Dear Judge9B Module

Activity One: QuickwriteIt’s not a secret that addictions—to drugs, alcohol, smoking, and more—are common among teens. The question is, why? And since addictions are clearly unhealthy, leading to a lifetime of hard battles if not death, it is worth asking: why are addictions so common among this age group? In your quickwrite, consider one or two of the following questions:

What causes addiction? Why are teens more likely to become addicted than other age

groups? What has been your experience with addictions—either from yourself

or those you know? How should we respond to teens struggling with addiction?

Please write freely. If you find that you are not comfortable with me reading what you have written, simply write “do not read” at the top of your quickwrite, and I will respect your wishes for this activity.

Activity Two: ReadingOur first reading is from

The Freedom Writers Diary; a collection of non-fiction, anonymous LA high school student writings

(edited by a teacher from LA)

As you read, keep a pen or pencil in hand and underline any key phrases or sentences. In addition, mark any passages that strike you as important using our old annotation system:

? = don’t understand

! = never realized, interesting

+ = agree with

- = disagree with

Activity 3: Post-Reading After reading, take several minutes to write down answers

the following questions. When you’re finished, we’ll discuss these questions as a class.1. Do you think this author’s story is believable? Why or why not?

2. Did anything surprise you about the author’s narrative? What?

3. Who do you think Zlata is, based on the way the author speaks about her?

4. The author writes, “In some sick way I wish I could get caught so all this lying could be behind me.” Why do you think someone might wish to be caught doing something they try so hard to hide?

5. Does the author’s story make you change your opinion about what addiction is? Do you think she has a choice? Explain your answer.

Activity 4: Vocabulary Before reading “Drug Addiction is a Disease: Why the Teen

Brain is Vulnerable,” skim the text for any words that you do not understand, and circle them.

Take 5 minutes to do so. We’ll then share the words we do not understand and investigate their meanings before moving on.

Write down the definitions of any words you do not know before we read the article.

Activity 5: Making PredictionsLook through the text, and answer in your notes

under the above heading: The Title All Subtitles The author (in this case, the organization) Any acronyms (a bunch of capitalized words together) and

what they might mean When you’re finished, number all paragraphs, beginning with

the article’s first real paragraph, which begins “These teens were all suffering…”

Activity 5 (cont’d): Making PredictionsWhat do you think this text is going to be about?What do you think is the purpose of this text?Who do you think is the intended audience for this

piece? How do you know this?Based on the title and other features of the text, what

information/ideas might this essay present?

Activity 6: First Read-throughAs you read, keep a pen or pencil in hand and underline any important phrases or sentences. Use our annotations (?, !, +, -) to help mark your reactions to the passages.

When finished, complete a SOAPSTone for the article.

Activity 7: Second Read-through

Read the article once more to yourself, and then answer the comprehension questions on the handout in order to check your understanding before we move on.

Activity 8: Vocabulary Before reading “Sadly, There is No Magic Bullet,” skim

the text for any words that you do not understand, and circle them.

Take 5 minutes to do so. We’ll then share the words we do not understand and investigate their meanings before moving on.

Write down the definitions of any words you do not know before we read the article.

Activity 9: Making PredictionsWhat do you think this text is going to be about?What do you think is the purpose of this text?Who do you think is the intended audience for this

piece? How do you know this?Based on the title and other features of the text, what

information/ideas might this essay present?

Activity 10: First Read-ThroughAs you read, keep a pen or pencil in hand and underline any important phrases or sentences. Use our annotations (?, !, +, -) to help mark your reactions to the passages.

When finished, complete a SOAPSTone for the article.

Activity 11: 2nd Read-ThroughAs you read again, label what the author says in the left-hand margin: Introduction Issue or problem the author is writing aboutAuthor’s main arguments Author’s examples Conclusion In the right hand margin, ask learners to write

reactions to what the author is saying.

Activity 12: Looking Closely at Language The chart we’ll use in this activity helps you understand not just

what an author is saying, but how he or she is saying it.

Activity 13: Connecting the Dots1. Consider again the two articles we’ve read. In a full-page

response, focus on one or two of the following questions, to prepare us for class discussion:

2. On what ideas do these two articles agree? On what do they disagree?

3. Do we have any reason to doubt either of the articles? Explain why/why not.

4. Remembering the author from “Doing Speed,” and in light of what we’ve just read, do you think that addiction is a choice? Explain why/why not.

5. How might what we’ve learned about drug addiction relate to other forms of addiction (tv, phone, shopping, eating, etc.)?

Activity 14: Pre-Writing Before going any further, let’s review how to integrate the

words of others into your writing, and how to properly cite sources. Take notes in your notebook, and highlight as you read the handouts provided.

Lhsenglish.com Modules 1 and 2 9B Research