LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Goal 3

The learner will refine the understanding and use of argument.

Objective 3.01

Analyze a variety of public documents that establish a position or point of view by:

  • monitoring comprehension for understanding of what is read, heard and /or viewed.
  • identifying the arguments and positions stated or implied and the evidence used to support them.
  • recognizing bias, emotional factors, and/or semantic slanting.
  • examining the effectiveness of style, tone, and use of language.
  • summarizing the author's purpose and stance.
  • examining the importance and impact of establishing a position or point-of-view.
  • making connections between works, self and related topics.
  • drawing inferences.
  • responding to public documents (such as but not limited to editorials, reviews, local/state/national policies/issues).

Resources aligned to this objective

Interdisciplinary Integrated Unit on DNA/Genetics Part C: Language Arts
The third lesson of an interdisciplinary integrated unit on DNA and genetics, focusing on language arts. The first two lessons in the unit focus on science and math.
Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts and Information Skills)
By Jane Lentz, Jimmy White, Marlene Smith, and Tori Goldrick.

Resources on the web

Where Do Your Possessions Come From?
Students learn about the Earth's natural resources and the ways that people use these resources. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
Provided by: National Geographic
Products across borders
In this lesson, students identify foreign products available in the United States and learn about U.S. companies that sell products abroad. The students discuss globalization and illustrate two maps to show where products come from and where they're sold. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
Provided by: National Geographic
Points of view in the news
Students will read articles from National Geographic News and answer questions describing each article's source, purpose, and viewpoint. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 7–8 English Language Arts)
Provided by: National Geographic
Persuading an audience: Writing effective letters to the editor
Students write a persuasive letter to the editor of a newspaper, focusing on a current local or national issue. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 7–8 and 10 English Language Arts)
Provided by: IRA/NCTE
The penny problem
Students explore possibilities for “phasing out” the penny from the United States money supply. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)
Provided by: National Council on Economic Education
Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Power of Nonviolence
This lesson introduces students to Martin Luther King, Jr.'s philosophy of nonviolence and the teachings of Mohandas K. Gandhi that influenced King's views. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 7–8 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
Provided by: National Endowment for the Humanities
Imagine that! Playing with genre through newspapers and short stories
Introduce students to one form of expository writing: news briefs and articles. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts)
Provided by: IRA/NCTE
Geography and your dream job
Introduces students to the five themes of geography. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
Provided by: National Geographic
Entering history: Nikki Giovanni and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Students study the social impact of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech by reading Nikki Giovanni’s poem “The Funeral of Martin Luther King, Jr.”. Students complete a close reading of the text of King's speech and... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Critical literacy: Point of view
Students learn to look at texts from different viewpoints. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 English Language Arts)
Provided by: IRA/NCTE
Campaigning for fair use: Public service announcements on copyright awareness
In this lesson that introduces issues of fair usage and copyright laws, students create audio public service announcements that can be broadcast over the school's public address system or published as podcasts on the Internet. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 7–8 English Language Arts)
Provided by: IRA/NCTE
Analyzing advice as an introduction to Shakespeare
Students read and analyze the advice given in Mary Schmich's 1997 Chicago Tribune column “Advice, Like Youth, Probably Just Wasted on the Young,” as an introduction to studying the advice that Polonius gives to Laertes in Shakespeare's Hamlet. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts)
Provided by: IRA/NCTE