The Contract is your plan — your question, how you'll prove you learned, and what a great result looks like. Get it right and the next five weeks have a map. No digging until it's signed.
We move through Parts 1–5 one at a time. Watch the example, then write your version in your Contract doc. When Parts 1–5 are done, bring it to me for sign-off.
A student — call him Marcus — will build a Contract alongside you. Same texts, his own angle. Steal the shape, not the content.
"When an institution fails the people it's supposed to serve, what does it take to fix it — and who has to do the work?"
Angle: "Compare Sinclair's exposure journalism in The Jungle and Melba Beals' embodied protest in Warriors Don't Cry — which reform strategy created more lasting change?"
Why: "I want to know whether writing about a problem or putting your body on the line actually changes more."
The skill you're proving. Write the code + pick a type: ELA-primary, SS-primary, or crosswalk.
Find codes on your Launch Reference or a skinny.
Primary: 9-10.R.9 (analyze & compare arguments)
Crosswalk: US.6_12.4 + Unit 1/6 (change over time)
Type: Crosswalk — a reading skill AND a reform-history standard.
Pick a mode, then describe exactly what you'll make. Not "an essay" — the real thing.
Mode: Extended Writing.
What it'll look like: "A 700–1,000 word argument comparing Sinclair's and Beals' strategies, using at least 3 quotes across both texts, naming my standard for 'lasting change,' and answering one counterargument."
List 1–3 skinnies that match your standard & mode. Read their 2.0 and 3.0 lines before Part 5.
• R.9 Informational / Argumentative
• W.4 Argument Writing
He'll read the 3.0 descriptions to write his targets next.
Don't copy the skinny. Say what each level looks like for your angle, your texts, your demo. 3.0 is the target — and 3.0 = an A.
"I can identify each author's claim and reform strategy — Sinclair's exposure, Beals' protest — one text at a time."
"On my own, I can compare how each strategy makes its case and argue which created more lasting change, with specific evidence and a clear standard for 'lasting.'" ← target
"I can evaluate what each strategy assumes — and argue whether the people who paid the highest cost are the ones who benefited most."
The public thing you'll share in Week 6.
Marcus: essay published to the SDA Commons.
One real checkpoint per week.
Marcus, Wk 1: "angle chosen, contract signed."
2+ Reading Library texts + 1 you find yourself.
Marcus: The Jungle, Warriors + a news article.
When your angle, standard, demo, skinnies, and targets are written, bring it to me. I'll approve it — or hand it back with notes. That's normal.
A signed Contract means your plan is solid enough to build six weeks on. That's the whole point of today.