Appendix
State of Oklahoma Education Standards. English Language Arts Standards – Grade Level 12.
12.3.R.1 Students will analyze the extent to which historical, cultural, and/or global perspectives affect authors’ stylistic choices in grade-level literary and informational texts.
I want my students to recognize the influences and to consider how context shapes argument and style. During the implementation of my curriculum unit, my students will have the opportunity to gain deeper insight into persuasive techniques. This standard will aid the development of my students' ability to critically evaluate and learn from different argumentative texts and serve as a means of strengthening their rhetorical strategies.
12.4.R.2 Students will use context clues, connotation, and denotation to determine or clarify the meaning of words or distinguish between multiple-meaning words.
My students were introduced to the concept of analytical interpretation. The integration of this standard into the critical thinking venture woven throughout my unit works toward my students' expanding vocabulary with a focus on accurately interpreting complex argument texts.
12.4.R.4 Students will use resources (e.g., dictionary, glossary, thesaurus, etc.) to determine or clarify the meanings, syllabication, pronunciation, synonyms, parts of speech, and etymology of words or phrases.
During this curriculum unit, students will work toward expanding their vocabulary. This standard focuses on proficient use of reference tools. Proficiency with reference tools empowers students to develop their vocabulary and use language effectively in persuasive writing.
12.3.R.5 Students will evaluate how authors writing on the same issue reached different conclusions because of differences in assumptions, evidence, reasoning, and viewpoints, including examining rhetorical appeals, bias, and use of logical fallacies.
The standard builds a framework for my students to become discerning readers. This standard is a teaching tool that will aid my students in recognizing bias and the importance of evaluating the strength of evidence. Students will also benefit from being able to identify logical fallacies as they build and develop their defensible arguments.
12.6.R.1 Students will find and comprehend information about a topic, using their viable research questions.
Student engagement is essential in the classroom, and the integration of this standard fosters a sense of student ownership in the research process. I want my students to be curiously critical in their inquiries. I am a proponent of the idea that students should be able to develop research questions through student-driven investigation.
12.6.R.2 Students will synthesize relevant information from a variety of primary and secondary sources, following ethical and legal citation guidelines.
Students will be encouraged to ensure that a broad base of evidence informs their arguments. The process of synthesizing relevant information will help students develop high-level thinking skills. The overarching goal connected to this standard is to teach proper citation and synthesis to guard against plagiarism and promote academic integrity.
12.3.W.2 Students will compose informative essays, reports, or technical writing that: Objectively introduce and develop topics, include a defensible thesis, incorporate evidence (e.g., specific facts, details, charts and graphs, data), maintain an organized structure, use sentence variety and word choice to create clarity and concision, establish and maintain a formal style, and emulate literary devices from mentor texts.
The expectation is for students to compose persuasive argument essays that introduce their chosen topic objectively. Students will engage in crafting constructed sentences. Sentence variety and working toward developing precision in word choice will help students to build a defensible thesis statement that communicates the essay’s position with an emphasis on the reliability of the evidence they present to stand against proffered counterarguments.
12.3.W.4 Students will blend narrative, informative, and argumentative writing to suit their audience and purpose.
The incorporation of this standard aligns with the dynamic nature of my curriculum unit's architecture. It focuses on teaching students that argument writing can be strengthened by incorporating narrative anecdotes, such as opening their argument essay with a story or a scenario relevant to the topic. This standard also fosters audience awareness by requiring students to consider who will read and/or listen to their essay.
12.4.W.2 Students will select language to create a specific effect in writing according to purpose and audience.
My focus in implementing this standard is to model how to use rhetorical strategies to improve or enhance essay impact. For example, demonstrate how language selection can change the thrust of a persuasive argument essay delivery – emotive language and repetition.
12.5.W.1 Students will add clarity, variety, and/or style to their writing and presentations with parts of speech and various types of phrases and clauses, intentionally breaking the rules for effect when appropriate.
I encourage my students to use a variety of grammatical structures and, when appropriate, break conventional rules to add style, clarity, or variety.
12.6.W.3 Students will integrate quotes, paraphrases, and summaries from research, following a consistent citation style (e.g., MLA, APA) to avoid plagiarism.
This standard, when integrated into the learning environment, will have a positive impact on building student competence as ethical and responsible researchers.
12.6.W.4 Students will present research in longer formats (e.g., sustained research projects, process essays) and shorter, informal formats (e.g., single-day research projects, informal discussion) to a variety of audiences.
The application's focus is to enable students to communicate their arguments effectively. The primary purpose is to develop students’ presentation skills.
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