• Reading the main-idea statements will indicate if students need additional help at this stage of the writing process.
• Observing students as they find and read sources will allow you to assist those who might need additional practice with these essential skills. Students who might need more practice in identifying the quality of sources can review Criteria for Evaluating Web Sites at http://www.classzone.com/books/research_guide/page_build.cfm?content=web_eval_criteria&state=none.

Being aware of what is happening with individuals at each stage of the writing process will allow you to intervene before students lose too much time.

• The group analysis of students’ outlines will show who needs additional help before beginning to write, and this help can be offered as other students begin to write introductions and conclusions for their articles.
• The first drafts of the articles and the accompanying bibliographies will show whether the entire class needs work in a particular area and if there are individuals who need your assistance.

Focus Question: How do you develop a main-idea statement into a cause-and-effect article?

Part 1

Find an article about a high-interest topic from the class list that was not chosen. Read it to the class as a model of the main-idea statement and its connections to and organization of all other parts of the article. Walk students through these points as a brief overview of the coming lesson.

Tell students that they will be writing the first draft of their cause-and-effect article during this lesson. The article will be about 450–600 words in length, or about one and a half pages, and should have at least three sources.

Students should have approved main-idea statements prior to this lesson.

Go over the steps for preparing their articles and post them in the classroom:

1. Have a main-idea statement approved.
2. Research the focus/main idea.
3. Find at least three sources and have them approved.
4. Organize research information in an outline and have the outline approved.
5. Compose an introductory and a concluding paragraph for the article.
6. Compose the body paragraphs and complete the first draft.
7. Share the draft with classmates.

Provide students with research facilities, either in the classroom, at the library, or computer lab, and at least two hours of class time to do research, so that your assistance or a librarian’s help is available as they work. Use the document Criteria for Evaluating Web Sites (http://www.classzone.com/books/research_guide/page_build.cfm?content=web_eval_criteria&state=none) or use the resources at http://thewritesource.com/judging_sources/ to remind students how to determine the quality of the sources they find while researching. “Once you find a trustworthy source that you want to use, be sure to write down the information you need for your works-cited page before you start taking notes.” Again, review the works-cited format from a handbook or the format used by your school/department; be certain that students have a copy of samples of the expected format.

“After you find your sources and record the works-cited information for them, please bring them to me to check. Then take your notes carefully. After you have read a page or so of information, record the main points that you recall. Put the notes in your own words. Don’t use an exact quotation from the sources unless you place it in quotation marks in your article, and note exactly where you found it (to cite it). If you use it in your article, you will need to use the quotation marks and note the source for the quotation.” (If students do not know about or fully understand plagiarism, review it now.) Give students copies of a note-taking handout, such as the Cornell Notes template (http://resources.chuh.org/literacy/CornellNoteTaking/Cornell%20Note-taking%20Template%20Blank.pdf). If computer access is available, students may use the Student Interactive ReadWriteThink Notetaker. 2010 IRA/NCTE, available from https://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/readwritethink-notetaker-30055.html. Also, research tools can be found with a subscription to NoodleTools at http://www.noodletools.com.

Next, have students outline their research. If possible, have them do part of this in class so that your help is available as they begin. Ask them to have their outlines completed for the next class session. Emphasize that a writing outline is like a blueprint and will help them write their drafts. An outline can come in many forms. Decide on the type of outline you want your students to complete and discuss the format with them. Since students are writing a cause-and-effect article, it may be beneficial to refer to page 3 of “Dry Seasons: The Effects of Drought” (http://go.hrw.com/eolang/pdfs/ch8-3.pdf), which you read during Lesson 1 and will reference again below. This page shows a graphic organization of the basic format of a cause-and-effect essay.

Part 2

At the beginning of the next class session, have students join their small groups to read and comment on one another’s outlines. Tell them that they are watching for the following problems, and hand them the checklist for reference (LW-6-3-2_Outline Editing Checklist.doc):

• There are major points that do not support the main-idea statement.
• The article needs more major points to support the main-idea statement.
• The paragraphs are arranged in a confusing order.
• The details are presented in the wrong paragraphs or are in the wrong order within paragraphs.
• The article needs more supporting details.

Allow students time to revise the outline, at least part of it during class, so that they have time to ask questions. They should have outlines ready for the next class session.

As a class, read the introduction from “Dry Seasons: The Effects of Drought.”

Ask students to describe how the article begins. Discuss how it is important to “hook” the reader in the beginning of their articles. Discuss different strategies for introductions: narrative, descriptive, factual, quotation. If needed, provide samples of different types of introductions and discuss how the type of introduction will depend, in part, on the type of audience the writer is addressing.

Then tell students to think about how they might like to begin their own articles, and have them work on an introductory paragraph in class.

While students are discussing and writing, use the time to move from desk to desk, checking the outlines.

Next, have students read the conclusion from “Dry Seasons: The Effects of Drought.” Ask them how the author concludes the article (summarizes the main point and ends with an interesting quotation). Tell them that the conclusion should summarize the main point, but that it can also reflect on how the topic applies to the reader’s experience. The conclusion can and should be as interesting as the introduction. Several strategies can help: ending with a narrative, an important question, a quotation, or a prediction.

Tell students that their own articles need to have a concluding paragraph that is at least three or four sentences long.

Once they have discussed ideas for their conclusion in groups and briefly as a class, have them again work on composing a concluding paragraph for their own articles. By the time students leave class, all of the outlines should have been approved or suggestions made for improvement. Tell students who might need further drafting that you will meet with them at the next class session. For that session, students should have their outlines, as well as their introductory and concluding paragraphs.

Part 3

In the following class session, students will work on the first draft of their articles. To help students with the body of the article, outline the body of “Dry Seasons: The Effects of Drought” to show them how the supporting “effect” points in the main-idea statement are elaborated or supported with research in separate, supporting paragraphs. Give additional examples if needed.

While students are working on their first drafts, help students who still are having trouble with their outlines. Once these students are working on their drafts, use the rest of the time to look over students’ introductions and conclusions.

Ask students to have their first drafts, as well as their works-cited list, ready for the next class session.

Extension:

• To assist students in outlining their research, have them work with you or with a partner, emphasizing the fact that the outline is simply an organizational tool that helps them see how their article fits together.
• Have students check their outline points against the main-idea statement to be certain whether each point should be included, and then consider where the points would fit best in the article.
• Students can practice outlining by listing the main points of one of the sample informational articles they have read in class.