Argumentative Text Analysis Reading Comprehension end of the year ela activities

Unlock the Power of Critical Thinking and Argumentative Writing by analyzing this small section of Plato’s Republic.

In a world where critical thinking and persuasive communication are increasingly valued, this digital resource offers a unique platform for students to hone these essential skills. Whether you’re an educator eager to challenge your students with argumentative texts or a parent aiming to augment your children’s understanding of critical thinking, textual analysis, and persuasive writing, this product is for you.

Plato’s Republic is not merely a text; it’s a platform for debate. It encourages readers to question the nature of justice, argue differing viewpoints, and develop well-reasoned conclusions. By engaging in this challenging yet rewarding work, students will have the chance to refine their abilities in crafting compelling arguments, analyzing counterarguments, and presenting their views persuasively - invaluable skills that resonate far beyond the classroom.

This product is a comprehensive resource on CRITICAL THINKING, TEXTUAL ANALYSIS, and ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING. Everything required to elevate your students’ reading comprehension and analytical abilities is here. This product is not just about understanding Plato’s Republic, it’s about using it as a tool to unlock the power of persuasive argumentation and critical analysis. 

This product is 32 pages and 15 SLIDES and includes the following:

• SIX PAGES OF TEACHER NOTES.  Answers are provided to some of the questions that arise from the sentence by sentence analysis. 

• A breakdown of the excerpt sentence by sentence with writing prompts. EIGHT PAGES AND EIGHT SLIDES.

• Group questions and individual questions. TWO PAGES AND TWO SLIDES.  The slides are for individual questions.

• A small excerpt from Plato’s Republic. This excerpt appears in the unit itself but is also included as a separate PDF in the zip file so that you can send it to your students to print if necessary.  It is also in the interactive version.

• An introduction to Platonic dialogues and this dialogue in particular, and a link to the translation that I use.

• A sample of student answers. THREE PAGES.

• Essay questions and discussion questions. One of the essay questions asks for students to answer the following: How does Star Trek’s Prime Directive conflict with telling the truth or Kant’s and Cephalus’ definition of justice?

• Information from a court case regarding legal responsibility, justice, and guns – the section from The Republic is about returning property – in this case weapons; I’ve included this to help demonstrate how relevant The Republic is in the 21st century.

• Suggestions on how to read the text at different levels. For instance, using Bloom’s  Taxonomy, the majority of questions ask for comprehension, understanding and application. However, I have included questions of a much higher order: analysis,  judgment, and evaluation. One question asks students to compare this passage to Kant’s Categorical Imperative (information is provided on the Categorical Imperative).

• CCSS related information on text complexity.

• A link to the questions for students to use interactively through Classroom™ or other online programs.  

• Instructions for students when using the interactive version.

• Information on Google Slides™ for teachers and students.

Have your students engage in philosophical questions regarding justice and morality! The theme of justice is often used in AP History and AP English exams. It will be rewarding to both teacher and student alike to partake in the “Big Ideas” spoken about in the new CCSS guidelines. This unit will help guide your students through this difficult, yet accessible, text. This product focuses on a small section of Plato’s Republic; this work is listed as an exemplary information text in the CCSS for Language Arts.

The ELA Common Core State Standards require students to learn how to read texts carefully:

“As a natural outgrowth of meeting the charge to define college and career readiness, the Standards also lay out a vision of what it means to be a literate person in the twenty-first century. Indeed, the skills and understandings students are expected to demonstrate have wide applicability outside the classroom or workplace. Students who meet the Standards readily undertake the close, attentive reading that is at the heart of understanding and enjoying complex works of literature. They habitually perform the critical reading necessary to pick carefully through the staggering amount of information available today in print and digitally. They actively seek the wide, deep, and thoughtful engagement with high-quality literary and informational texts that builds knowledge, enlarges experience, and broadens worldviews. They reflexively demonstrate the cogent reasoning and use of evidence that is essential to both private deliberation and responsible citizenship in a democratic republic. In short, students who meet the Standards develop the skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening that are the foundation for any creative and purposeful expression in language.” English Language Arts Standards | Home | English Language Arts

TEACHER TIP:

You don’t need to teach entire works, just short excerpts of the Great Books, to engage students in complex, higher-order thinking and other skills deemed essential in the new CCSS guidelines.

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