Essential Question: How do you use short, sustained research to create effective, informational vlogs?

Agenda:
1. Finish your Vlog Research.

2. Storyboard and script your vlog with your group. Fill in as many of the blanks of this document as you can. Be specific in your outline.

3. Write a Script for your Vlog, containing anything you or your partner(s) need to say.

4. Exit Ticket:

• What was the most interesting bit of information you learned while researching your topic?
• How are you planning to make your vlog creative and interesting?
• What other materials will you need to create your vlog?
• What else do you need to do before you are ready to start filming and creating your vlog next period?

Assignments:
Submit all of the following (do this in a shared document if you are in a group):

• Vlog Research
• Vlog Storyboard and Script
• Exit Ticket

Essential Question: What makes a vlog effective? How can you use research to plan your own vlog?
​
1. Vlog Assignment: 
With a partner or groups up to three, decide on an informational video blog topic (you may use any of the topics you covered in your letters to your representatives or come up with a new topic). 

Requirements: 

• length 3-5 minutes
• must be informational
• should be on one of your topics from your letter to your representative OR a different topic of your choosing
• must be creative; don't be boring
• must contain at least five cited sources of information

2. Your schedule for this assignment is as follows: 

1. Tuesday, April 24: Research
2. Thursday, April 26: Outline, storyboard, and script vlog
3. Monday, April 30: WeVideo tutorial; start working on vlog
4. Wednesday, May 2: Continue working on vlog
5. Friday, May 4: Finish and upload vlog
6. Tuesday, May 8: View and evaluate vlog

3. By yourself or with your partner(s) [up to three people max], decide and sign up for a topic for your vlog, then complete the Vlog Research list here. 

4. Exit Ticket: Add the following notes to your shared research document:

• Why did you choose the topic you decided on?
• How did you check the credibility of your sources?
• How are your planning to work effectively as a group? Have you split/delegated any roles?
• What are three major questions you hope to answer in your vlog?

Assignments:

• Vlog Research (shared document if you are working with a group)
• Exit Ticket

Essential Question: What makes a vlog effective? How can you use research to plan your own vlog?

Agenda:

1. Watch the following vlog:

Write a five-minute response to this vlog. What reactions do you have to it? What are the components of an effective vlog?

2. Choose one of your favorite vlogs, share it and analyze what it is doing well with your group.

3. Vlog Assignment: 
With a partner or groups up to three, decide on an informational video blog topic (you may use any of the topics you covered in your letters to your representatives or come up with a new topic). 

Requirements: 

• length 3-5 minutes
• must be informational
• should be on one of your topics from your letter to your representative OR a different topic of your choosing
• must be creative; don't be boring
• must contain at least five cited sources of information

Your schedule for this assignment is as follows: 

1. Tuesday, April 24: Research
2. Thursday, April 26: Outline, storyboard, and script vlog
3. Monday, April 30: WeVideo tutorial; start working on vlog
4. Wednesday, May 2: Continue working on vlog
5. Friday, May 4: Finish and upload vlog
6. Tuesday, May 8: View and evaluate vlog

4. Brainstorm ideas (the more creative, the better!)

Assignments:

• Response to Vlogbrothers Vlog
• Notes on your own Vlog
  
• Idea Brainstorming
  

Essential Question: How do you write a persuasive letter to your representative to urge them to take action regarding your chosen issue?

Agenda:

1. Finish rough drafting your letter to your representative and check it through both Grammarly and Hemingway.

2. Spend 15 minutes polishing and tightening your writing. Check every sentence for anything you could say in fewer words or in more precise language. Make sure you have used at least three sources to back up your claim.

3. Self-Assess your work. Copy/paste the Letter to Representative Rubric into the bottom of your document, then assess and score yourself for each category. Be honest about your scoring and on the bottom, explain why you gave yourself the score you did in 3-5 sentences.

4. Using the rubric, ask two others to give you feedback on your letter. Use comments and suggestions to do this.

5. Polish your letter. Make sure to double-check it against the Letter to Representative Rubric.

6. Format your letter: 12 pt. Times New Roman, single-spaced. Include your and your representative's contact info (typically their contact info at the top, and your contact information [name, email, and address] after your closing.

​Send the letter/email/use your representative's contact form and take a screen shot of your sent confirmation.

Add your screenshot into the bottom of your draft (copy/paste) and submit your letter on Canvas.

Assignments:

• Submit the final, edited and polished version of your Letter to Representative (include the screenshot showing that you sent it) on Canvas

Essential Question: How do you write a persuasive letter to your representative?

