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50 min
Student Lesson
Lesson 38: Discovering Hidden Innovators, Drafting an Essay, Part 1
Content
Students will draft an informative research essay that examines one key contribution made by a hidden innovator, introduces a claim, and organizes reasons and evidence for an argument paragraph about why the innovator deserves recognition.
Language
Students will use cause/effect connectors, sentence variety, and cohesive transitions to draft in a formal academic style.
How do curiosity, evidence, and collaboration lead to discovery?
How can research help us uncover lesser-known contributions and tell a more complete story?
Knowledge-Building:
Students move from finalized research, discussion, and planning into full drafting about a hidden innovator’s contribution and significance.
Enduring Understanding:
Writing helps make hidden contributions visible by organizing evidence clearly and explaining why recognition matters.
Future Lessons:
Students will continue drafting, revising for clarity and formal style, and strengthening argument and evidence integration.
Unit Performance Task:
Today’s drafting begins the final informative research essay and short recognition argument that students will later revise and present with visuals.
| Lesson Flow | Purpose of Learning Experience |
|---|---|
Launch5 Minutes | Students will reconnect to the full performance task and move them from planning to drafting. |
Literacy Lab10 Minutes | Students will learn cause-and-effect sentence expansion, a variety of transitions, and formal drafting moves for informative and argumentative writing to apply immediately to their writing. |
Learning in Action30 Minutes | Part A: Draft the Informative Research Essay (W.6.2) Students will use their Research Notes and outline to draft the introduction and one body paragraph of the informative research essay. Part B: Draft the Recognition Argument Paragraph (W.6.1) Students will use the Argumentative Essay organizer to draft a short argument paragraph with a claim, evidence, and explanation. |
Material List
Unit 3 Lesson 38 Student Edition
Research Notes graphic organizer (from Lesson 24)
Research Essay Outline graphic organizer (from Lesson 37)
Argumentative Essay graphic organizer (from Lesson 37)
Performance Task Handout
Routines
Turn and Talk
Quick Write
Use this time to reconnect students to the Performance Task and move them from planning into drafting. This step helps students understand that strong drafting is not just writing sentences, but using their plans, evidence, and ideas to begin building a clear and organized explanation. Emphasize that a strong first draft should already include a clear focus, research-based evidence, and formal academic language, even if it is not finished.
Have students take out their Research Notes, Research Essay Outline, and Argumentative Essay organizer.
Say: Today, you are beginning your actual draft. By the end of this lesson, you should have a clear introduction and at least one full body paragraph for your informative research essay, along with a draft of your recognition argument paragraph. Your goal is to turn your plan into writing that explains ideas clearly and uses evidence effectively.
Say these Directions: You have already planned your ideas and gathered evidence. Now you will begin drafting your informative research essay and your recognition argument paragraph. Think about what your writing needs to include to be successful. Then turn and talk with your partner about how you will begin your draft, and be prepared to share.
Ask: What should a strong first draft do, even if it is not finished yet?
A strong first draft should get the main ideas onto the page in a clear order. It should include a thesis or claim, research-based evidence, and formal academic language, even if the writer still needs to revise details later.
Say: Now that you know the goal of today’s drafting, you are ready to draft sentences so your ideas sound clear, connected, and academic. You will use this exact format in your first body paragraph today.
This mini-lesson helps students turn brief research notes into strong academic sentences for an informative research essay. The goal is to move students past simple this happened sentences and toward sentences that clearly show what the innovator did, why it mattered, and what changed as a result.
Drafting Sentences That Show Cause and Impact
Display and read aloud the following Mentor Sentence from Hidden Figures:
“When NASA began using electronic computers, Dorothy Vaughan learned FORTRAN so she could help her team stay ready for the change.”
Let’s look closely at how one sentence from Hidden Figures does more than give a fact. It shows a situation, an action, and an impact. That is the same move we need in our own informative research essays.
Kernel Sentence
Dorothy Vaughan learned FORTRAN.
