Issues in Society - Comprehension Activities and Persuasive Writing Assessment

A comprehensive Unit of work on writing about Issues in Society.
Students are led through a variety of activities ; starting with a comprehension on Battery Hens (11 Short Answer Questions). A poem by Edwin Brock "Battery Hen" is examined and there are 6 short responses on the poem. The use of these two texts generates ideas for students about an issue in society and views. Students are asked to choose their own issue, research and write a letter to their local newspaper about the issue. Students are provided with scaffolds for writing a persuasive letter and a page of terminology to use.
All Marking Criteria and Answers to questions are included.
With students choosing topics, research and writing this makes for a solid 5 days of work. The marking for the Letter to the Newspaper is a Year 7 Naplan Marking Criteria used for my class and this task. It is very detailed but allows the teacher to give succinct feedback.
For Year 7 / 8 or 9 class