Lesson 8 - RACE Paragraph
🕐 Lesson Overview
- Brainstorm - Turn & Talk
- RACE Paragraph Writing
- "We Do" Practice
⭐ Objectives
- I can write a well-structured paragraph.
- I can use conjunctions to extend and elaborate on ideas.
- I can use evidence to support my claims.
📏 Standards
🗽 NYSNGSS
🗒️ Lesson Plan
Anticipatory Set
Students will engage in a Turn & Talk around the following prompts:
- Brainstorm a list of the challenging situations that Salva has faced so far in A Long Walk to Water.
- Which challenging situation do you think was the worst?
- How did Salva overcome this challenge?
The teacher will take attendance as students discuss. Once sufficient time for conversation has elapsed, the teacher will invite students to share their ideas with the whole class. The class will then review the agenda and objectives.
Developmental Activity
The teacher will introduce the RACE Paragraph structure. Students will copy the following notes into their journals:
- R - Restate the question
- A - Answer the question
- C - Cite evidence
- E - Explain and extend
The teacher will explain that this is a format for paragraph writing that some may already be familiar with it; some may feel that they have mastered it and can experiment with the formula, but for most of us, it is a helpful guide to writing paragraphs — and it can be used in more than just English class. The teacher should emphasize that it is not the only way to write paragraphs, however, and that the class will experiment with other structures as the year goes by.
The teacher will show an example of a RACE paragraph that responds to the following question: Is too much screen time harmful for children? Explain why or why not.
Too much screen time is harmful for children because it can negatively affect sleeping routines. According to InternetMatters.org, “Sleep cycles are affected by blue light from screens tricking our brain into thinking it is still daylight, making it difficult to sleep.” In other words, children may struggle to go to sleep at appropriate times because they are distracted by screens or have trouble falling asleep due to the effects of the blue light. Children need rest in order to grow, be healthy, and perform well in school. Therefore, children should avoid screen time for a few hours before bed.
The teacher will ask students to locate each part of the RACE structure in the example paragraph and highlight it on the board. The teacher will point out that the "A" portion of the paragraph addresses the why — the answer is not simply "Screen time is harmful." Additionally, the teacher should emphasize that the "E" portion is the longest part of the paragraph because it is the most important: it is where the writer makes connections and makes their thinking clear.
The teacher will share the following sentence starters and tips for RACE paragraph writing with the class. These sentence starters and steps will be reused in the graphic organizers provided for upcoming RACE paragraph assignments.
| Step | What do I do? |
|---|---|
| R & A | Clearly state your idea. Consider expanding and extending with Because, But, So. |
| Cite Evidence (include an in-text citation) |
Weave in your quotation using a signal phrase like... Jones states, As the author of the article argues, According to Jones, The author writes, |
| Explain & Extend How does the quote support the claim? |
Don't just restate the quote. Instead, make inferences and connections. Ask yourself, "SO WHAT?" Therefore, In other words, This shows... |
Together, the class will write an RACE paragraph on the board in respond to the following prompt: What challenging situation does Salva face in Chapter 1? How does he overcome it? The teacher should elicit responds from students and, if possible, use different colors to indicate each step of the RACE formula. A sample response (which uses the Because, But, So strategy) is provided below.
Salva faces an attack on his village in Chapter 1 of A Long Walk to Water, but he overcomes it by fleeing into the bush. Salva’s teacher says, “Not home. Don’t run home. They will be going into the villages. Stay away from the villages—run into the bush” (6). Salva follows these instructions despite his initial urge to go home to his family. This allows him to survive because he is able to avoid and hide from the soldiers in the bush. In other words, if he had not gone into the bush, he would likely have been captured or killed.
Closure
Students will begin working on the graphic organizer for ALWtW Paragraph #1. Additional class time will be provided the next day for writing, but students should aim to finish at least the RA before the next class day. Students are encouraged to think back to the bellringer for ideas on a challenging situation to write about.
🧠 Rationale
This lesson is designed to be done early in the school year as students' first introduction to analytic writing. Students are not expected to be familiar with the RACE strategy, but prior exposures in sixth grade will benefit them. Teachers should encourage students to use the strategies taught previously (e.g. Because, But, So, Lesson 4 - Integrating Textual Evidence, etc.) to support writing.
This lesson follows a Gradual Release model; the screen time paragraph acts as an "I Do," the Chapter 1 paragraph as a "We Do," and the resulting paragraph that students finish writing in the following class day is the "You Do."