Brainstorming

Working in groups of 3-4 students, have students brainstorm a list of current-event issues that present a debatable topic or a topic in which parties agree on the problem but disagree on the solution. Then, ask groups to share out their list with the whole class either by creating a gallery walk of their list, having students offer their top three items to the whole class to be added to the board, or via a collaborative technology platform such as Nearpod.

Individual Research

Each student should select a topic from the list provided by the class or, in the alternative, they may propose a topic to the teacher for his/her approval.  To be effective, all topics must contain a debatable aspect, either in the form of a pro/con issue or in the form of differing approaches to the same issue (this connects to the differing approaches taken by various Civil Rights leaders studied in the anchor lesson, "The Fire Next Time").

Over the next several weeks, students will engage in research connected to both sides of their issue (or multiple approaches to resolving their issue). They will then write a research paper that includes the following items:

1) their position on the issue/preferred approach to the issue prior to beginning their research and what factors contributed to that position (for example, family, religious values, news, friends, etc.).

2) research and analysis into one side (or approach) to their issue that incorporates evidence from at least three reliable outside sources.

3) research and analysis into the other side (or into a different approach) to their issue that incorporates evidence from at least three reliable outside sources.

4) a concluding paragraph that explores where their position currently stands now that they have conducted fair and balanced research into two perspectives with some evaluation into how they arrived at that conclusion. This paragraph should also identify and respectfully overcome the counterargument, again, being sure to pull in evidence to support their position.

Evaluation

Depending on instructional needs, teachers may elect to evaluate learning on several components of this assessment including:

* Planning/Organizing Ideas for Writing

* Supporting Arguments with Evidence

* Evaluating the Reliability of Sources

* Research

* Revision Process

* Peer/Self-Evaluation

* Writing For a Variety of Audiences and Purposes