The Using Sources Tool�A Formative Assessment Model for Professional Development �
Session Plan
WHOLE GROUP ANALYSIS OF ONE SAMPLE
Whole Group Analysis of Student Writing Sample
Should High School Football Be Banned?
Grade 9
There have been ongoing arguments about whether high school football should be banned or not. High school football should, in fact, be banned. The sport is very dangerous, and the effects of multiple blows to the head may not show up until later. Also, some schools that do not participate in athletics do well in academics. Why take the health risk when there are benefits of not playing football?
First of all, playing high school football is extremely dangerous. Even small blows to the head can eventually cause major problems if they are done enough. Thomas McAllister, a psychiatrist at Indiana University, said results suggest that “repetitive blows to the head can cause major problems, even when an athlete is able to get up and keep playing.” McAllister’s point is that, even when an athlete seems to be alright after getting tackled and knocked down multiple times, their brain could still be hurt. Just because the damage to the brain cannot be seen does not mean it is not there. It is not worth taking the risk of playing football when there is a major consequence.
Also, some athletes may have smaller changes to the brain structure but may have larger side effects. Those effects might not show up until later. Thomas McAllister stated, “Blows to the head change the brain’s structure and the way it works, at least temporarily. This happens a long time before the hits cause a concussion. And there’s growing evidence that a succession of those smaller hits puts players at higher risks for the one that finally leads to a concussion.” The effects of blows to the head may not show up until it is too late. Even small blows can cause negative changes to the brain structure. Do not
think that just because someone gets small blows to the head that there will not be consequences. After all, it is the smaller hits that lead to concussions.
Another thing is that some schools that do not participate in sports do exceptionally well in academics. Jay P. Greene, the 21st century professor of education reform at the University of Arkansas, stated in an article, “…Certain high-achieving countries, such as South Korea and Finland, do not have athletics in schools.” A school system does not have to have sports in order to do well in academics. Do not forget that sports can cause some athletes to get a big head about their skills and start bullying people. This can cause disruption at school…which means less learning and less academic success.
Supporters of high school football claim that the brain “bounces back” after a season of getting hit in the head over and over. Although it is true that a brain may heal during the off-season, it is also true that the brain may not. According to Eric Nauman of Purdue University, who has spent five years tracking the effects of small and large hits to the brain in high school football, “We know some of them heal. But some of them don’t.” Nauman’s point is that it is not worth playing high school football if there is a chance of a person’s brain not healing. A brain is one of the most needed organs in the human body. If the brain does not work properly, there is not much a person can do with their life. Do not take the chance of a brain not healing from injuries sustained in high school football.
In conclusion, high school football should be banned because it is just too dangerous and risky. Even if brain damage is not seen right away, it could show up later. Also, certain sports, like high school football, are not needed for a school to excel in academics. After all, elementary schools teach “Safety first!”
What did you hear?
�*Describe what the writing is doing �(the action).
�*Where did you see evidence of argument teaching?
Or �*Where did you see evidence of the use of the skills taught mini units? Describe examples?
SMALL GROUP ANALYSIS OF A SECOND SAMPLE
Small Group Analysis of Student Writing Sample
APPLYING THE USING SOURCES TOOL TO A COMMON WRITING SAMPLE
Materials for this Section
The Using Sources Tool
Does the writing present a claim?
Does the writing distinguish between the student’s own ideas and the source material, including the use of clearly indicated paraphrasing, quotation marks, or signal phrases?
Examples
Jay P. Greene, the 21st century professor of education reform at the University of Arkansas, stated in an article, “…Certain high-achieving countries, such as South Korea and Finland, do not have athletics in schools.”
Thomas McAllister stated that being hit in the head over and over changes the way the brain will work.
Notice how “Should high school football be banned?” distinguishes between student and source ideas.
Which scale point best describes this piece of writing?
Does the writing select and use evidence from sources to support the claim?
Example-
While some may argue high school football is dangerous, the life skills learned from playing the sport outweigh those dangers. According to Mark Hyman, author of three books about youth sports, “So many of the big lessons from playing sports aren’t about sports at all. They’re about growing up – making new friends, developing self-esteem, learning to be a reliable teammate.”
Highlight in YELLOW examples of how “Should high school football be banned?” selects and uses evidence to support the claim.
Which scale point best describes this piece of writing?
Does the writing comment on source material in ways that connect the source material to the claim?
Example-
While some may argue high school football is dangerous, the life skills learned from playing the sport outweigh those dangers. According to Mark Hyman, author of three books about youth sports, “So many of the big lessons from playing sports aren’t about sports at all. They’re about growing up – making new friends, developing self-esteem, learning to be a reliable teammate.” Athletes become valuable citizens through the life lessons they learn from playing sports. They may never experience an injury so therefore should not miss out on learning life skills out of fear of playing the game.
Highlight in GREEN some examples of how “Should high school football be banned?” comments on source material to connect it to the claim.
Which scale point best describes this piece of writing?
Does the writing characterize the credibility of the source material for author?
Example-
According to Mark Hyman, author of three books about youth sports, “So many of the big lessons from playing sports aren’t about sports at all. They’re about growing up – making new friends, developing self-esteem, learning to be a reliable teammate.”
Underline examples of how “Should high school football be banned?” characterizes the credibility of the source material.
Which scale point best describes this piece of writing?
Overall, how would you describe the writing’s use of source material?
Which scale point best describes this piece of writing?
Does the writing use source material for any of the following purposes?
Which of these moves is present in this piece of writing?
What do you see as next steps for this student?
Pull Out Your 10 Student Source-Based Samples
Using the Sources Tool to Inform Our Teaching