Overview
This is a self-contained, no-technology substitute packet in which students read an
original persuasive passage, "Later Bells," and analyze its argument. Working
alone with a pencil, students predict the author's position, read the passage, identify
the claim, judge which support is strong and which is weak, spot a
statement that is unsupported or irrelevant, revise a weak point using real
evidence from the passage, and choose the evidence that best supports the claim. They
finish with a short response stating a revised claim backed by two pieces of evidence,
judging their quality. Every text-dependent question can be answered directly from the
printed passage.
Accessible version of the student activity
The full student activity, including the complete passage, is reproduced below in
plain, screen-reader-friendly HTML. It reflows on phones and at 200% zoom. Write your
answers on the printed packet.
Start (5 minutes) — Notice & Predict
- The passage is titled "Later Bells: Why Our School Day Should Start at 9:00." From
the title alone, predict the author's position — what does the writer want to happen,
and what side of the issue are they on?
- Retrieval: skim paragraph 1. According to the author, what time does the school day
currently begin?
Build (10 minutes) — Read the argument
Words to know (for analyzing an argument)
- claim
- the main point or position the writer is trying to prove.
- evidence
- facts, data, examples, or expert statements used to back up a claim.
- reasoning
- the thinking that explains how the evidence supports the claim.
- counterargument
- a point on the other side that an opponent might make.
- relevance
- how directly a piece of evidence connects to the claim; whether it truly matters here.
"Later Bells: Why Our School Day Should Start at 9:00" — an original argument
Paragraph 1. Our school day begins at 7:45 in the morning, which means most
students set an alarm before the sun is even up. I believe Franklin Middle School should
move its start time to 9:00. A later start would leave students healthier, more alert,
and better prepared to learn. This is not about laziness; it is about matching the
schedule to how eighth-grade bodies actually work.
Paragraph 2. The strongest reason is biological. According to a 2014 report
from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the natural sleep rhythms of teenagers shift
later during adolescence, so most teens cannot fall asleep before about 11:00 p.m. The
report recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. so
students can get the 8 to 10 hours of sleep their growing brains need. When the science
of teenage sleep points one direction, our bell schedule should not point the other.
Paragraph 3. There is also evidence that later start times help students do
better in school. In a study of several districts that pushed their start times later,
researchers found that attendance improved and the number of students who were late to
first period dropped. Students who sleep enough are simply more able to focus, remember,
and participate. A rested student is a ready student.
Paragraph 4. Some people say a later start is impossible because of the bus
schedule. But buses are a solvable problem, not a reason to keep tired students in early
classes. Districts across the country have redesigned bus routes to fit later bells, and
if they can do it, so can we.
Paragraph 5. Besides, mornings are just unpleasant. Nobody I know enjoys
waking up early, and my cousin, who is in college, says her classes never start before
ten. The cafeteria also serves a better breakfast on the days it offers pancakes, which
proves mornings could be improved in many ways.
Paragraph 6. Moving the first bell to 9:00 is a change that fits the science,
supports learning, and treats students like the growing young people they are. The alarm
clock should work with our brains, not against them. It is time for later bells.
- In paragraph 2, what does the author say happens to teenagers' sleep rhythms during
adolescence? Answer using details from the passage.
Apply (20 minutes) — Analyze the argument
- Identify the claim: in one sentence, state the author's main claim — the position
the whole passage is trying to prove. (paragraph 1)
- Evaluate evidence quality: paragraph 2 and paragraph 5 each try to support the
claim. One uses strong evidence and one uses weak evidence. Decide which is which and
explain why (is the support factual, relevant, and reliable?).
- Spot the irrelevant support: paragraph 5 contains a sentence that does not actually
help prove the claim about start times. Identify that sentence and explain why it is
irrelevant.
- Revision task: paragraph 5 uses weak reasons. Rewrite that support so it is
stronger — replace one weak reason with real evidence from the passage (paragraph 2 or
3) that genuinely supports the 9:00 start. Write your improved sentence.
- Which evidence best supports the claim (that the day should start at 9:00)? Choose one.
- A. "The cafeteria also serves a better breakfast on the days it offers pancakes."
- B. "My cousin, who is in college, says her classes never start before ten."
- C. "The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m."
- D. "Nobody I know enjoys waking up early."
Then (8b) explain in one sentence why the evidence you chose is stronger than the others.
Explain (5–10 minutes) — State a revised claim & judge your evidence
Question 9. Write a revised, focused claim about the school start time (you may
agree with the author, disagree, or narrow the claim — for example, "Franklin Middle
School should start at 8:30 because that fits the pediatricians' recommendation"). Support
it with two pieces of evidence from the passage (with paragraph numbers), and for each one
judge its quality — explain why it is strong.
Sentence stems you may use: "My revised claim is…"; "One strong piece of evidence is…
(paragraph ___).": "A second piece of evidence is… (paragraph ___).": "This evidence is
strong because it is factual / from an expert / directly relevant…"
Close (5 minutes) — ACE
- Articulate: say the author's claim in your own words, in one sentence.
- Connect: point to one piece of strong evidence in the passage (name the paragraph) that best backs up that claim.
- Extend: name one weak spot in the argument and tell what the author could add to make it stronger.
Continue (optional, ~15 minutes) — Early finisher
Write a counterargument: one paragraph from the opposite side arguing the school day
should not move to 9:00, with at least one reason (for example, after-school jobs, sports,
or working parents). Then write one sentence explaining how the author of "Later Bells"
could respond to that counterargument.
Turn in
Hand in the whole packet with your name, class period, and date, with questions 1–9 and
the ACE box answered. Include the optional counterargument if you did it.