Agenda:

1. Write a rough draft for your Letter to Your Representative. Use these sources and examples to help you write this letter:

• General Letter Format
• Tips and Sample Letters

2. Requirements for your Letter to Your Representative: Follow this checklist.

3. Check your claim in your letter to yoru representative. Make sure to follows these guidelines:

• Claims are statements, not questions
• Your claim should be specific and show your knowledge of the subject matter
• Your claim should answer the following questions:
  • Who do you want to do something?
  • What do you want them to do?
  • When do you want them to do it?
  • Where do you want them to do it?
    • Example: I am writing you (who) to vote no on the upcoming tax bill (what) on Friday, December 1 (when) at Congress (where).
• Your claim should go against the status quo (current beliefs, policies, rules, behavior or institutions) to create controversy
• An effective claim should promote a pro/con argument
• Try to sum up your claim in one sentence; use no more than 25-30 words.

4. Example Claims: 
Note whether these claims are effective or not. List everything that is going wrong/well with the claims below:

1. I am writing to urge you to pass measures to end poverty across the United States.
2. I urge you to vote yes on the upcoming bill to levy a bond to increase property taxes to benefit school improvement.
3. You should impeach Trump. 

5. Exit Ticket: Highlight and comment on the following in your draft:

• Highlight your claim in one color
• Highlight all sources you used for research in a different color
• Highlight your call to action in a third color
• Comment on one are of your letter you feel works especially well
• Comment on two areas of your letter you feel need to be improved. Add ideas of how you want to improve this.

Assignments:

• Rough Draft of your Letter to your Reprentative
• Exit Ticket (highlights and comments)

Essential Question: Who is your representative and how do you conduct research to advocate for an issue you are passionate about?

Agenda:

1. Finish your research on your social issue. List sources and pieces from sources (stats, quotes, etc.) that you want to use in your Letter to Representative. We will finish writing it and edit and revise it next period. 

Your Letter to Representative should contain the following:

• A clear opening about who you are and why you feel passionate about the issue you are writing about.
• Information about your chosen issue and an argument about what you want your representative to do about this. Make sure your argument is based on well-researched information.
• Should be clear, polite, and professional throughout
• End with a clear call to action
• Include contact information and use correct format and grammar

Check out these Sample Letters to Representatives:

• General Letter Format
• Tips and Sample Letters

2. Who is a representative or advocate for the issue you are going to write about?
Note: This person or organization needs to be credible and be a representative or advocate for the issue you have researched. You should find out their email contact info. List it in your Google Doc and make some notes about anything else you find out about the representative you chose and how they can best advocate for your chosen issue. 

Some possible representatives/advocates to research are:

• Writing about a FEDERAL issue? Find your member of Congress (House of Representatives): Find Your Representative
• Writing about a STATE issue specific to Utah? Find your Representative in the Utah Legislature.
• Advocate/Human Rights groups
• Spokespeople for a specific issue
• School Distict/Board Members

3. Continue researching your chosen social issue. Make sure you have at least 3-5 credible sources. Sources MUST pass the CRAAP test. Check for and list the following for each source:

• Currency
• Relevance
• Authority
• Accuracy
• Purpose

4. Begin outlining your letter.

5. Exit Ticket: List the following:

• Who are you writing your Letter to Representative to? Include their contact (email).
• Why did you choose this particular representative?
• What is/has been this person's position on your chosen issue in the past?
• What is your main argument for the issue you chose?

Assignments:

• Details about your representative
• Letter to Representative Research and CRAAP test list (3-5 sources)
• Begin outlining your letter
• Exit Ticket

Essential Question: How can you use issue assessment questions to find out more in-depth information on an issue of your choosing?

Agenda:
1. Browse current news for ten minutes and make a list of the following:

• 3 issues that are currently in the news (make sure these issues are credible and relevant).
• 2 issues you feel people should know more about.
• 1 question regarding current events and news you have always wondered about.

2.Finish the Issue Assessment Worksheet for your chosen issue.

3. After completing the worksheet, highlight the areas you feel show how individuals and groups of people are the most affected by this issue. Highlight at least one bullet point per section to identify areas you should focus on in your research.

4. Start researching more information about this issue. Copy the links for your research into your GoogleDoc. Include how you made sure that your sources are credible (use the CRAAP Test)

5. Exit Ticket: What is the most important piece of information you have found about your chosen issue?

Assignments:​

• Current Events 3-2-1 List
• Issue Assessment and highlights
• Research
• Exit Ticket