• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Adding, deleting and revising for purpose; Command of evidence (SAT/ACT)). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. A paragraph argues that school gardens improve pupils' diets. The writer considers adding: "In one survey, pupils who grew vegetables ate 40% more vegetables at lunch." Should the writer add this sentence? (Yes, because it introduces a counterargument. / No, because it changes the topic to surveys. / Yes, because it provides evidence for the paragraph's claim. / No, because surveys are never reliable.) → Yes, because it provides evidence for the paragraph's claim.Prompt: What is the paragraph's main focus or the writer's stated goal?
2. A historian argues that the canal transformed the town's economy. A: The canal was 12 miles long. B: Construction began in a rainy spring. C: Within ten years of its opening, the number of mills in the town tripled. D: The canal was later used for leisure boating. Which finding would most directly support the argument? (A / B / C / D) → CPrompt: First decide what the answer to the question is.
3. A paragraph explains how coral reefs protect coastlines from storms. The writer considers adding: "Coral comes in many beautiful colours." Should the writer add this sentence? (Yes, because it explains how storms form. / No, because it repeats information already given. / Yes, because it adds descriptive detail about coral. / No, because it does not relate to how reefs protect coastlines.) → No, because it does not relate to how reefs protect coastlines.Prompt: What is the paragraph's main focus or the writer's stated goal?

• Show two openings to the same piece of writing and ask which makes them want to read on.
• Share the objective: Rhetorical synthesis (SAT). Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: Notes: • In 2010, Riverton had 12 km of bike lanes. • By 2020, it had 85 km. • Over the same period, the number of daily cycling trips rose from 2,000 to 11,000. The student wants to present a possible link between infrastructure and cycling. Which choice most effectively uses the notes to accomplish this goal?
• Step 1: The right answer both uses accurate information from the notes and fulfils the stated goal.
• Step 2: So the answer is: As Riverton's bike lanes grew from 12 km to 85 km between 2010 and 2020, daily cycling trips rose from 2,000 to 11,000.
• Answer: As Riverton's bike lanes grew from 12 km to 85 km between 2010 and 2020, daily cycling trips rose from 2,000 to 11,000.
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

• Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
• Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

1. Notes: • Mary Anning (1799–1847) was a fossil collector in Lyme Regis, England. • She discovered the first correctly identified ichthyosaur skeleton. • As a woman, she was not allowed to join the Geological Society of London. The student wants to highlight the obstacles Anning faced. Which choice most effectively uses the notes to accomplish this goal? (Lyme Regis is in England and is known for fossils. / Despite her important discoveries, Mary Anning was barred from the Geological Society of London because she was a woman. / Mary Anning lived in Lyme Regis from 1799 to 1847. / Mary Anning discovered the first correctly identified ichthyosaur skeleton.) → Despite her important discoveries, Mary Anning was barred from the Geological Society of London because she was a woman.Prompt: Reread the student's goal. What exactly must the sentence do?
2. Notes: • The novel was published in 1962. • It is set in a small coastal town. • It has been translated into 30 languages. • Critics praise its portrayal of grief. The student wants to introduce the novel to an audience unfamiliar with it. Which choice most effectively uses the notes to accomplish this goal? (Published in 1962 and translated into 30 languages, this novel set in a small coastal town is praised for its portrayal of grief. / Small coastal towns appear in many novels. / Critics praise the novel's portrayal of grief. / The novel has been translated into 30 languages.) → Published in 1962 and translated into 30 languages, this novel set in a small coastal town is praised for its portrayal of grief.Prompt: Reread the student's goal. What exactly must the sentence do?

• Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
• Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 5 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. Notes: • Mary Anning (1799–1847) was a fossil collector in Lyme Regis, England. • She discovered the first correctly identified ichthyosaur skeleton. • As a woman, she was not allowed to join the Geological Society of London. The student wants to highlight the obstacles Anning faced. Which choice most effectively uses the notes to accomplish this goal? (Mary Anning lived in Lyme Regis from 1799 to 1847. / Mary Anning discovered the first correctly identified ichthyosaur skeleton. / Lyme Regis is in England and is known for fossils. / Despite her important discoveries, Mary Anning was barred from the Geological Society of London because she was a woman.) → Despite her important discoveries, Mary Anning was barred from the Geological Society of London because she was a woman.Prompt: Reread the student's goal. What exactly must the sentence do?
2. Notes: • In 2010, Riverton had 12 km of bike lanes. • By 2020, it had 85 km. • Over the same period, the number of daily cycling trips rose from 2,000 to 11,000. The student wants to present a possible link between infrastructure and cycling. Which choice most effectively uses the notes to accomplish this goal? (Riverton had 12 km of bike lanes in 2010. / As Riverton's bike lanes grew from 12 km to 85 km between 2010 and 2020, daily cycling trips rose from 2,000 to 11,000. / By 2020, Riverton had 85 km of bike lanes. / Cycling is a popular activity in many towns, including Riverton.) → As Riverton's bike lanes grew from 12 km to 85 km between 2010 and 2020, daily cycling trips rose from 2,000 to 11,000.Prompt: Reread the student's goal. What exactly must the sentence do?

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-11.