Procedure Guide: PRO/CON ORGANIZER see organizer

Purpose: To assist students in identifying support for different sides of a question.

Preparation

• Prepare a transparency and student handouts of the Pro/Con Organizer
• Select a short passage that has at least two points supporting and two points disputing a question (to use for modeling the strategy).
• Make a transparency of the short passage.
• Select a longer passage for students to read to apply the strategy.

Before

• Explain the purpose and value of the organizer.
• Model the strategy using the short passage and the transparency as you complete a Think-Aloud.

For example,

We're trying to decide if there are legitimate reasons for homeowners not to want other ethnic groups to settle in their neighborhood.

Let me read through this, article (passage) to find a couple of reasons people give for not accepting others into their neighborhood. Now let me find two reasons why not accepting others is not acceptable.

What is the conclusion I have found from these statements? How can support my conclusion? '

Distribute the Pro/Con Organizer handouts for students to keep as their model.

• Have students set up their notebook paper to answer the question (that the teacher has provided), using the Pro/Con Organizer as a model.

During

• Have students read the longer passage, completing the Pro/Con Organizer with four statements that answer the question with a positive response and four statements that answer the question with negative responses.

After

• Guide a whole-class discussion come to a conclusion on the stated question.

Assessment

Accuracy of students' pro and con statements

Appropriateness of conclusions

Alternative

Have students write a persuasive essay based on their findings in the Pro/Con Organizer.