Culminating Task Workshop

Overview

This is lesson 23 of 25 in Justice or Just Us? Students begin their extended analysis task, drawing on their prior study of language, perspective, evidence and paragraph organisation. The lesson focuses on planning a clear contention and structuring analytical paragraphs before students begin drafting.

Learning intentions

• WALT structure an extended analysis with a clear contention and sequenced paragraphs.
• WALT select language evidence that represents a perspective on an issue.
• WALT explain how language features and text organisation influence meaning.
• WALT begin drafting for a specific purpose and audience.

Success criteria

• I can write a clear contention that answers the task.
• I can organise my analysis into logical paragraphs.
• I can select relevant evidence and explain its effect.
• I can use analytical vocabulary and linking words to develop my ideas.

Curriculum links

• Analyse and evaluate how language features represent a perspective of an issue, event, situation, individual or group.
• Plan, create, edit and publish analytical texts for a purpose and audience.
• Analyse the organisation of ideas in paragraphs and extended texts, evaluating its impact on meaning.
• Present an informed personal response to a literary text, comparing initial impressions with later analysis where relevant.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Reconnect and focus. Teacher opens with the provocative opening question and learning intention slides: “How can the structure of an argument make one perspective seem more convincing than another?” Students complete a quick think-pair-share, recalling one language feature and one structural choice studied in the unit.

2. 5–12 min · Model the task structure. Teacher uses the model analysis slides to unpack the task requirements: contention, sequenced points, evidence, explanation of language choices, linking sentences and conclusion. Display a short model paragraph and think aloud while identifying the point, evidence, technique, effect and link to the contention. Students annotate the model and identify which sentence performs each function.

3. 12–20 min · Plan the argument. Teacher distributes the extended analysis planning worksheet and explains that students may analyse a studied literary, media or persuasive text connected to justice, fairness or representation. Students write a provisional contention and plan three paragraph points, ordering them so the argument develops logically. They record at least one supporting quotation or specific textual reference for each point.

4. 20–28 min · Guided peer conference. Teacher displays the peer-review questions and paragraph scaffold and reminds students to give specific, respectful feedback. In pairs, students read their contention and paragraph plan aloud, then use the prompts: “What perspective is being represented?”, “Does each point support the contention?”, and “What should come first, and why?” Students revise their contention or reorder points where necessary.

5. 28–40 min · Independent project work. Teacher circulates, conferences briefly with students and checks that each plan includes a contention, linked points and evidence. Students begin drafting their introduction and first analytical paragraph on the worksheet or in their books, using analytical verbs such as positions, emphasises, challenges, constructs and invites. Students who complete the first paragraph continue drafting the next section.

6. 40–45 min · Review and exit reflection. Teacher returns to the checklist and exit reflection slide and asks students to self-assess before packing up. Students complete the final section of the self-check and next-steps section, identifying one structural strength and one precise improvement for the next lesson.

Resources

• the Culminating Task Workshop slide deck
• the extended analysis planning worksheet
• Students’ studied texts and class notes
• Exercise books or devices
• Highlighters or coloured pencils
• Display screen or interactive whiteboard
• Timer
• Dictionary or approved digital dictionary

Assessment

• During modelling, check that students can identify the contention, evidence, language feature and explanation in the model paragraph.
• Review planning worksheets during circulation, focusing on the logical sequence of points, relevance of evidence and connection to the contention.
• Use the final self-check to identify students who need support with paragraph structure, evidence selection or analytical explanation in lesson 24.

Differentiation

• Provide a paragraph frame: “The text represents ___ as ___ through ___. The use of ___ suggests ___. This positions the audience to ___, reinforcing the contention that ___.”
• Offer a choice of studied texts, teacher-approved evidence banks and a visual planning sequence for students who need support with working memory or organisation.
• Provide dyslexia-friendly copies with a clear sans-serif font, generous spacing, short instructions and minimal visual clutter; allow students to listen to texts or use text-to-speech where available.
• Confer first with students who have difficulty forming a contention, verbally rehearse ideas before writing, and permit speech-to-text or scribing in line with individual adjustments.

Extension

• Students refine their contention to acknowledge a complexity or alternative perspective rather than making a simple claim.
• Students integrate two language features in one paragraph and evaluate which has the stronger effect on the audience.
• Students experiment with paragraph order and write a brief explanation of how the revised sequence changes the argument’s impact.