Grade 4 Fall — Persuasive/Argument Writing, Compound-Complex Sentences, Relative Clauses, and Modal Auxiliaries
Lesson 22 80 min eng.g4.f.lesson_22.argument_forum_publication

Argument Forum — Publication Day and Self-Reflection

Objectives
  • Students present their published persuasive essay and evidence panel at the Argument Forum.
  • Students answer 2 visitor questions per child and record responses.
  • Students complete the 3-stars-and-a-wish self-reflection rubric.
Vocabulary
publicationargument forumpresentationself-reflection

Lesson plan

Warm-up

10 min

Children set up their tri-fold displays. Teacher circulates and affirms.

Teacher moves
  • Walk the room
  • Affirm specific evidence-panel choices
  • Encourage one final rehearsal of script
Media
M-4-F-WR-22-A Photograph
Photo of a fully assembled tri-fold display: left panel — published 5-paragraph essay; center panel — evidence panel (ba

Photo of a fully assembled tri-fold display: left panel — published 5-paragraph essay; center panel — evidence panel (bar chart in this example) with caption and source attribution; right panel — visitor-question note-card with 2 question/answer pairs filled in. Print-ready 11x17 reference.

Direct instruction

5 min

Today is the ARGUMENT FORUM. You will present your persuasive essay and evidence panel to at least 4 visitors. For each visitor: (1) use your 3-move script; (2) answer 2 questions; (3) record visitor question + your answer on the note-card. When you are not presenting, you are a VISITOR — go to other children's displays, listen to their script, and ask one thoughtful question. Use POSITION and PERSPECTIVE vocabulary in your questions ('What's your position on ___?' or 'From whose PERSPECTIVE?').

Key examples
  • A visitor's job: LISTEN, ASK ONE GOOD QUESTION, AFFIRM something specific.
    model Teacher walks to a child's display, says 'Tell me about your argument.' Listens to 3-move script. Asks: 'What's the strongest piece of evidence in your panel? What would convince someone who disagreed with your claim?' Child responds.
    prompt Teacher models being a visitor.
Checks for understanding
  • What 3 things does the presenting child do?
  • What's a thoughtful visitor question?

Guided practice

40 min
Tasks
  • Argument Forum walkabout: 4 visitor interactions per child. Record question + answer on note-card.
    scaffold Visitor-question note-card; script card
  • Use Tier-2 Set 9 words in your questions and responses (POSITION, PERSPECTIVE, ACKNOWLEDGE, COUNTER).
    scaffold Set 9 word-wall near doors
Media
M-4-F-WR-22-B Chart Physical / non-image

8.5x11 rubric sheet: 3 STARS sections (Star 1: One craft move I am proud of — Quote my own writing; Star 2: Which named revision move helped me most; Star 3: Which Tier-2 Set 9 word did I use most), 1 WISH section (One thing I would change about my essay if I could revise it once more — Name a specific move). Print-ready, dyslexic-friendly font.

Formative assessment

10 min
Exit ticket
  • Complete the 3-STARS-1-WISH self-reflection rubric: 3 things you are proud of, 1 thing you would change.
  • Hand in published essay + reflection + visitor note-card.
scoring Reflection collected; not graded — used for goal-setting for spring term.

Closure

Moves
  • Affirm the term's work.
  • Carry your published booklet home.

Homework

Tasks
  • Share your published booklet with family. Read it aloud at dinner. Carry forward to Grade 4 spring.

Exercises in this lesson

eng.g4.f.ex_43
At the Argument Forum, complete 4 visitor interactions. For each, deliver your 3-move script, answer 2 questions, and record each...
argument forum visitor interaction · diff 4
eng.g4.f.ex_44
Complete the 3-STARS-1-WISH self-reflection rubric. Star 1: One craft move you used that you are proud of (quote your own writing). Star...
self reflection rubric · diff 2

Differentiation

Scaffolds
  • Smaller target: 2 visitor interactions instead of 4
  • Adult support at less-confident displays
  • Visual cue cards for script reminders
Extensions
  • 6+ visitor interactions.
  • Visit children who chose different mentor-text traditions and compare their argument styles.
English Learners
  • Bilingual script card
  • Bilingual visitor-question prompts
  • Audio-record option for replay
Ieps 504s
  • 1 visitor interaction with adult mediator
  • Reduced script to 1 sentence
  • Drawing-only response option

Teacher notes

Publication day is the celebration AND the assessment. Watch for two failure modes: (1) shy children who don't engage visitors — pair with adult co-presenter; (2) over-confident children who don't really LISTEN to visitor questions — coach them to pause. The self-reflection rubric is assessment-AS-learning — not graded but used for goal-setting. Carry forward to Grade 4 Spring conference; the 3-stars-1-wish reflection becomes the starting point. The visitor note-cards stay in the writer's notebook as evidence of audience engagement.