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Nonfiction Article of the Week7-2: Should Homework Be Banned?

Table of Contents

Terms of Use 2

Table of Contents 3

List of Activities, Difficulty Levels, Common Core Alignment, & TEKS 4

Digital Components/Google Classroom Guide 5

Teaching Guide, Rationale, Lesson Plans, Links, and Procedures: EVERYTHING 6-9

Article: How Gross Is Your Bathroom? 10-11

*Modified Article: How Gross Is Your Bathroom? 12-13

Activity 1: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check – Multiple Choice w/Key 14-15

Activity 2: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check – Open-Ended Questions w/Key 16-17

Activity 3: Text Evidence Activity w/Annotation Guide for Article 18-20

Activity 4: Text Evidence Activity & Answer Bank w/Key 21-23

Activity 5: Skill Focus – Write an Objective Summary 24-29

Activity 6: Integrate Sources – Video Clip & Questions w/Key 30-31

Activity 7: Skills Test Regular w/Key 32-35

Activity 8: Skills Test *Modified w/Key 36-39

RI.7.1

RI.7.1

RI.7.1

RI.7.1

RI.7.2

RI.7.9

RI.7.1, RI.7.2

RI.7.1, RI.7.2

ELAR.5(F)

ELAR.5(F)

ELAR.5(F)

ELAR.5(F)

ELAR.5(G)9(B)(C)

ELAR.9(B), 12(F)

ELAR.5(F)(G)9(B)(C)

ELAR.5(F)(G)9(B)(C)

List of Activities & Standards Difficulty Level: *Easy **Moderate ***Challenge

Activity 1: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check – Multiple Choice*

Activity 2: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check – Open-Ended Questions*

Activity 3: Text Evidence Activity w/Annotation Guide for Article**

Activity 4: Text Evidence Activity w/Answer Bank**

Activity 5: Skill Focus – Development of Central Ideas**

Activity 6: Integrate Sources – Video Clip & Questions***

Activity 7: Skills Test Regular w/Key**

Activity 8: Skills Test *Modified w/Key**

List of Activities & Standards Difficulty Level: *Easy **Moderate ***Challenge

Activity 1: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check – Multiple Choice*

Activity 2: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check – Open-Ended Questions*

Activity 3: Text Evidence Activity w/Annotation Guide for Article**

Activity 4: Text Evidence Activity w/Answer Bank**

Activity 5: Skill Focus – Development of Central Ideas**

Activity 6: Integrate Sources – Video Clip & Questions***

Activity 7: Skills Test Regular w/Key**

Activity 8: Skills Test *Modified w/Key**



Teacher’s Guide

Activities, Difficulty Levels, and Common Core Alignment

Activities, Difficulty Levels, and TEKS Alignment



Teacher’s Guide

Instructions for Google Classroom Digital ComponentsAll student activities are available in digital format compatible with Google Classroom. They are available in two formats: Google Slides and Google Forms.

Google SlidesFirst, I have made all student pages (excluding assessments) in Google Slides format. Students can simply add text boxes to any area they wish to type on. To access the Google Slides for this article, copy and paste the link below into your browser. *Note that you’ll need to make a copy of the folder or slide before you can use it.*omitted in preview

Google FormsI have made the assessments available in Google Forms. Here, they are self-grading, and I have set them all up with answer keys so they are ready to go for you. You’ll need to find these two files in your download folder to use Google Forms. The first file contains the links to the Forms, and the second file is explicit instructions for use. Look inside the Google Forms folder.



Teacher’s Guide

A Couple of Options for Teaching Article of the Week UnitsHere are my favorite suggestions for organizing these units with your schedule.*Please note that thumbnails show article 6.1 and activities.

Option A: Quickie UnitSimply complete all lesson activities in order OR pickand choose the activities you want to complete in order.

Time Needed: 2-3 fifty-minute class periodsPros: Super flexible; perfect filler around your other units; makes it easy to assign easier components for homework; ideal no prep sub plans if you have to be out for 2-3 days in a row.Cons: Fitting them all in around everything else you’ve got to do.

Option B: Daily ModelUse as a class starter or specific routine in yourclassroom everyday at the same time.

