CER Preassessment on Los Angeles Policy Issues
A preassessment packet for 11th grade and up that presents a 2024-2025 Los Angeles policy brief on housing and homelessness, public safety, and fiscal constraints, asking students to construct claim-evidence-reasoning responses about the mayor's key issues. It builds argumentative writing and the ability to use sources to support claims, and it works well as a diagnostic before a unit on structured argument.
“preassessment on Los Angeles mayor's race key issues using claim evidence reasoning”
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use as a 45-minute diagnostic at the start of a unit on argumentative writing or local government, having students read the brief independently and then write one CER response without prior modeling so you can see their baseline.
- Discussion question: Which of the three policy areas, housing, public safety, or fiscal stability, do you think is most constrained by the budget deficit, and what evidence in the brief supports that view?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: Provide a CER frame with sentence starters ("My claim is...", "The evidence that supports this is...", "This matters because...") and highlight key figures in the brief before they begin.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask them to identify a counterclaim the mayor's administration might face and write a rebuttal that uses evidence from the brief.
- Estimated time: about 40 to 50 minutes for reading and one written CER response, with an additional 10 minutes for a brief class discussion of the strongest claims.
What is Diffit?
Teachers use Diffit to get quality materials for their unique classrooms. Adjust difficulty, add scaffolds, or change the topic to get started.
Try Diffit for free“preassessment on Los Angeles mayor's race key issues using claim evidence reasoning”
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use as a 45-minute diagnostic at the start of a unit on argumentative writing or local government, having students read the brief independently and then write one CER response without prior modeling so you can see their baseline.
- Discussion question: Which of the three policy areas, housing, public safety, or fiscal stability, do you think is most constrained by the budget deficit, and what evidence in the brief supports that view?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: Provide a CER frame with sentence starters ("My claim is...", "The evidence that supports this is...", "This matters because...") and highlight key figures in the brief before they begin.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask them to identify a counterclaim the mayor's administration might face and write a rebuttal that uses evidence from the brief.
- Estimated time: about 40 to 50 minutes for reading and one written CER response, with an additional 10 minutes for a brief class discussion of the strongest claims.
CER Preassessment on Los Angeles Policy Issues
A preassessment packet for 11th grade and up that presents a 2024-2025 Los Angeles policy brief on housing and homelessness, public safety, and fiscal constraints, asking students to construct claim-evidence-reasoning responses about the mayor's key issues. It builds argumentative writing and the ability to use sources to support claims, and it works well as a diagnostic before a unit on structured argument.
What is Diffit?
Teachers use Diffit to get quality materials for their unique classrooms. Adjust difficulty, add scaffolds, or change the topic to get started.
Try Diffit for free