ILC ELA 7: Module 4b - Science and Society: Water is Life 2nd Semester

In this eight-week module, students will explore the concept of water sustainability. 
In Unit 1, students will build their background knowledge by reading two informational texts: "Water Is Life" by Barbara Kingsolver and excerpts of The Big Thirst by Charles Fishman. Alongside a close reading of these texts, students will also practice their ability to listen for main ideas and details in diverse media. This will prepare them for the Mid-Unit Assessment, in which they analyze the main ideas and details in a new video. In the second half of the unit, students will continue to build their knowledge of water management and sustainability by shifting their focus to analyzing the argument of informational texts and videos. Students build this skill as they continue to engage with The Big Thirst, as well as supplemental informational texts and videos. 

In Unit 2, students continue to conduct close readings and engage in independent research into the ways that both industry and agriculture currently use freshwater resources and how sustainable water management could be improved. Students keep a researcher’s notebook in which they document their research findings, generate supporting research questions, and analyze the credibility of their sources as they determine how different authors use evidence to prove their points. In the Mid-Unit Assessment, students engage in a simulated research task focused on water management strategies. The assessment will incorporate selected response and short constructed response questions in order to assess students’ ability to research. After the Mid-Unit Assessment, students engage in a structured decision-making process to address the question: Which category of water management would be a good place to begin to make the way we manage water more sustainable? The process guides students to consider the information they gathered while researching, as well as the consequences and impact on stakeholders of each possible position. This leads students to the two-part End of Unit Assessment. In Part 1, students engage in an assessment discussion about the possible positions they can take. In Part 2, students will formally present their position. 

In Unit 3, students will engage in an extended writing process. Students will draft, revise, edit, and publish a research-based position paper. In the first half of the unit, students analyze a model position paper and plan their own. In the second half of the unit, students revise their position papers based on teacher feedback. The End of Unit Assessment is a student reflection on the process of writing the position paper, using evidence from the students’ own work. Finally, students engage in the performance task, where they will share a visual representation of their position paper with their classmates.

Note: This  module is an integral part of the program to ensure all standards are addressed; therefore, it should be downloaded with the ILC ELA 7 - 2nd Semester content; it is available as an alternative for module 4a within the 2nd Semester module, while still providing the same opportunity to address the grade level standards.