Time Needed: 15-20 minutes/day, 5 days/weekPros: IDEAL for block scheduling when you need to always change it up; Great way to fit nonfiction articles in with what you’re already doing.Cons: There are 25 total articles for each grade level, so some weeks you’ll need to skip the articles (I’d skip when doing projects, novels, during short weeks, and plan to finish up right before testing); May be difficult to commit to something rigid like this if you’re a type B teacher like myself ;)

Here’s how the daily model works:

Monday: Read article & complete basic comprehension activityTuesday: Text evidence activityWednesday: Skills focus activity (based on one key skill for each article)Thursday: Integrate information (other sources)Friday: Assessment

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday



Teacher’s Guide

WalkthroughI have discussed here how I use each activity and included hints and links to help you, too. Feel free to take or leave what you like. Even if you don’t plan to do every activity, I still recommend reading through this section to get the most out of these activities. Looking for a schedule to follow? Check the previous page for two suggested scheduling options.

These lessons and activities were designed to meet the needs of seventh graders during the first half the school year. The stories, activities, questions, and assessments will become increasingly rigorous and challenging as we progress through the year.

Activities 1-2• *There are no higher order thinking questions

included here – only basic, literal comprehension.• These activities are designed to be completed on

an either/or basis, meaning your students should only complete one of them, not both.

• Use Activity 1 for a quick cold-read assessment or after you’ve read the article together. I use these to hold students accountable for reading carefully. I recommend having students complete activity 1 without the article as long as they’ve just read the article (so not the next day), unless you’re providing a testing accommodation.

• Use Activity 2 for an open-ended option for the same exact questions. Students may have a harder time answering this one without the article, so choose this one if you want students to use the article but still prove that they’ve understood the content.

Activity 2

Article Modified Article

Note: Answer key included but not shown.

Activity 1



Teacher’s Guide

Activities 3-4• Again, these activities are either/or, so choose

one or the other but not both.• Activity 3 requires students to annotate text

evidence in the article and includes an article annotation key.

• Activity 4 requires students to choose text evidence from a bank at the bottom. This format prepares students to choose from and distinguish between pieces of text evidence on a state assessment. I recommend mixing it up and going back and forth between these among units until your students are proficient at both methods.

Activity 5• This activity is focused around the main skill

for this article: RI.6.2 – Main idea and details, specifically. I’ll focus on summarizing in a later article.

• Complete answer keys included, as always.

Activity 6• This activity requires students to integrate

information from another source or media. • Here, students view a brief video clip about the same

topic. Students will analyze details and central idea and decide where new information from the video clip would best fit into the article.

• View the video clip https://youtu.be/7h1olTR3KIo• Backup: https://goo.gl/aWPMvW

Activity 4

Activity 3

Activity 5

Activity 6



Teacher’s Guide

Activities 7-8• What’s the best way to make sure your students

are prepared for the state assessment? Assess them regularly with that format. I always let my students practice for the first few before I start counting them for a grade, and I always use the basic comprehension assessment (activity 1 or 2) as an easy grade so it levels the playing field.

• Activity 7is the regular assessment.• Activity 8is the modified assessment. The

modified assessment offer students only two answer choices instead of four. Note that only the multiple choice portion of the modified test is different from the original. Simply put, only page one is different. Complete keys included as always (not shown).

• In a hurry? I always include only multiple choice questions on the first page in case you’re in a hurry and need to skip the open-ended portion of the test. I don’t recommend skipping regularly but every now and then, I need a grading break.

Activity 7

Activity 8

Homework critics argue that not every student has access to the same resources to help them successfully complete homework. In order to benefit from homework, students need the right support, time, and space to get the work done. Some students may not have families that can or want to help them with their homework. This puts them at a disadvantage. For students with learning disabilities, homework without assistance may be almost impossible.

It can also be hard to enforce homework completion. If a student is resistant to homework for whatever reason, a teacher has limited options to get the student back on track. They can assign a lower grade, but not all students are motivated by grades. They can talk to the student’s family, but not all families are engaged in their child’s education. They can try to help students see the connection between hard work in school and future success, but as teachers know, this can be very challenging. If teachers rely on homework as an important part of their curriculum, what happens to students who either


Homework Hurts

reduce or eliminate homework. The Stanford Graduate School of Education did a study that revealed 56% of high school students viewed homework as a primary source of stress in their lives. Stress is linked to a host of mental and physical health issues.

Clearly, there are many positive and negative aspects to homework for students. Until more research reveals a clearer answer, teachers should pursue a course of moderation when assigning homework to their students.

