This resource provides ideas for administering an argument writing assignment that involves responding to a prompt about the value of a four-year college degree and completing reading or research to find facts to engage with as students support their claim. The information provided is specific to the state of Virginia in terms of both the suggested resources for research and the Virginia Standards of Learning rubric. Teachers can use this to prepare students for the End of Course writing assessment.

In this unit, students will read the novel, A Long Walk to Water, analyzing characterization, plot, and setting in small groups.   Students will read informational text and watch videos about The Lost Boys of Sudan and the water shortage crisis in Sudan to give them background knowledge regarding major events in the novel.   A journaling activity will be used to help students respond to events in the novel.   The unit will culminate with a two voice poem performance based assessment.