Lesson 15: A Single Shard, Informational Writing, Part 3

Turn and Talk

Say these Directions: Read the example paragraphs, then underline the thesis statement. After that, use the Turn and Talk routine to answer the question with a partner.

Have students engage in the Turn and Talk routine to discuss their responses.

• Ask: Why did you identify this sentence as the thesis statement?

  • Students use the thesis structure thesis = topic + claim + preview. Students include that the thesis statement names the how or why.

Ask two or three students to briefly share their responses.

Transition:

• Say: Today, we’ll continue our discussion of thesis statements and examine the role of supporting evidence. You’ll identify examples of strong and weak supporting evidence before finding supporting evidence in Chapters 1–7 of A Single Shard.

Language Study

Sentence Expansion Using Details

Say these Directions: I am going to display some sentences, and then we are going to expand them using details.

Display this sentence about the novel A Single Shard:

• Tree-ear lit kindling.

Read the sentence aloud to model fluency. Have students repeat the sentence chorally.

• Say: In previous lessons, you’ve learned about the importance of descriptive language in creating meaning for readers. Simple sentences such as this one include a subject (Tree-ear), an action (lit), and an object (the kindling). The sentence includes some information but little detail. It tells us the who and the what. We can elaborate on, or expand, this sentence by adding details about the when, the where, the why, and the how.

Recall what you remember about the role of kindling in lighting a fire in the kiln, and use the answers to help you expand the sentence above.

• Ask: When did Tree-ear light the kindling?

  • after the wood was layered in a crisscross pattern

• Ask: Where did Tree-ear light the kindling?

  • in the kiln

• Ask: Why did Tree-ear light the kindling?

  • to build a fire

• Ask: How did Tree-ear light the kindling?

  • with a flintstone

• Say: We can expand our simple sentence using these details: “After the wood was layered in a crisscross pattern, Tree-ear lit the kindling with a flintstone to build a fire in the kiln.”

Read this sentence:

• Min smashed the pottery.

Work with a partner to expand the sentence using the prompts below.

• Ask: When did Min smash the pottery?

  • after discovering the glaze had brown spots

• Ask: Where did Min smash the pottery?

  • in the yard

• Ask: Why did Min smash the pottery?

  • because he was frustrated

• Ask: How did Min smash the pottery?

  • into shards

  • Frustrated after discovering the glaze had brown spots, Min smashed the pottery in the yard into shards.

Read this sentence:

• Tree-ear watched Kang.

Independently, expand the sentence using the prompts below. Then share your response.

• Ask: When did Tree-ear watch Kang?

  • after seeing Kang’s flickering lamplight

• Ask: Where did Tree-ear watch Kang?

  • from a knothole in Kang’s shed

• Ask: Why did Tree-ear watch Kang?

• because he wanted to know what Kang was doing

• Ask: How did Tree-ear watch Kang?

  • through a keyhole

  • After seeing the flickering lamplight, Tree-ear watched Kang through a keyhole in his shed to see what the potter was working on.

Connection to Learning:

• Say: Today, we will be finding evidence to support a thesis statement. As you look for examples in Chapters 1–7 of A Single Shard, notice the ways the author uses expanded sentences to help readers better understand what is happening in the story.

Part A: Writing Process Workshop: Supporting Evidence (W.6.2.b) (10 minutes)

Briefly review with students what they learned in Lesson 14 about thesis statements.

• Say: Yesterday, in Lesson 14, you learned about and practiced drafting thesis statements. Remember the thesis statement structure:

  • Thesis = topic + claim + preview

  • Thesis statements answer the how or why

• Say: A thesis statement is a single sentence that explains to readers the main idea or argument of an essay. It states the topic, the writer’s position or claim on the topic, and the main points or reasons that support their position.

Then explain the connection between the thesis statement and supporting evidence.

• Say: Writers develop and support a thesis statement using supporting evidence. Supporting evidence includes facts, statistics, definitions, examples, details, paraphrases, and quotes. Whereas a thesis statement tells readers about a topic and the writer’s position, supporting evidence shows, or illustrates, the writer’s claim or main idea. We will organize our evidence using the RACE strategy that we used in Unit 1.

Modeled Writing

In this modeled writing section, students observe how to construct a complete RACE paragraph. The focus is not just on the structure (RACE), but on how each part works together to communicate a clear response to a writing prompt. As students observe the modeled writing, encourage them to “read like writers” by noticing how evidence is selected, how transitions are used to clarify relationships, and how the explanation moves beyond summary to interpretation.

Say these Directions: We are going to use the RACE strategy to respond to a prompt.

Say: The RACE strategy is a writing tool that helps us plan how to respond to a writing prompt. You were introduced to RACE in Unit 1. Using the RACE strategy helps us to fully address each part of a prompt using text evidence to support our ideas.

Review each component of the RACE strategy:

R: Restate the question

A: Answer the question

C: Cite evidence from the article

E: Explain your answer

Teacher Model:

Model a complete RACE paragraph in response to the following prompt:

• Say: First, I will carefully review each part of the prompt to be sure that I understand what it is asking me to do.

