Lesson
3
:

Writing an Informative Text about Understanding

Grade

Grade 6

UNIT

8

Understanding

Last Updated:

June 10, 2025

In Unit 8, Lesson 3, “Writing an Informative Text about Understanding,” students will write an informative text about one of the two people we learned about earlier in this unit—either Alan Turing or Chester Nez—focusing on how the person they choose demonstrated understanding. This informative text will examine the subject and convey information clearly.

SUGGESTED TIME:

50 minutes

RELATED SUBJECT:

English Language Arts

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

  • Conduct a short research project on a person of interest who demonstrates understanding and locate three sources on the chosen subject. 
  • Write an informative text that examines a topic and conveys ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
  • Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
  • Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
  • Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
  • Establish and maintain a formal style.
  • Provide a list of 3 sources.

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

  • Prohuman Grade 6 Unit 8 Worksheet 3: Writing an Informative Text about Understanding

ELA COMMON CORE STANDARDS MET

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2.A

Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2.B

Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2.C

Use appropriate transitions to clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2.D

Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2.E

Establish and maintain a formal style.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2.F

Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the information or explanation presented.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.4

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.7

Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.8

Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources; assess the credibility of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and providing basic bibliographic information for sources.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.9

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.10

Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.2

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET

Intellectual Character A2

Identify individuals, fiction and real, past and present, who exemplify the different intellectual character strengths in a concrete and compelling manner

Intellectual Character A3

Recognize and understand why the intellectual character strengths are not innate (something you are born with) but can be developed with practice and support

Intellectual Character A5

Understand the difference between facts and opinions (or feelings)

Responsible and Ethical Decision-Making A3

Write about and share a principle you want to live by that you learned from a family member, book, movie, or personal experience

LESSON PROCEDURE

  1. Today you will write an informative text of 2-3 pages about one of the two people we learned about earlier in this unit, who demonstrated understanding, either Alan Turing or Chester Nez. 
  2. Find three different articles about your person and read them. Then write your informative text.
  3. The informative texts we write should do 10 things: 
  1. Use 3 sources.
  2. Establish and maintain a formal style.
  3. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow.
  4. Organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories.
  5. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
  6. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
  7. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
  8. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.
  9. Provide a list of 3 sources.
  10. Your informative text will be shared with 3 classmates for peer review.

GRADE 6 UNIT 8 WORKSHEET 3: WRITING AN INFORMATIVE TEXT ABOUT UNDERSTANDING

Write a 2-3 page informative text about one of the two people we learned about earlier in this unit, who demonstrated understanding, either Alan Turing or Chester Nez. Your text should do the following things:

  1. Find and use three sources. 
  2. Establish and maintain a formal style.
  3. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow. Explain how the person showed understanding.
  4. Organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories.
  5. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
  6. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
  7. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
  8. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented. Explain what their understanding helped them to accomplish and what you learned from them.
  9. Include a list of 3 sources at the end. 
  10. Your informative text will be shared with 3 classmates for peer review.

Prohuman K-12 Curriculum © 2025 by Prohuman Foundation is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

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