Soda Ban Lesson Plan

Topics for Today: 

1. Soda Ban Lesson Plan

2. Reflecting on Plan

Objective: Students will write an argumentative essay, taking a stand on the NY soda ban.

Materials: 

1. Soda Ban Article (hard copies for students)

2. Two sizes of soda cups

3. Paper, writing supplies

Common Core Standard Addressed: w.6.1: Write an arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. 

*Assessment: This would probably take more time than just one class period, so the ultimate assessment would be the essay itself and I would have to create a rubric for that assessment, but I did not do that for this assignment*

• I would write some words on the board to help facilitate our discussion or to make sure the students knew what was meant by each:

• I would break the lesson up into a discussion portion and a writing portion.  For the discussion I would have prior reading questions and post reading questions.

Prior Reading Questions:

1. What are laws?

2. Do you think laws protect us or hold us back?

3. Do you think laws are fair? or Have there ever been unfair laws?

4. Who gets to make the laws?

5. What are some consequences to breaking the law?

• Then I would pass out the Soda Ban article and we would read it as a class (or I would read it to them).

Post Reading Questions:

1. What does the law say?

2. Who drinks soda? (informal closed eye poll)

3. Is soda good for you? (I might show the two cup sizes at this point to illustrate the differences)

4. Why do you think they would make this law?

5. Does this law protect us or hold us back? or Do you think this law is fair?

• Then I would remind them about some prior discussion about argumentative essays.  (This would be something we had practiced, but not recently)

• After discussing what an argumentative essay looks like I would go back to the article.

• I would write the question on the board: Do you think the NY Soda Ban is a fair law?

• As a class we might share some opinions and I would ask the students to look for evidence in the text and think of evidence from some other source to support their opinions.  Then I would leave the rest of the class for brainstorming and drafting the essay. 

This might be a two-day project where the next day is focused on proofreading, peer editing, and publishing the final copy (and turning it in).

I think the students would have strong opinions about the soda ban and this would help them articulate their opinions and then practice supporting opinions with evidence.

Reflection:

It took me a long time to nail down a lesson plan, but I am happy with the result.  I think this lesson would be suitable for 6th graders, which is the grade the common core standard is assigned to.  This lesson would have to come after already introducing argumentative essays because it would be too much new knowledge if I was introducing the format too. It also be more effective if it takes place in the middle of the year so that students feel comfortable sharing their ideas in a group discussion. 

I am excited to read the other lesson plans for this article, it will be interesting to see the different approaches.