slip or Trip? problem while distributing the Slip or Trip? Image to the students. Introduce this by saying, “Alright, detectives, we have been called in to investigate the death of John Muir. I want you take a close look at this image and record your thoughts. These include things you notice, things that confuse you, and even questions you have.”

  • Give students 5-7 minutes to annotate the image independently.TC_Bubble
  • Then, distribute the Slip or Trip? Text and Image. Ask students to closely read the text and annotate as they read. Give students 5-10 minutes to read and annotate the text. After reading the text, students may have additional insights related to the image. These insights should be recorded on the Slip or Trip? Text and Image page.TC_Bubble

2. Students move into small groups. Provide each group with a clean copy of the Slip or Trip? Image. Ask students to document the observations they came to consensus on and any new understandings that they came to as a group.

Day 2

Sources
Slip or Trip? Text and Image

Materials
Slip or Trip? Evidence Organizer
The Language of Rules: Sentence Stems Anchor Chart
The Language of Rules: Sentence Stems Handout
The Architecture of an Argument Anchor Chart
The Architecture of an Argument Handout

Activities
1. Have students move into their small groups, and pass out Slip or Trip? Evidence Organizer.
2. Teacher introduces Evidence Organizer by explaining each column. Introduce this by saying, “All of you detectives should have an evidence organizer in front. Please note on the left side you have a column marked evidence. On the right side, you have a column marked Rule: Why it’s important? As crime scene investigators, remember, we’re trying to figure out if John slipped and fell accidentally or if he was tripped and murdered.”

  • As a whole class, prompt students to share out evidence by asking, “Looking at all the evidence you’ve collected, what’s one piece of evidence you’d like to share?” Allow students to share out a piece of evidence until a student volunteers the evidence that John still had a glass in his hand. If students do not volunteer this immediately, collect student responses until this piece of evidence is communicated. Then probe by asking,”Why is this important? What would you expect to happen to the glass in John’s hand? Why?”
  • As a class, work through 1-2 examples together. For each example, students should be probed on their thinking until they produce the appropriate rule, or warrant (e.g. you would expect a person who fell down the stairs to drop what they were holding).
  • Pass out the Language of Rules: Sentence Stems Handout and the Architecture of an Argument Handout and briefly each. Students will refer to these handouts repeatedly throughout the module.
  • Have students work in small groups to complete the Evidence Organizers.TC_Bubble

Day 3

Materials
Guidelines for Crime Scene Report: Slip or Trip: Writing up the argument
The Architecture of an Argument Anchor Chart

Activities
1. Have students move back into their small groups.
2. To prepare groups for writing, provide an overview to the class on how to complete a crime scene report by saying, “Alright detectives, today we’re going to compile all of our evidence and observations into a crime scene investigative report. Who would be the audience of a report like this? What would we need to explain to that audience?”

  • Document student responses on chart paper.
  • Distribute and discuss the Guidelines for Crime Scene Report: Slip or Trip: Writing up the argument
  • Model the first two sentences of the essay for students: We arrived at the home of John and Rachel Muir on April 1st, 2014 at 2:30 a.m. Upon entry, we found John Muir laying at the bottom of the main stairs on his back, face up, with his feet on the third step.
  • Finally, instruct groups to begin drafting their group paper by following the guidelines handout. Monitor small groups as they work to develop arguments of fact.TC_Bubble

3. Before the end of the class, bring students back together and continue to add terms to anchor chart (e.g. claim, backing/reasoning, warrants).TC_Bubble
4. Collect the working drafts from each group.

Day 4

Materials
Guidelines for Crime Scene Report: Slip or Trip: Writing up the argument
The Architecture of an Argument Anchor Chart

Activities
1. Have students get back into their small groups and pass back each group’s draft. Tell the students that they should work to have a full rough draft completed by the end of the period.
2. Prompt groups to continue working on their drafts as a group, following the guidelines handout. During this time, circulate to each group and provide guidance as needed.TC_Bubble
3. Before the end of class, collect completed drafts from groups and tell students that you will provide feedback on their drafts before the next class session. The small groups will be given another period (the following class) to produce a final crime scene investigative report.TC_Bubble

Day 5

Materials
Guidelines for Crime Scene Report: Slip or Trip: Writing up the argument
The Architecture of an Argument Anchor Chart

Activities
1. Have students return to their small groups and distribute the drafts with feedback.
2. Prompt the groups to read the feedback carefully and work to revise their drafts and write their final Crime Scene Investigation Report during today’s class.
3. Circulate to group’s during the period to support their discussions and writing.
4. At the end of class, collect the group’s final investigations.