Expanded Sentence
When NASA began using electronic computers, Dorothy Vaughan learned FORTRAN so she could help her team stay ready for the change.
Say: If I write only “Dorothy Vaughan learned FORTRAN,” my sentence is true, but it sounds like a note, not essay writing that educates my reader. I want my reader to understand why that action mattered. First, I add context with the phrase “When NASA began using electronic computers,” so the reader knows what was happening. Next, I add purpose with “so she could help her team stay ready for the change.” Now the sentence explains both the action and the reason behind it. That is what sentence expansion does for an informative research essay: it connects a fact to its impact in one clear academic sentence.
Have students review the “Sentence Expansion Ladder” to see how to expand a simple fact from Hidden Figures into more informative research writing.
Sentence Expansion Ladder
Step 1—Simple fact
Katherine Johnson checked the flight path.
Step 2—Add cause or context
When NASA prepared for John Glenn’s mission, Katherine Johnson used FORTRAN to check the flight path.
Step 3—Add impact
When NASA prepared for John Glenn’s mission, Katherine Johnson used FORTRAN to check the flight path so the team could trust the final numbers.
Step 4—Add result
When NASA prepared for John Glenn’s mission, Katherine Johnson used FORTRAN to check the flight path so the team could trust the final numbers, and as a result, her work helped support a successful mission.
Say these Directions: In your journal, expand this simple fact into one strong research sentence. Use because of or as a result, so your sentence shows contribution and impact.
Katherine Johnson checked the flight path.
Because of Katherine Johnson’s careful work on the flight path, NASA could trust the final calculations, and as a result, the mission team moved forward with greater confidence.
Say: You will use this exact sentence expansion move as you begin drafting your first body paragraph today. As you write, make sure your sentences do more than state facts—they should explain what changed and why the contribution mattered.
This drafting block helps students move from outline to full sentences. Model how to turn planned sections into a coherent beginning of the informative research essay.
Teacher Tip |
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Preteach or review the difference between notes and draft sentences before students begin writing. If students copy notes directly into their paragraph, reteach by modeling how to turn one note into a complete sentence with attribution, explanation, and impact. Adapt instruction by allowing students to orally rehearse the paragraph, use speech-to-text, or follow a topic sentence → evidence → explanation frame before drafting independently. |
Have students place the Research Essay Outline beside their Research Notes and begin with the introduction and first body paragraph.
Say: I am looking at my outline, and I see that my first body section should explain the key contribution. I do not want to just copy notes into a paragraph. Instead, I start with a topic sentence that matches my thesis: “Dorothy Vaughan’s programming work transformed NASA during a time of major technological change.” Then, I choose one strong fact note and turn it into a sentence with attribution: “According to one source, she learned new computing systems so she could lead others through the transition.” Furthermore, I can add a sentence about impact to connect the evidence back to the big idea.
Explain that writers should move from topic sentence to evidence to explanation.
Say these Directions: Begin drafting your informative research essay using your outline as your guide. Today, you are expected to complete:
an introduction that includes your thesis statement
one full-body paragraph that explains the innovator’s key contribution
In your body paragraph, make sure you:
include at least two pieces of evidence from your sources
use at least one expanded sentence that shows cause and impact
explain your evidence by answering “What does this show?”
maintain a formal academic tone
You may refer to your notes, but do not copy them directly. Turn your notes into complete sentences that explain your ideas clearly.
Say: As you draft, include at least one sentence that introduces or explains a visual you plan to use, such as a timeline, diagram, or image. Even if you are not inserting the visual yet, your writing should explain how that visual helps the reader understand the innovator’s contribution.
By the end of this section, students should complete a draft that includes an introduction and at least one body paragraph with logically organized ideas and supporting evidence. Their writing should demonstrate an emerging ability to connect evidence to explanation using clear transitions and cause/effect language. This draft serves as a foundation for further development, revision, and expansion in upcoming lessons.
Students will draft a short argument paragraph that makes a clear claim, gives evidence, and explains why recognition is deserved.
