What Does Success Look Like?
Scholars articulate the authors’ central arguments about government control and memory.
Seminar 1:
“Six Consequences of One-Child Policy Reform” by Adam Pasick (Nonfiction) and “Heart Pill to Banish Bad Memories” from BBC News (Nonfiction)
Do Now — 10 minutes
- Scholars revise their Exit Tickets from yesterday’s seminar based on the feedback you gave them.
Launch — 2 minutes
- Tell scholars that today, they will be reading two texts: “Six Consequences of One-Child Policy Reform in China” and “Heart Pill to Banish Bad Memories.” Build excitement by telling scholars that both texts will develop their background knowledge about government control and memory, important concepts in The Giver.
Read and Discuss 1 — 35 minutes
Display “Six Consequences of One-Child Policy Reform.”
Preview the Text (2 minutes):
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- Have scholars read the title and scan the text to frame their thinking.
- Call on scholars to share what they noticed about the text and what they will think about as they are reading.
Read (10 minutes):
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- Say: As you are reading, think, “What is this text mostly about?”
- Read the text aloud while scholars follow along on their digital copy.
Discuss (3 minutes):
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- Scholars discuss the following question in pairs: What is this text mostly about? Call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars back up their claims with evidence from the text.
Read (10 minutes):
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- Say: As you are rereading, think, “Why did the author write this text?”
- Read the text aloud as scholars follow along on their digital copy. While reading aloud, pause to ask the questions below:
- Stop after line 5, “…a fairly small proportion.”
- Partner Talk: Who does the one-child policy reform affect? How does it affect them?
- Stop after line 11, “Here’s a roundup.”
- Partner Talk: Based on the author’s word choice in the subtitle and first two paragraphs, what more can we infer about his point of view on the original policy, and on the reform of the policy?
- Stop after line 19, “…wealthier and more urban.”
- Partner Talk: What does this section reveal about the author’s point of view on the reform?
- Discuss: Why did the author write this article?
Main Idea Jot (2 minutes):
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- Scholars jot a main idea in a comment next to the title of the text.
- While scholars are working, circulate to determine which scholars have a bull’s-eye main idea jot and which do not.
Discuss (6 minutes):
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- Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class:
- How does the author mainly structure the article?
- How will the policy reform impact the Chinese economy? How will it impact citizens’ happiness?
Give scholars 2 minutes to revise their main idea jots based on the discussion.
Write — 10 minutes
Write an essay of no more than 200 words:
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- What is the author’s point of view on the one-child policy reform? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from “Six Consequences of One-Child Policy Reform.”
Wrap-up — 5 minutes
- Show an exemplar essay to scholars. Have scholars discuss what makes the claim clear and compelling. Set your expectations for what scholars must do differently when approaching the next text.
Read and Discuss 2 — 30 minutes
Display “Heart Pill to Banish Bad Memories.”
Preview the Text (2 minutes):
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- Have scholars read the title and scan the passage to frame their thinking.
- Call on scholars to share what they noticed about the text and what they will think about as they are reading.
Read (10 minutes):
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- Say: As you are reading, think, “What is this text mostly about? Why did the author write this text?”
- Scholars independently read and annotate the text on their Chromebooks. When they are finished, they jot a main idea in a comment next to the title of the text.
- While scholars work, circulate to determine the major trend in scholars’ work and conference with two to three scholars.
Discuss (5 minutes):
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- Scholars discuss the following questions in pairs: What is this text mostly about? Why did the author write this text? Call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars back up their claims with evidence from the text.
Give scholars 2 minutes to revise their main idea jots based on the discussion.
Read (6 minutes):
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- Say: As you are rereading, think, “What are some potential positive and negative effects of using a heart pill to alter memories?”
- Reread lines 25–46 with scholars.
Discuss (5 minutes):
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- Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class:
- What are some potential positive and negative effects of using a heart pill to alter memories?
- What do you notice about how the author ended the article? What does this reveal about his point of view?
Exit Ticket — 8 minutes
Write an essay of no more than 200 words:
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- Imagine that the U.S. Government is considering approving the heart pill. Write a letter to the government explaining whether or not they should approve the pill. Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from “Heart Pill to Banish Bad Memories.”
