Proposition/Support Outline

Summary

Proposition/Support Outlines encourage students to be critical readers who can recognize viewpoints, inferences and facts. This is an excellent strategy to guide students in independent research to evaluate materials for relevant information and solid arguments.

Materials

Per student:
• one or two examples of articles about biodiversity(some are attached, if these are not used, reference materials will need to be provided
• proposition/support outline (attached)
• make an overhead of one of the articles to demonstrate with.

Instructional Procedures

1. Make sure that students have a clear understanding of the difference between fact statements, examples and inferences.
2. Give students this proposition statement: Species can become extinct and it will not affect ecosystems.
3. Have students determine whether they accept or reject the proposition.
4. Discuss the definitions for: fact, inference, example, expert authority (why are they experts?), logic and reasoning.
5. Use the overhead of the article and an overhead pen to demonstrate for students how you would analyze the article to fill out the proposition/support outline.
6. Hand out copies of the outline (next page) and guide students to reference materials (textbook, library references, Internet) Some articles are provided below.
7. Allow student time to fill in the outlines for the references they find. A class discussion will allow students to share what they found. You might pair a student who rejected the proposition with one who accepted it and give them time to compare arguments.
8. To conclude, ask students to write a statement that summarizes their research. They should state their position (accept/reject) and provide 3 statements they found most compelling.

Assessment Plan

Scoring Guide:
1. Students use time wisely to read and fill out proposition/support outline….....4
2. Students discuss results with a partner …………………4
3. Students concluding statement is thoughtful and includes 3 supporting statements…........4

Bibliography

Lesson Design by Jordan School District Teachers and Staff.