Read the prompt aloud:

• Say: Across Chapters 1–7, what evidence shows the stages Tree-ear goes through (observing, trying, failing, refining) as he learns how to become more skilled?

• Say: The prompt is asking me to write to explain the key stages Tree-ear goes through as he becomes more skilled at pottery-making. I will use the RACE strategy to plan out my paragraph.

Display Your Model Paragraph:

Say: Notice that each section in the paragraph has its own format: bold, underline, italics and [brackets.] This way you can isolate each part as you discuss its purpose.

While learning to become more skilled at making pottery, Tree-ear goes through the stages of observing, trying, failing, and refining. Through Chapters 1–7 of A Single Shard, Tree-ear becomes more skilled by observing the techniques used by Min and Kang when they make pottery. The author writes, “Min never failed to reject his first attempt. Then he would repeat the whole process. This day Tree-ear was able to watch the clay rise and fall four times before Min was satisfied.” [This shows that Tree-ear is learning how to assess pottery quality from Min and that needing multiple attempts is normal and expected.]

Say these Directions: Work with a partner to analyze the paragraph using the RACE structure as your guide. First, one partner will read the model paragraph aloud while the other listens, and then you will switch roles to read the paragraph again. Next, review each section to determine if it follows the aligned RACE component.

Circle to monitor students, encouraging them to use each component of RACE to analyze each part of the paragraph.

Review Each Component:

Once students have read the paragraph and analyzed each section, review each component following the RACE structure.

• Say: Look at the bolded section (R).

  • I restated the question as a statement.

• Say: Look at the underlined section (A).

  • I named the key events I will explain

• Say: Look at the italicized section (C).

  • I used evidence from both sources and cited A Single Shard.

• Say: Look at the section in [brackets] (E).

  • I explained what the evidence shows—how Tree-ear learns from Min.

After reviewing each part of the model paragraph, lead students in a discussion of the following prompt:

How can the RACE strategy help you to respond effectively to a writing prompt?

➤ Additional Student Support: Writing Scaffold

If students need additional support with:

• Applying the RACE strategy:

  • Use a non-example, and guide students to unpack why it does not demonstrate high-quality RACE writing.

    • Ex. Non-example: “Tree-ear has gotten better at pottery. He watches Min work. The author writes, ‘He peeped through the leaves and caught his breath in delight.’ This shows Tree-ear watching Min.”

      • What’s missing? The writer cites evidence from the text, but it isn’t connected to Tree-ear watching Min to improve his technique, and the explanation repeats the same idea instead of showing how specific details prove the claim.

      • Strong explanation:

        • Points to specific words/phrases from evidence

        • Explains what those words/phrases reveal about actions and outcomes

Check for Understanding

Provide students with a confidence continuum (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.

Part B: Using Supporting Evidence (W.6.2.b) (20 minutes)

Say these Directions: Work with a partner to find supporting evidence from Chapters 1–7 of A Single Shard for each of the thesis statements below. Record your supporting evidence (with page numbers) in the RACE Writing Strategy graphic organizer.

• Tree-ear becomes more skilled throughout A Single Shard by trying different parts of the pottery-making process, including purifying clay.

  • SAMPLE RESPONSE 1: “Tree-ear was learning a new skill now—the draining of the clay. It was a tedious process, but one that held his interest.”

  • SAMPLE RESPONSE 2: “The stirring, sieving, settling, and bailing were repeated any number of times, until Min was satisfied with the residue.”

• Through the “failing” stage of learning, Tree-ear learns from the mistakes he makes when collecting wood and clay to become stronger and more efficient.

  • SAMPLE RESPONSE 1: “. . . the cart tipped onto its side. The momentum pulled Tree-ear off balance, and he tripped over the cart and tumbled headfirst to the ground. . . . He set his lips together tightly . . . then pulled the cart upright and began flinging the wood back into it in a frenzy.”

  • SAMPLE RESPONSE 2: “The spade did not budge. Tree-ear frowned, and pulled again. The head of the spade was well and truly buried. . . . Finally, Tree-ear was forced to claw away the clay around the spade head in order to free it.”

• Tree-ear shows he is becoming more skilled through the “refining” phase of learning as he starts to feel when clay is ready to be used.

  • SAMPLE RESPONSE 1: “Tree-ear was rubbing the sediment between his fingers, as he always did. Suddenly, his fingertips tingled with a strange feeling.”

  • SAMPLE RESPONSE 2: “. . . instead of seeing with his eyes, he was feeling with his hands. The clay felt good—fine, pliant, smooth—but it was not ready yet.”

If time allows, invite partners to share their supporting evidence and explain how it connects to the thesis statement.

Scoring Rubric:

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Respond to the following prompt:

• How are the thesis statement and supporting evidence connected? How do they work together?

Homework

In the next lesson, you’ll read three poems related to topics we’ve discussed in A Single Shard. For homework:

• Revisit the Thesis Statement worksheet you completed for homework in Lesson 14.

• Write one or two sentences in the last row explaining why the thesis statements you identified are effective or not.