Not all students live in a home with a supportive homework environment.

choose not to do homework or who have such significant academic challenges that homework is not possible?

A major reason many homework-free schools reference is that children need time to play. Play helps children develop problem solving skills, creative thinking, and social intelligence. Today, between heavier loads of homework and extracurricular activities, many children don’t have time for this kind of free play.

Finally, critics cite stress as a major reason to



Informational Text

For items 1-4, you’ll be citing textual evidence to support what the text says explicitly.

1. Find the sentence that gives a consequence for failing to practice skills learned at school.

Highlight it in blue.

2. Find the sentence that explains how homework can teach responsibility and highlight it

in green.

3. Find the sentence that explains how some families can actually be a disadvantage to their

children when it comes to homework and highlight it in purple.

4. Find the sentence that explains why time to play is necessary for students. Highlight it in

gray.

Finding Text EvidenceFind each piece of text evidence in the article and highlight OR underline it with the color specified.

Skill: Text Evidence

For items 5-8, you’ll be citing one piece or multiple pieces of textual evidence to support

inferences drawn from the text.

5. Find one piece evidence in the article that supports the idea that homework can help

parents and students bond. Highlight it in orange.

6. Find two pieces of text evidence that explain why assigning homework can make

teachers’ jobs easier them in pink.

7. Find two pieces of text evidence that cite research for or against homework and highlight

them in yellow.

8. Find two pieces of text evidence that provide examples of situations where teachers are

not able to enforce homework. Highlight them in red.

Activity 3



Informational TextSkill: Text Evidence

Activity 3



Informational Text

Text Evidence BankFor each item, find the appropriate piece(s) of text evidence and highlight or underline in the requested color.

Skill: Text Evidence

Activity 4

Some students may not have families that can or want to help them with their homework.

When students bring work home, they have a chance to invite the adults in their life into the learning process.

In 2006 Duke University di a large study of homework and academic achievement. This study found that students who did homework had higher achievement overall.

Students learn information in the classroom, but if they never practice recalling or applying the knowledge then it may slip away.

Often teachers are expected to cover a huge range of content and skills in a school year but don’t have enough las time with students to meet those goals.

Play helps children develop problem solving skills, creative thinking, and social intelligence.

not all students are motivated by grades. The Stanford Graduate School of Education did a study that revealed 56% of high school students viewed homework as a primary source of stress in their lives.

Homework extends learning time so that students can get everything they need.

not all families are engaged in their child’s education

Students must keep track of their homework assignments, schedule in time to complete their homework, and remember to turn in assignments.



Informational Text

1. Read the following statements about the article. Then, classify them as objective statements or non-objective (subjective) statements. Write each answer choice in the correct column in the table below.

A. A study by Duke University in 2006 found that students who did homework had higher achievement overall.

B. Some students may not have access to homework help or a tutor.C. Students who do not have to do homework have nothing whatsoever to be stressed

out about.D. Play helps children develop social intelligence along with other problem solving and

creative thinking skills.E. It is impossible for teachers to cover everything in a curriculum without assigning

homework.F. Not all families are engaged in their children’s education.G. Students who regularly fail to turn in homework assignments deserve to be

punished harshly.H. Some parents do not take their children’s education seriously enough.

Objective SummariesUse the article to answer the questions and complete the graphic organizers.

Skill: Objective Summary

Activity 5

Objective Statements Non-Objective Statements



Informational Text

1. Read the central idea from the video that is provided in the graphic organizer below. Identify two other central ideas from the video clip and write them on the lines below.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. View the video clip for a second time. During your second view, add at two pieces of evidence that support this central idea. Write it in the spaces provided below.

Integrate InformationView the video clip, “Are Teachers Giving You Too Much Homework?” Then, answer these questions.

Skill: Integrate Multiple Sources

3. Consider the central idea of the video clip provided above and how it is developed with the details you indicated above. You have been asked to add this information to the article “Should Homework Be Banned?” Where would this information best fit in the article?

a. in the first subsection, Homework Helpsb. in the second subsection, Homework Hurtsc. in a new, third subsection

4. Justify your answer to the previous question using specific evidence from the article as well as the video clip.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Activity 6

New research from the American Psychological Association shows that homework can be beneficial unless it’s over-assigned.

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