Explain that the argument paragraph has a different purpose from the informative research essay. It is not only explaining what happened; it is making the case that the innovator deserves recognition.
Teach:
Say: My informative research essay draft explains what Dorothy Vaughan did, but my argument paragraph must answer why that work deserves public acknowledgment. I begin with a clear claim that uses the language of recognition. Then I bring in one strong piece of evidence from my notes and explain how that evidence supports the claim. I also want my paragraph to sound formal, so I use words like merit and acknowledge instead of casual words like “should get credit.” That shift helps the paragraph sound persuasive and evidence-based.
Model a short argument paragraph using the Argumentative Essay organizer students started in the previous lesson.
Say:
State claim: Dorothy Vaughan deserves recognition for her contribution to NASA’s technological progress.
State reason: Since her leadership enabled NASA to adapt to new computing systems, her work merits acknowledgment as a major part of scientific advancement
Explanation/Support: According to one source, Vaughan taught herself and others new programming skills during a major transition in NASA’s work.
Restate claim: This evidence shows that her contribution was not minor or accidental. It helped NASA continue moving forward, so honoring her work gives a fuller and more accurate record of science.
Say these Directions: Draft your recognition argument paragraph using your organizer from the previous lesson. Begin by writing a clear claim that your innovator deserves recognition. Then choose the single strongest piece of evidence from your research that best supports this claim. After writing your evidence, explain why this evidence proves your innovator deserves recognition.
Before you begin writing, ask yourself: Why is this the strongest evidence I have? Be prepared to explain your choice to a partner.
Your paragraph should include:
a clear recognition claim
one strong piece of evidence
an explanation that connects the evidence to the claim
formal academic language
Say these Directions: Share your argument paragraph with a partner. Explain why you chose your evidence and how it supports your claim about recognition. Listen to your partner and offer one suggestion to strengthen their explanation or formal tone.
Students should produce a complete argument paragraph that includes a clear claim, one strong piece of evidence, and an explanation of how that evidence supports recognition. Their writing should reflect a formal tone and a clear understanding of argumentative purpose. This work prepares them to refine and strengthen their argument in future revisions.
Scoring Rubric
Criterion | 1 – Developing | 2 – Approaching | 3 – Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
W.6.1: Write arguments to support claim | Claim is missing or unclear, lacks supporting text evidence, or fails to organize reasoning/evidence clearly. Introduction and/or conclusion missing. | Claim is partially clear, with some supporting text evidence, and remains somewhat focused throughout. Introduction and conclusion somewhat support the claim. | Claim is clear, well supported with text evidence, and remains focused throughout, including a strong introduction and conclusion. |
W.6.2b / W.6.1b / L.6.3a: Drafting with evidence, claim, and varied sentence patterns | Sentences are incomplete, overly simple, or unsupported. | Sentences show some evidence of drafting and one correct writing move but may need clearer development or stronger variation. | Sentences show informative and argumentative drafting, use evidence or recognition language, and include varied sentence patterns or transitions effectively. |
Provide students with a confidence continuum (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.
Reflection (W.6.5) |
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Reflect on your ability to write an argumentative paragraph using the Reflection routine.
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Students reflect on their drafting progress by evaluating how effectively they translated their plans into written work. This section supports students in identifying strengths in their organization, use of evidence, and sentence construction, while also recognizing areas that need further development. Students consider how well their writing reflects a clear thesis, logical structure, and academic tone. By the end of this section, students will identify a specific next step to improve or continue their draft.
Say these Directions: Answer the question in two to three sentences.
Ask: How well did your draft move from planning to actual writing, and what is your next step?
My draft shows strong progress because I used my outline to organize an introduction and a body paragraph with clear evidence. I included cause-and-effect sentences to explain why the contribution mattered. My next step is to add more explanation to my evidence and continue drafting the next body section.
Optional Sentence Starter:
My draft is strong because ___. My next step is ___.
Instruct students to continue drafting their writing pieces.